Travel Agent Professional July 2011

Travel Agent Professional July 2011 Issue 9

4 24

How Can You Be a Success

By Mary Brutscher

Are You Singing In the Rain?

By Scott Koepf

Motorcycle Touring in the USA & Canada Product Summary: Motorcycle rentals, self drive and guided tours throughout the USA and Canada

Product Specifications: Largest selection of motorcycles including Harley Davidson, Honda, BMW motorcycles and Trikes Additional adventure vehicles including Vespa scooters, ATV’s, snowmobiles, jetskis (on request through our reservations department) Featuring over 100 self drive tours at over 66 major tourist destinations Guided and self drive tours are also available. Tours include all accommodations, unlimited mileage, detailed Itineraries, Maps, Sales Tax and VIP Check In Garmin Zumo GPS navigational rentals available at all locations with optional customized pre-planned routing loaded

Pricing

Product Benefits: Prices include unlimited mileage, environmental surcharges, local sales taxes and maps Fully inclusive VIP theft and damage waiver coverage included Free transfers within 7 mile radius from hotel to rental station with minimum 3 day rental Full customer orientation of the motorcycle No cancellation penalties with 31 days or later notice Rental rates based upon 24 hour rental period Minimum age 21 for rentals. Client must hold valid motorcycle license Helmets and saddlebags included with all rentals available for both driver and passenger. Cleaned and disinfected between rentals

Rentals as low as $165 per day, guided tours as low as $364 per day

www.autoeurope.com 1-800-223-5555 www.autoeurope.com

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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=6

How Can You Be a Success at What You Hate?

2011

By Mary Brutscher http://issuu.com/action/page?page=8

Wine Tasting

By Sue Shapiro

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=12

Dear Diary,

By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=16

If You’re Not Selling Trans-Atlantics...

By Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=18

Oceans Of Profits in Worldwide

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=20 Are You Singing

In the Rain?

By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=24 Host Listing

Showcase

Ad Index

Amadeus ...........................................................29 Auto Europe ......................................................7 Expedia CruiseShipCenters................................25

http://www.AutoEurope.com Auto Europe................................IFC

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/ Royal Caribbean Line ...................BC

http://www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=115 Avoya Travel/AVC.........................27

www.sabretravelinetwork.com/tmu Sabre ...........................................17

http://www.leisurepops.com/ Leisure Pops ...........................21,

http://www.myhosttravelagency.com Travel Planners Int’l......................13

Travel Agent Professional

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http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/ Voyages to Antiquity ......................3

Travel Agent Professional June 2011 Issue 9

Joel M. Abels

Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007

Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120202 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.227.7541 Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design Bonnie Walling Editor

Meet Our Editorial Board Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity www.voyagestoantiquity.com Mary Brutscher Former Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/ America’s Vacation Center www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583 Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.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.

Ann M. Hoek

Sue Shapiro

Contributions Lee Rosen, CEO Leisure Pops www.leisurepops.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.

Joel Abels took me from travel agent to speaker to consultant and always acted like I was doing him a favor. That’s the kind of person he was, always grateful, always gracious. He was my mentor, my promoter, my friend. And I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say, “There’s a hole in the heart of the travel industry where Joel Abels used to be.”

Barbara Mangini, retired training director of Travel Trade Reprinted from Jan. 29, 2007 TTN

May 2011

V

oyages to Antiquity combines the excitement of exploring the remarkable classical civilizations of the Mediterranean with the comfort and service of boutique-style cruising aboard the 350-guest Aegean Odyssey.

From the wonders of the Roman Empire and the classical elegance of ancient Greek architecture to the monumental splendor of the Byzantines and the dazzling legacy of Norman Sicily, our aim is to bring to life the exciting and inspiring history of the Mediterranean.

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4

How Can You Be a Success

By Mary

at What You Hate?

Brutscher

Do you love it? Yes. Sometimes you can begin to feel burn-out. It’s only natural.

Contact information for Mary is mailto:cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com

I

am going to jump right into this little article and ask how passionate you are with the ‘art’ of selling travel. Do you love it? Yes. Sometimes you can begin to feel burn-out. It’s only natural.

After all, you have some difficult clients and some difficult suppliers as well and sometimes you end up in the middle acting as peacekeeper. Yet, if you haven’t given up and you just keep hanging in there because you find travel exciting and something you just can’t imagine not doing, then you, my friend, are a lover of travel. You should experience success based on the excitement you feel regarding the product and services you sell. That excitement will spill over to your customers and chances are there will be times they will make

that final decision to travel just on the excitement they have felt talking with you about it.

