Travel Agent Professional October 2016 Issue 46
Alex Pinelo VP, Norwegian Cruise Line
Everything Old is New Again By Les-Lee Roland
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ctober
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Everything Old is New Again By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
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Cruise Month The Perfect Time to Develop Plans By Mitchell J. Schlesinger
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MJS Consultants
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Four Inspired Reasons for UK Travel By Paull Tickner
Showcase Affluent Traveler Collection ..................18-19 American Marketing Group ..........................13
Ad Index
Cover Photo: Norwegian Cruise Line
Auto Europe .................................IFC
HostTravelAgency.com ...................9
Britain Greatdays.............................3
RCI ...............................................BC
Travel Agent Professional
2016
By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC
TAP
10
Building Stellar Client Relationships – Keeping Ourselves in The Picture
Travel Agent Professional October 2016 Issue 46
Travel Agent Professional Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: Ann@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.360.3153
Joel M. Abels
Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007
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 Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com 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.
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.
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.
October 2016
Travel Agent Professional
4
Building Stellar Client
C i n d y
Keeping in the Picture – Our Clients’ Picture
B e r t r a m
Today people vary on how they liked to be touched and reached — the growth of mobile devises is part of the reason. A great scenario? How many people actually go to movie theaters today to watch a movie? Or do they wait til it comes out on a DVD and then rent it? Even if people wait to watch a movie at home rather than see it in the theater, they still know about that film, look at reviews, and have probably followed the trailers. We need to do the same with our clients. Keeping in touch with them with using that personal touch is also where that booking can actually occur. Just last week I got a call from a
By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC
couple that I’ve known for a while — I’ve kept in touch with them. They reached out to me because now they’re in the process of lining up vacation time in 2017 and have a trip in mind. In our phone calls, this couple told me, “Well you’re the travel expert, Cindy, and why we want your help with this trip.”
Today it’s not just about finding
Working with Partnerships When it comes to partnerships, we do need to build strong
clients, but keeping them. Having done
relationships with preferred suppliers who fit our clientele and
sales over the years myself, I know it can
their travel needs. But we also want to make sure that when
be challenging. It really gets back to
dealing with these suppliers, they are treating us like partners,
what’s at the core of any successful busi-
not competitors. More travel suppliers, including cruise lines are
ness, especially travel. We need to build
now refocusing on that — building positive partnerships.
a relationship with our potential clients, focusing on them and their needs. After
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Focus
that first sale comes in, the ongoing rela-
Always an innovator, Norwegian Cruise Line is well known
tionship building has to continue. It
when it comes to creating new experiences for cruise
doesn’t end after that first sale. Getting
guests. "Freestyle cruising," which really revolutionized the
these clients to rely on us, view us as the
cruising experience for guests is just one. Besides changing
travel experts and use our expertise is
the cruising experience for guests, Norwegian Cruise Line
really at the core of building that stellar
also launched their innovative "Partners First" program
relationship. We need to keep ourselves
about 5 years ago as a way to build a strong ongoing part-
in the picture.
nership with travel agent professionals.
October 2016
5 Relationships – Keeping Ourselves in The Picture
More on “Partners First” from Alex Pinelo, Vice President, Norwegian Cruise Line While talking recently with Alex Pinelo, Vice President, Key Accounts, Norwegian Cruise Line, he provided more on how their “Partners First” came about. Alex explained, “Norwegian Cruise Line has embraced travel partners for the entirety of the 50 years we have been in business. The Partners First initiative is simply a reminder to the trade of how much we value their business and how every decision at every level of our organization is made through the filter of, ‘How will this affect travel partners?’ Most recently we launched the best affinity group program in the industry, giving travel partners the most lucrative tour conductor options in the business – 2 for 14 or 1 for 14. If they choose the 1 for 14 option, travel partners may also select 2 options from a menu of value-add items, including prepaid service charges, dining package, beverage package, etc. And… the choices can be made on a per cabin basis, giving group members ultimate flexibility in choosing their onboard amenities. This program is the latest, and I would add, a very valuable, Partners First initiative, which gives agents a very significant tool to use in developing group business.”
