One of the largest tour operators in the world, the Globus Family of Brands just unveiled its new selection of tours, independent packages and river cruises for 2015 for its Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon brands. TravelPulse spoke to Globus’ vice president of marketing, Steve Born, about the trends he is seeing in the tour industry.

Travel Pulse: Where is the tour industry headed for 2015?

Steve Born: The tour industry is on a positive incline. Boomers, Gen X’ers and those coming after them are all looking for that magic mix of support and guidance, but with the ability to put their own stamp on their vacation.  They want things made incredibly easy but also amazingly memorable. They need help making the most of their precious time, but they don’t want all of their time filled for them. 

All of this may sound challenging to the ordinary traveler and the OTA’s, but this is the core of the tour operator business. And that’s what’s driving growth for the Globus family of brands in recent years and into 2015.  The challenge for all of us, including our agents, is that the average traveler has yet to connect all of these benefits with tour and package brands—we’re reliant on the travel agents to confidently make that connection and make the most of their client’s trip.

TP: What are the trends you are seeing?

SB: Flexibility and immersion will remain the driving trends for the coming year, and likely years to come.  The traveler is also looking for experiences that bring the destination to life that they can’t (or more importantly, their neighbors can’t) find on their own. 

At the Globus family of brands, these principles have been drivers for years. Flexibility is headlined in our customers’ ability to customize any Globus, Cosmos, Monograms or Avalon trip with their own selection of activities and excursions, pre-booked before their trip and commissionable to the agent. 

They also have the flexibility in matching the vacation type to fit their personality, including independence through Monograms. As for immersion, that’s what we’re all about—making things possible, and seamless, that they couldn’t arrange on their own, highlighted by Globus included Local Favorites.

TP: What kinds of new products will we be seeing?

SB: New products will bring either flexibility or immersion or a combination of both.  Products like Monograms are the fastest-growing—those that package all of the components and still leave plenty of flexibility in the product selection (city combos), schedule and types of experiences.  The products that make the most of the traveler’s precious time while enabling unique discoveries and experiences will thrive.

TP: How is the industry changing?

SB: The need for a transaction agent is dying, but the demand for a travel consultant is thriving.  Agents who wait for the phone to ring to book a trip will be ghosts, and those who leverage their personal relationships with clients to proactively recommend vacation solutions will be kings and queens, and their clients’ will gladly pay for this expertise. 

We’re at the tail-end of this transition today, and I’m seeing that 2015 is accelerating this change.  We’re seeing a clear difference in 2015 sales performance between these two types of agents, and it will be challenging for the passive ones to catch up.

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