TRADE TALK 11 Pleasure
TRADE TALK 11 Pleasure Travel Is Our Name Genussreisen recognises the need for authenticity, personalisation and exclusivity Ross Hutchinson Contracts Manager, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays Beatrix Schell Managing Director, Genussreisen Jet2holidays Grows into New Regions with New Technologies Managing Director of Genussreisen – a German tour operator based in Munich - Beatrix Schell spoke to ITB Berlin News about what she is seeking at ITB Berlin 2017: Genussreisen is truly a specialist for authentic, money-can´t-buy experiences with regards to highend culinary tours mixed with the right portion of historical and cultural highlights for FIT´s and for groups. I am visiting the ITB to meet new suppliers like hotels and DMC´s in those destinations where we already offer tours, but also in those countries to which we would like to expand with new products. Which destinations are you mainly interested in? Since most of our tours take place in Europe, I am of course looking for new travel ideas in these destinations. At the same time I am keen to discover new and fascinating destinations with magical places that combine culinary variety, authentic traveling experiences with exceptional hotels. This year we want to expand our portfolio and offer new tours towards South Africa, Argentina and Chile but also a few other destinations on the Asian continent. What general trends are you noting in terms of consumer demand? Exclusive journeys, specialised to travellers’ needs are more relevant than ever. The target group of travellers seeking high-end products does not define luxury based on material factors. It is all about memories, to experience something real, authentic and unforgettable on a premium quality level. Genussreisen already provides an assorted variety of authentic tours for gourmet food enthusiasts. Our company is active in the fastestgrowing travel segment according to the recent research results as per the Society of Consumer Research (GfK). How important is ITB Berlin as a source of business and inspiration for you, and why? The ITB is very important for our strategical development - many valuable and profitable business contacts will be developed at ITB’s networking events and meetings Ross Hutchinson, Contracts Manager for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays in Leeds in the UK, looks after Central and Eastern European cities for the company’s growing Jet2CityBreaks brand. We asked him what brings him to ITB Berlin. The exhibition is a one stop shop for meeting all my key partners from across a variety of geographical destinations in preparation for the coming Summer season. While historically I’ve used the conference to meet hoteliers and agents, more recently my own role has evolved and now I’ll be spending more time in and around ITB Travel Technology halls. As a tour operator, Jet2holidays is moving forward from using only traditional static contracts, to bringing onboard the technologies to work dynamically with our suppliers. I’m now championing this in contracting, so ITB provides the perfect opportunity to meet our channel manager partners as well as looking for new opportunities in this area On a more personal note, one of the nicest aspects of ITB is the fact I get to see suppliers I may no longer directly work with. In my fifteen years working in the industry, I’ve done contracts in many places including Greece, Spain and Iceland. It’s always nice to get to bump into people, have a brief catch up, ask how’s business and more importantly how their families are. While I love to travel – I love the people and the different cultures I encounter more. What’s changing for your company this year? As a company, we’ve seen customer demand increase for our product substantially over the past few years. Our ATOL licence now allows us to carry 2.27 million passengers until 30th September which is a fantastic achievement. The most exciting thing about the demand for our product is it has allowed us to expand our bases from seven to nine. Although we were once considered only a Northern UK company, flying from London Stansted and Birmingham has changed all of that this year ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 10 th March 2017
