Travel and tourism continues to be one of the largest economic impact factors of endurance events, which has led organizations and events to look at ways to capitalize. In other cases, travel companies tied to endurance brands and events are evolving vacations for athletes looking for unique experiences of a lifetime.
Star Events - producers of cycling, triathlon and running events - recently launched a travel division, Star Travel offering accommodation packages exclusively for Star Events. Benefits for using this event-hosted service is described as accommodation in preselected hotels, private apartments and villas all in walking distance from the start and finish line, insider information for training facilities, cozy restaurants, and attractive sites worth sightseeing.
It's not surprising to see an event series branch out and offer it's participants travel packages and could be a likely brand extension for a series like Rock 'n' Roll or Ironman, provided they take it in-house and away from partner Anthony Travel. The opportunity is ripe and could even include exclusive meals at partner restaurants and other events during race weekend.
Athletes looking for more than a participatory race trip can find companies offering cycling tours for some of the world's best brands and most iconic events. What stands out about these companies is the incredible access and unique experiences they can provide consumers.
Trek Travel has been offering unique cycling experiences to consumers since 2003. According to Mark Thomsen, Marketing Manager at Trek Travel, the company born of Trek Bicycles to provide luxury bike tours around the world on board the best bikes in the industry. All trips include the use of a high end carbon fiber road or hybrid Trek bikes and are almost fully inclusive, with exclusive boutique hotels, unique local connections and unrivaled support from guides who love cycling and traveling around the world at events like the Tour de France.
As is the case in traditional sports marketing with teams offering behind-the-scenes access as part of corporate partnership packages, innovative and exclusive experiences are now providing the greatest value to consumers and customers. Trek Travel has been offering experiences such as professional bike race access second to none, with exclusive relationships with teams like US Postal Service, Team RadioShack, and now the new RadioShack Nissan Trek team. See more about Trek Travel:
In the same mold as Trek Travel, Cannondale recently introduced Cannondale Tours which will provide luxury cycling tours, the integration of Cannondale bikes for travelers to ride and insider access at major races and events.
Carmichael Training Systems also offers cycling tours as part of their "Epic Endurance Bucket List." One would expect premium access from a company born of Lance Armstrong's cycling coach as athletes can choose to be a part of events like the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the Amgen Tour of California. While consumers can also expect to pay a premium for the access they receive, they can pay for an exclusive experience of riding the race courses each day just hours before the professionals with support from mechanics and aid vehicles, and sleeping in the team hotels. CTS does a great job of publicizing the experiences and the group members through social media as they make their way along the tours, check out the tweets and video below:
Another example is Triathlon Tours, a partner of USA Triathlon (and several other National Governing Bodies as a part of Ludus Tours), which provides consumers with trips built around the Olympic Games, including London in 2012. You can see the full offering of the triathlon package here: USA Triathlon Fan Package.
It will be interesting to see if other top endurance brands see value in entering the travel industry by offering insider access and one-of-a-kind experiences. In addition to providing something very few can offer, brands can build even greater brand affinity by treating consumers to a travel experience they will never forget.
Star Events - producers of cycling, triathlon and running events - recently launched a travel division, Star Travel offering accommodation packages exclusively for Star Events. Benefits for using this event-hosted service is described as accommodation in preselected hotels, private apartments and villas all in walking distance from the start and finish line, insider information for training facilities, cozy restaurants, and attractive sites worth sightseeing.
It's not surprising to see an event series branch out and offer it's participants travel packages and could be a likely brand extension for a series like Rock 'n' Roll or Ironman, provided they take it in-house and away from partner Anthony Travel. The opportunity is ripe and could even include exclusive meals at partner restaurants and other events during race weekend.
Athletes looking for more than a participatory race trip can find companies offering cycling tours for some of the world's best brands and most iconic events. What stands out about these companies is the incredible access and unique experiences they can provide consumers.
Trek Travel has been offering unique cycling experiences to consumers since 2003. According to Mark Thomsen, Marketing Manager at Trek Travel, the company born of Trek Bicycles to provide luxury bike tours around the world on board the best bikes in the industry. All trips include the use of a high end carbon fiber road or hybrid Trek bikes and are almost fully inclusive, with exclusive boutique hotels, unique local connections and unrivaled support from guides who love cycling and traveling around the world at events like the Tour de France.
As is the case in traditional sports marketing with teams offering behind-the-scenes access as part of corporate partnership packages, innovative and exclusive experiences are now providing the greatest value to consumers and customers. Trek Travel has been offering experiences such as professional bike race access second to none, with exclusive relationships with teams like US Postal Service, Team RadioShack, and now the new RadioShack Nissan Trek team. See more about Trek Travel:
In the same mold as Trek Travel, Cannondale recently introduced Cannondale Tours which will provide luxury cycling tours, the integration of Cannondale bikes for travelers to ride and insider access at major races and events.
Carmichael Training Systems also offers cycling tours as part of their "Epic Endurance Bucket List." One would expect premium access from a company born of Lance Armstrong's cycling coach as athletes can choose to be a part of events like the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and the Amgen Tour of California. While consumers can also expect to pay a premium for the access they receive, they can pay for an exclusive experience of riding the race courses each day just hours before the professionals with support from mechanics and aid vehicles, and sleeping in the team hotels. CTS does a great job of publicizing the experiences and the group members through social media as they make their way along the tours, check out the tweets and video below:
Another example is Triathlon Tours, a partner of USA Triathlon (and several other National Governing Bodies as a part of Ludus Tours), which provides consumers with trips built around the Olympic Games, including London in 2012. You can see the full offering of the triathlon package here: USA Triathlon Fan Package.
It will be interesting to see if other top endurance brands see value in entering the travel industry by offering insider access and one-of-a-kind experiences. In addition to providing something very few can offer, brands can build even greater brand affinity by treating consumers to a travel experience they will never forget.
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