Down Under Cruise and Dive joined Big Red Group’s (BRG’s) Supply Community more than 4 years ago. Business Development Manager, Marcus Brady attributes partnership with BRG to an increase in domestic market share, which is of particular importance in the current operating environment. Down Under Cruise and Dive share the same significant challenges currently faced by many of BRG’s supply partners. With no inbound international market, and domestic confidence fluctuating due to border uncertainties, there is more need than ever to gain deep traction domestically. So, every customer delivered by BRG really does make a difference.
Providing full day Outer Great Barrier Reef Tours, and currently growing their luxury offerings, Marcus says the real point of difference in working with BRG compared to other booking agents, is BRG’s core domestic focus.
Through his extensive experience in working with other booking agents, Marcus has found BRG’s differentiator to be two-fold. One, BRG’s commitment and investment in building relationships with their supply community is unparalleled, and secondly, other agents often only have the domestic market as part of a broader catalogue offering.
Marcus found the session to be a real testament to the strength and importance that BRG places on their relationships with suppliers, commenting “It’s rare to have access to so many people, especially in a time where everyone is scattered in different locations due to restrictions. The ability to have a platform to communicate and train the product is so valuable currently.”
Recently, Marcus participated in BRG’s Supplier Lunch and Learn series, an interactive session with BRG’s full cohort of employees (100+), where they learn about different supplier offerings so that they may take those learnings and apply them both personally (they may wish to participate) and professionally (they may be able to further promote the supplier through the channels they are responsible for).
Through sharing business highlights, challenges and capabilities, Marcus has in turn created 100+ new ambassadors who walked away from the session with a deep understanding and appreciation for what Down Under Cruise and Dive is all about.
Marcus has found BRG’s communication structure to be easy and direct, and the back-end systems and connectivity easy to use, making product management simple. He is also grateful for the positive rapport he has built with his dedicated BRG account manager “I’m comfortable calling my account manager as they are based locally and understand my concerns, because it’s likely they’ve been through it themselves. This ease of communication sets BRG apart.”
While Marcus notes that destinations such as the Grampians, Blue Mountains and Byron Bay are still attracting visitors, Cairns differs from other domestic spots as it’s a fly in destination, accentuating the challenges for Down Under Cruise and Dive.
Despite these locational challenges, Marcus hopes Australians will also see the great benefits of Cairns. In the June school holidays for instance, instead of the typical great Australian egress to Bali, perhaps Australians will head to a tropical destination like Cairns and take advantage of a little luxury, like Down Under Cruise and Dive’s Gold Class offering.
Because after a year like no other, everyone deserves a little luxury.
If you’d like to learn more about partnering with BRG please visit: https://partner.thebigredgroup.com.au
Or if you are an existing BRG Supply Partner and are interested in participating in BRG’s Lunch and Learn Sessions, please reach out to your Account Manager.
