Niche operators create their own ‘mini-AITO’

TravelMole Fast Conference Special: Organisations like AITO are getting too big to be of benefit to niche operators, says one leading executive.

Norwegian Coastal Voyages head of business development Laurence Hicks said the company has deserted AITO to form a smaller and more specialised partnership, and his firm is not the only one.

Speaking on a panel at Tuesday’s TravelMole Fast Conference in London, Mr Hicks said: “We left AITO because we felt they weren’t doing their job properly anymore and because it was getting a bit cliquey and a bit like an owners club where membership was decided on financial structure rather than quality of product.”

Somak Holidays chief executive Ash Sofat was also on the panel and said he agreed with some of Mr Hicks’ points. He said: “The organisation has got big and it is trying to do too much.”

AITO’s Angela Simpson was attending the event. She defended the organisation by saying that quality of product continued to be key in choosing members. She said that the 155-strong membership was growing, and that companies continued to be rejected for not meeting strict criteria.

As an alternative to AITO, NCV has joined the Niche Cruise Alliance (NCA), whose other five members are African Safari Club; Orient Express Hotels, Trains and Cruises; RMS St Helena; Travel Renaissance and Star Clippers. The alliance plans to sell specialist cruise holidays through agents and direct to consumers through a joint brochure and will shortly launch a website that will include a training section for agents (www.nichecruisealliance.com).

Travel agents that complete the training scheme will be listed on the site as experts.

Mr Hicks, who is chairman of NCA, told the conference: “Some of our clients are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we realise that we are not necessarily going to get them coming back but we want to keep them in similar niche markets so we work with other niche operators to direct customers between us.

“We hope this partnership will do for us what AITO didn’t.”

Mr Sofat said his company had set up similar relationships.

“Cross marketing with other operators is key and that can be powerful because you can tie up with someone who goes after the same sort of client as you but offers a very different product. For example, we work with an AITO ski operator because similar people go on their holidays” he said.

He added: “It is a question of like-minded people coming together – we know we can’t do a ski holiday like they can and they can’t do safari like we can.”

Mr Sofat said his company continued to be a member of AITO because it was worth the money. Moderator at the event, Jeremy Skidmore remarked: “It is almost like creating a mini AITO within AITO.”

But Ms Simpson from AITO said the organisation encouraged its members to work together.

“It is our thrust marketing wise” she said. She added: “The like-mindedness is in the quality and speciality of operators and we have actively encouraged these smaller niches within AITO.

“For example, we have 25 ski members that work together on marketing and industry issues, so it shows companies that compete directly can even work together.”

TIPTO chairman and Superbreak Mini Holidays sales director, Ian Mounser was also on the panel. He admitted that TIPTO could do more to encourage its members to share expertise.