Travel Agent Professional
6 More on Norwegian’s New Independent Travel Professional Channel Norwegian Cruise Line also recently launched their new program, the Independent Travel Professional Channel (ITP) led by Clark Reber, who's Director. I asked Alex to explain a bit more about this new program, along with the reasons behind their launching it. Alex said, “Because of the explosive growth of the home-based travel partner community, we made the decision earlier this year to devote resources to further develop the channel. In talking with industry veterans prior to launching the program, what we learned, was that when agents join a host agency they seemingly become invisible to suppliers. Our goal is to eliminate that invisibility and to reach out to home-based professionals in a way that meaningful and inclusive for them.” Alex then mentioned, “We will continue to work closely with each host to determine which approach is best for their business model. Clark Reber is leading the way with the initiative and we’ve already launched our first-ever Home-Based Symposium at Sea aboard Norwegian Escape, a monthly newsletter and putting together an Independent Travel Professional Advisory Board. This is another initiative that supports ‘Partners First’ There’s much more to come, so stay tuned!”
Emphasizing Value not the Price – A Successful Strategy When it comes to the sales aspect, Alex explains, “In every sales presentation we emphasize value over price. That’s the conversation every agent should be having with their clients, because there is simply no better value for your vacation dollar than cruising. Later this year, we will be celebrating our 50thanniversary, which is an exciting moment, for us to reflect and commemorate our first fifty years. But, unfortunately, for many of those years, we, and the rest of the cruise industry, have been training consumers and agents alike to wait until the last minute to wait for the best price, which created problems for everyone.” Alex further notes, “In 2015, we made a strategic decision (which turned out to be incredibly successful) to add value to the clients cruise purchase by including value-add options such as prepaid service charges, dining packages, drink packages, Wi-Fi and even ‘friends
October 2016
7
and family sail free’ on select sailings. The promotion, called ‘Free at Sea’, gives travel partners the tool that they need to shift the conversation away from price to value. And we are paying travel agents more commissions than ever in the history of our company! The ‘Free at Sea’ promotion is truly a win/win proposition for Norwegian and for our travel partners – we are sailing with full ships at a higher price and travel partners are making more money than ever when they sell Norwegian.” Alex also brought up another terrific point. He said, “Travel partners are as much teachers as they are travel counselors. When travel partners show clients how to maximize their vacation investment versus simply selling on price, they become teachers and it’s in this realm that they gain clients’ respect, create repeat and more referral business and, quite literally, create clients for life.”
Tips on Building Great Relationships with Clients Alex and I then talked a bit more about success tips he’s seen successful travel agent professionals use to create a stellar customer relationship with their clients. He explained, “This is hard, but it works —travel partners need to contact their clients while they are enjoying their vacation. A quick text message to a client, inquiring as to how the vacation is going, shows interest and, if things are not going well, gives the agent a chance to recover any issues before the client returns. This is a terrific way to add value and I guarantee no OTA will be contacting its customers while they are experiencing their vacation! Agents need to step beyond simple follow up and engage their clients while they are experiencing the vacation they sold them. Again, another contributor to creating clients for life.”
Travel Agent Professional
8 He went on to provide more about the “Cruise Next” program. Alex notes, “At Norwegian we have a program called ‘Cruise Next’ which allows clients to pay a reduced deposit while on their cruise and earn $100 shipboard credit, while also providing credit for the booking to the client’s travel partner. The deposit can be used on any future sailing for up to 4 years. Savvy agents encourage clients to purchase Cruise Next before they even leave home.”
