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Tracks to Adventure is ATs’ trade name for tours and activities at Journey layover locations.
ATs business relationships provide preferred access to unimproved rail cars at a favorable cost.
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10. Marketing and Sales
Journey product marketing and sales benefit from the historic lack of essential upscale U.S. train vacations and a resurging interest in consumer proclivity for luxury rail vacations 9.
Journey sales are enhanced by: relatively unique Journey characteristics that entice consumers wanting to enjoy and agents wanting to sell Journey vacations; growing pertinent markets 8, 9, 10, significant prior and ongoing ATs management experience 19, 20, 21, plus additional factors and/or related capabilities described below.
Individual Journey vacations and Train’Shares sell to similar luxury vacation 8 markets and Train’Share sales also target the burgeoning timeshare market 10; all of them are huge compared to the number of Journey products available for sale. Smaller more specific segments of these markets are sufficient to provide surplus potential consumers. The two products provides sales and occupancy benefits that go back and forth to each other.
Individual (single) Journey vacations: The number of sales needed is limited by the low number of bedrooms, from the present four to about 140 within 5 years and is a minuscule ‘drop in the bucket’ compared to the overall huge domestic and foreign markets, making it relatively easy to sell enough Journeys to maintain high occupancy.
Selected travel agencies sell Journeys to their numerous existing clients or to a miniscule share of targeted segments of the large luxury travel market 8 By itself, this should ensure high occupancy. Some of the top travel agencies specializing in the sale of railroad vacations, which can be found by a Google ‘luxury train vacations’ search, have the optionable ability to sell every available individual Journey for a few years.
Worldwide sales by travel industry sources looking for new, unique higher commission products to sell, include about 55,000 full time agents in the USA 27, provide excessive sales potential that is more than enough to sell the growing number of bedrooms and related Journeys. Sales by known travel wholesalers and tour operators can consume all available Journeys, some as their branded product. Access to travel industry resources is enhanced because ATs’ CEO has maintained industry relationships after owning the first nationwide and international travel agency franchise organization, which was once North America’s largest retail travel agency group, directly and indirectly spawning over 1,000 outlets.
Increasing demand for and past customers of foreign luxury trains 9 provides a substantial source of Journey by Rail consumers already interested in luxury train vacations.
Foreign luxury train vacation operators make many sales through some of the same travel agencies that feature the sale of ATs’ Journeys. These agencies already have access to luxury train vacation customers which are a notable source of very qualified Journey by Rail consumers.
Individual Journey leads are generated and about 80% of sales will be made by travel industry outlets; 20% will be made directly by ATs. ATs already generates a significant number of unsolicited sales leads which can be promotionally increased at will, if necessary.
Train’Shares: Upscale timeshare sales are booming 10. With over 3,000,000 timeshare owner members, RCI 16, says that it “has a great demand for the luxury train travel product … As the world leader in vacation exchange and travel, we look forward to our ongoing relationship and jumping on the train!”.
Train’Share sales leads are generated and about 75% of sales will be made by outside agents; 25% of sales will be made directly by ATs including conversion of consumers having an original interest in individual Journeys.
RCI 15 provides marketing and sales support. Many of its members buy/own multiple timeshares.
In addition to other attributes, some uncommon timesharing benefits 5 that enhance Train’Share sales include the elimination of unreasonable timeshare fee increases, no payment of fees if Journeys are not used, Train’Shares (Points) can be sold back to ATs, and Train’Share owners can rent their Journeys through already interested travel outlets and keep the net income.
In addition to normal sales influences, foreign interest in U.S. travel is being primed by efforts like the Travel Promotion Act and related Discover America, Brand USA 28, a global tourism program to entice international visitors to vacation in America. Journeys by Rail ideally meet Brand USA product objectives.
27 Reference https://www.statista.com/statistics/917069/number-of-travel-agents-us
28 See href=”https://www.thebrandusa.com