Art of Travel – summertime in Europe is time for me to build relationships | Travel Research Online

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Art of Travel – summertime in Europe is time for me to build relationships

Summer in Europe is a time when a lot of people switch off. As the school year unwinds, Europeans prepare for their summer holidays. Generally, travel arrangements are done around spring, but there are still those who patiently wait for the inevitable “last minute” deals on flights and packages. 

There are also many Europeans who prefer to travel just within Europe. Road trips are common; families drive to seaside destinations or mountain resorts. South of Europe is very popular, particularly Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, and Portugal. There are also the weekend city destinations like London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam… the usual suspects. But also popular are Berlin, Munich, Prague, Cracow, Budapest, and Vienna, just to name a few.

As we keep a close watch on the trends, we try to meet demand through room allotments in selected hotels in those destinations mentioned.  From our experience, it is also the peak time for incoming travel to Europe from markets such as Asia and North America. So we also use the same hotel room allotments for our incoming business.

But just like everyone else in Europe, I also take the time to do my personal road trips, although for me, it’s “work.” This is the time when I visit and inspect hotels and destinations around Europe that I may never have seen before. Or, I take the time to visit hotels, destinations, and suppliers we work with just to continue strengthening our relationship. With June and July being nice and sunny, driving from our base in Prague, which is right in the heart of Europe, is very convenient for me. Within 4 to 5 hours drive, I could be in Berlin, Munich, Vienna, Salzburg, or be over the border in Poland or Slovakia in even less time.

So far at the beginning of this summer, I’ve done inspection trips to Germany going west to Cologne, Dusseldorf, and Frankfurt, and I’ve also already managed Austria and Slovakia.

I also take the opportunity to attend events and travel forums either as a Registered or Hosted Buyer. It’s an amazing way and outright time saver for me to be able to meet suppliers under one roof. At the end of the month, I am hosted to take part in a 2-day event in Madrid where there will be over 300 suppliers from different parts of Europe. I would have wanted to attend the ASTA Destination Expo in Seville at the beginning of June, but there was a conflict in my schedule.

So as summer approaches, I do look forward to finally enjoying the great weather and to be sitting at outdoor cafés having Czech beer or the local wine wherever it is in Europe.  Being a travel agent does have its perks after all.

Vincent Soriano is the Founder & Managing Director of Art Of Travel. Based in Prague, Czech Republic, Art Of Travel specialises in Marketing & Sales Representation as well as delivering travel experiences throughout Central & Eastern Europe. And with its strong affinity to Asia, partners and customers also rely on their expert knowledge of Philippines, Thailand, and the rest of Southeast & North Asia. To know more, visit www.ArtOfTravel.eu. Vincent can be reached at vincent@artoftravel.eu 

 

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