More about Norwegian’s “Triangle of Happiness” philosophy Norwegian Cruise Line is well known for their "Triangle of Happiness,” and it comes up during webinars as well as seminars. When I asked Alex to explain a bit more about this, he mentioned, “The philosophy really came about as we launched our Free at Sea program, meaning that customers were pleased with the value of their vacation, the cruise line was pleased with higher pricing and less last-minute discounting and travel partners were pleased with the higher commissions that resulted.” Alex went on to explain, “This also extends to Norwegian Edge, our $400 million investment in our ships, our destinations and our culinary experience. We are investing to ultimately bring the entire fleet to the standard of a new ship, meaning that when a client steps aboard a Norwegian ship, no matter when it entered service, it will look and feel like new - as if it just came out of the shipyard. We are elevating our product delivery across the entire fleet to give clients the best possible experience they can have on a contemporary cruise product. This means more repeat business and referrals for travel agents and, ultimately, higher commissions.”
Adding Value, Keeping Connected and In the Picture Continuing to add value to our clients is critical, but also keeping connected with them is a tremendous way to let our clients know we are there for them. We need to make sure that we’re in their picture when they are ready to travel again, don’t we?
October 2016
10 Everything Old is L e s - L e e R o l a n d
Card mills — an expression that I haven’t heard recently. Until a gal who says she is a travel agent showed me an invitation to a seminar. She is an outside agent for a company. One who charged her a fee to join and provided her with a credential to use and a website. But no training. The invite was for a presentation for Regent Seven Seas. Dinner too! Everything you want to learn about this fine company. So what’s so bad?. At the bottom of the invite was — available for travel agents, their guests, and anyone who wants to be a travel agent. By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
I contacted Regent and asked if they knew exactly what they were sponsoring. Played phone tag and the BDM for the area responded that as far as she knew, it was a training session for the travel agency. When I mentioned the sentences on the invitation, she said she knew nothing about soliciting for non-agents. She didn’t even realize the public was invited. Wonder how much she’s paying for this session. So I guess that if I was looking for newbies who want to travel for agent rates, I should just call a major supplier and ask him to sponsor a lunch or dinner and sent out invitations. Cheap for me! I RSVPed to another supplier who sells only Alaska cruises and land and on select ships. Their commissions are a little lower than if I worked directly with...Holland America, (the #1 choice of that company). But everything was included — shore excursions — land, etc. In some cases the pricing was inviting for the passengers. I was upfront when I RSVPed and said I was an agent, and had already booked passengers with them,. Could I bring one of them with me to see the presentation? Yes, I was told, but absolutely no soliciting to anyone else attending. They were even upset when during the Q & A, I asked questions. The same questions that clients would ask me, but this company didn’t want to hear those questions. My client was appreciative to see the video and hear — secondhand —
October 2016
New Again
11
about the cruise and land portion. But she was upset
Bottom line, the clients did not make the decision within
when she heard the perks offered to people at the semi-
three days — it was a big expense. Sure enough the
nar, and knew I had not offered them to her. She even
cruise line people did call them, and again, and again, and
made it known after the seminar to the guy in charge that
again. Finally, the clients asked me to get them off their
it wasn’t fair. She was told that she have booked directly
back. Another company I do not promote unless it’s the
with the company instead of using a travel agent…and I
only choice.
was the agent standing next to her!!!! Everything Old is New Again. Clients call to tell me that a I never dealt with them again. And, if people asked about
cruise line sent them a Casino offer that is so good, and
using the company, since they advertised in our local
want me to book it. I called the number on their postcard,
papers, I told them I would put together a better package
and was told only the clients could book — it was non-
without them.
commissionable for agents to book. Then the killer- “After all, they’re OUR passengers.” Hey, wait a minute. I intro-
Hard to beat all their rates, but I did my best.
duced them to your cruise line. I booked all their cruises and helped them build up points for loyalty. Never did
Everything Old is New Again. I was invited to a dinner
they call your company. I was told I wasn’t responsible for
seminar from a major South Pacific Cruise Line. I was told
their visits to the casino that qualified them for promotions.
that it would also be open for the public, and I could reserve table space just for my clients who I chose to
Now this is just one cruise line. The same week, I got
invite. Which I did.