I’ve used the story of our first cruise in past articles and I am going to touch on it again to help drive my point across.

We were beginning the planning stages for an anniversary getaway and a cruise was the last thing on our minds. We had never utilized the services of a travel agent before, but we wanted to do something special and get some new ideas. I visited two travel agencies and no one would take the time to even sit down and talk with me about options or ideas. The best I got from these two

July 2011

5 agencies were brochures and the advice that I should look through them and when I decided what I wanted to do, to call them back and come in to talk about it.

Needless to say, I was not impressed with travel agencies at this point. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that the travel agents at these two travel agencies did not have that ‘love’ of travel. It was simply the job they were hired to do, and without that passion, they weren’t doing a very good job at what they were hired to do either!

I decided to try one more travel agency. This time I called first. I got a travel agent on the phone who was fairly new to the industry and, boy, was she excited about all of the opportunities and choices out there to explore with my husband and myself. I knew she was the one I wanted to assist us with our plans, so we made an appointment for that very afternoon.

When we entered the agency, she was waiting for us and the first to greet us. She was as excited at meeting us as we were to meet her. She began our meeting by qualifying us by finding out what we liked to do, past vacations, budget, etc. She next began to make suggestions and one of those suggestions was a cruise. Now, I have to pause here a moment and say that one of the reasons a cruise was the last thing on our minds was, in part, due to my fear of water. Yes, although I cruise a lot, I still have a little fear that stems from the drowning of my dad when I was a child (and yes, I did think of the Poseidon Adventure), but the love of cruising outweighs the fear by far.

It turns out that this particular travel agent had just come back from a three day cruise on a fairly new cruise ship, Carnival Fantasy, and she loved it so much that she practically sparkled when she talked about it.

She painted a picture of us on this ship. We saw ourselves having the time of our lives. We felt the excitement. We booked that cruise! (continued on page 6)

Travel Agent Professional

Celebrity Constellation

6 You see, although she herself loved cruising and was able to share that enthusiasm for cruising with her clients, that wasn’t the only reason she was so successful. She loved what she did. It was not just a job to her. It was a part of her life and her passion. It gave her excitement to create a perfect vacation experience for her clients.

Fast forward to earlier this year. Franz and I took a nice cruise on Celebrity. It was great. It was the time of year when the ship was mostly filled with adults, which made the cruise a little more relaxing and, after all, that was the main reason for the cruise this time around. It was because of this need to relax that we decided to go with any time dining so we could just relax and not have to worry about rushing to dinner. As usual, we met some interesting people at dinner, and, of course, some were more enjoyable than others.

On one of these evenings we sat next to two women who did not seem to be enjoying themselves at all. One of the ladies did not like the cruise line and was not happy to be there. The other woman did not like cruising at all and she certainly wasn’t happy to be there. In fact, the more we talked about travel, the more I found that although she did her share of traveling, to include cruising, she really did not like to travel. She seemed to have a bit of disdain in regards to travel, in fact.

I began to wonder if these two women had booked the travel for themselves, or had gone through a travel agency. I thought that if they had not used an agent, they definitely needed to and if they had, they needed a NEW agent. Before I could ask, however, the woman who hated travel

Celebrity Eclipse confided to me that she was a travel agent! I was speechless! I could have been a prospective customer sitting next to her! How could anyone who hates travel so much possibly have any success in the industry? Would you want to trust your vacation plans or other business matters to someone who absolutely hates the career field they are in? I think not. It’s the same thing with our clients. If we are enthusiastic, we pass along that enthusiasm and create good relationships with good clients. It we come across as what we do being such a chore that we hate doing, we may get one sale (if we are lucky), but we certainly won’t get repeat or good business.

So, I ask you. Do you love travel or do you hate travel? If it is not your passion and you have no joy or satisfaction working in the industry, maybe it’s time to look at other options. If, however, you love what you do, let it shine through and be a success!

July 2011

Showcase

Auto Europe Offers Handicap Accessible Vehicles Auto Europe a leader in worldwide car rental services, is now offering handicap accessible vehicles in the United Kingdom. The selection of services include single lever push pull controls for people who cannot use standard floor pedals, infrared auxiliary controls where with this device all the auxiliary controls such as indicators, wipers, horn, etc. can be controlled by the same hand that turns the steering wheel with all the controls mounted for use by the thumb. For drivers who only have the use of their left leg, vehicles are available with an accelerator fitted on the left hand side of the brake pedal. Wheelchair accessible vans are also available.

