About 12% of the advisors said that they do not have enough expertise to sell with confidence, more so for low-volume grossers (77% of these advisors have annual gross sales of under $1 million). This does indicate the need for greater sales training when it comes to land tours, especially to those who are newer to the business and haven’t gained enough of a foothold. Additionally, with one-third of the advisors saying that they found managing clients’ expectations a demanding and time-consuming job, there is a greater need among advisors to become familiar with supplier-provided tools and technology to help make FIT bookings, especially, an easier and more efficient process. This could also be a space where suppliers can engage more actively with the advisors in showcasing their products and technology features. An advisor shared interesting feedback for land tours: The greatest challenges to selling a land tour, cited by one in two advisors, are: clients wanting a more flexible itinerary and a mismatch between available inventory and the clients’ schedule. Again, the high demand for small groups/exclusivity is apparent, with more than 4 out 10 advisors saying that clients do not want to be part of a group tour. Cost of the trip, interestingly, has a lower incidence on the list of challenges, as compared to the river and ocean cruise Outlooks. 26 | CHART 15 CHALLENGES IN SELLING LAND TOURS TRENDS IN LAND TOURS Clients want flexible itineraries Clients’ itinerary/schedule did not match with available inventory Clients do not want to be part of a group tour Managing clients’ expectation is demanding/time consuming Total cost of land tours is too high for clients I don’t have strong BDM relationship Not enough sales and marketing support from the suppliers/tour operators Cash flow because of the upfront deposit requirements Not enough expertise to sell with confidence Clients are not interested in land tours I am unaware of new products/brands None, I have plenty of interested clients 50% 47% 46% 33% 31% 18% 14% 13% 12% 12% 9% 10% Clients want more free time at the destination.