Group Vacations - Globus family of brands
Custom Tours with a Personal Touch.

Despite our wide variety of vacation options, Globus knows that there are times when only a custom tour will satisfy the needs of your clients. That’s why the Globus family of brands works with you to help create a custom tour itinerary that is as special as the group you are handling.


If you have at least 20 travelers and cannot find the right vacation in our portfolio, we will design a custom itinerary or themed vacation specially for your group, utilizing our worldwide buying power to give the best value while still exceeding expectations. Custom tours are quoted net, with no frees, and no commission. Call us today to book your group 866.821.2752.
Understanding the Two Types of Group Travel

Your potential group business can be broken down into two particular types of groups. Identifying which type of group you have will help you better plan your marketing initiatives and ultimately guarantee a better success rate. Here are the two group types and strategic sales and marketing tips for group success.

Affinity/Pre-formed—Group travel with clients that have traveled together previously with the same focus and/or general interest. Alumni, special interest, family, and religious are possible Affinity Group opportunities.

Tips:

  • Be sure to work closely with the potential travelers to generate interest and excitement from the other group participants—as many folks as possible in your community or organization.
  • Always get to the people early and make sure that you make plans with them to market to their personal networks/database.
  • Search on the Internet to find out if there are any special interest groups that may be willing to participate (ie, food/wine groups or other churches, groups, etc.)
  • Avoid the trend of last-minute travel by providing incentives for your passengers to put down deposits and secure their reservation early. Encourage early deposits to save yourself the stress—tell your group the deposit is due at least 2 weeks before the real deposit date.
  • Schedule travel shows and preview events to generate the maximum excitement about the destination. The Globus family of brands can help you with this! More and more of your travelers are working into retirement. When scheduling trip previews, stagger your schedules by offering additional evening and weekend presentations to accommodate your group.
  • Send out constant reminders such as postcards, articles, or small gifts related to the destination. This builds excitement, enables your booked clients to share this event with their friends, and separates you from the rest of the pack. Personalize these marketing tactics as much as possible.
  • Once you have committed to marketing a group, you need more than just an itinerary to get travelers excited. Going to China? Send potential travelers a fortune cookie with a small note. Thinking Italy? Invite potential travelers to stop by for a wine tasting.
  • Pre and post events, such as documents parties and photo sharing, encourage group cohesion and excitement about traveling again.
Where to look for groups
Group opportunities are everywhere! It is up to you to proactively get out there and make sales calls on local businesses and organizations. Here are some places you may want to begin:

  • Your database!
  • Unions (credit unions)
  • Professional organizations
  • Families
  • Fraternal organizations
  • Incentive groups
  • Alumni groups
  • Local Chamber of Commerce
  • Community clubs
  • Occupational groups
  • Churches
  • Athletic clubs
  • Adults/Singles complexes
  • Special interests (quilters, collectors)
  • Golf, Fitness, Tennis, Yachting, Hunting, Fishing, Surfing
  • Mobile home communities
  • Teachers associations

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 Group Vacations - Globus family of brands
Speculative/Promotional—Speculative or promotional groups can be very successful with a solid plan in place. Always try to start out with a small core or group of people that have committed and/or have show specific interest in a destination. Don’t assume that what you want is what others will buy. Question your best customers by saying, “If I put this together, will you sign up?” Get them involved.

Tips:

  • Since the weight of forming the group falls largely on you, the leader, start marketing early!
  • Try to seek out a “pied piper” from an early-deposited traveler that could encourage additional travelers to sign on to the group. Start with a core or nucleus group, then seek out an influencer within your targeted travelers. Is there one individual who is especially excited about the trip? Encourage them to assist you in getting people on board. Their enthusiasm is contagious and a great marketing tool!
  • Don’t be afraid to reach out to your family/friends and your personal network to build the group. Sign-ups are contagious.
  • Create and encourage “salespeople” for your group. The people that have already booked can be your greatest asset. Give them incentives for signing up more people. Anything from gift certificates to cash will turn them into ambassadors for you.
  • Make a marketing plan, and stick to it! Don’t assume that potential travelers will just walk in and ask for it. Encourage individual clients to think about a trip with their extended family. Your clients may not think of themselves as a “group” but you can.
  • Market and advertise in various community publications and vehicles. These are inexpensive and communicate a local feeling to the group.
  • Tap into the free marketing materials available from the Globus family of brands to help promote the group. See page 19 for examples.
  • Do a press release about the group in your local community papers. Once again, the cost is nominal and it is a great way to foster community and exposure for your group.
  • If you are not already, consider traveling with the group yourself—your clients might love the idea of traveling with you.