Greetings!

A very special welcome to the Travel Agents of New Zealand.  

TravelGoals is a new financial services product designed as a goal-focused, save-in-advance payment option for the Travel Industry of New Zealand and Kiwi travellers.  The service is free to use for both the industry and travellers.

TravelGoals allows travellers to save in advance for short, medium or long-term travel goals.  It is a dedicated travel fund that helps people avoid temptation and save money for future travel, be it for personal or business.

TravelGoals is absolutely transparent and is not to be confused with a lay-by type holiday plan which can end up being more expensive and inflexible.

All funds are held independently in a bank account on behalf of TravelGoals' clients under the custody of Public Trust.  Public Trust is a Crown owned entity whose independence is guaranteed under the Public Trust Act 2001.

It gives travel agents and clients a powerful tool to assist in the achievement of their future travel goals.  Clients set their travel goals, start saving towards them, then use their savings to pay for all their travel needs - flights, accommodation, spending money, sightseeing tours etc.  No-one wants to come back from holiday to the stress and cost of repaying credit card debt?

It's a fact that more than 80% of people who write down their goals will achieve them.....and that's the main principal behind TravelGoals.  A client's goal could be a well deserved getaway, their OE, wedding, honeymoon, sports events, concerts, visiting family and friends, shows, conferences, group travel, school trips or family reunions - in fact any reason for people want to travel.

Breaking a trip down into 'bite-size' savings contributions can make the cost look a lot less daunting and more affordable and attainable.  Often an advertised full ticket price may appear out of reach for some people.  For example a $3,000.00 holiday broken down to a daily savings rate over (say) nine months is only around $11.00 per day, this is less than some people spend on lunch.  Saving rate options could be advertised as daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly.  It is a tangible way of connecting with a customer and converting a holiday enquiry into a future sale.

Ticketing – often there is a need to pay part or all of their flights early in the piece.  TravelGoals allows clients to take advantage of special deals/offers by giving them the ability to withdraw funds while they are saving towards their goal.  They can then continue to save towards their remaining land and other costs as well as their spending money as required.   

Multiple Goals - Once your clients see TravelGoals work they’ll probably realise they could/should have multiple TravelGoals underway.  For example, there’s no harm in having a short term goal saving for a Pacific Island holiday; A Rugby World Cup savings plan and also a Bathurst (V8 Supercars) trip with friends.

Kiwis are realising the best place for their pre-payment, deposit or savings is outside of their normal bank accounts.  Bank accounts can be far too accessible and goals can easily end up falling by the way side. TravelGoals offers a goal-focused, dedicated and independent savings solution.

No Interest - TravelGoals does not pay credit interest, however clients have the chance to win a travel related prize each month while they are saving.  If your customer asks about interest then use the example of $100 a week saved over twelve months.  After tax has been deducted the interest component is only around $36 (based upon current average bank interest rates). We believe that encouraging goal setting and savings through a dedicated travel fund and the value of having a holiday and achieving a goal in twelve months is worth far more than $36!

Early bird – Starting today has got to be better than coming back with a plan next week.  Try and encourage your clients to register in front of you while they are hot lead.  You’ll be doing them a favour – if they don’t do it there and then there’s a 30-60% likelihood that they won't do anything at all.  If there’s a way you can offer an early bird incentive on packages then don’t hesitate to add it in on the flyer in association with TravelGoals.  We’ll happily allow you to use our logo on your site or flyer.

Always offer - Be innovative and offer the option of TravelGoals on all your products, all your packages and to all your customers.  Don’t assume that Mr & Mrs Brown from Remuera won’t be interested... they may start thinking about their next vacation, the cruise in the Greek Islands or their daughter’s school trip to France, next year.  Incidentally school and sports club trips are a perfect example, as are business Trips and annual conferences.

We’re keen to help you sell packages, flights and holidays.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions and if you would like us to add your travel agency to our partner list.