Travel Agent Professional Mar 2019

Travel Agent Professional March 2019 Issue 65

Window on Britain!

By Paull Tickner

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Moaning & Groaning — Again

By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger

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MJS Consultants

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Paull Tickner & Associates Ltd.

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Window on Britain

By Paull Tickner

Don’t Be the Hidden Gem

By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

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Cover Photo: Hatfield House

Auto Europe........................................................IFC Britain Greatdays....................................................3

Travel Agent Professional

HomeBased Travel Agent.com .........................21 RCI .........................................................................BC

2019

Niche Travel Sales Grow Commissions & Profitability

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Travel Agent Professional March 2019 Issue 65

Travel Agent Professional Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: Ann@travelagentprofessional.com

Joel M. Abels

Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007

Phone: 718.360.3153 Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design ann@travelagentprofessional.com Bonnie Walling Editor Bonnie@travelagentprofessional.com Alan Cohen Vice President Marketing Alan@travelagentprofessional.com

Meet Our Editorial Board Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain ptickner@customgb.co.uk www.customgb.co.uk Cindy Bertram, Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC cindybert@att.net Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.

He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.

This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.

Ann M. Hoek The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

March 2019

4 L e s - L e e

He couldn’t believe my conversation with a major cruise line for

R o l a n d

me to get the price broken down — which for me all these years means, base rate, the port — now called non-commissionable, and the taxes — now referred to as taxes and fees. What is a fee? The agent still quoted the total cruise cost and not the port which was included. When I asked for the third time what was not commissionable, she told me $350. When I questioned that, since it is usually $175, she said their new procedure is the higher amount which includes a fee to the cruise line. That’s a first! The agent confirmed the fees are higher now, so the cruise line makes the

By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal

money and we don’t get a commission on it.

My friend has heard me on the phone with my complaints to cruise lines on the mistakes with pricing, with invoices, and mun-

I was talking to someone who retired

dane items. I refuse to take the survey with Princess anymore. The

from the travel business over fifteen

agent might be great on the phone and when I get the invoice two

years ago. He had been very success-

minutes later, the name is misspelled, or an amenity quoted is not

ful, had over 30 satellite offices, had

listed. I hate having to call the client back and say it was not my

great contracts with suppliers and he

error, the cruise line rep made the error.

had traveled all over the world. And after selling out, he never looked

I understand why some suppliers give a spiff, or commission, to

back. Not even once.

their phone agents but some of these phone people are too aggressive. If I call for a quote, especially if it’s for a past passenger

Now he is watching me work, and he is

with their company, and if I don’t book, I have actually been told

so surprised about how the industry has

that the phone agent will then call MY client and try to make the

changed. Working with the suppliers is

booking.

so different today, perks for the agents are not the same, the competition

I have been in this business now for almost thirty years, and I am

between the cruise lines and their

not pleased with many facets of our industry. I started when out-

inventories, well everything has changed.

side agents were not the respected part of the industry as they

He was amazed that some cruise lines

now are. We paid our dues, had to learn on our own, and some of

charge for food! Something we now

us are the highest producers in the industry today.

take for granted. He was used to free airfare, yes free! He was on a first name

So when I came upon some newer suppliers that I wanted to work

basis and could just call the head of a

with, it was like starting all over again. One company, my new

cruise line whenever he had to.

client, who loves birdwatching and nature had mentioned to me,

March 2019

5 MIR. In fact she had already put a deposit on a trip with them — the Three Stans. It involved 3 different visas and she was quite confused. So, I called MIR and told them I was assisting her with her air, insurance, and the three visas, and after a great conversation with Andrew, he said he would turn the booking over to me. I would be the one she could contact with her many questions. And I would get the commission.

And, boy did she have questions but I learned a lot about the countries, her needs and Andrew was a good teacher.

