TAP looks to boost agent relationships
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TAP Portugal is to boost its relationships with travel agents next year following a range of new launches in 2012.
Its strategy will include more fam trips and competitions for agents to promote its direct flights to Lisbon, Porto and Funchal as well as connecting options in Brazil and Africa.
“The partnerships we have are growing but we really want more next year. The sales team works hard to get out there and we also want agents to see the destinations too – it is them who sell the flights,” Simon Forster, senior account executive at TAP told Travel Daily.
Having just launched flights from Manchester the carrier is looking to add more next year as the route is currently ‘point-to-point’ and has room for further connections.
“It was a risk to launch the Manchester to Lisbon flights but there has been a great appetite and it is growing as a city destination,” said Forster on the route launch.
The new route has helped the airline see a “good, positive year” in 2012 and has increased its market share in travel to Portugal. In addition TAP plans to add frequency to Funchal, Madeira with hopes for a daily year-round service.
Forster’s confidence in TAP’s onboard product means much of its trade and marketing activity will focus on destinations; pushing more leisure traffic to Africa and more business travel to Brazil.
“We have Cape Verde and Mozambique on our network and feel they are great places for leisure holidays as Africa is still seen as an exciting destination,” said Forster. “We also have a route into Miami via Lisbon which is price competitive and will look to promote”.
