Nine consecutive months of record-breaking sales for TravelManagers’ personal travel managers (PTMs) in 2022 has seen the home-based travel company quietly patting itself on the back for having aligned with Signature Travel Network in January last year.
Michael Gazal, Executive General Manager at TravelManagers identifies access to Signature’s global, curated portfolio of luxury and experiential travel products as integral to the company’s post-pandemic recovery.
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“Many personal travel managers have increased their sales in luxury travel, with a growth in clients who prefer to focus on value rather than price,” he said.
Our ability to meet this demand is thanks to the access to luxury product that our relationship with Signature provides. What’s more, our customers greatly appreciate and are prepared to pay for the expertise provided by our PTMs: these two factors combined resulted in nine months of record average sales per PTM during 2022.
Gazal anticipates further growth in the luxury sector for 2023 with the newly-announced addition of 139
preferred suppliers, including 115 new hotels, to Signature’s already extensive selection of best-in-class properties spanning over 100 countries across the globe. He says customers benefit from a variety of value-adds such as free meals, resort credits, room upgrades and late checkouts, while PTMs benefit from the extensive training and marketing support available.
“This includes support from a variety of Tourism Board Partners, many of which are not represented or active in the Australian marketplace, such as Tenerife Tourism, Bermuda Tourism Authority, and Ecuador Tourism Board. This means that PTMs have access to extensive assistance in destination research and specialist marketing, which wouldn’t otherwise be available from these high-value destinations.”
PTM Andrea Friend, based in Cranbourne East, Victoria, says her clients love the additional exclusive amenities available to them as part of Signature’s offering.
“They also enjoy the recognition of being personally greeted as VIPs by properties: a little perk that would be unavailable to them through other booking channels,” Friend said.
“Small touches like this greatly enhance my relationships with clients and reinforce their loyalty, ensuring they will be back for more.”
“The growth of Signature’s hotel portfolio and Land and Speciality Portfolio, together with the expansion in Signature’s Tourism Board Partners, is the icing on the cake for what is already a highly effective partnership,” Gazal added.
Lead image: VOMO Island Fiji, The BeacHouse