A few weeks later other new clients told me they wanted to go to New Zealand just to hike and not do the traditional tours there. She had found an itinerary online, Active Adventures, and I called the company. They told me they don’t work with travel agents. When I convinced the person in charge that not only would the client work with me, and not bother them with endless questions, I could now bring a new audience to their offerings. They said they would offer me 5%, as long as the client never made contact with them. They must hate talking to

called, ready to book and they don’t pay a commis-

the clients other than taking their money.

sion. Not even a 5% on the first with an increase on subsequent bookings. Another company I am taking

Before the deposit was made, the client did call and

off the list. The client did call them and was put on a

ask about another itinerary. Then I got a phone call,

waitlist, they needed six people to run the tour, and

the client was now theirs, because she had given her

they only had three. (If they had worked with me, I

name and phone number — so no commission for

could have found them 2 more people). Weeks later,

me. The clients did go on the trip, but she told me

the client called me, they trip was a go, but she was

afterwards, she will call me for the next trip.

going to be charged extra, since they still didn’t have enough people.

Then I got another referral, and this one wanted Rockjumpers, another nature/birdwatching tour. All of

The client likes working with me, and she wants me

a sudden, this new avenue of travel is finding me. So, I

to do the insurance, air, plus one week pre trip in

Travel Agent Professional

6 these companies. The worst thing that can happen is they say “no”. I work for my clients first, and for me, second. In fact, sometimes I am making more on the incidentals than I do on a single booking. And now I have clients who are referring people to me.

But today, as I am writing this column, I really lost my cool. A rep called from a major cruise line that offers an air allowance of $1000 pp with their luxury cruises. He said they were cancelling my client’s air on their booked itinerary, since they found I was holding unticketed air space for the clients.

I told him that I had called their air dept. twice this week to see if they could tell me the airlines they were working with, and I was told no I would have to two countries. She sent me the info from

wait until 75 days before travel. Yet I had to pay in

Rockjumpers and they don’t assist the clients with

full ninety days in advance. The client asked me what

some of the add ons that we agents can do. Their E-

it would cost if I booked the air not using the cruise

mail to the client said if they want hotels to go online

line offerings. I found excellent connections and they

and find them on her own. For transfers, their E-mail

were concerned that the cruise line’s offerings would

said to try and arrange it through the hotel they

not be as good.

book. Sure, you’re going to the Ukraine, and just leave it up to the hotel to arrange a transfer??? Now,

If the cruise line had the info available on the flights

my client has been telling her friends that people who

already, why didn’t they inform me when I called in. I

book on their own are making a big mistake, and they

don’t like threatening phone calls from a supplier —

should work with a travel agent-preferably me! And

and he also suggested I was probably a new agent to

when I needed to know about a timetable to sched-

selling travel otherwise I would never have looked for

ule her return air, I called the company twice and left

air on my own.

messages. Did I get a return call — NO! The client sent them an e-mail asking them to respond to me.

Having a day like today makes me think if it’s worth

Again — NO! But they did respond to the client.

being in this business. But after a cool down period, I

With the answer to my question.

am still here.

I have spoken to other agents on this, and they would

I have learned from my dear friend, who I wrote

never have tried to work with any of these compa-

about in the beginning, about his years in the busi-

nies.

ness. He cannot believe how this industry has changed. Wait until I tell him what our FIT agent rate

Well, I am not a snob, and I will try to work with

is going to be this summer.

March 2019

Director of Recruitment for Dream Vacations Appointed To VetFran Committee

Janet Harris, CFE, to Serve Three-Year Term

Dream Vacations, the nation’s leading

ans, as well as eases the transition for

home-based travel agent franchise,

veterans into the civilian workforce and

announces that its Director of

franchise ownership. The VetFran

Recruitment Janet Harris, CFE, has

Committee is comprised of franchise

been appointed to the International

executives who provide leadership,

Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran

strategic planning and oversight of the

Committee, which is the flagship initia-

VetFran program. They are passionate

tive of the IFA Foundation. Harris will

about the opportunities that exist for vet-

serve a three-year term.

erans through franchise ownership.

