Visit West hosts a variety of familiarisation trips (also known as educational visits, but not to be confused with a group of students visiting!) throughout the year. Attendees for these trips are always pre-qualified and are often in collaboration with Visit Britain. There are many things to remember when welcoming travel trade buyers to your premises or hosting them on a tour, or overnight.
Image - Australian travel trade buyers enjoying a street art spray session in Bristol
We asked Karin Gidlund from Karin Tourism Solutions to share her top tips after many years working for tour operators:
Explaining what a “fam trip” is to someone who doesn’t work in tourism is… interesting.
“What do you mean you are paid to go on holiday, and everywhere you go, you get the red-carpet treatment, and get to experience the best attractions, and enjoy the best food and drinks, while staying in lovely hotels, for free?”
But fam (familiarisation) trips are so much more than that. For a tour operator who works in product development or itinerary planning, it’s an invaluable tool to learn about a destination. And for accommodation providers and attractions, it can be an amazing opportunity to showcase their products and increase bookings. If done correctly.
Yes, you read that right. “If done correctly”. There is absolutely no guarantee that you will get more business from a fam trip as a supplier, unless you make sure, A) it’s the right fam trip for you, and B) you (and your team) make it a memorable and enjoyable experience for the fam trip participants.
I have lost count of the number of fam trips I have been on over the years – from Cornwall and Kent in the south, to Westport and Anglesey in the west and Orkney and Malin Head in the north.
I have learnt a lot, I have discovered (and later booked) hotels and attractions that I wouldn’t have been aware of if I hadn’t been on the fam, and I remember so many of the amazing experiences I have had.
But I have also had some experiences that were memorable for the wrong reasons. From DMOs who just weren’t ready to work with the trade (and neither were their suppliers) and itineraries that were unsuitable for the participants, to tour guides who fell out with the whole coach load of buyers, and suppliers who had put in so much work to make the experience memorable, but their team didn’t understand the importance of the fam trip and let the supplier down.
Image - Dutch travel trade buyers enjoying a walking tour in Bath
A few years ago, I started giving presentations on how destinations and suppliers can make sure a fam trip is successful, and here are my top five tips:
1. Know your audience
Research the buyers who are on the fam trip and adapt your itinerary and sales pitch to the participants and their requirements.
2. Make sure your team are prepared
Make sure everyone on your team is aware of the expectations and the plans – make it memorable for the right reasons.
3. Get the timings right
Timings are extremely important… Don’t leave the participants waiting, and make sure you stick to the schedule.
4. Consider what to give participants
Be very selective about what you give to the participants, no one wants to carry around a lot of brochures. Chocolate is always nice (to keep the buyers going), but surprisingly, bottles of water are even better…
5. Get the follow-up right
It’s almost as important as the fam trip, so make sure you get your follow-up right – timewise as well as content. You’ve met the participants, so don’t send a generic email!
About Karin Tourism Solutions
After more than 25 years of working in product development, contracting and sales for some of the most successful tour operators and DMCs in the UK, Karin Gidlund is now running her own business, sharing her experience and knowledge with tourism businesses and destinations, to help them be as successful as possible.
Karin Tourism Solutions offers problem solving services, such as small-business mentoring, workshops and travel trade ready training.
She also offers presentations on how to make a success out of a fam trip opportunity, based on her experience of organising and attending countless fam trips over the years.
Contact details:
Website: https://karintourismsolutions.com/
Email: karin@karintourismsolutions.com
LinkedIn: karin-gidlund
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