These services are available in a large selection of models from a Nissan Micra to a 16-passenger minivan with choices of gas, diesel and electric engines.

Standard, automatic and tiptronic transmissions are also available.

Auto Europe services over 8,000 car rental locations in over 130 countries worldwide.

In addition, through their tour division, FlyInternational.com they offer scheduled airfare to Europe with over thirty carriers and service 3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels.

Auto Europe Introduces Their New Hotel Reservation Service, Excellent Hotels Auto Europe, a leader in worldwide car rental services, is proud to announce the latest member of their family of services, Excellent Hotels.

Excellent Hotels offers reservation services at over 50,000 properties, mainly 3, 4 & 5 star hotels worldwide.

All rates are prepaid in U.S. dollars and are commissionable. Excellent Hotels has call center support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For example, the three star Bristol Republic, which is ideally located to explore Paris, begins at $127 per room night. In Rome, choose the four star Domus Caesari which was built in 2008 beginning at $73 per room night. This city hotel comprises a total of 26 rooms including 6 junior suites and is housed in a new, sumptuous building enjoying a wonderful view of the Eternal City.

Eric Ledroux, President of Auto Europe and Excellent Hotels says: “we are building

our new hotel service on the strengths of our car services: we have worldwide competitive product, offer commission on all bookings, and have a telephone reservation center and helpline to assist both the travel agents at time of booking and their customers whilst traveling in the USA or abroad”.

“Excellent Hotels also brings inventory from multiple sources to ensure best availability and competitive prices”.

Auto Europe services over 8,000 car rental locations in over 130 countries worldwide. In addition, through their tour division, FlyInternational.com they offer scheduled airfare to Europe with over thirty carriers. Their hotel division, Excellent Hotels offers 3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels. For additional information contact your local sales representative or Auto Europe at (800) 223-5555. Visit their web site at www.autoeurope.com.

For additional details and restrictions, please contact your local sales representative or visit http://www.autoeurope.com or call 1-800-223-5555.

1. 800. 223. 5555 • www. autoeurope. com 39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112

8 Wine Tasting By Sue Shapiro

Visiting Vineyards in Por tugal I like wine.

I’ll bet you do too, and so do your clients. That’s why I attended a Portuguese wine tasting event hosted by six vineyards located just a half hour outside of Lisbon. Not only did I spend a delightful afternoon, but I came away with a great idea for a one-day excursion for your clients visiting Lisbon, either on their own or off of a cruise ship.

Portugal has been producing wine since the days of the Roman Empire. While none of the vineyards represented at the wine tasting goes back that far, several have been in the same family for over 400 years.

Take DFJ Vinhos, for example. Their slogan is “Life is too short to drink bad wine.”

Winemaker Jose Neiva Correia’s family has been making fine wine here for hundreds of years.

DFJ, whose headquarters is surrounded by beautiful countryside, welcomes visitors who want to sample their gold medal-winning wines. Just E-mail them in advance of your arrival, info@dfjvinhos.com. Check out their wonderful Web site, www.dfjvinhos.com.

Another nearby vineyard is Sociedade Vitivinicola do Formigal, Lda. Their location, just five kilometers from the Atlantic, gives the wine a distinctive flavor. Bamboo canes are used to

July 2011

9 protect the grape arbor from the salt winds. Maybe that’s why they only do red wine, especially the delicious Vinha da Catedra. Tell them when you plan to be there by E-mailing info@formigalwines.com.

Not to be missed is Companhia Agricola Sanguinhal Viniculture, started at this same location in 1183 by Cistercian monks. In 1927, the current owners, the Fonseca family, took over.

Agricola Sanguinhal encourages visitors to do more than taste their wines — they’ll show you the 19th century gardens and the renovated ancient distilleries where spirits and fortified wines are made, as well as visiting the old cellar with wooden presses from 1871. E-mail them at info@vinhos-sanguinhal.pt.

Another great vineyard is Caves Bonifacio, the estate where legend says Christopher Columbus married the daughter of the owner of the Chateau.