"We are thrilled to have Janet join the

“As a Certified Franchise Executive, I

leadership committee of VetFran, as

am passionate about increasing oppor-

Dream Vacations has been a clear

tunities for women and military veterans

leader in this space for years, including

in franchising,” said Harris. “I am hon-

running one of the best veteran fran-

ored to represent Dream Vacations on

chise giveaways in the country

the VetFran Committee and create

(Operation Vetrepreneur) and being

change that provides veterans with

recognized for its contributions to veter-

access to even more opportunities in

ans by the IFA’s Franchising Gives Back

franchising.”

program,” said Radim Dragomaca, director of VetFran and strategic com-

As the only travel franchise to receive a

munications at the IFA. “Janet brings

5 STAR ranking from VetFran, Dream

that expertise and clear passion for our

Vacations proudly supports military vet-

mission to the committee, and we are

erans and is consistently recognized by

lucky to have her."

leading industry publications as a veteran-friendly franchise. Other national

Founded in 1991, VetFran educates vet-

accolades include number one rankings

erans and franchisors about why the

by Military Times, Entrepreneur and

franchise business model is advanta-

Forbes. Additional recognitions include

geous for entrepreneurial military veter-

inclusion on G.I. Jobs annual “Hot

Franchises for Veterans,” US Veterans magazine’s “Top Veteran-Friendly Companies”, USA Today’s “50 Top Franchises for Military Veterans” and recognition by MSC Cruises in its Seaside Salute Award. In May, the travel agency franchise will launch its eighth annual award-winning Operation Vetrepreneur program, which grants five free franchises to military veterans.

Military veterans who are passionate about travel with an entrepreneurial spirit who would like to be part of a travel agency network that cares more about its agents, travelers and military veterans, should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com or call 888-249-8235 to learn about franchising with Dream Vacations.

About Dream Vacations Travel agents with the top-ranked home-based travel agency franchise Dream Vacations have the resources to plan and create seamless vacation experiences for their customers while offering the best value. A member of the International Franchise Association, Dream Vacations is part of World Travel Holdings and has received partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines as well as national recognition for its support of military veterans.

Travel Agent Professional

8 M i t c h e l l J .

S c h l e s i n g e r

Cruise Industry News

recently released two reports;

2018 Annual Cruise Industry Report and 2019 Luxury Market report. Amidst pages and pages of data and statistics there are takeaways that are valuable for professional cruise sellers.

From a standpoint of cruise travel by region, the Caribbean, Mediterranean/Europe and Alaska account for 66% of all cruise travel. This number is down very slightly due to the increase in

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger C hief Marketing & Sales O fficer, MJS C o nsultants, mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net

“Asia/Pacific” which is skewed by the significant growth of cruising for the Chinese market in the past 3 years.

While cruisers continue to flock to traditional destinations, the interesting threads from both reports is the increase in niche travel and dramatic growth in the luxury cruise market. The value for cruise sellers is simple; Presuming a high percentage of sales are to mainstay destinations, augmenting those with sales to higher price niche destinations and focus on niche markets can increase commissions and profitability.

“Niche” sales come in 2 variations: DESTINATIONS; reaching remote destinations is growing significantly: Galapagos there are over 30 ships that sail the inner and outer loops of the Galapagos. These include well known cruise lines (Celebrity, Silver Seas, Lindblad) and numerous tour companies. The Galapagos is a great niche destination because it offers year-round access and an array of target audiences including, families, eco & science-centric travelers, divers/snorkelers, plus bucket list cruisers.

Arctic itineraries have also expanded and offer similar selling advantages to Galapagos. There are a litany of new ships in the market from Crystal, Silver Seas and a variety of tour and expedition companies.

March 2019

9 Antarctica this is the shortest seasonal access, with sailings available primarily in December and January. While it is exciting and dramatic to see icebergs, guests clearly do not want to be stuck in one. Different sized ships offer varied access to landings and time ashore.

Additionally, there are small ship “expedition” experiences in other familiar destinations including Alaska, east & west Mediterranean, and of course, the up-close-and-personal nature of river cruises around the world.

DEMOGRAPHICS; various demographic travel markets offer higher priced, profitable sales opportunities and while different by nature, they all require the same approach; these clients all must be comfortable that the experience they are looking for is met or exceeded by the cruise product they purchase.

