A successful group Fam Trip – June 2025

There is no better way to showcase your products, destinations, hotels and rail journeys than with a Familiarisation (Fam) Trip.

Over the years, I have designed and hosted too many to remember, with every single one of them great fun to organise and even more fun to host. However, they are always very much a team effort, with everyone involved playing a huge role.

Benefits of running Fam Trips

At Swiss Tailor Made, the Fam Trips that we organise serve two very important purposes.

Firstly, it gives us the opportunity to promote our partners here in Switzerland to precisely the right audience. The goal, of course, is to position our partners in a way that makes it easy for the guests -Tour Operators and Travel Agents – to build them into the experiences they create for their own clients.

Secondly, it gives the Tour Operators and Travel Agents a chance to experience the products just as their own guests would.  Plus, they experience how Swiss Tailor Made, and the strong relationship we have with our partners here, make the creation of new Switzerland programs run seamlessly. Speaking from experience, direct, face-to-face relationships with suppliers are incredibly valuable for Tour Operators. When our Fam Trip guests see these strong partnerships in action, it naturally builds a high level of trust in what we do here.

James, of course this would not have happened without your guidance, thank you for introducing us to the Lenkerhof Gourmet Spa Resort… a great addition to our Swiss program and a very different experience to the Waldhaus Sils. Both hotels work perfectly as a twin-centre with the train connecting the two… We have always enjoyed working with you and this is exactly the reason the relationship works. Thank you for your advice, support and constant presence when needed.

Getting the guest list right

This latest Fam Trip was organised in conjunction with a luxury tour operator based in London, who sells a significant number of holidays to Switzerland through their network of independent travel agents. The tour operator in question did an absolutely incredible job with the selection process, with every single guest on the trip clearly there to learn, take their experience home, and start selling the featured products effectively.

And before I had even unpacked my own case after the trip, the first booking enquiry for the two featured hotels was received.

Support from our Swiss Partners

The whole thing couldn’t happen without the ongoing support we have from our amazing partners in Switzerland. From the very beginning of the planning stage, each of our partners is fully engaged in what we’re trying to achieve and goes out of their way to ensure that everything is organised down to the finest detail. Once the guests arrive, however, the partners are free to offer whatever hospitality they wish – and this latest trip was no exception. Dinner at the Chef’s Table, mountaintop lunches and dinners, and champagne receptions on the terrace were just some of the highlights.

Thank you very much for looking after us on the Swiss trip. I had a great time and absolutely loved every minute of it , thank you for being a great host along with your hotel partners at the Waldhaus and Lenkerhof. Both are so different but they definitely cover the majority of our clientele here.

Thinking about a 2026 Fam Trip?

It’s fair to say that our latest Fam Trip reached new heights on every level, with some guests already turning inspiration into bookings, and glowing feedback still coming in. One guest summed it up perfectly:

A spectacular few days, and having never been to Switzerland before, it completely changed my perception of the country… I love how Lenk feels somewhat removed from the usual tourist trail… I’ve already spoken to clients this morning about potentially doing that twin-centre next year!

As we look ahead, we’re aiming to raise the bar even further. Tour Operators and Travel Agents who want to experience our Swiss partners first-hand should get in touch – plans for our 2026 Fam Trips are already underway.