What makes wine produced here special is their attention to detail, like using no herbicides or chemical fertilizers in the production of grapes. If you have a few days, they have B & B type rooms to let and you can go sightseeing through an area where some important Napoleonic War battles happened. Be sure to tell them by E-mail (geral@cavesbonifacio.com) when you’re arriving and look at their Web site (www.cavesbonifacio.com).

Located between the Atlantic and the Tajo River, Arruda dos Vinhos Winery (www.adegaarruda.com) has the soil and climate that makes for excellent wine. The Web site is in Portuguese, but the pictures tell their great story. This vineyard was originally planted by a monastic-military group, the Order of Santiago, in the 12th century,

Travel Agent Professional

What makes Arruda unique is that it’s really a cooperative with 1,100 members, each contributing grapes grown with care and precision. The quality of their wines has been recognized with gold, silver and bronze metals from all over the world. E-mail them at adegarruda@mail.telepac.pt.

Casa Santos Lima has an incredible Web site as well as incredible wines (www.casasantoslima.com).

You can do a virtual tour of the vineyard, learn about the history, read about their multiple medals they’ve won and find out about the various wines they produce. But you can’t taste their wines unless you go there, and it’s just 45 kilometers from Lisbon.

They use more than 40 different grapes to produce their wines, 12 of which are shown and described on the Web site, including cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir. Let them know you are coming by Email to casasantoslima@mail.telepac.pt.

Even though their English language Web site is under construction, you can get a good idea of how beautiful Quinta do Carneiro’s vineyard is by looking at the slide show of photos at www.quintadocarneiro.com. The owner was very successful in the hotel business in Portugal, Angola and the Cape Verde Islands but his love of wine led him to purchase Quinta do Carneiro 21 years ago. You’re welcome to attend a tasting (in English) by sending an E-mail to quintadocarneiro@quintadocarneiro.com.

It’s unlikely that all can be visited in one day (unless you stay over), but think of what great choices you can give your clients for a day excursion from Lisbon that nobody else will suggest to them. That makes you a great travel agent!

10 Dear Diary, B y L e s - L e e

Looking forward to our family reunion and two weddings in Michigan. Hubby Doc and I are flying on USAirways — sure, the flight cost a little more than

R o l a n d

expected and it is not non-stop, but it will be worth it to see ever yone. Can’t wait! Tried using my Marriott FamTastic coupons at a Springhill Suites, but even though they had lots of vacancies, they wouldn’t accept them for four days. So staying at another property, a little out of the way plus a one night stay at my mother’s house.

Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal

Dear Diary, Checked in at USAir, and was told my bag was six pounds overweight — an additional $90. Hard to believe it, since I weighed it at home and it was exactly 50 pounds. I opened the bag and took out a few things and put them into the carryon bag. Unfortunately, didn’t double check and Doc’s shaving cream was confiscated from my purse.

While going through security, a suitcase coming off the conveyer belt hit Doc’s leg, causing it to bleed. With all the help around, all they did was hand him some Kleenex.

Four TSA agents just stood there and when I asked if they could get some bandages, only one finally got some — but no first aid kit. The others said they had to secure the area and clean the floor when we were ready to move.

As we boarded our plane, we were told the aircraft was so small that our normal carryon would have to checked at the gate — no charge. Sure enough, the overhead bin couldn’t hold much more than an envelope.

Arrived at Charlotte, to change planes.

Passengers were backed up on the jetway waiting for the now checked carry-ons. The USAir guy accidentally hit Doc’s already hurt leg with someone’s bag. Another episode with a bleeding cut. I asked for help, but was told we might miss our connection, and to wait for a cart. All the while, he was using more Kleenex as a compress. Good thing I haven’t got stock in Kimberly Clark.

Gee, Charlotte is a tough airport to get around. The cart driver had to fill out some paperwork before we could board. And she

July 2011

11 The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of Les-Lee Roland and do not necessarily reflect those of Travel Agent Professional.

could only take us a short distance, and we had to change carts two more times — sort of like a conveyor belt of disabled people. Heard lots of complaining people — especially the guy with crutches and the gal with the seeing eye dog — getting on and off the three carts to go different terminals. Not a good system at all. I see it would have been easier going through Atlanta.

Dear Diary, We finally arrived in Detroit. Doc is hobbling around with makeshift bandages on two cuts on his leg, and eager to get to my mom’s house and the special duck dinner she has planned. Guess what, USAir has lost our luggage. Sharing this experience with 15 other passengers on the same flight. Something about a mix-up in Charlotte. The luggage will be put on the next flight and delivered to us — unless we wanted to wait another hour and a half for that flight to come in.