Casino credits for other clients on two different cruise lines based on their past sailings. In these cases, the cruise
Everyone had to fill out a form when they entered, other-
was at a lower rate, just for them. So even though I get a
wise no form, no seat. It included all their contact info. The
lower commission, I look like a heroine to my clients.
presentation was quite good. Enticing. Firsthand knowledge of the islands, and the wonderful ship. And the pricing —
Will I not deal with the first cruise line because of their
with an incentive if they booked right then and there — on
attitude. No, it is a major one. But I did leave a message
their full stomach after eating a chicken dinner.
for someone to get back to me, and now, weeks later, still no call. Guess I have to write a letter.
My clients asked if they would get the sale price if they booked with me, and maybe they wanted to think about
Everything Old is New Again — when I went to a bridge
it a couple of days. They might ask other couples to go
tournament, socially, and one of my good friends, asked
with them. The rep said he would give me 3 days to
me about the FREE Norwegian Cruise with airfare that
close the sale, and after that, THEY would contact my
was offered to them by a telephone solicitor. I hadn’t run
clients directly and if they made the sale, no commission
into this situation recently, I thought these companies had
for me. Not even a partial commission.
left my Sarasota area. But sure enough, within a couple of
Travel Agent Professional
12 days, I got a postcard saying I had won one. All I had to
Everything Old is New Again, and in this case “Newer”. I
do was attend a meeting about travel at a lower rate,
am still getting e-mails with at least 4 webinars a week. I
bring a spouse or significant other, and a valid credit card
am getting offers to become a Specialist with tour opera-
— not a debit card. Now wouldn’t you think that the last
tors, countries, boards of tourism, hotels, cruise lines, just
requirement would raise a red flag to the person getting
about any sector of what we sell. I stopped buying frames
this offer? Not to my friend, who, besides being a good
for all of the certificates I accumulated, and just put them
bridge player, is a member of MENSA. A brainy person.
into a scrapbook. But now, I am retaking some of these courses. Just to learn something new. Just to refresh. And
I told him how it works, he will hear a presentation at a loca-
maybe to just get a perk if I complete newer version.
tion that most likely is just temporary office space and not a travel agency. He will be offered membership into a travel
And the surprise is, that I enjoy it. Some of the webinars
club starting at, maybe $12,000, but was negotiable. I know
are informative. One particular company in Australia is
people who got it for $6,000 or even $4,000. If he did buy a
always a bad connection and I wish they had subtitles,
membership, he would get access to a website to book his
since the very guy speaks too fast for me to grasp the info.
travel. Not an agent in an office — just a phone number. And finally, Everything Old is New Again. I got a referral call I assured him that it would mainly be timeshares or cer-
from someone who wants to go to South America, land tour,
tain hotel blocked space, and the rates on the cruises or
2 countries. She has a budget that won’t budge, so my choices
tours were no savings. Then I got the usual response.
of suppliers were more limited.. She even told me what she
“Are you sure?” Yes, I am. Haven’t you ever heard — “if
had found online. Two sources I had never heard about.
it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t!” After contacting 4 suppliers I know about, getting quotes But, the one thing I said made the most sense to him. I told
that were too high. Even their online pricing was outdat-
him to call the State of Florida Consumer Affairs
ed and higher than expected. I tried doing it totally as an
Department in Tallahassee. And, I keep their toll-free num-
FIT, still too high.
ber on my cell phone — precisely for such an occasion. Finally, I called one of the online advertisers that my client Sure enough, he did check it out — while so few people
had seen. And found they do pay commissions to agents.
rarely do. He was like a little kid the following week when
And their rate is lower. And they got back to me faster
we got together. “Guess what” was his greeting to me.
