In this video you’ll hear from Raj Mistry, Head of Trade Sales and Development (UK), and TTG’s Partner Content Writer Charlotte Cullinan.
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Video transcript
Charlotte: Welcome to our In The Spotlight video with Railbookers. Raj, let's start by talking about your top-selling destinations right now. Could you give us an insight into where customers want to go?
Raj: Absolutely. So some of our top-selling destinations are our regular ones and they are right now booking all the way through to 2028. So they are the likes of Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Eastern Europe.
And some of the key itineraries that we have within those are likes of your Lake Como and the Bernina Express, our classic Canada doing the coast-to-coast. And coming back nearer to home, things like your Prague, Vienna, Budapest. Those are our normal staple itineraries and packages that we book all the time.
And then all of these are expertly planned with our colleagues, so you can have the flexibility to do as much or as little as you want in each location as well.
Charlotte: Brilliant, thank you. And as well as all of your incredible range of rail trips in Europe, agents can also turn to you for worldwide trips, can't they?
Raj: Absolutely. And, you know what, this is our biggest growth area. I mean, outside of Europe, where we see a number of early bookings, as well as right now people are booking for spring and autumn, we do see a number of our bookings now coming in for the likes of Canada. As well as the USA, and then we're seeing other new destinations within our portfolio too. I say new, but they've been there for a long time, but for us, it's sort of coming into the forefront, the likes of Japan, India and South Africa.
So they're coming in more and more within the forefront of what we do every single day. So some really exciting journeys, some really unforgettable ones as well.
Charlotte: Wow, what a range! And for customers who want to visit somewhere like Japan, but don't want to travel completely independently, you have your Locally Hosted destinations, don't you? Tell us a bit about those.
Raj: Yes, so this is really exciting. I had the opportunity to go to Japan earlier this year and I was very fortunate to see what I did. The Locally Hosted journeys are very, very much about trying to have a differentiation in the market because there are some amazing operators out there who include Japan, or do Japan exclusively.
Our differential is very much about trying to give flexibility for the guest to have a local host who is their main point of contact throughout the whole journey. To help them with navigating the stations, settling into the destination, and getting some expert knowledge on a local level, and I think that's what you look for. It's that insider knowledge, getting the recommendations on a on a neighbourhood level, making sure that you have the right restaurants and attractions. Telling people the key things that they want to do, and especially where there are language barriers, this definitely helps. And providing that flexibility and that independent travel that clients do look for. So it's hand-holding, but not to the extent where you feel completely closeted.
And it's that seamless service that we want to provide. And especially when you're doing things like the Shinkansen bullet trains, a phenomenal experience, I have to say. That was one of my big highlights, being able to go in their first-class carriage, what they call a Green Car, sitting there and just to see that rolling scenery pass by really quickly. It's a phenomenal, phenomenal way to see Japan.
And we have many destinations that do include Locally Hosted. We have that in India, we have that in South America, and a couple of other destinations that we've got as well.
Charlotte: That sounds amazing. Thank you. And how can agents find out more about Railbookers?
Raj: So, there's many, many ways. You can go to our agent toolbox on our website. And in the agent toolbox, there's so much information in there. You have a huge amount of resources where you can get social media content, flyers, images, promotional material. So whether you are a retail-based agency or whether you are a home-based agent, there's all sorts of material in there that you can have. There's product knowledge information within there as well, so you've got access to guides, you've got itineraries and packages.
I love a map. That's one of my big things. I love a map. I love to see where I'm going and what I'm doing, so you've got those there within the agent toolbox. And also training support in there. So there are some materials in there if you aren't sure about a destination, go in there and you've got training webinars that we've already recorded, you can go in there and use those as well.
Aside from that, you've got myself and Levi. Levi and I are here to support all of our agent partners.
Charlotte: Brilliant. Thank you. And tell us a bit more about the support that you and Levi can offer.
Raj: So Levi and I are here to support you, not only in doing some basic things like helping you throughout on your day-to-day, but also helping you out every step of the way. So providing the confidence that you'd look to get from Railbookers and what we can do.
We can do face-to-face or virtual training sessions. We have so much information that we're providing on that, but we can tailor that training to suit that particular agency, give you some real practical tips on where to go, how to identify customers who are perfect for independent rail holidays. We can help you recognise the opportunities.
And then – and this is the key thing where Levi and I can help you – is providing that right level of support in helping you choose that right itinerary and package for the customer. Now, we're just the starting point, but our what I call our “rail geeks”, or rail experts, they're the ones who will help you to get the right accommodation, get the right timings and everything for your customer that they're looking for and to build that package for the customer.
Charlotte: Fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing all of that brilliant information, Raj.
Raj: Not at all.
Charlotte: And thank you for watching our In The Spotlight video with Railbookers!