I am getting a little panicky because we have the first wedding tomorrow, and I have no clothes.

Doc said I should change the rental car to my name, since his leg is hurting and he doesn’t want to drive. I called DOLLAR and they said to change the name is to make a new reservation and it will be $150 more for the eight days. I called ALAMO and asked for their best rate — maybe a travel agent rate. Can’t believe it, the res agent said they don’t offer any rate for agents. I told her I have rented before, and she said lots of agents call and complain about it, but her supervisor says no special rates, and the best quote is over $300. No deal. I decided to take my chances with DOLLAR and take the shuttle bus to their location and explain the situation.

First, I had to wait in line to make my claim to USAir for the lost luggage. I also complained about the lack of help for my husband’s still bleeding leg.

The supervisor called paramedics. Four of them arrived and offered to take Doc to the hospital, courtesy of Detroit Metro Airport. He declined, saying he just wanted someone to clean the two cuts and bandage his leg properly. They did that, but only after I provided the antiseptic ointment I always carry when traveling. They didn’t have any.

The USAir supervisor filled out a report, and assured me that a customer service rep would contact me within two days to check on my husband. She profusely apologized for the lack of attention he received. TSA agents are not there to help anyone, but they could have called for medical help. And the luggage — well, that is just the problem with travel, but my $25 fee will be refunded.

All of this debacle killed the time we needed waiting for the flight with our lost baggage. I told Doc that I would go get the rental car and he should get the bag when it came off the conveyor belt, and I would pick him up. Oh, oh, it started raining – I thought we would have cooler temperatures than in Sarasota, but didn’t expect this cold rain.

I took the shuttle bus to DOLLAR, drenched and feeling miserable. I explained to the clerk that my husband had cut his leg twice, was bleeding, had the paramedics working on him, our luggage was lost along with my clothes for the wedding, my mother’s duck dinner was waiting for us, we’d been delayed almost two hours, and I didn’t want to pay an additional $150 to change the driver on the car. Because of the rain, my hair was curling up, making me look like a poodle. While I stopped (continued on page 8)

Travel Agent Professional

12 to catch my breath, the agent said not to worry, he’d change the name at no charge. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel.

I drove the Ford Focus back to the terminal to get Doc and hopefully, our luggage, which should have arrived by now. He was waiting for me in the wheelchair the medics provided. No luggage!

Seems that due to the rain, the baggage handlers don’t work. We were assured it would be delivered to my mom’s house.

Off to see my mom, and even though the duck was cold, and we were hungry, at least we were comfortable. A few hours go by, still no luggage. Finally a phone call — luggage will be delivered within four hours, around 2 a.m., unless we wanted to wait until tomorrow. Bring it NOW, I told them. I have been sitting around in drenched traveling clothes, and I want my things NOW! It arrived at 2:45 am.

Dear Diary, Both weddings were wonderful. Family visits were great. Only problem was the air conditioning problem with the rental car. But today, eight days after our arrival, we were back at the infamous Detroit airport. Check-in went well, no overweight. Arrived at Charlotte to change planes, take the three separate carts to get to the gate and find that our flight has been delayed at least two hours.

Where is there bad weather on June 30? Heard some rumors about a stowaway being caught on an aircraft causing the delay.

Arrived finally in Sarasota. Waited for the luggage. Oh no, my new piece has a ripped pocket and

the contents are gone. In this case, the contents were my worn unmentionables (a word I have never used in any of my columns). I go to report it and the clerk said the airline is not responsible for damage caused by a broken zipper. NOT REPSONSIBLE. I blew up and told them that this was a travel experience from Hell. Finally, after my threeminute tirade, she said that all she can do is refund the $25 check-in fee. They are not responsible for anything — delayed luggage, ripped luggage, cutting my husband’s leg, poor layout at the airport, uncaring employees.

Dear Diary, I am finally home! Walked into the house to see all the clocks are blinking, must have been a power outage. Oh No — my computer cable connection is not working. How do I get my copy to my editor? Oh _ _ _ _!

What’s the point of this column?