than a couple of the larger suppliers. Even while
“There are so many complaints about this company. They
Hurricane Matthew was almost at their door. Their office
keep moving around, don’t have a local address, and...”
had shut down, but they called me and E-mailed me from
Then he thanked me for the warning.
safer ground. Looks like they will get my order. Their credentials are in order as well. If you thought I would deal
I know this is not just a Florida thing. I have met people
with a company that I never heard about, without check-
who took the dangling carrot in other cities. Only one
ing up on them, well, I didn’t fall off the turnip truck.
person still thinks she came out okay for what she paid. I guess she doesn’t mind staying at Hampton Inns wherev-
So my philosophy is to try to learn something new at
er she goes. Or maybe she never wants to admit she
least every week. And if it’s old and I have to learn from it
made a bad investment.
again, it qualifies to be something new.
October 2016
Showcase
American Marketing Group Surpasses Fund Raising Goals for Autism Every October employees, travel professionals and suppliers turn out to support American Marketing Group’s (AMG), charity of choice, Autism Speaks. AMG is a global travel marketing organization. On Sunday, October 2nd, AMG had dozens of participants support the annual Long Island chapter walk. Including the walk and other fundraisers that took place earlier this year the organization raised over, $80,000. Jim Mazza, Chief Operating Officer presented the check at the event. Attached is a photo of the AMG walk for Autism team. “AMG, our partners and our travel professionals are incredible supporters of Autism Speaks. Since our partnership began we have raised over $200K for Autism Speaks. Funds raised are used to provide programs and resources for children and adults on the autism spectrum, at every stage of life,” said Jim Mazza, Chief Operating Officer, TRAVELSAVERS. “Autism is near and dear to our hearts. Autism Speaks does incredible work to raise awareness for autism spectrum disorders and advocating for the needs of people with autism and their families. Each one of us can make a difference. Together we can make change,” says Nicole Mazza, Chief Marketing Officer, TRAVELSAVERS, NEST and The Affluent Traveler Collection. In addition, AMG is honored to announce that Jim Mazza was elected to the position of Chairman of the Long Island Chapter of Autism Speaks. “It is with great honor that I accept this new role and can only hope to further the awareness for Autism on Long Island,” says Jim Mazza, Chief Operating Officer, TRAVELSAVERS. About American Marketing Group: American Marketing Group, Inc. is the parent company of 18 leading travel brands around the globe, including TRAVELSAVERS, NEST (The Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel), The Affluent Traveler Collection, WellBeing Travel, Acclaim Meetings, TRAVELSAVERS Partner Services, TWIN (TRAVELSAVERS Worldwide Independent Network), Forte Business Travel Solutions, travel tix, Travstar Technologies, cruiseexpress, TRAVEL HELPLINE and agent24. Independent travel agencies in 35 countries are part of the organization and generate more than $22 billion in annual travel industry sales.
Travel Agent Professional
14 Cruise Month The Perfect Time M i t c h e l l
to Develop Plans
NEAR TERM
J .
Obviously the most prolific part of the cruise year is the
S c h l e s i n g e r
Caribbean in the winter and it is the destination with one of the shorter advance booking windows. Therefore, October is the perfect time to promote cruises 4/4/5 days to upwards of 11-12 days anywhere from November/December all the way through March/April from a myriad of departure points before these ships leave the Caribbean for spring/summer deployments. And do not forget to offer clients and prospects a pre-night cruise stay in New Orleans, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, etc. The same applies to winter sailings to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles and San Diego for cruisers living in the mid-
By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, MJS Consultants, mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net
dle and western regions. It is also an opportunity to promote exotic itineraries in South America, S.E. Asia, Australia & New Zealand for the JanuaryMarch period and perhaps even some late bookings for voyages to Antarctica in December and January.
