Insider Places puts travellers directly in touch with local travel agents in 15 countries worldwide and promises highly individualised holiday itineraries featuring authentic experiences with potential savings of up to 20%.

• Founded by travel industry pioneer in online accommodation booking
• Partnership tie-in with The Lovely Coffee Company to offer a free mail-order subscription for every booking
• Dedicated hashtag forms basis of micro-adventures marketing strategy
• £15 for every booking to be donated to Child Hope.

London, UK – June 27, 2017: This week sees the launch of Insider Places – a new London-based travel company founded by travel industry pioneer Chris Fraser. The business puts British holidaymakers directly in touch with local travel agents in a number of long-haul travel destinations with the promise of better value, bigger savings and a more authentic experience, all with the peace of mind offered by booking with a
UK-based, ABTA-bonded travel company.

Insider Places launches with a network of vigorously vetted, local travel agents in 15 countries across South America and Asia, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Peru, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Indonesia, Japan and South Africa are among countries that will be added later this year.

Chris Fraser, Managing Director of Insider Places says: “Insider Places is for those who want to immerse themselves in the real essence of a destination, who want more authentic, closer encounters with the culture, wildlife, nature, people and traditions. We offer opportunities to live like the locals, eat like them, cook with them, away from 'The Gringo Trail' that is so often served up by many travel operators, but with the security that comes with a fully bonded, UK-based company.

“I wanted to make this connection easier by pulling together a trusted team of the very best local agents and provide recognised travel guarantees, allowing customers to benefit from the improved experience and great savings, which can be as high as 20%, when booking directly with fewer intermediaries.”

Insider Places doesn't just auto-connect customers with suppliers, the company's UK team takes time to find out what each client wants from their trip before introducing them to one of their on-the-ground experts.

Once a detailed enquiry form has been filled in online, the Insider Places sales team schedules a call with each client to run through their exact requirements and wish list so that they are matched with the most suitable travel agent in their chosen destination and then the introduction is made. The result – tailormade itineraries which go well beyond those offered by most tour operators and high-street travel agents who often rely on travel product aggregators to pull itineraries together.

Fraser adds: "My focus has always been on the provision of the best possible quality and service at negotiated prices – I want Insider Places to become the people's travel brand – not just for the people who book with us, but for the people who work hard in the destinations that we feature to pull such incredible itineraries together.

 “Our strong local negotiation results in prices people would struggle to better online. Our clients can save as much as 20% on their holiday with the added bonus of their itinerary featuring authentic, local experiences that they probably can't book through most tour operators and high-street travel agents. Also a bigger proportion of the customers' money goes to the travel agents we work with in the destinations we feature.”

Fraser has more than 30 years' experience in the travel and tourism industry. He was a pioneer in online accommodation booking and at the forefront of the 1990s movement that enabled customers to book direct with hotels.

His vast experience in the travel and tourism sector includes founding and running his own successful accommodation-only travel business – HotelConnect, founded in 1993. He has also held senior consultancy roles with leading luxury tour operator Cox & Kings and The Hideaways Club.

The service stretches to help and advice on flights and there is 24/7 contact for customers when travelling.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Partnership tie-in with coffee brand

Insider Places has teamed up with new mail-order luxury coffee company, The Lovely Coffee Company, to offer a free three-month subscription with every booking.

Charity support - £15 donated for every booking

Insider Places will donate £15 for every booking to Child Hope – a UK-based organisation, ChildHope is an international children's charity working with local partner organisations in Africa, Asia and South America to protect children living in some of the most difficult and dangerous circumstances from harm and abuse, and support them to build a better future.

Jill Healey, Executive Director says: “ChildHope is delighted to have been chosen as Insider Places' charity partner. £15 buys a child in Bangladesh new toys, colouring and story books in one of our day-care centres for young children forced to work on rubbish dumps with their families. We look forward to working together.”

#IPtips underpins marketing strategy

To add further weight to the proposition of creating bespoke itineraries direct with those in the know in each destination, Insider Places' marketing and communications strategy is underpinned by Insider Tips and the hashtag #IPtips. Insider Tips, or 'IPtips', communicates travel-related microadventures in each destination featured by the company, across all marketing platforms with a strong focus on social media, encouraging fans and followers to share and engage with the brand. These add-on experiences can be added to any itinerary to create highly individualised holidays.

Website: www.insiderplaces.com