Sales representation company Plateau International has identified Australia as a strategic growth market for its collection of upmarket clients. Headquartered in the UK, the 16-month-old business generates sales for a hand-picked collection of luxury hotels, small cruise lines and high-end destination management companies (DMCs), and is in the process of establishing preferential agreements with all the main players in the Australian market, Founder and Managing Director Marco Rosa said.
In Australia last week, Rosa (a luxury travel specialist and former Abercrombie & Kent, Belmond and Emirates Group executive) said Asia Pacific was a particularly “important” region as some of the properties represented by Plateau International are located in this zone.
Plateau’s clients include small boutique river cruise operators in Asia such as Lotus Cruises in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Paukan Cruises in Myanmar and Exotic Journeys in India, all of which are very popular with Australian clients. The company also promotes services provided by DMCs Idea Indochina and Asia Bespoke Tours. Other high-end clients represented by the firm include Cocoon Maldives, Gold Zanzibar Beach House and Spa, The Island Pongwe, Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa in Costa Rica and Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge in Nicaragua.
“We want to bring to our trade partners more hidden products not widely available in the marketplace,” Rosa explained. “I worked for several years in the luxury travel sector being the Senior Vice President of the Hospitality division for Abercrombie & Kent looking after the brand Sanctuary Retreats, and before that I was the Global Sales and Marketing Director for Trains & Cruises at Orient-Express (now Belmond).”
Rosa told LATTE that European countries, Australia and New Zealand were all key markets for Plateau International’s clients, thought the percentage of business from Australia is relatively low as the company had only recently begun promoting itself in this region. He said some preferred agreements are already in place.
“The potential for this market is very big considering some products are geographically located in key regions for outgoing travel from Australia,” Rosa remarked.
Plateau International’s products are all commissionable to travel advisors and can be booked through wholesalers or directly with their respective online reservation systems.
Travel advisors can also experience the products firsthand with famil opportunities available. Incentive programs also come up from time to time, including a current opportunity with Lotus Cruises which is offering agents the chance to earn points based on sales, and redeem them on Apple branded products.
Rosa’s visit last week included back-to-back meetings with local travel advisors and agencies, as well as an intimate function held in conjunction with Wild Earth Travel, at the Manly Wine Bar, to showcase the luxury river cruise experiences offered in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India and Egypt.
In Australia, Plateau International’s key contact is Nicci Foulsham. Nicci can be contacted via email at nicci@plateauinternational.com
View a client overview here, and more on the company at plateauinternational.com
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