It is that time again. For those of you
MEDIUM TERM
who do not remember, National Cruise
It is actually critical to create a mindset in clients and prospects
was originally held in February. It was
that booking earlier is a smart practice. It provides the oppor-
eventually moved to October to encour-
tunity to be more selective in terms of preferred sailing dates,
age the promotion of cruises throughout
stateroom availability, shore experiences and onboard services
the following year and to entice cruisers
and activities. AND, with more lines NOT discounting close to
to book early rather than close to sailing.
sailing, there is less of a reason to wait.
And now the value of having cruise month in October has never been more
The 2 most impactful destinations in the May-September time-
impactful.
frame are Alaska and Europe/Mediterranean. And both offer a variety of itinerary lengths, ports of embarkation and itinerary
The cruise industry has become so
varieties. Promote early booking discounts for Alaska departures
diverse in terms of different product seg-
from the primary departure ports of Seattle and Vancouver for
ments and destinations that it requires
7+ days plus 10+ day cruise-tours.
multiple levels of planning. Here are some examples:
Cruises in Europe and the Mediterranean are even more
October 2016
For Cruise Sales for 2017-18
15
abundant, some with distinct seasonality. Cruising
make FAR in advance of departure. And again, you
around Great Britain/Scotland/Ireland is a very short
want them to be able to take advantage of substantial
season based on weather and seas, and the popular
early booking discounts.
Baltic, primarily late May — mid August. Itineraries to exotic destinations also attract a similar The more voluminous Mediterranean offers departures
audience for the fall of 2017 and even into the begin-
from key departure points including Barcelona, Rome,
ning of 2018. Having marketed and sold itineraries to
Venice, Athens, Istanbul, and others at destinations ranging
Antarctica for 10+ years, I know that enthusiasts will
from 7-14 days. For these itineraries it important to entice
book these cruises 12-15 months in advance.
clients with 1-3 night pre-cruise stays so that they are able to immerse themselves in some of the greatest cities in
The same applies to in depth itineraries to China, Japan,
the world and not just see them from a bus window on
Thailand, Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand and the
the way from the airport to the ship. And with a more
south Pacific. And to paraphrase a famous line, if you
robust opportunity to book shore experiences in advance,
promote them, they will book far in advance.
it provides the availability to insure inclusion of experiences to the wonderful sights these ports have to offer.
The notion of planning and promoting cruise promotions across multiple timeframes is critical from 2 impor-
Albeit in small number, there is growing interest in adven-
tant standpoints:
ture/expedition cruising in the Arctic region, with sailings in the March-July timeframe. The ships are much smaller here
1. For your clients, they should be taking advantage of
ranging from 30-300, so it is important to promote these
early booking savings, sailing dates that fit their sched-
opportunities early and there is a premium to have adven-
ules, itineraries and stateroom locations they prefer and
turous clients book in advance to get the itinerary they
the opportunities to pre-reserve that shore experiences
want on the ship with the cruise experience they seek.
and onboard activities that will make the trip exceed
LONG TERM
their expectation.
So here you are in October 2016 planning for the
2. For YOU, the notion of planning promotions and sales
NEAR and MEDIUM term cruise opportunities suggest-
for the near, medium and long term, insures a flow of
ed above covering destinations and departures from the
consistent sales and the associated commission revenue.
winter all the way through the early fall. What else is
It also enables communicating and promoting cruise
there to consider?
opportunities to a cross section of demographic and psychographic clients and prospects in order to sell a greater
Let’s start with WORLD CRUISES. These are very pop-
variety of cruise destinations, lengths and price points.
ular with 60+ aged senior cruisers with more time to travel and discretionary dollars to spend. And since
The truest clichĂŠ in business is: FAILING TO PLAN IS
most cruise lines offer both full world cruises and seg-
PLANNING TO FAIL! Best of luck with cruise sales for
ments, these are decisions this cruise audience will
2017 and beyond.
