New direction for Crystal Holidays
Crystal Holidays has ditched its destination-led brochures and replaced them with a series of new activity-based brochures.
The tour operator, part of the TUI group, believes the move will help it expand its business beyond the ski season.
Managing director Stuart McLeod said since Crystal launched 25 years ago, it has established itself as a leading player in the ski market, but added: “We haven’t really grasped the opportunity to step forward into the summer market.
“Our clients are no longer as interested in destinations. They want experiences. They want to do things.
“There is a gap in the market. We want to bring the active experience to the broader public and there is a significant price opportunity that we are grabbing.”
Crystal’s France, Italy and Croatia brochures have been scrapped and instead, from today, it will roll out the following:
Diving – with hotels and packages in the red Sea, Mediterranean, the Maldives and the Caribbean
Sport – holidays and short breaks to major sporting events including Formula One races, Ascot and the Tour de France
Active (mountains) – mountain-based activity holidays in the Alps and Corsica, including white water rafting, canyoning, kayaking, climbing and summer skiing
Active (beach) – all-inclusive activity holidays in Corsica, Turkey, Majorca, and France, including windsurfing, sailing, yoga and guided bike tours.
Family – a year-round programme of winter and summer activity holidays geared towards families, including ‘Visit Santa’ day trips and theme parks
Lakes – lake and mountain experiences in Europe and North America, including walking holidays, coastal resorts, fjords, rail tours and cities.
Crystal is keeping its dedicated ski brochure and its ‘Finest’ collection of ski hotels and chalets, which it launched last year.
It is also maintaining its schools brochure, offering snow-based activities, and its International Academy instructor training courses in skiing, boarding, scuba diving and flying.
The new brochures will be promoted to agents through a mailshot and a series of educationals.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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