Luxury the luxury market is literally going to double in the next couple of years with new entrants into the segment (Ritz Carlton, MSC, Viking), additional ships from existing luxury companies (Crystal, Seabourn, Regent, Silver Seas, Ponant, etc.) and enhanced opportunities available on mainstream companies. The mainstream opportunities are interesting. Under the concept of “Mass-exclusivity” it enables clients to combine a luxury experience on a mainstream ship with features not available on smaller luxury ships. This includes specially designed stateroom areas with courtyards, concierges, private dining plus advantageous arrangements in alternative restaurants, disembarkation at ports, private spa offerings, etc.

Families since the growth of two working parents’ family together time has become more important for parents feeling guilty about spending less time with their children. Families primarily look for a combination of destination enhancement, together and alone time. Family cruise travel is a wonderful way to enhance responsibility for children and the ability to share these experiences. And depending on ages, family cruises can be fun and informative from the Caribbean to Europe.

Seniors/Retirees this is the demographic group with more time and money to travel. They plan well in advance and travel longer. They enjoy the combination of time on board and numerous port calls with interesting experiences ashore. Be very mindful that cruise options provided insure they will be comfortable with the food and entertainment offerings and that guests will be similar to them.

Take advantage of the developments of cruise industry expanding destinations, new ships and onboard features and add more niche sales to make your business more profitable.

Travel Agent Professional

10 P a u l l T i c k n e r

As you know where untapped sources of new business can be found, use this small selection to: Masterpiece Theatre and Movies into cus• Convert tomised On Location tours the courage and sacrifice of those • Commemorate who fought for our freedom in WWII newly acquired skills at a 5-star Cookery • Celebrate School

By Paull Tickner Paull Tickner & Associates Ltd.

value added travel experiences for culturally • Create minded clients

Paull Tickner, owner of U.K.-based Custom GB, is renowned for his expertise in creating and operating imaginative, value-added tours of Great Britain and Ireland. Visit his website at www.customgb.co.uk and E-mail him at ptickner@customgb.co.uk

March 2019

11 The Great Detectives The UK’s longest-running contemporary detective drama returned to our TV screens last Sunday as Midsomer Murders celebrates its 20th anniversary year. No doubt it will be heading your way before too long so let’s use it to create an On Location tour that includes DCI John Barnaby and the picturesque locations that make up Midsomer country, tucked away in rural Buckinghamshire and South Oxfordshire, Father Brown (mostly filmed in the Cotswolds), Endeavour (the young Morse) Inspectors Morse and Lewis (all of them in and around Oxford), Grantchester (largely centred on Cambridge) and a number of different permutations of Sherlock Holmes in London. With Olivia Colman winning the Best Actress Award at the Oscars, The Favourite was filmed among the elegant parterres and treasure-filled interiors of Jacobean Hatfield House. Let’s talk about an On-Location tour that includes Father Brown, Inspector Morse, Harry Potter, the new Shakespeare movie ‘All is True’ and a leisurely visit to Hatfield House.

D Day 75th Anniversary In early June, the city of Portsmouth will host commemorative events to mark the 75th anniversary of the DDay landings. Discover the role being played by Southwick House where a tour of the house includes the library (where Eisenhower famously announced, “We go” at 4:19 a.m. on June 6, 1944); a drawing room and the map room, which to this day still houses the original “D-Day Map” and can be visited by prior arrangement.

Also playing key roles will be the re-enactments at Southwick village, the D-Day Museum, home the Overlord Tapestry, a 20th century version of the Bayeux Tapestry, Portsmouth Cathedral and the Historic Dockyard.

Away from the hustle and bustle of modern life and a short ferry ride across Portsmouth’s busy harbour is Little Woodham, a living history village in Gosport. It’s where you can step back in time and meet and talk with the ‘villagers’ dressed in period costumes and watch them demonstrate the historic skills of the blacksmith, lacemakers and weavers from 17th Century England.

