Q: Tom, obvious first question. What’s the reasoning behind Just You starting up in Australia?
A: We are the market leader in the UK for solo holidays and have been going for 25 years as a standalone brand.
We relaunched in Canada about 18 months ago and we just felt that Australia was a natural fit. There’s a shared sense of humour and culture so it’s very similar.
We came over last year and met with some product managers from different travel agencies to get a sense of where they thought we might fit in. The feedback we got was overwhelmingly positive.
There isn’t a solo specialist here with the product range that we’ve got. We’ve got around 100 itineraries and we go to six continents.
We felt it was a really good time to capitalise on that, come out here and be first to market with such an extensive touring product for the solo traveller.
Australia is a country that travels really well and has a really good fit for our demographic, so we think there’s a huge opportunity here and that’s why we came to Australia next as opposed to anywhere else.
Q: So what is your target demographic?
A: It’s very much targeted at the over 55 market. The average age of our customers in the UK is around 60 and we’d imagine that would be very similar to here.
One thing we’re very keen to make sure people are aware of is that it’s not a single, dating type of holiday. Some 20 per cent of our customers are married and what we find is that one of them wants to travel somewhere while the other partner is less keen.
The most important thing for us on our holidays is people forming meaningful connections with the people they’re traveling with. Even though they’re booking as a solo, they want to get to know the group and they want to be able to gel.
Q: How has the trade reacted to your arrival in Australia?
A: Really positive again. We’ve been meeting people, talking about the products and starting to establish that we’re now available to book.
We’re really keen to speak to agents that are keen to sell Just You and have got a solo demographic for our products.
We have just appointed Natalie Chappell as Account Manager and she’s already been getting multiple inquiries from agents about the brand, asking for more information and more training.
So she’s going to be doing training for agents to help them promote our products as well as get in front of their customers. I think we have lots of unique things to offer and it’s something that’s wanting in the market.
Q: Why do you think solo travel is booming at the moment?
A: People are just more empowered to travel on their own than they may have done 15 or 20 years ago.
We’ve got plenty of customers who haven’t travelled on their own for 20 or 30 years and they’re a little bit nervous, but that’s why they go with a group where they know everyone’s going to be solo.
Another of the great things about our product and our point of difference is that everyone gets a guaranteed room on their own and there are obviously no single supplements. Solos want to travel, they want to have their own room and they want to meet other people and make new friends.
Our repeat booking rate is incredible and that’s why we’re always launching more itineraries, because people want to go to new places all the time. I think it’s a part of the market that agents now realise that they can’t ignore solo travel.
Q: You mention agents. They’re still a vital part of your marketing plans?
A: Our whole push to market is just through travel agents to start with. Agents add validation to our brand because if you trust a travel agent and they’re recommending our product then that definitely helps.
You can’t replace the knowledge of the travel professional and how well they can promote things. Time and time again agents show their value.
I’d be pretty amazed if our bookings in Australia wasn’t 90% plus through travel agents.
Q: What kind of experience do solo travellers get on your tours?
A: One of the great things about Just You is we include an awful lot in the price, such as accommodation, tours and a holiday director.
The holiday director is really important and they’re trained to look after solo groups. They’re there to try and make sure that people integrate and that those who may be a bit more nervous are looked after a little bit better.
While we’re new to Australia, we are not a new company. We’ve got 25 years’ experience doing this, learning and tweaking and perfecting things, so we think we’re pretty good at what we do.
Q: Finally, have you set yourselves any goals for the future?
A: I think for us the next 12 months is all about establishing ourselves in the marketplace and proving to agents that we’re a brand that’s easy to work with, because that’s really important.
We are also aware that there are lots of brands here with lots of different products so we know it’s not quite as simple as saying, ‘we’re here and everyone look at our products’.
For us, we only come into a market if we think we can really support this, get behind it and make a success of it. We genuinely do believe that we’ve got something unique to offer agents in Australia. We’re here to stay.
