As part of a new ?paper lite? sales strategy Bales is launching one printed brochure for 2010/11, the ?Inspirational Journey Guide?.
p>As part of a new ?paper lite? sales strategy Bales is launching one printed brochure for 2010/11, the ?Inspirational Journey Guide?.This covers all of the operator?s 36 destinations and replaces the six regional brochures Bales have produced in previous years. This is estimated to save 35 tonnes of paper.
This change follows research conducted with both Bales? clients and agents which showed an overwhelming preference to use the web to research travel and access detailed itinerary information.
The changing customer profile also means that Bales? sales are now dominated by tailor-made travel bookings, making up 70% of business. The brochure covers ideas and suggested itineraries for the 36 worldwide destinations Bales operate to (sub-divided into Egypt, Arabia and Morocco, Africa, India and the Subcontinent, Canada and Alaska and the Orient) as well as introducing the operator?s 47 Classic and Select Online Journey Guides which give extensive details on the intricacies of each trip and can be viewed in full at www.balesworldwide.com/journeyguides.
Iain Fenton, Bales Worldwide sales and marketing director said: ?We wanted to take this brave step to demonstrate how we can deliver the highest quality information online for our clients without being weighed down by endless brochures whose price and products soon become out of date.?
The lead in price for the ?Inspirational Journeys Guide? brochure is ?545 per person for the new 5 day ?Short Break in Cairo? itinerary including return flights, transfers and 4 nights accommodation at the historic Mena House, Sofitel El Gezirah or the Villa Belle Epoque ? Cairo?s first boutique hotel.
In line with the industry the majority of prices for the 2010 programme have remained static or have decreased by an average of 3%.
?We expect some clients will still wish to take advantage of our service to order printed journey itineraries by phone or email, however we really hope the trade helps us to embrace this change. With an estimated 180 million brochures produced each year in the UK we want to do our bit to cut this down,? added Fenton.
New 2010 The Inspirational Journeys Guide includes a raft of new products and itineraries for example:?
The 9 day ?Rio and Beyond? holiday, from ?935 per person (excluding flights) takes in all the sights of the city plus Paraty and Ilha Grade.?
The 8 day ?Highlights of Syria? journey, from ?1420 per person (including flights) includes stays and sightseeing in Damascus, Palmyra, Homs and Aleppo.?
A visit to the Caral area of Peru is now included in the Classic Peru and the Andes holiday which is priced from ?3095 per person for a 14 day holiday. Caral is 120 miles north of Lima. The site here has recently been discovered, hidden in the coastal desert and abandoned for over 4000 years. It is now believed to be the earliest urban settlement in the Americas, its monumental construction dating back to around 2800 BC.?
The new Jayavarman boutique cruise liner on the Mekong Delta has been introduced, priced from ?2695 per person for a 7 night cruise (including flights), with 27 spacious staterooms with panoramic floor to ceiling glass doors to private balconies. This amazing journey takes you from bustling Saigon through Vietnam's beautiful Mekong Delta into Cambodia and ends at the amazing temples of Angkor
The Serai, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India offering sophisticated camping in 21 lavish tents, some with their own plunge pool and spa tent which only opened in September 2009. More details online.
To coincide with the new brochure Bales has increased the level of information available for each Select and Classic journey available, including feedback from other customers, temperature charts, more detailed itineraries, accommodation descriptions, current offers and flight upgrade options.
Once clients have found something that takes their fancy, they can download, print or share it, or have it emailed or posted to them to read at their leisure. To order a copies of the new brochure go to www.trade-gate.co.uk www.balesworldwide.com
