It’s nevertheless been a successful formula, but as UK managing director Mark Duguid freely admits, one that’s perhaps become a little tired – and limiting.
Research by brand agency ODA found Kuoni’s image to be “quite conservative”, one that needed something fresh to set itself apart from a “sea of sameness” – descriptions that spurred Duguid into action after he joined from stablemate Carrier in early 2023.
"There is a job to do to make us a lot more contemporary and relevant,” Duguid admits, speaking to TTG as he and Kuoni reveal the first stage of this effort, starting with a new brand identity and approach to marketing.
The change can already be seen in Kuoni’s updated logo and imagery, with a new yellow accent colour and the return of the Kuoni globe, as well as an invitation to clients to explore their "Wanderlist".
Marketing, meanwhile, is moving away from pure destination shots to show activities and local colour in the hope of tempting a wider audience. Kuoni’s 27 shops are changing too, with new facias projecting the Travel Kuoni branding and globe.
’Incremental growth’
Duguid’s quest is to retain the honeymooners and special occasion clients while broadening Kuoni’s appeal so they come back to it in between those landmark events, particularly when they have families.
“People in their twenties and thirties celebrating milestones like honeymoons put us at the very top," says Duguid. "That’s great, but limiting. We don’t index as high with families and with other customer life stages."
Partly to broaden this appeal, there will be more destinations. Duguid will not be drawn on these, but indicates the Maldives – which has long been Kuoni’s best seller – will remain its most important.
"We’re not looking to lose that Indian Ocean territory; it will be incremental growth,” he says. “This year, we reintroduced those destinations we paused during the pandemic. There is a roadmap for next year, but nothing is 100% confirmed. We will also be refreshing existing destinations.”
He adds the return of the globe logo would become more relevant when new destinations were introduced. “We’ve become increasingly synonymous with the Indian Ocean, but Kuoni has always been a worldwide operator – having the globe it demonstrates that.”
Research into how all this is carried out, Duguid insists, ensures minimal risk of upsetting Kuoni devotees, but he nonetheless adds: “Are we sure we won’t alienate any customers? No, we can’t be.”
However, Duguid can look back to a similar exercise he undertook at Carrier, and points to lessons learned there. “I really understood the power of the brand, who it’s for, where it sits.”
Another part of broadening Kuoni’s appeal is its wider business strategy. “You can’t just present to customers that you are more affordable, you have to actually be more affordable,” he says.
’Step change in competitiveness’
This process has already started after Duguid and his team faced up to the realisation that Kuoni was sometimes “really quite significantly” more expensive than competitors, something the operator began to remedy in peaks 2024.
“The UAE and Caribbean are where we’ve made the most significant reductions," he reveals. "We track the market and adjust accordingly. We’re hearing from agents they’ve seen a step change in our competitiveness.”
Speaking of agents, Kuoni’s agents can rest assured they and their shops won’t be kitted out "head to toe in yellow". Duguid insists Kuoni has chosen a classy shade, likening it to the hue synonymous with Champagne brand Veuve Clicquot.
Other accent colours will include terracotta, and while red will be used for sales promotions, Duguid reassures it will be more subdued. “There’s a need to use red for sales – but it’s not tomato red."
