Want to go on a famil to Canada? Have no fear, Rocky Mountaineer is planning on working closer with trade in the coming year, which means more trips for consultants.
Speaking to KarryOn, VP of Global Sales, Karen Hardie, said ‘learning journeys’ are a big part of what the company does because nothing compares to a first-hand experience.
“Until you smell the pine scented air from the vestibule, eaten a meal in the dining room and taken in the view from the GoldLeaf dome, you really haven’t experienced RM.”
Karen Hardie, Rocky Mountaineer VP of Global Sales
“Our plan is to host five learning journeys in 2016. In 2015 we welcomed more than 25 agents from across the region.”
Read more of our chat with Hardie below.
Congrats on a record-breaking year. What were the figures like?
We continue to see strong double digit growth out of the APAC Region. We know Australians and Canadians value similar things when it comes to travel: great food and service, scenery and authentic experiences are tops.
We work with great partners in the region and we’ve been fortunate to receive hundreds of rave reviews from our Australian travelers on sites like TripAdvisor.
What do you think is driving the growth?
What is unique about the market is the affinity for GoldLeaf Service. Australians value luxury and consistently book GoldLeaf Service at a rate of more than two to one.
Also, we have a very tenured team of sales professionals who work closely with our trade partners in the market, we have seen tremendous results.
How big is the Australian market?
Australia has consistently been in the top two markets for us, year over year.
Why do you think Aussies are so attracted to the product?
One word – bears! Aussies are crazy for bears. And snow, which you can see atop the mountain peaks until June in Canada. Seriously, though, our rail journeys are filled with history, scenery, amazing food and service.
It’s a natural fit for Aussies, who hold the reputation of being great fun on the train.
You’ve made a number of changes to the product this year, how do you think clients will respond?
We are not a company who is ever going to sit still. We will always push to innovate on all fronts. We believe that growth will continue and that guests will love the changes we are making.
The company also does a considerable amount of research, both within our insights team and with our guests directly. We have made many of these changes based on direct feedback from guests.
What other changes can people expect?
We’re well into planning for 2017 and beyond at this point. What is that expression, “a rolling stone gathers no moss?” we are also excited about our increased focus on our trade partners this year and beyond.
Do you have any marketing campaigns coming up?
We market consistently in Australia and New Zealand, and we are looking forward to continuing that as we ramp up for our 2016 season.
Any famils for agents?
Yes, learning journeys are a big part of what we do. Until you smell the pine scented air from the vestibule, eaten a meal in the dining room and taken in the view from the GoldLeaf dome, you really haven’t experienced RM.
Our plan is to host five learning journeys in 2016. In 2015 we welcomed more than 25 agents from across the region.
