After (hopefully) the pandemic crisis, or at least its worst phase, Alpitour World inaugurates a new Tour Operating strategy. The historic division of the Group that operates in organized travel explains that it has exploited the “downtime” of 2020-2021 (experienced by the whole sector) to “rethink and propose renewed offers and be more effective in responding to the needs of travelers and vacationers “.
Gabriele Burgio, President and CEO of Alpitour World, says: “The forced period of operational blockage has been transformed by our Group into an opportunity for change and internal renewal that involved multiple company areas, introducing new working methods, streamlining processes and reviewing flows, thanks to the inNOVA project. Although the situation of Italian tourism is dramatic and the non-EU corridors are still off limits to tourism, we are recording volumes of bookings in strong growth, a clear sign that people want to travel. We are therefore waiting for the possibility of starting again to be made official, in full compliance with all the safety regulations and protocols, for the development of which we are working personally alongside the government authorities ”.
The main focus of the inNOVA project was the Tour Operating Division, whose reorganization process started already in 2018, following the acquisition of various brands in the sector. During the pandemic, there was a decisive acceleration and a transformation that involved multiple business functions – from marketing, to management, from commercial to digital – which today operate in a much more unitary and coherent way, also due to significant technological investments. who have improved flows and knowledge, to be more immediate in the decision-making process and flexible with respect to the current and potential market.
The reorganization process also involves the brand proposal, now revised in the light of market research conducted shortly before the start of the pandemic and in the following year, both on consumers and on travel agencies. The results highlighted a necessary and natural propensity of customers and retailers towards simplification, linearity, the use of digital channels for the discovery and deepening of the offer, as well as new profiles of travelers with specific needs and characteristics, including a declared and growing need to travel in total safety, being able to use on demand services that are now considered important. It is precisely the level of service required that characterizes the 3 brand clusters developed: Mainstream, an offer where the service is wide and complete, Specialties & Goal Oriented, where it is customized tailored to the customer and Seamless & No Frills, where the services are selected by the customers and mainly oriented to the discovery of the place with a strong attention to the price.
«I hope that the new face of Alpitour World Tour Operating Division can be the symbol of the desire to restart the sector most impacted by the pandemic» says Pier Ezhaya, Tour Operating Alpitour World General Manager. “We have taken advantage of this year and a half to look inside ourselves, listen to our main stakeholders and carry out the most important reorganization ever, without distorting our business, but taking advantage of the stimuli of the market and exploiting the infinite proposal that we are able to put in place. field. We wanted to simplify, rationalize and innovate to be ready for a profoundly changed landscape, in which it is necessary to dictate new rules to continue playing the tourism game, of which we are not only protagonists, but the first fans ».
Three clusters, 5 brands plus two “sister brands”, each with a specific identity and personality, well defined and recognizable. What guided the development of this new conformation was the awareness of the individual brands and the primary needs of the market, highlighted by the study conducted on consumers, customers and travel agencies. From the research it emerged that 75% of the consumer sample perceives the real value of a tour operator only after having traveled there, establishing a relationship of trust with the specific reality that is strengthened with every holiday. The results also indicated that 57% of travel agencies believe that Tour Operators have too many brands and that simplification and rationalization are rewarding, especially if supported by business efforts and communication investments that increase agency traffic.
«Showing ourselves to the market with a reduced number of brands, enriched and enhanced in content, will help us to be more incisive and clear» adds Tommaso Bertini, Marketing Director of Tour Operating Alpitour World. «This will allow us to rationalize investments and develop marketing and communication projects that meet specific travel needs. It is necessary to make our offer known, describing the type of experiences and content of the services offered. Only in this way can we create a relationship first, and then a loyalty relationship, generating value for the entire market. We want to show the added value of all our products in a coherent way, throughout the customer journey and also through an articulated communication plan, starting as early as next season “.
The renewal of the Tour Operating Division largely owes the new face to inNOVA: a three-year strategic development project worth 20 million euros. In the work streams, the business and IT areas are involved with agile working methods and among the main results, the redefinition of internal and external flows, infrastructures, applications and B2B and B2C touchpoints. The new sites of Alpitour.it, Turisanda.it and Edenviaggi.it also fall within this perspective, totally revised both from the point of view of the interface and the user experience.