1. Pack a first aid kit.

2. In Charlotte, inform clients who need assistance about the problems between the terminals.

3. Check in advance what carry-ons are allowed on the aircraft.

4. ALAMO — No-no for agents, Dollar — very sympathetic.

5. Marriott Famtastic Coupons — the best deal around for agents, in most locations.

6. USAir — very bad customer relations, as related for me. The promised follow up call was never received.

7. Don’t pack your underwear, just throw it away after wearing it.

8. NEVER leave your office — stay chained to the desk!

July 2011

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Travel Agent Professional

14 B y

That’s what I find myself saying whenever someone says to me, “I’d never go on a

I have to admit, while not exactly in the middle of nowhere, there isn’t a whole lot of activity going on around you, except maybe for an occasional whale or dolphin sighting. You do feel like you are out there all alone. Kind of.

What about yourself and your clients? A transAtlantic crossing is memorable, exciting, relaxing and, of course, a wonderful selling opportunity. You can add pre- and post-cruise packages, an upsell — there is a value-added component at every turn.

You should already be aware of the per diem savings on a trans-Atlantic. But what about the actual cruise experience? How do you sell someone on spending six to ten days on the water with nary a speck of land in sight?

I’ve done a total of eight trans-Atlantic “voyages,” as Cunard prefers to call them. What’s it like and do you really feel totally stranded out there?

A C C

trans-Atlantic cruise.”

L a s k i n ,

“It’s not exactly in the middle of nowhere.”

S h e r r y

L a s k i n

You’re Missing The Boat...

B y

S h e r r y

If You’re Not Selling Trans-Atlantics,

Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com

Here are my top 10 tips to help you to send your clients on their first trip across an ocean.

Be prepared. Channel your inner Boy or Girl Scout and be prepared with lazy day diversions.

With a minimum of six consecutive sea days, even the most entertaining of the mega ships will have a lull in the activities. All of the ships have some sort of library. For the best selection, get there when it first opens. By the second or third day, the choice for best sellers has dwindled.

Not a reader? Bring your home craft project (providing it fits into your suitcase.) You’ll find knitters, needlepointers and scrapbookers meeting each day in some public space as unhosted activities.

July 2011

15

Wine tasting has expanded into single-malt scotch, craft beer and tequila tastings. There is a fee, but what else do you have to do?

Smell the roses. If you find yourself on the verge of activity overload, scout out a quiet spot to watch the sea. I usually search for both an indoor viewing area as well as an outdoor, wind-blocked vantage point. Sunny days with flat seas warrant an outdoor vantage point. On foggy or rough seas days, you’ll want to curl up in a comfy chair near a picture window. Yes, you will want to look out and see what’s going on. Mid-ship on a low deck and you’ll hardly feel those thirty-foot seas and gale force winds!

Travel Agent Professional

Keep moving. On some ships, you can almost walk your way across the Atlantic. On Cunard’s wraparound outdoor walking track/promenade, a mere three times around is 1.1 miles. On other ships, you can walk in circles ten or eleven times to finish one mile.

If a good fitness center is important, head on over to the cruise line’s Web site for photos of their workout facility; the bigger the better. A tiny gym means to use one of only five treadmills for 1,000 passengers on a trans-Atlantic crossing is going to take some planning. (continued on page 15)

16 The legendary weight gain. With a stretch of six to possibly 10 sea days, one of the biggest concerns is weight gain. I’ve come to realize over time that it isn’t the actual overeating that is the cause, but the amount of salt in the food that is the culprit. Also, I hear a lot of people complaining about swollen feet and ankles. Again, it’s the sodium in the food.

Solution? Tell your dining room waiter that you would like to be on a sodium-free diet for the cruise. Here’s how it works: every night at the end of your dinner, the waiter (or head waiter) will present to you the menu for the next evening.

You choose your entire dinner and the order is brought to the kitchen where there are other special diet orders (gluten-free, allergy requests etc.).

By eliminating the “built-in” salt, you will avoid retaining water and thus not blow up like a puffer fish. But be forewarned: if you order salt-free, your dinner will be salt-free. This means that the gorgeous bowl of steamy French onion soup will arrive sans toasted French bread and cheese. You can always do a modified salt-free when something sounds too good to pass up.

A trans-Atlantic is a great time to do nothing. This isn’t a “If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium” experience — although, with some careful planning, you can find an itinerary which will visit two to five ports along the way once you’ve crossed the ocean. Some cruise lines are eliminating the “cruise” portion and are almost

mainlining straight across with only one port visit before debarkation in Europe.

Hop on the bus, Gus. Important to note, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the ONLY cruise line offering regularly scheduled non-stop trans-Atlantic crossings nearly year round. The Queen Mary 2 is also the ONLY purpose-built actual ocean liner, not cruise ship, in service today. She’s built for transAtlantic voyages and sails them beautifully.

