Former TUI regional manager revolutionises the sale of travel excursions on the Costa del Sol

Julio García Llama is an old hand in tourism on the Costa del Sol and is now revolutionising the sale of travel excursions for travellers across Andalucia and Malaga provincel.

Known as 'plaza a plaza', the former regional manager of tour operator TUI in Andalucia is selling individualised trips to travellers as opposed to the classic groups.

He started the new project just before the pandemic within the Ríos group. Here, he manages the travel division, Ríos Travel, which he said was witnessing a real revolution in the sale of individual excursions through the creation of the booking platform Visitanddo.com. On this portal, independent travellers can book guided tours to the main attractions of the province and discover the best of Andalucia and Gibraltar from the Costa del Sol.

Last year, the company had a turnover of two million euros and García Llama said demand on Visitanddo.com was increasing even more. “In February of this year we were already at April 2022 levels and at Easter it has been the best ever," he said.

Garcia Llama said a lack of qualified guides and drivers was the main problem in dealing with a sharp increase in travellers.

On the prospects of this new project, he said they aimed to increase turnover by 15% by 2022, and increase direct sales by between 2 and 3% to reach up to 8%.

"Every time they open a new air route, you can feel the pull in the sale of excursions. It has already happened when the flight to New York and Tel Aviv was announced. Expectations are very good," Garcia Llama said.

"Tourism is booming on the Costa del Sol. The important thing is that this situation lasts and for that it is key not to stop innovating. At Ríos Travel we are clear about this," he said.