Travel Agent Professional
16 Four Inspired Reasons P a u l l T i c k n e r
With the post Brexit exchange rate holding at its lowest level since the mid ‘80s, fans of English costume dramas will be thrilled by Masterpiece Theatre’s mid-January screening of ITV’s ‘Victoria’ while Jane Austen’s 200th anniversary will encourage more ‘On Location’ interest in some of their earlier productions. Staying with the literary theme but blending together David Hockney, Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, James Herriot and JMW Turner with the ongoing Bronte 200 celebrations programmes opens up new opportunities for more creative tours in England’s North Country
By Paull Tickner I’ve been customising UK tours for over 35 years and if you need help in putting these showcase items into a wellconstructed and sensibly priced itinerary, email me at ptickner@customgb.co.uk For more bright ideas, check out my website at www.customgb.co.uk
October 2016
for UK Travel
17
Thanks to the Royal Horticultural Society, garden lovers
Brontë 200
will be really pleased by the many award-winning gar-
Meanwhile a five-year programme continues to cele-
dens in the north of England that can be built around
brate the bicentenaries of the births of four of the
the new RHS Chatsworth Flower Show next June.
Brontës: Charlotte in 2016, Branwell in 2017, Emily in 2018 and Anne in 2020. In 2019, the Brontë Society
‘Victoria’
will celebrate Rev Patrick Brontë, 200 years after he
Costume drama lovers will be thrilled to learn about
was invited to take up the role of parson in Haworth.
an 8-part series that will fill the Masterpiece theatre
Add to this Beatrix Potter in the Lake District, James
Sunday evening slot previously occupied by
Herriot in the Yorkshire Dales and ‘Victoria’ in various
Downton Abbey.
Appearing on your screens on
Yorkshire locations and you’ve just found the ingredi-
15th January will be an ambitious 8-part ITV drama
ents for another inspired look at your old friend Britain.
that follows the early life of Queen Victoria from her through to her courtship and marriage to Prince
The RHS Chatsworth Flower Show
Albert. Watch this space for details of an On
In addition to the Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower
Location tour set in the county of Yorkshire that
Shows, the Royal Horticultural Society is staging a brand
includes the great treasure-filled stately homes of
new event in the dramatic Derbyshire Peak District set-
Harewood House and Castle Howard. The hot news
ting of Chatsworth. Running between 7th-11th June
is that ITV has just confirmed that Victoria is to
2017 it will follow in the footsteps of Chatsworth’s revo-
return for a second series in the UK.
lutionary designers Capability Brown and Joseph Paxton
accession to the throne at the tender age of 18
Jane Austen
with show gardens, specialist nurseries, outdoor lifestyle shopping and displays from hotly tipped garden designers.
2017 marks the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen’s death. She was born, lived and died in and around the
As gardeners are often seriously busy in May, the timing
cathedral city of Winchester and it’s not difficult to put
of this sumptuous horticultural showcase couldn’t really
together a programme that will appeal to fans as a pre
be better especially as it enables garden tour planners to
or post cruise extension — London-Bath-Winchester-
offer something completely new. With Chelsea and
Southampton or Southampton-Winchester via
Hampton Court being London-centric, Chatsworth
Salisbury to Bath-London. Both make perfect sense.
enables you to introduce clients to no fewer than 9 northern-based former winners of the coveted Historic
The Jane Austen Festival takes place in Bath
Houses Association/Christies Garden of the Year award.
between Friday 8th September to Saturday17th September 2017. If you have clients who’d like to
With a bit of careful planning you can also put together
join the Grand Regency Costumed Parade I know
a tour that starts with ‘Bloom’ in Dublin, continues with
where you can hire costumes so that you can take
the castles and gardens in North Wales and spends a
part in the procession.
day at the Chatsworth Flower Show.