Make a new plan, Stan. My suggestion is that once you’ve decided on which trans-Atlantic voyage to take, book yourself into back-to-back cruises so that you stay onboard for either the first cruise once you arrive in Europe or the last cruise before the westbound crossing. That way, you not only feel “special” in saying that you are “continuing on…”, but you get to spend time in many wonderful ports throughout Europe.

July 2011

17 What time is it, anyway? One of the best advantages of a trans-Atlantic crossing is the elimination of jet lag. Yes, you arrive at your destination either in Europe or the U.S. without needing two or three days to catch up to the local time zone.

Which direction is better? Personally, l prefer a westbound crossing because it results in 25hour days. Here’s how it works. Say, for example,

Going eastbound with 23 hour days, you might find yourself at the buffet at 2 a.m. because your body is telling you it’s only 9PM! If you are sensitive to time changes, be sure to check that the ship you are on will have a 24-hour food option, even if it’s only room service. Otherwise, you might find yourself, like I have many times, at the 24-hour coffee and tea location at 2 a.m., getting a flavored tea to bring back to my room to have with cookies that were saved from the afternoon.

Is anyone out there? For a little piece of mind along your journey, remember that the ship travels in shipping lanes.

You are never too far from another ship, even though it may not be visible.

However, there is a portion on the north Atlantic where you may find yourself in “no-man’s-land” for a day or so depending upon the route that your captain decides to follow. Be prepared for a brief blip in satellite communications which affects the Internet and television.

you are booked on a crossing with seven sea days before you get to Florida. Starting on the first or second night after departure from Europe, clocks are set back one hour at bedtime. You continue to do this for maybe two consecutive days, take a break to adjust and set the clocks back again until you reach your debarkation port. I find that I do wake up a bit earlier than usual towards the end of the voyage, but I’m well-rested and ready to go.

On my recent Cunard voyage, we never lost a second of communication via Wifi or TV. Ships’ satellite technology (meaning the company that they contract with for access) vastly improves every year.

Roundtripping. Finally, if you have the time, why not do like I do and make the trans-Atlantic crossing in both directions? This does take a bit of skillful planning and occasional maneuvering, but it is quite frankly, the best way to visit Europe. (continued on page

Travel Agent Professional

18 For example, cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona. Continue onboard for a Mediterranean cruise, which returns to Barcelona. Spend a couple of days in Barcelona and then make your way via train from Barcelona to Paris. Depending upon your schedule, spend a night or two in the City of Lights. At 9 a.m., take a taxi to the Gare du Nord Eurostar train station. In two and one-half hours, with twenty-one minutes of that spent zooming under the English Channel, you arrive rested and relaxed at St. Pancras train station in London.

Walk a few yards from your train to the departure hall, find the Cunard representative and board their motor coach to Southampton. In another two hours, you’ll board the Queen Mary 2 for your voyage home.

New York harbor at dawn, pass under the colorfully lit Verrazano Bridge and quietly sail past the illuminated Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Everyone is out on deck at 5:30 a.m. to view this amazing sight. I’m sure many passengers reflect on how their ancestors might have felt hundreds of years ago. I’ve seen grown men cry and overheard people speaking in hushed voices with thick Irish brogues. Others blankly stare at Ellis Island. It’s a very moving moment, indeed.

Now that you know there is nothing to fear and know what to expect, it’s time to plan your and your clients’ trans-Atlantic cruise.

Follow me on Twitter@CruiseMaven

With the mystery of a trans-Atlantic crossing hopefully solved, why not start planning your trip today? If you would like the convenience of staying in the same cabin for back-to-back cruises, book early. Otherwise, your room attendant can help you change cabins on turnaround day. But if you can remain in the same cabin, it’s so much easier and less stressful.

Once you’ve experienced the exhilaration and excitement of crossing an ocean, you will be hooked. For a very memorable experience, sail into New York City. Cruise ships arrive into

Sherry Laskin is a travel writer, blogger and social media addict as it relates to business awareness and sharing information. Founder of the Vacation Shoppe in 1992, she offers advice and creative ideas for marketing and promotion for travel agents. Sherry is the webinar moderator and a Chapter Director at NACTA.

July 2011

20

Oceans Of Profits in Worldwide

By Mitchell

Destination Cruise Sales

J.

