VANCOUVER-based Rocky Mountaineer, the train holiday specialist for British Columbia, Canada has appointed Scenic Travel as its GSA for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily in Singapore yesterday, Dianna Schinella, sales manager – Asia Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer said the time was ripe for the company to step up efforts in capturing a share of South-east Asia outbound. The company’s existing source markets include Australia, the US, the UK, Europe and Canada.

“Asia and South-east Asia offer significant potential, although their numbers are proportionately small," she said. "Their economies are doing well, disposable income is increasing, and more Asian consumers now desire experiential travel.”

Schinella said Rocky Mountaineer appointed a GSA in India early last year, and was also looking to appoint GSAs in Thailand and the Philippines.

Simon Er, general manager, Scenic Travel, said marketing initiatives including advertorials would be rolled out to target niche FIT and group travellers, while training sessions would be organised to educate travel professionals on the finer points of selling the product.

In a bid to bolster its marketing efforts outside Singapore, the GSA is also seeking partners in Indonesia and Malaysia.

“Given Rocky Mountaineer’s attributes, we are not going to target the mainstream leisure market. This is a specialist product that needs a different marketing approach,” said Er.

A total of 45 packages are being sold for Rocky Mountaineer’s 2012 season. Rail-cruise packages offered in conjunction with Holland America Line, and rail-car hire packages developed in partnership with Avis are also available. Packages range from as short as three-and-a-half hours to 19 days, and start from C$149 (US$146) for an adult, one-way.