Why OETG has outsourced its wholesaling to Pinpoint Travel

OCTOBER 2008

Orient Express Travel Group plans a cash rewards program for agents to back its new approach to wholesaling. Managing director Tom Manwaring said the incentive program, under the "Express" banner, will be linked to the sales volume achieved by agents for the company's wholesale programs which have now been outsourced to Pinpoint Travel.

While the new programs and incentives will be available to all agents, Manwaring says they are primarily a "value-add" for the Select and 1ndependence chains established under the umbrella of the OETG consolidation operation.The first phase of OETG's new approach to wholesaling materialised this month with the production of brochures featuring the Select brand in conjunction with Pinpoint's Freestyle brand.
The second phase will emerge in the first quarter of 2009 when the company will release a range of Orient Express Holidays brochure produced by Pinpoint.

By outsourcing to Pinpoint, OETG will be able to offer a wider product range and take advantage of Pinpoint's online and database marketing resources, Manwaring says.

And it will set its sights beyond Asia to offer wholesale arrangements also covering destinations such as Fiji, Hawaii, North America, Europe, Mauritius and cruising in the Mediterranean, Alaska and Antarctica.

Manwaring says the broadening of OETG's wholesale offerings reflects the changing needs of the Select chain of agents which originated among agencies serving the ethnic Chinese market.

"Their market now consists of second and third generation Chinese Australians who are likely to be just as interested in backpacking around Europe or skiing in Canada as they are in VFR travel to Asia," he says.

He adds that he would rather reward agents for sales through the Express incentive scheme than pay tens of thousands upfront for preferred product status with major chains.

Meanwhile OETG will continue to produce the Cathay Pacific Holidays program for the airline and Manwaring says there will be no staff redundancies as a result of the switch of the outsourcing to Pinpoint.

He says the provision of wholesaling options to Select and 1ndependence agents is just one of a number of services which OETG is increasingly making available to them in addition to its core consolidation offering.

Marketing, training and automation options are also on offer to members of the two chains which, he says, are growing at the rate of about one new outlet a week.

The 1ndependence group, launched last year, is now about 50-strong while there are around 220 Select agents, according to Manwaring.

He laughs about claims to transparency: being made by others, saying: "That's stuff we've been doing for 20 years."He says OETG now has a national footprint with its Adelaide office, opened three years ago, now consolidating while the more recently opened Perth office is "ahead of budget".

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OETG links with Pinpoint Travel Group for wholesale expansion

SEPTEMBER 2008

Orient Express Travel Group will offer the Pinpoint Travel Group Freestyle holiday programs to all destinations as preferred product to its SELECT and 1ndependence brand members.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed this week, with an October product launch and a new agency loyalty program branded Express.

The agreement effectively outsources OETG’s outbound and inbound wholesale operations.

Joint CEO of Pinpoint, Kirsty Rankin said there was good synergy between the two companies on many levels. “We’re independent, and looking for strong partnerships that will assist us to continue building our business,” she said. “The variety of opportunities that the OETG.agreement provides gives both parties excellent growth potential.”  

OETG CEO, Tom Manwaring said the agreement also covered potential integration of the operational processes for the OETG inbound brand CP Tours, and the accommodation brand Global Destination Management providing online customer access.

“The MOU provides for future growth and opportunity for all our preferred agents and supplier partners, competitive and niche product both from and into Australia,” he said.

“This is a superb fit for both OETG and the Pinpoint Travel Group”.

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'Silver Bullet' Sean Wroe now goes for Gold

AUGUST 2008

After surprising everyone with an Olympic Silver in the Athens 4x400m, Sean Wroe now has his eyes set on the individual 400m at the Beijing Olympics.

Proudly sponsored by Orient Express Travel Group, Sean has never been in better shape. He recently achieved his personal best of 45.20 seconds in Stockholm, and is confident he can push this even further. He now aims to improve this time by half a second.

"I think it's a realistic goal," Sean said, "it will probably take 44-high to make the final. If you ran 44.8 and didn't get in, you'd be pretty stiff".

Nonetheless, Wroe faces stiff competition from US Olympic champions Jeremy Wariner and LeShawn Merrit.

At the Olympics this year, Sean once again competes in the 4x400m relay, along with silver medalists Clinton Hill and Mark Ormrod, and Queenslander Dylan Grant. Since their Olympic Silver in Athens four years ago, the Australia relay team has been dubbed the 'Silver Bullets'.

Realistically, the relay is a better medal prospect than the individual 400m, but it remains a tough race with the favourites being the US and Caribbean nations.

With a strong air of expectations surrounding him and the relay team, Sean truly needs your support. To do your part, log-on to the Telstra Hero Message Board, and show in true Aussie spirit your support!

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OETG Companies Under the One Umbrella

JUNE 2008

The divisional companies of Orient Express Travel Group will now trade under the umbrella company Orient Express Travel Services P/L (OETS).

OETG has advised the NSW Office of Fair Trading that the Chung Pak Travel P/L travel agents license is no longer required, and that the registered business names ‘CP Holidays’, ‘CP Tours’ and ‘Chung Pak Travel’ are now under the proprietorship of OETS. Within NSW all trading activity will be within the OETS travel agents license. All Chung Pak brands will also sit within OETS’ TCF lodgement and P/L structure. Similarly within Victoria, OETG has advised the Business Licensing Authority that the Orient Express Travel International P/L license is no longer required.

All further group trading names Orient Express Holidays (OEH), Transglobal Destinations, Global Destination Management, Orient Express Travel Melbourne (OETM) and Orient Express Travel Corporate (OETC) are under the proprietorship of a single entity, OETS.

OETG CEO, Tom Manwaring, said the changes were implemented to simplify group administration processes.