Growing Your Group Business

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding group travel—be it multigenerational family groups or groups based on special interests, special occasions or events. Yet travel agents can’t assume that the challenges of qualifying and promoting these types of group travel are the same.

Agents who sell groups say understanding the differences can be key to success when tapping into the group travel market. “Although there is some overlap, I think of groups in terms of three major categories: a group that is self-selected by one or more parameters, such as a shared interest; a multigenerational family group; and a prearranged itinerary that attracts travelers who may or may not be acquainted,” said R.G. Gavel of Harvard, Mass.-based Travel Repertoire, a Travel Experts affiliate.

For family groups, she said extra care must be taken to identify ages, interests, and levels of fitness—adding that agents may have to take into “consideration a wide range of requirements, from available facilities for infants, to minimal stairs or special transportation for a great-grandparent.”

Christopher Koch of CK Global Travel in Raleigh, N.C., a Travel Experts affiliate, contrasted multigenerational groups with faith-based groups, which he also sells. “With multigenerational families, interests can be markedly different as opposed to a faith-based tour,” he said. “I have on several occasions reached out to grandparents, parents and their children to inquire as to what they want to see and do.”

In general, “a good group travel planner will have key qualifying questions to determine if the group is viable,” said Viola DeVelasco, Avoya Travel’s associate vice president of group travel. “The approach to doing so is dependent on the relationship and rapport agents are able to establish with the client. The approach with the leader of a family group may be more relaxed and in familiar terms—an executive looking for an incentive group [trip] for clients or employees may expect more businesslike communication.”

When agents are promoting a family group, “they will be promoting to that family only,” said Rhonda Day, of Louisville Ky.-based Dream Vacations. “This could be through mailings, a Facebook group email. At the beginning of the planning process, agents should obtain the contact info for all potential travelers so they can get concise information out to all.”

For an agent promoting a group where anyone who is like-minded—or who wants the group benefits—can book into it, Day suggested taking a more mass-promotion approach. This could include “mailings to a certain area of town, targeted social media ads and [targeting] social groups that may be interested and so on.”

Regardless of what type of group an agent is promoting, one element that is critical to success is finding the right group leader. “Agents must have a person who’s the liaison between them and the group,” Day said. “The group leader must trust the agent when it comes to the agent’s recommendations and when relaying information to the group.”

The biggest challenge many travel agents face is getting all members of the group to agree on every aspect of the trip—from the destination to the dates to the type of experience and ultimately the budget, according to DeVelasco.

“Travel professionals looking to develop group business need to learn to identify and qualify the group leader at the very early stages of the group-planning process,” she said. “Clear and concise communication with the leader throughout the life of the group is of utmost importance to define a clear separation of duties between the travel agent and the group leader."

She added, “While even solo travelers may have difficulty making choices, it’s generally the case that the more people involved in the decision-making process, the more challenging it becomes to reach a consensus regarding destination, time frame, and budget.”

Gavel recommended that agents develop “a private web page that includes a comprehensive questionnaire and the opportunity for all members of the group to discuss options, which can help narrow the scope and be easier and less time-consuming than trying to keep each person in the loop individually.”

For its part, multigenerational family groups are continuing to trend upward. “Grandparents, more than ever want to share memorable and enriching experiences with both their children and their grandchildren,” said DeVelasco. “It’s also the children who want to bring their parents as well as their own children who are driving the growth in family groups.”

The growth isn’t just in multigenerational family groups, however. “Agents are specializing in group travel such as destination weddings, cruise ship weddings, faith-based travel, family travel, singles travel, wine-themed travel, historical travel and much more,” said Day.

Groups of friends traveling together are also on the rise. “People love the idea of heading to a beach with their girlfriends, taking a golf trip with ‘the boys,’ cruising with a knitting club or a church group, or getting married at sea,” said Day. “The possibilities are endless. Travelers are hearing their friends and family talk about the memories from a recent trip and how fun it was to hang out on the beach or a ship balcony with lifelong buddies drinking a frosty drink.”

Tips from the Experts

Here are some tips from travel agent group specialists.

Become active in community events.

“One of the best opportunities to increase group business is community involvement. Get involved with your local chamber of commerce. Giving a relevant presentation at a senior center or community center is an excellent way to put together an affinity group. This has become the bulk of my group business. Consider local fitness centers. Churches and synagogues are good sources for faith-based travel groups. Offering to volunteer in your community is a great way to get your name and company known to the community. The best part of selling groups is that you will also get future travel business from the individuals in your groups—so think long term with your customer service and investment in the group.”

—Sue Peterson, Peterson Global Travel, Pearl River, N.Y., an Avoya member

Promote special events.

“Look for opportunities to create once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences that might appeal to specific target groups. For example, the Passion Play—held in Oberammergau, Germany—is coming up again in 2020. Held only once every 10 years, this is a perfect trip for church groups, Bible study groups or Sunday school classes. Suggesting a tour with a rare specialized event really appeals to a lot of people. Another event held only once every ten years is the Floriade World Expo in Amsterdam in 2022, the ‘World’ s Fair’ of horticultural shows. Any garden club or Master Gardeners Association would be thrilled to attend.”

—Kay Sanderford, A-Plus Cruises and Tours, Edinburg, Texas, an Avoya member

Don’t go it alone.

“In complicated or multiple-component trips, it becomes very difficult to do it all by yourself. You need to include and use the vendor’s group department, and in some cases, you may have to hire temporary staff to help operate the group depending on the size.”

— Nathan Baker, WDI Travel, Inc., San Diego, an Avoya member