New website offers ‘virtual’ fams

A website launches next month promising to ‘revolutionise’ the way agents learn about a destination, the way customers book their holidays, and the way tourist boards market their destinations.

Called Spinning Globe, it will be soft launched to the trade at World Travel Market and a consumer site will launch in January.

For agents, it will provide ‘VFam powered by Spinning Globe’, using video, 360 virtual tours, images, live webinars and modular training designed to be stimulating and rewarding.

"Working in the travel industry for 25 years, and understanding travel agents’ frustrations with limited product engagement, has highlighted the need to create an effective solution to train travel agents on the ground," said founder Gary Jacobs.

"We appreciate fam trip places are limited so many agents will never experience a destination first hand, a VFam aims to engage agents like never before."

He denied the site would see tourist boards cut back the number of real fam trips they offer.

"If anything, it will be a driver," he said. "Those agents and operators who are the most engaged and prove their value will be chosen for fam trips."

An element of gamification will also be introduced to reward agents and operators who engage with the site, earning them places on real fam trips.

Travel professionals will get the training and destination information for free but will pay a referral fee for any consumer leads.

Meanwhile, tourist boards will pay a licence fee to share their content and information on the site and reach both consumers and trade partners.

They will also get valuable data about what consumers and agents are engaging in.

Thailand is the launch partner for the full content while nine other tourist boards, including Mauritius and Kenya, will provide ‘at a glance’ information.

Consumers will use the site to access inspirational content and expert advice to create their own travel itineraries, before being referred to an ABTA and ATOL-bonded agent or tour operator to add the final touches.

Jacobs said the website would help consumers who are overwhelmed by masses of information on the internet, much of it price led.

Jacobs, who runs the travel advertising agency FKC, has put £180,000 of his own money into the new venture and has raised another £200,000 from friends and family.

With the help of the Business Shaper Group, he is now looking to raise another £750,000 for the next phase of development.

By 2019, he plans to be operating similar websites in other key markets, such as the US, Germany and France.

His team also includes head of marketing Joanna Cooke, the former PR manager at Thailand Tourism Authority and trade marketing director at Visit California, and chief commercial officer, Nigel Fell, a travel consultant and former director group commercial and operations for Gold Medal.

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