TORONTO — A year ago, travel agents made up just 5% of Exoticca’s overall sales in Canada. Today, that number has jumped to 30%.

This massive increase in such a short amount of time is exactly why the Spanish-based, small group tour operator, which only entered the Canadian market in 2019, wanted to honour and celebrate agents last night at Toronto’s Old Mill, the first stop in the company’s first-ever, cross-Canada roadshow. Over 500 agents registered for the Toronto event, 1,700 in total across 12 cities, a testament to Exoticca’s growing popularity in a highly competitive market.

“Exoticca, even as a new company, has seen huge growth and success in Canada, so much so that we have launched a massive TV campaign to double down on our investment into the Canadian marketplace,” Mike Quinto, VP of Sales, Canada tells Travelweek. “In each of the 12 cities we’re attending, we’re making our mark in the travel agent’s world. We’ve flown in specialists from our head office in Spain at each event to talk about the exciting direction that Exoticca is going in. We can’t wait to see everyone!”

Exoticca, which was founded in Barcelona, Spain in 2013, provides private and small group tours led by local expert guides, to over 50 countries including top destinations like South Africa, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Ecuador & the Galapagos, Egypt, Morocco, Thailand and more. It’s able to bundle NETT airfare, transfers, guided sightseeing with local guides, free time, meals and more, and has a 4.5/5 rating on Trustpilot, with over 20,000 certified reviews. Known for its commitment to the agent community, it also pays a minimum 10% commission on everything, including international airfare, taxes, excursions, internal airfare, transfers and hotels.

The company currently operates in 10 countries of origin, including Canada and the United States, its top markets. Today, North America accounts for 70% of the its global sales. By year’s end, it will have closed with “$250 million Canadian dollars in bookings, a very decent number in terms of production,” says Alberto Constans, Chief Growth Officer.

With Canada on the up and up, Constans announced yesterday to a wave of applause that the company will be creating a “vertical independent organization” for Canada, separate from the United States and led by Quinto, “to provide Canadian agents with the best service and the best products.”

WHAT AGENTS WANT, AGENTS GET

How is the company doing this? Easy, by listening to those on the front lines – travel agents. According to Quinto, Exoticca takes great pride in applying agent feedback to its policies and products so that it can “be the best tour operator in the entire world.”

For example, when agents recently complained about long call wait times, Exoticca promptly responded by tripling its reservations team. Upon hearing from agents that they wanted a simpler way to book groups, Exoticca quadrupled its groups department to aid them with the process.

When one agent told Quinto, upon returning home from one of Exoticca’s Italy tours, that he found the itinerary too independent for his clients, the company followed up by launching fully-guided tours in the country.

And when agents said they found Exoticca’s packages too restricting and that they wanted to deviate the airfare but couldn’t wait five or 10 business days for an answer, Quinto announced that as of yesterday, live deviations are now available so that “if your clients want business class airfare or premium economy, if they want to upgrade or change something, if they want to stay longer, you can do all that, right over the phone, with our reservations team.”

Also notable, for agents who prefer to not call the reservations team, Exoticca is currently creating a different flight selector from the general public, exclusive to travel agents.

“We’re going to wipe out all the rules for you. You can pick any business class airfare, any seat class you want, and we’ll quote it in live time for you. You can organize by stopovers, by duration or alliances that your clients may want to travel with.

We value your opinions and advice. You keep asking for things and we’ll keep delivering. We want to be the best tour operator in the world and we know that we’re not going to get there without you.”

IN THE PIPELINE

Quinto is particularly excited for the upcoming winter season, during which Exoticca will be hosting 12 fam trips to destinations around the world and launching new tours, destinations, its first-ever brochures and a brand new agent loyalty program featuring agent-exclusive deals and bonus commissions.

At each stop of the roadshow, agents can also expect a certificate training course in order to be certified as an Exoticca specialist. Being certified means that agents will be referred by the company to clients, plus gain access to a full suite of marketing materials and additional commissions.

“We are hoping to get as many agents certified and into the Exoticca specialist program as possible,” says Quinto. “We truly understand the importance and significance of travel agents. We want to make sure they are well equipped and versed in Exoticca so that they can offer our tours to their clients with the utmost confidence.”

For agents who are unable to attend the roadshow, Exoticca hosts monthly webinars and can conduct one-on-one virtual training. Agents are encouraged to join Exoticca’s Facebook page, which features all of its current promotions and fams.

OCTOBER CREDIT OFFER

For any reservation made between Oct. 9-31, Exoticca is offering clients a credit of $700 towards their next reservation with Exoticca when booked through a travel agent. This credit can be applied to any reservation booked until March 31, 2024. The voucher will only be redeemed through the agent and their agency.

Exoticca’s roadshow will be in London, Ontario today, Oct. 18, followed by: Ottawa (Oct. 19); Montreal (Oct. 30); Halifax (Nov. 1); St. John’s (Nov. 2); Winnipeg (Nov. 7); Saskatoon (Nov. 9); Edmonton (Nov. 14); Calgary (Nov. 15); Victoria (Nov. 21); and Vancouver (Nov. 23).

For more information go to https://www.exoticca.com/ca.