RIT Vacations goes further afield in the UK

Strong post-COVID consumer demand for holiday travel to the United Kingdom is driving new tour program developments and staff additions at Royal Irish Tours in Toronto. Meanwhile, a more regular use of the name RIT Vacations or just RIT – for instance in the brochure copy – confirms an expansion in the content and number of programs being offered, reports Travel Courier’s Ted Davis.

Specifically, there is a shift away from a focus on “Irish” in the name, as the company’s destination menu broadens across the UK to include more England, Wales and Scotland.

For example, the company formerly devoted about 80% of its tour programs to travel in Ireland, including Northern Ireland. But as the overall travel product content has increased, the proportion of Irish programs has slipped to about 60%, with about 30% of the total RIT product roster now based on itineraries and attractions in Scotland. That leaves some 10% devoted to England and Wales.

“Ireland will always be our number one, but the UK is definitely growing,” says Jonathan Sargeant, director of sales for Royal Irish Tours. Given these percentages, the biggest future potential for RIT lies with England and Wales, he said. But meanwhile, it is Scotland that is reaping the greatest benefits from travel bookings by RIT. And the staff at RIT in Canada has doubled since 2019.

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