Only Two Seats Left: the Incredible Contiki Story by John Anderson

Author:John Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2010-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

16. UNCLE SAM BECKONS US

By 1981, with the European operation well established and profitable, we were acutely aware that we had all our eggs in the one basket – Europe. Perhaps we should look to diversify? We knew we were onto a winner with the product we had created, particularly as many passengers booked on another tour soon after they returned from the first. Why not replicate the concept to give our passengers yet another experience in a different part of the world?

North America and Canada had been tugging at me for some time. After all, Ali and I had taken that amazing road trip through North America in the name of research and had loved it. We believed it would also interest other young people and always had the view that one day Contiki would run tours through the country. So we reasoned it all through, listing the reasons why we should take on the mighty United States of America.

Many of our passengers from Australasia were either travelling on flights to or from the United Kingdom via America or Canada, so it was a logical step for them to stopover and to see something of those countries along the way.

Having already appointed travel wholesalers in both countries, we had experienced an explosion of young Americans and particularly Canadians booking on the European tours. They were not only very nationalistic, but raved about their respective countries, constantly encouraging their fellow passengers to visit. Looking at the size of the youth market in both countries we realised how big the potential could be for us to entice them to Europe. We imagined our eye-catching big yellow coaches with the winking sun on the side travelling the length and breadth of North America. What an amazing advertising billboard they would be as they travelled on the highways, byways and places like downtown New York, San Francisco or Toronto.

Expanding to North America would also give our staff the opportunity to expand their horizons. However, the underlying reason was to make Contiki a worldwide company. I had never forgotten my business plan from 1967 – I was going to Contiki-ise the world!

We had conquered Europe with operations in around 22 countries. We’d tackled obstacles such as different languages, onerous rules and regulations and diverse currencies. With belief in our product, determination and confidence in ourselves as a company, we had done it. America? It would be a doddle! At least they spoke English.

Little did we know how bumpy the road ahead was going to be.

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Once the decision was made to expand to America, no time was wasted. First, we researched the competition. There were already three companies running camping tours around America, all of whom used minibuses: Americamp, Avontours and Trek America. They were not large in size, but appeared to be attracting passengers in small but growing numbers. A basic plan was established. Our American operation had to be significantly different, so for a start we would launch using coaches. Initially we would

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