Travel Agent Professional

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New Cookery School Opens A new cookery school has opened at the luxurious 5star Grand Hotel York. Led by expert tutors, sessions range from half-day to full day courses on how to prepare authentic dishes, with fresh local produce at the heart of each creation. Choose from a selection of classes from international cuisine and Modern British classics, to bread making and dinner party dining. Use it as the centre-piece for a gourmet tour that visits artisan food makers and vineyards in the north of England. If you think this is too far off the beaten track, check out the direct flights to Manchester from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Newark, New York.

Use the airport’s fast airside kerbside service one as your gateway to the Beatles in Liverpool, Beatrix Potter in the Lake District, Wedgwood in the World Capital of Ceramics, the Romans in Chester, the Vikings in York and the Celts in Wales.

March 2019

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Pilgrimage, Paintings, Sculpture and Stained Glass St Albans Cathedral is often missed as travellers speed their way out of London towards Cambridge and points north and this needs to change. The burial place for the first recorded British Christian martyr, it has been a place of pilgrimage and worship for over 1400 years. They offer 3 specialist tours, on Pilgrimage, their fine medieval wall paintings and their Stained Glass. Nearby, the sculpture gardens and studios at Henry Moore’s former home in Hertfordshire, are the best place in the world to appreciate the artist’s work, offering you the chance to discover more about the life and work of one of Britain’s most famous sculptors. You can also visit the artist’s family home, Hoglands, where he lived with his family for over 40 years. A new exhibition on Barbara Hepworth, one of Britain’s most celebrated artists opens shortly at the nearby St Alban’s Museum and Gallery. Running between 23rd March and 8th September, it introduces sculptures, drawings and archival material, reuniting works that have not been seen together since they were first created.

Paull Tickner, owner of U.K-based Custom GB, is known for his expertise in creating and operating imaginative, value-added tours of Great Britain and Ireland. Visit his website at www.customgb.co.uk or E-mail ptickner@customgb.co.uk.

Travel Agent Professional

14 C i n d y B e r t r a m

By Cindy Bertram C indy's Inside C ruise & Travel Track, LLC

In the business world today, things continue to change. With the extremely high percentage of people now doing online searches first to find a company that fits their purchase needs, being found is just the first part of building clients. Being at the top of the list, along with positive reviews are other critical areas.

People often explain, “Oh, I just Googled it, and that’s how I found this company.” As business owners, think back to how you’ve found companies you decided to use for services and purchases. Those tend to come through referrals, but once again it takes time to build those. And we must make sure that we are not the hidden Gem.

Building a Brand and Your Specialization Dean DeLisle, Founder & CEO of Forward Progress, Inc. as well as Developer & Chief Visionary of Social Jack™, does a weekly podcast, Influencer Factory, where he shares tips and ideas from experts. In his March 13 Influencer Factory podcast, Dean and his team shared ideas on being found, building credibility, and clients using a sports team approach. (Dean has had sports teams as clients.) One part focused on building cheerleaders, which are advocates for a business. Getting people to recommend you to others in their network is a way to be found. Also getting people to do a third person positive review about their using your services (on some social channels) is also a great avenue. These are great ways to be found and not be a hidden gem.

March 2019

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Insights from Marilyn Conroy, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Riviera River Cruises In December 2018, Marilyn Conroy joined Riviera River Cruises as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. Marilyn is well known in the cruise industry. Her diverse expertise includes working for three different cruise lines where she held vice president of sales positions. Then in 2010, Marilyn started a company with a partner doing specialized consulting work. In 2018, their company was retained by Riviera River Cruises to assist with growth in the North American market. Marilyn mentioned what attracted her to Riviera River Cruises was that it was a truly unique company and why she accepted this position.

More on Riviera Travel & Transition into Marketing as Riviera River Cruises Marilyn and I first talked a bit about the company. Riviera Travel has been operating since 1984, providing tours to over 46 different countries. And Riviera has been offering river cruises for more than 10 years now. With that, they began marketing themselves as Riviera River Cruises in 2017. I asked Marilyn, “How did that change in marketing come about?�

Travel Agent Professional

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Marilyn explained more and said, “They entered the North American market place to ‘test the waters’ in 20l7.

