Vasco ready to bring new technology, business to Ontario

With approximately 20 stores already open across Ontario, travel agency Voyage Vasco, a subsidiary of Quebec-based Atrium Group, is ready to expand throughout the province - all it needs is a master franchisor ready to take on the responsibilities necessary to dominate a new market.

The Atrium Group currently has two brands, Vasco Travel Cruise Ship Universe, which is a recognized franchise, and another concept, Gama Travel Group.

Vasco Cruise Ship Agency operates in the sense that people buy the franchise, and in turn, it functions as a storefront travel agency. There are currently more than 70 Vasco agencies located throughout the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick.

Agencies operating under the Gama Travel Group keep their own branding and house name, and simply use the services, technology and commercial advantages that Vasco provides.

“Five years ago we had a contract to put a Vasco in every Zellers across Canada,” said Sylvain Lastère, president, Atrium Group. “We had sold a lot of agencies across Ontario, including a lot in Alberta and then Target came along and bought Zellers out. We had to get out, and once that happened, we decided to pull back a bit. The Gama travel agencies in Ontario haven’t done any expansions in the last six years, and now, instead of opening an office in Ontario and hiring like we already did, we want to find somebody who will acquire the province of Ontario, and be our representative and develop the Vasco brand across the province.”

Franchising opportunities for professionals in the travel industry across Ontario are very slim, in comparison to Quebec. “It’s non-existent, unless you want to buy cruise ship centres,” Lastère explained.

While there are a wide range of free products and online tools that home-based agents can use to grow their business, however, as Lastère points out, for anyone looking to open up their own agency, the required technology to do so simply isn’t there.

“There’s not really a concept in place for self-starters that takes into account the branding or marketing,” Lastère explained. “We want to come into the market and make this possible. A lot of the technology that we’ve built is now ready, and I think we’re going to make a major difference in the Ontario market with time.”

A Household Name

As it stands, Vasco is a household name in Quebec, and the concept is one Lastère wants to make known across Ontario, as well.

“What we’re looking for really, is a master franchisor that can help us with three things: the Vasco brand, the Gama brand, and someone who can get the home-based project going at the same time,” Lastère explained.

The Vasco brand has a specialization in cruise, and the Vasco agencies keep a consistent look and feel.

“When we have a new franchisor come in, the franchisee goes through a four to five-month training period,” Lastère said.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the travel industry, as Lastère points out, is the notion of turning a consumer into an agent in a matter of days through outside training courses.

“On our side for Vasco, our demand for training is much more important, and so is the technology. We have our own accounting system which is integrated into its own CRM system, and once this is integrated, everything circulates automatically, from A to Z. They [agents] always get their own websites with booking engines, there’s no extra cost for somebody buying Vasco; we work with a fixed fee, and you get all of the services for free.”

On the Gama brand side, a franchisee comes on board, keeps the existing company name, but takes all of Vasco’s technology to use as they see fit, whether that’s using Vasco’s accounting system, booking engines, or marketing tools and products.

“We build everything to the client’s needs,” Lastère said. “Both of them [Vasco and Gama] get the same things on the tour operator side and work on a commissioned rate, but Vasco has a membership card and a points system, so there’s a lot of marketing, whereas Gama has no marketing. There are marketing tools we can give them [a franchisee], but it’s very hard to market something that isn’t branded.”

The only marketing tools Gama would have are newsletters and flyers, which can be branded to the franchisee, but will be at a different cost than Vasco.

Right Information, Right Time

One of the biggest problems travel agencies across the country face is a lack of time. Whereas Vasco uses an integrated CRM system, there are still agencies and home-based agents entering client information manually, or using multiple platforms rather than streamlining the entire process, and this runs the risk of missing crucial information or new business opportunities.

Canada’s anti-spam legislation currently states that unless a client provides consent, it is illegal to send them any forms of electronic communication, which includes an email address.

“For an independent store, they might not care about this, but for a franchisor, it matters, because if you’re caught, it affects the entire brand,” Lastère said. “Our accounting system takes into account what the client has bought and for the next two years, our system will send emails without any issues. If, after two years, the client hasn’t bought back with us, or has not provided consent, the system will automatically stop sending emails.”

Vasco’s automated CRM is so up-to-date that it even has the ability to send subscribers personal information that is crucial to travel-related activities, whether it’s about renewing a passport, or sending a personalized birthday greeting.

Though the two provinces are side-by-side, the market is incredibly different. For starters, Ontario has more airlift, and the cost of travel tends to be significantly cheaper. In addition, group travel is more popular amongst French-speaking Quebecers heading to English-speaking destinations.

“We’re looking for someone who wants to offer these kinds of services, who is very business-savvy, and very good with people for the province of Ontario, but also potentially in other provinces,” Lastère said. “Quebec is very different, and I’m looking for somebody and a partnership here in Ontario that will make this work. I want to learn from somebody who knows the needs of Ontario, and not just the needs of Quebec.”

For more information, visit www.voyagevasco.com.