Comment by J. Skidmore: It’s no good just being a ‘mini-me’
Speak to anyone in the travel industry these days and they all say you’ve got to specialise and find a niche. Small is beautiful.
What a contrast to a few years ago when the big vertically integrated monsters bought up everything in sight.
Travel agencies are also going full circle. The friendly, individual service you used to get from your local retailer was virtually wiped out in the 90s by the multiples opening shops on every corner, piling high and selling cheap. All of a sudden everyone wants personal service again.
But if this is the future, how do you take advantage and be successful?
This was the subject of much debate at the most recent TravelMole Fast Conference.
After the picking the brains of our panellists, who have far more knowledge than me, I’ve come up with a blueprint for your classic niche player.
First of all, it’s clearly no good just being a ‘mini-me’, a smaller version of what anyone or everyone else is doing.
You must have a product that people want and few others can offer; you also have to offer the kind of service and knowledge that you won’t find elsewhere.
Laurence Hicks at Norwegian Coastal Voyages is a good example of a niche player – not many people can copy NCV.
But he’s in a small market that brings its own problems. I might have a fantastic holiday on NCV, but am I going to go on that type of trip year in, year out? Probably not.
So niche players also have to team up with operators that have different products but, crucially, the same type of clients. Then they can work together because someone who likes an upmarket safari, for example, may well take a quality ski break in the winter.
Somak Holidays, for one, has been working with like-minded operators and this is beginning to bear fruit.
As Ian Mounser from Superbreak said, people must also believe you have something different to offer. You can have the best product in the world but if no-one knows it, you’re wasting your time.
Operators and agents need to be able to reach a market and convince them that they are worth buying into.
If you fit all those criteria, you could be well on the way to success as a niche player.
Crucially, can you charge extra for something different?
Yes, but people still want to feel they’ve got value. I recently bought a carpet from a local shop because I was so fed up dealing with the usual suspects who promise to arrive at 09.00 and turn up at 15.00 with a load of hidden charges.
I received such excellent service I was prepared to pay a bit over the odds, as long as I didn’t feel I was being ripped off.
Incidentally, the little carpet shop is busier than it’s ever been. There’s no reason why decent niche operators and agents can’t be just as prosperous.
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events