Previously they had only marketed in the UK. Entering this very competitive market place was a big decision, but knowing the strength of the market place, they firmly believed that there was a niche for this product. They truly only geared up for sales in 20l8 by opening their own reservations office consisting of 5 staff and an operations center. This is in Fairfield, Connecticut. They also retained the services of two District Sales Managers, but this will soon be 3, with another District Sales Manager being added.”

Marilyn then mentioned, “The company has been growing, by adding two ships per year. Right now, they have 12 ships with a new ship coming out in 2020. Riviera River Cruises wanted to increase their base of business in North America, because it’s very lucrative and viable market.”

Focusing on Travel Agencies and Support for Travel Agent Professionals Marilyn and I then talked about Riviera River Cruises focusing on travel agencies. I asked Marilyn, “As far as providing support for travel agent professionals, what has Riviera River Cruises been doing?”

Marilyn explained, “Riviera acknowledges that they must offer support to the agency community and apart from having a dedicated reservations department open 9-7 Eastern Standard Time? They have an on-line booking portal. Agents must register on our web site www.rivierarivercruises.com. The agency portal will give them access to making a reservation 24/7, we have an on-line training academy enabling agents to become

March 2019

17

proficient sellers of our product. It should be noted that from this academy we draw in an agency who successfully completed the course to receive a complimentary cruise. We support the agents with flyers that can be customized.”

Marilyn then shared more and said, “We also have a dedicated group department. Options are held for 5 days, and group space for 8 weeks. As I said previously, we also have two sales directors that are ready, willing and able to assist the sales process. I myself give at least one general agency webinar a month and will do individual webinar training for

then communicate this before they pull back inven-

individual agencies. — just ask!! We will work proac-

tory. Some cruise lines, including river cruise lines

tively with agents providing co-op support.”

don’t do that. They will provide the travel agent professional the right to sell the space, but they

When it comes to groups, Marilyn shared more, say-

don’t hold inventory. So then when the travel agent

ing, “When it comes to groups, we take cabins out

professional calls to do deposits, the actual space

of inventory. These are held for 8 weeks and then

might not be available. And this is a plus that we

require the deposits. Our group department will

offer at Riviera River Cruises.”

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Strengths Riviera River Cruises Has Marilyn and I then talked about strengths. I asked, “As far as strengths, what are key ones Riviera River Cruises has? Can you provide a few quick examples?”

Marilyn said, “Our strength is simply we offer itineraries that we ‘tweak’ to make them more immersive. For instance, instead of sailing Amsterdam to Basil where all you see of Switzerland is the bus ride to the airport (unless you take a post tour, of course) we start our cruise in Cologne. There is nothing to see on the waterways from Amsterdam to Cologne, unless you like factories. And by starting in Cologne you save a day and a half, enabling us to overnight in Basil and provide our guests with an included tour taking them to Lake Lucerne where they can see the Alps. Our fleet of 12 ships are the youngest fleet of any river company — no ship is older than 6 years.”

Marilyn then shared a bit more about other areas where Riviera River Cruises stands out. She said, “We offer solo cruises. No one else does that — namely several cruises a year. There are 4 left for this year where the entire ship is sold as singles. If you are in one of our 88 suite ships, then the maximum capacity would be 88 guests. On each departure on all our ships we have between 4-6 cabins that have NO single supplement. They are, of course, the first to go so agents should book this quickly.”

March 2019

19 are extremely spacious — you will see on the ‘long

Marilyn’s Insights - Building Awareness So Riviera River Cruises Isn’t a “Hidden Gem”

ships’ that our cabins start at 183 square feet. In

Marilyn and I then discussed a bit more about building

short, this is one of our main strengths. Our Unique

awareness for Riviera River Cruises. I asked her,

Selling Proposition (USP) is price/value. We offer a

“When you took over the role as Vice President of

superior product at extremely competitive prices —

Sales and Marketing, North America end of

often 30% below our competition. We do this as we

December, what did you see as key things needed to

are the ‘new guys on the block’ and must get the

build awareness of Riviera River Cruises so they’re

agents and consumers attention.”

not ‘a hidden gem’ so to speak?”

