Trafalgar offers discounted holidays at Travel Tour Expo

MANILA, Philippines - At the 20th Travel Tour Expo on Feb. 15 to 17 at SMX Convention Center, drop by the Trafalgar booth to enjoy a 10-percent, early-bird discount on all Trafalgar European itineraries featured in First Class and Cost Saver Brochures. Special treats also await those who purchase Cathay Pacific airline tickets together with Trafalgar itineraries.  

Regional director for Trafalgar Asia Nicholas Lim is flying from the Singapore regional office for the expo and meetings with the award-wining Philippine GSA, Pan Pacific Travel Corporation.

Nick himself is an avid traveler who started when he was five; he would fly to Kuala Lumpur on weekends to visit his father who was based there. “I had my first job at a five-star hotel in Singapore at 12 as a door boy over the Christmas holidays.  Since then, I have been quite focused on what I wanted to do and I completed my diploma and degree in tourism and hospitality.”

After he finished his national service he started his career with Trafalgar in 2000.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What is the big picture for Trafalgar in Asia? Is it a growing market?

With the introduction of our new “Insider” brand positioning and the opening of the regional office just two years ago, we are starting to see a significant growth out of Asia.  Europe as a destination has become “nearer” than ever before with its low euro and pound and the number of flight options out of Asia.  We registered a growth of 25 percent in 2012, with the Philippines registering the largest growth at 40 percent, just a notch behind Singapore, which registered 50 percent growth. 

Which markets, specifically, are growing?

In Asia, it is the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and India.  We are also starting to see growth out of the north Asian markets.  We are excited to see what 2013 brings for the Philippines.

What are the favorite destinations of Asians in general — and Filipinos in particular — among all the Trafalgar itineraries?

Europe remains the favorite destination for Filipinos with Spain, Portugal and Italy being the most popular for the second- or third-time repeat travellers.  For our clients who are taking their European adventure for the first time, it is typically an itinerary that consist of the United Kingdom (London), France (Paris), The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Are there any particular quirks among Asian travelers?

Asian travelers just love to shop! For shopaholics we recommended itineraries that are slower paced with two to three nights in each city so they have more free time to do their shopping or just about anything they wish.

What are the peak and low seasons in Europe and is there a difference in the prices? 

The peak for Europe is the summer holidays from mid June to late September.  Prices during these times are usually higher than autumn, winter and spring, which are its off-seasons.  While summers in Europe are usually more expensive, the whole place is abuzz with life, energy and people have a great time.  The seasons for autumn, winter and spring also have their charm and often filled with unique sightseeing opportunities and festivals, such as traditional Christmas markets, tulip festivals, snow-capped mountains and the like.  So in my opinion, Europe is an all-year-round destination as the experiences differ from season to season.   

 What are some of the best stories  you have heard from Trafalgar trips? Marriage proposals,  anniversaries,  honeymoons?

There was a lovely touching story that happened to a family from the USA some time back, and they were travelling on one of our Italian itineraries. They were of Italian descent, and the gentleman was telling the travel director that his mother was once from a small town nearby this main city they were passing, but she left as a little girl and it was always her dream to go back. After hearing this story, the travel director diverted the bus from their usual route, and surprised the entire family and the other travellers by stopping at the old lady’s hometown so she could revisit it. There wasn’t a dry eye on the bus when that happened! The gentleman and his family were so thankful to the TD, they couldn’t stop hugging him!

What are some of the best feedback you have heard?

We recently conducted our first tour especially for Muslim travellers, and our guests were very happy with the travel director as they described him as being extremely patient, understanding and friendly. They also commented how they loved the fact he was such a good historian as he told them stories and the histories of each different city throughout their trip. They prided him on great sense of humor, and by the end of the trip everyone was sad to say goodbye to him. — TANYA T. LARA

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For more information about Trafalgar tours, call Pan Pacific Travel Corporation at 523-1990 or 536-1265. Follow Trafalgar Asia onk andr for the latest updates and promotions.