A rare find in Wales
SMALL privately-owned inns and country house hotels offer genuine Welsh hospitality to visitors and commissions to agents. Welsh Rarebits at www.welshrarebits.co.uk offers 44 such hotels, with 10 per cent commission on rack rates for bed & breakfast and 20 to 25 per cent commission to wholesale companies. Eurowales, part of the same group, customises special interest tours in Wales, Ireland and England for small groups.
While the US and Western Europe are the group's main overseas markets, business from Southeast Asia is growing, says Welsh Rarebits-Eurosales managing director Emyr Griffiths.
For more information, email info@eurowales.co.uk
Shoppers paradise
BICESTER Village, the purpose-built outlet shopping village in Oxfordshire, offers up to 60 per cent discounts on famous international and local brands.
While the Village has no admission price, agents can include it in their London itineraries as an out-of-London excursion.
Agents can also give out VIP discount books to their clients for further discounts at Bicester Village's outlets. Bicester Village has also launched a trade website at www.BicesterVillage.com and has a Shop & Stay programme with hotels in London and Oxfordshire. Consultant Nan-Kent Eliot says, "This gives agents a product to sell. They can book their clients in a hotel, and on arrival, the customers receive discount vouchers for rail travel to the Village as well as the VIP discount book."
For further information, email kent.eliot@dial.pipex.com
Royal spoils
THE Royal Pass covers entry into The Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, The Banqueting Hall at Whitehall, Kensington Palace.
Kew Palace at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew is also covered under the Pass but is closed for renovation until 2001. Not available in London, the Royal Pass is an exclusive FIT product for the trade at the nett rates of £27.50 for five palaces (valid for three years) and £22.50 for three palaces (valid for a year). These rates offer 35 to 40 per cent margins on total admissions to the palaces.
The Royal Passes need to be pre-paid but are on a sale-or-return basis.
Agents can return unsold passes within a year for a refund. A minimum purchase of 20 passes is required.
For more information, visit www.hrp.org.uk or contact Ann Wilson at tel: (44-20) 7488-5768 or fax: (44-20) 7488-5763.
Highland fling
A HOLIDAY in Scotland would not be complete without a visit to its heritage properties and castles.
Historic Scotland has over 300 such attractions in its membership, including Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and the Border Abbey at Melrose. Its Scottish Explorer Tickets that come in three-, seven- and 14-day passes offer admission to 68 heritage attractions throughout Scotland.
While the tickets are available at the attractions and at Tourist Information Centres in Scotland, agents get 20 per cent commission on all tickets sold. Historic Scotland operates on a sell-and-return policy wherein agents do not have to buy the tickets upfront and can return those unsold.
Trade rates start from £8 for a three-day ticket, leaving agents to mark-up for sale to their customers.
For more information, contact Bill Cameron at tel: (44-131) 668-8839 or fax: (44-131) 668-8888.