Australian coach tour company AAT Kings, owned by parent company The Travel Corporation (TTC), is establishing a team based in Singapore on the back of its expansion into the Asian market.
Led by YK Wong, senior sales manager wholesale, Asia, AAT Kings will promote its bespoke tours and services to Asian travellers, who are becoming increasingly “discerning”, said Wong at a trade outreach session in Singapore last week on July 18.
Wong explained that a majority of the Asian market are familiar with AAT Kings’ day tours, but not much is known about its longer and multi-destination itineraries.
As such, the new team aims to raise awareness in Asia of such products, as well as their ability to execute highly customised and luxury tours. Besides a 20-seater coach with leather-bound seats, AAT King’s tours offer experiences such as visiting Aboriginal villages and dining at Uluru.
TTC’s managing director Asia Nicholas Lim told TTG Asia: “AAT Kings has always been known for its day tours, but we want to show the trade that we can do much more, especially for travellers who want to spend a few more days (on the road).”
Lim shared that the company will now focus on building brand awareness in this region, which will ride on other already-known TTC brands such as Contiki and Trafalgar. For example, a booking made on Trafalgar could be tied in and fulfilled through AAT Kings’ services.
Lim also expressed that the coach tour operator has been “buoyed” by an “encouraging” year-on-year growth of 36 per cent, as well as Asia’s market potential.
After Singapore, AATKings will conduct a similar trade outreach session in Manila, before returning to Singapore to participate in the NATAS Holiday Fair on August 2-4.
