I once built a gorgeous trip around Puglia, the Italy that Italians keep for themselves. It didn't sell. The moment Rome went on the itinerary, it sold. That stung a little, and it taught me one of the most useful marketing lessons in group travel: trips sell on the city your clients dream about, not the one you're most excited to show them.
“Many travelers feel compelled to visit Rome due to its prominence in education and culture.”
Dreams are the demand
For many travelers, and pointedly for many of my clients, certain places carry a lifetime of cultural weight. Rome is in every book they grew up with. The safari is why anyone crosses the world to southern Africa. You can argue with the demand or you can architect around it: anchor the trip with the dream, then smuggle in the places you know they'll love once they're there.
Claire's own numbers
The framework, step by step
- 1
Put the anchor city on the itinerary prominently
it's doing your advertising.
- 2
Keep the anchor stay efficient and make the hidden-gem
region the heart of the trip. They came for Rome; they'll go home talking about Puglia
- 3
Monetize the dream
a free day in the anchor city with an optional private tour turns demand you didn't choose into revenue you did.
Claire's own framework from this essay, in the order she teaches it.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
Serve the anchor without surrendering the trip
- Put the anchor city on the itinerary prominently, it's doing your advertising.
- Keep the anchor stay efficient and make the hidden-gem region the heart of the trip. They came for Rome; they'll go home talking about Puglia.
- Monetize the dream: a free day in the anchor city with an optional private tour turns demand you didn't choose into revenue you did.
Your taste is why clients hire you. Their dreams are why they book. The itineraries that sell out honor both, in that order on the sales page, and in reverse once the plane lands.
Common Questions
Why do some trips fail to sell?
Often because the itinerary skips the place the audience actually dreams about. Trips sell on the city clients have wanted their whole lives, not the one the advisor most wants to show them.
How do you include a famous city without ruining the itinerary?
Keep the anchor stay short and efficient, make the lesser-known region the heart of the trip, and add a free day in the anchor city with an optional private tour.
Can you monetize the anchor city?
Yes. A free day with an optional paid private tour turns demand you did not choose into revenue you did, while giving guests flexibility.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
6× Condé Nast Top Travel Specialist, Certified AI Consultant, and founder of Travel AI University. $3.4B+ in enterprise travel software sold to Google, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD; $16M+ in luxury travel sales with Up in the Air Life.
About Claire