Successful Transition in Marketing as Riviera River Cruises

Marilyn said, “The challenge is that this is a terrific

In our discussion, I mentioned that the transition

and price/value — the product must reach the atten-

Riviera Travel has done by marketing themselves as

tion of the distribution system, namely travel agents.

Riviera River Cruises is a terrific example of market-

And they just don’t know us. Therefore, we have

ing. And I asked Marilyn, “Can you provide a few

increased our trade advertising and electronic com-

steps and things done to transition into Riviera River

munications, namely e-mails to data bases such as

Cruises?”

CLIA (we are a member of course) and ASTA, as

Also, as far as their staterooms, this is another area where they stand out. Marilyn explained, “Our cabins

product in all areas, hardware, food, service itineraries

well as our own agency list. We are adding a third Marilyn explained, “Riviera Travel, which has been in

sales person. I have always believed in face to face

business for 34 years offering tours all over the world,

relationship selling. Riviera continues to update their

decided to enter the river boat business some 11

web page to make it more informational.”

years ago. This was of course a big step for them and since this was a totally different product than a land

Marilyn then shared a bit more and explained, “We have

tour. They needed to differentiate the products, and

become preferred suppliers of such organizations as

therefore evolved into Riviera River Cruises instead of

Avoya, Expedia CruiseShip Center and Travel Edge.

Riviera Travel. At Riviera River Cruises, we are grow-

These powerful organizations I believe will assist us in get-

ing our fleet. There are now 12 ships another one

ting the product known to the Trade, who in turn we

coming out next year, and with this continued

hope will market to their consumer base. Riviera is here

growth? Riviera River Cruises had to expand their

in North America for the long term and building the

client base to markets other than just the UK namely

agents support and trust takes time. When they book

Australia and North America all English-speaking

clients and they come home happy this will automatically

countries.”

help build awareness of our product. We need to get agents to experience the product; hence, we just offered

Travel Agent Professional

20 agents a very compelling familiarization opportunity on cruises in April — this again will help increase awareness.”

And Marilyn mentioned that North America is one of the most lucrative markets out there, but it takes time. She said, “It usually takes two to three years to create traction with any business, but this is the turning year.”

Marilyn’s Suggestions in Building a Specialization I mentioned that today, travel agent professionals are most successful when they build their own specialization, are known for what do best, and are not “a hidden gem.” I asked Marilyn if she had any suggestions what a travel agent professional should do.

Marilyn said, “Firstly, take our on-line training course, secondly reach out to a sales person who can either visit them or provide personal training webinars. And thirdly sail on the product. One of the best ways to do that is to promote a ‘come along with me’ cruise. You can’t specialize in a product unless you make the effort to have in depth knowledge of the product and that can only be done by online training, contact with a sales person, and experiencing the product.”

Putting into Practice Some Good Solutions – Marilyn’s Suggestions Finally, I mentioned, “Marilyn, throughout your successful career and roles, you’ve probably encountered situations where you had to create and implement solutions. Can you share more?” Marilyn explained, “As far as solutions? Well, do all the above things I’ve shared. I have always believed in the agency distribution system, so obviously my mantra is to support them. Any agent can reach out to me or the sales team for assistance in their sales process which can be unique to that agency and their location. I guess in short, we just must keep on communicating with agents and giving them the confidence to sell. We just recently placed an ad in trade magazine that featured three agencies who had sailed on us and a brief endorsement of the product. Namely showing them what their colleagues think of us. Yes, third party endorsements are more credible.”

A Few Key Take-a-ways Finding some unique ways to provide some things our competitors aren’t doing is one. Also, it’s important not just stand out, but getting the genuine, third party endorsements is important today. That not only creates and builds credibility, but makes us stand out, so we’re no longer the “hidden gem.”

March 2019