Travel Agent Professional
Affluent Traveler Collection Executive Retreat Sails the Mekong on AmaWaterways The Affluent Traveler Collection (ATC) cruised the Mekong for its Executive Retreat. AmaWaterways hosted thirty agents on the AmaDara. The Executive Retreat allowed the agents to experience first-hand how selling this extraordinary product can translate into increased earning potential in the luxury river cruise market. The cruise left Prek Kdam, Cambodia, on September 12th and the guests disembarked in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on September 19th. The Mekong River, one of the longest rivers in Southeast Asia makes its way through the rainforests, plains and rice fields. The scenery on the shore has made it a destination for millions of people for centuries. The cruise traveled to rural villages, a monastery to receive a Buddhist blessing, historic pagodas, floating markets, a silk and rattan factory, the Killing Fields and the Taol Sleng S21 detention center to name a few, allowing agents to immerse themselves in the unique character and cultural heritage of each city. “These days travellers are interested in discovering something new & the world has become available for
David & Valerie Jacobs of Markham Cruise & Travel Centre, receiving a special blessing from Buddhist monks.
more people to discover. AMAWaterways opens the door
on Haloing Bay, the Sunrise visit at Angkor Wat, the school
with a quality holiday, including great accommodations,
visits to meet the children, visiting the Buddhist monastery
superior dining and touring options that allow you to see
with a special blessing from the Monks….and so much
the best of each destination they offer. Their quality local
more,” says David Jacob, CTC, (Certified Travel
tour managers take care of all the details and openly share
Counsellor), President, Markham Cruise & Travel Centre.
the highlights of their country. Our highlights of this trip were the French architecture of Hanoi, the overnight cruise
“Without a premier partner like AmaWaterways to create
October 2016
Showcase
The Affluent Traveler Collection
such a unique experience for our ATC agencies, we
About The Affluent Traveler Collection:
would not have been able to make this event happen.
The Affluent Traveler Collection, one of 18 brands owned
Every day they were committed to delivering an
by American Marketing Group, Inc., is an elite marketing
exceptional experience from start to finish,” says Kathryn
organization that provides its licensed travel advisors with
Mazza-Burney, Executive Vice President Sales, The
a range of products, tools and services including
Affluent Traveler Collection.
marketing expertise, cutting-edge technology and training opportunities. Through its relationships with the world’s
She added, “it truly was a breathtaking trip that included
best travel suppliers, The Affluent Traveler Collection’s
the spectacular architecture of the Silver Pagoda in
licensed travel specialists have access to an enriched
Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Tan Cha a Vietnamese
amenities program and a variety of exclusive offers. Its
Mekong River silk producing town unspoiled by modern
semi-annual magazine, The Affluent Traveler, is
technology.”
distributed in more than 15 countries and is available by subscription, through licensed travel specialists of The
On board the AmaDara the staterooms all have private
Affluent Traveler Collection, at major bookstores, on
balconies and the restaurants boost local chefs that
newsstands, in select airport lounges and in the
prepare Western cuisine as well as Vietnamese and
guestrooms of all Affluent Traveler Collection preferred
Cambodian fare. Known for their superior service and
hotels.
attention to detail guests received personalized service
For more information, visit www.theaffluenttraveler.com.
and went home with memories to last a lifetime.
Travel Agent Professional
THIS IS A DOUBLE DARING THRILL A MINUTE F A M I L Y A D V E N T U R E.
This is not a cruise. This is an all new way for your clients to adventure with the best and biggest ships in the world. Discover Allure of the Seas ® and Oasis of the Seas ® in the Caribbean, delivering a double dose of family thrills at an unbeatable value. Or experience Europe on a massive scale onboard the new Harmony of the Seas SM, debuting this May with all new activities, restaurants and gravity-defying slides like nothing ever seen at sea. Plus spacious accommodations ideal for big family adventures. No matter where your clients choose to go, there’s no better way to jumpstart a summer vacation than with our Oasis Class ships.
OASIS OF THE SEAS ®
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For more information visit www.LoyalToYouAlways.com/Oasis
Features vary by ship. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships’ registry: The Bahamas. 16050747 • 5/4/16
October 2016