Anatomy of a study tour: First hand experience in the maritimes

Northwestern Financial Review, Sep 1, 2001 by Crews, Jennifer Goepfert

Reading a brochure or watching a video might give you some sense of what a trip will be like before you book a destination. But making a decision to take your bank club on a trip based purely on promotional material can be tricky. Will your club members like every activity scheduled? Will the destination offer plenty of accessibility for older members or will it be engaging enough for your younger set? There is really no way to tell whether a trip will be successful if you only read about it. The only way to know for sure is to visit in person.

In May, Hospitality Tours offered bank club directors the chance to do just that-visit a destination and experience a trip first-hand. Thirtyone Heritage Clubs International club directors embarked on a nine-day trip to Atlantic Canada with Ted Nelson on May 21. The study tour took directors to the provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia for a personal look at what their club members would see and experience on a trip to the Maritimes with Hospitality Tours.

For a director, taking a study tour is an exceptional way to get to know a trip before you book it. Colin Robinson, director of The Heritage Club, First Citizens National Bank, Charles City, Iowa, insisted it is a necessary part of booking a tour for a bank club.

"We do a study tour once we are in the final stages of planning," said Robinson. "I think it is very important because it gives you a clear understanding of the product and you will see how the travel provider is going to treat your customer. It gives you far more than any brochure or video can give you. It sells the program and gives you confidence that your customer is going to be well cared for."

Robinson was able to customize two itineraries for Atlantic Canada after taking the study tour: one adventure trip for baby boomers and one traditional fall foliage trip for seniors. He is planning both for 2002.

Michelle Stitz, director of Heritage Club, First Citizens National Bank, Clarion, Iowa, found that a study tour was the make-or-break turning point in whether she would book a tour.

"Had I not taken the study tour I probably would not have brought a group there," she admitted. She is now also planning two trips with Hospitality Tours. "After going there, I am able to select things that I know will work for my members. If the itinerary is too full, I can back it off or if it is not enough I can add. It is very helpful to select what would work for my people. Otherwise it is a shot in the dark."

Julie Wertzel, director of The Good Neighbors Club, Community First State Bank, Decorah, Iowa, emphasized the direct knowledge that is gained from a study tour. "I would recommend it to anyone," she said. "It was a good way to get firsthand knowledge of the sites that are available in this particular area and then, based on your knowledge of your club and the people in your club, you can try to fit aspects of those together to make a more successful trip." Wertzel is taking her club to the Maritimes in 2002 also.

All of the club members were able to go back to their clubs with enthusiasm, first-hand knowledge and even pictures of the destination, all tools that will make selling the trip easier. In addition, Stitz found that as a new club director, watching professionals like Ted Nelson gave her insight into how to run a successful trip. She gained knowledge that she was able to take back and will be able to use as a tour director.

For Hospitality Tours, giving a study tour was an excellent way to market a small product that is otherwise not very well known.

Nelson explained, "There are so many places in the world to travel that if you don't bring club directors to see your destination, they don't get a full appreciation for it. And you really need to have a full appreciation in order to decide whether you are going to include it in what is normally a very limited calendar. By bringing them there, they get a full flavor for it."

Hospitality Tour's signature tour for bank clubs, Atlantic Canada was previewed during a dinner at the Annual Peer Group Meeting in Plano in March. Club directors were invited to take the study tour at a cost of only $70 per person plus airfare (which was discounted by $100).

The study tour offered Nelson a chance to show off the provinces at their best.

New Brunswick

The tour began with a city tour of Saint John, New Brunswick, the oldest incorporated city in Canada. The group stopped at Reversing Falls, where a high tide causes the river to flow upstream. Then directors settled into The Fairmont Algonquin, a hotel that Wertzel described as "beautiful and scenic," adding "it was more than I expected. The accommodations were fabulous."

The second day of the trip, directors toured St. Andrews before continuing on to Kings Landing Historical Settlement, a living history museum. Next, the tour took them to Fundy National Park, the site of Hopewell Rocks.

Nelson called the Bay of Fundy a "major highlight" of New Brunswick. The bay is home to the largest tide in the world. Each day, tides as high as 50 feet ebb and flow into the bay. Directors had a chance to walk on the ocean floor at low tide while a naturalist described the site.