Follow the trends & dramatically enhance your proďŹ tability

Schlesinger

Now more than ever, it is critical to understand the importance of understanding the demographics and psychographics of your clients. By applying them as you evaluate the composition of your cruise target market, you should achieve the goal of selling more cruises, earn higher commissions and do so in a way that is effective, efficient Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity m.schlesinger@voyagestoantiquity.com

and more profitable.

The

most significant demographic trend is the dramatic aging of the population.

Commensurate with these aging phenomena, is the psychographic trend of wanting more interesting travel experiences. And, these trends, present one of the best opportunities to sell more worldwide destination travel:

1. The fastest growing segments of the population are Baby Boomers and Seniors/retirees.

Over 40% of the population is over 50, life expectancy is expanding and by 2020 there will be over 70 million Americans over the age of 65.

2. These 2 segments control more than 70% of consumer spending and have significant amounts of disposable income to spend on travel. They

are value conscious concerned more that the overall content of their purchase is commensurate with the price.

3. As empty nesters and in many cases DINKS (double income no kids), they are not bound by traditional travel timeframes and in fact can purposely avoid traditionally crowded travel seasons.

In fact, these are excellent targets for “off season� spring and fall travel.

4. Psychographically, they are more concerned with experiences that are meaningful, enriching, fulfilling and memorable. Many have already visited core destinations and are ready for new adventures to places like Vietnam, South America, Australia, Antarctica and more. (continued on page 22)

July 2011

Leisure Pops: A New Application from an Old Friend Lee Rosen President, Leisure Pops

What is Leisure Pops?

L

eisure Pops is a point-of-

sale, merchandizing software application that runs on an agent’s desktop and helps travel agents to sell more preferred suppliers, more add-on products and more upgrades.

Leisure Pops runs in the background on an Agent's

The Power of Pops

• Sell more preferred suppliers.

• Sell more add-on products.

• Earn more commissions.

• Better service your clients.

desktop and then “Pops” or reminds an agent via a pop up message of opportunities to better serve their client — as well as make more commissions.

For more information go to www.leisurepops.com

22

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=1

5. And best of all, they book travel well in advance, 4. Most importantly is the development of marare interested in traveling for lengthy periods of time and spend much more than Gen X & Y groups.

The cruise lines have done their part by offering itineraries to all seven continents and by expanding more in depth itineraries in the most popular destinations. Excellent examples are the growth of European river cruising which gives clients who have sailed the Baltic and east and west Mediterranean, the opportunity to immerse themselves into individual countries within these regions.

And small, specialty niche brands like Voyages to Antiquity, which provides a completely different experience to clients who have sailed to Mediterranean destinations previously.

Your opportunity is to take full advantage of the myriad of worldwide cruise destination products and “manage” the travel experiences of your clients as they get older:

keting materials to entice them to purchase these trips, the detail provided and the questions you “pre-answer”. Be cognizant of the following: • These target segments are better educated, want extensive detail about trips and are willing to read in depth, so direct mail is a valuable method of communication.

• Key messages must convey: • It’s all about the destination experience. You are enticing your clients to travel across the globe to experience a memorable destination.

• Value not price • Discovery and exploration, not the ordinary • Education and fulfillment, not status or hype • Action, not passiveness.

5.

Make sure to plan the distribution of your communication well in advance (6-12 months) of the travel being offered.

1. Recognize the aging trends in your own clien- 6. And don’t forget that you and your staff will tele, and guide them through the selection of longer and more interesting trips as they age.

2.

The main difference between younger baby boomers and seniors/retirees is the length of time they have to travel. Baby Boomers still in the workforce will want to cap travel in the 10-14 day range. Seniors/retirees are prime targets for longer trips, including world cruises. In fact they prefer to be onboard for longer periods of time, so look for cruise lines that offer back-to-back itinerary opportunities with no port duplication.

3.

Access available resources to enhance your own worldwide destination expertise so your clients will recognize this skill when discussing travel alternatives and sending them communication.

need to provide a very high level of service in response to clients making extremely high ticket purchases.

It is “worth” your while to focus on these trends and become proficient at promoting worldwide destination cruises. You can change the profile of your agency to one that is recognized as the expert in trips of this nature and earning commissions on a steady diet of transactions of $5,000-$20,000. And imagine booking a group of 20 on a world cruise!!

You can influence the travel purchased by your clients as they age and in return, be rewarded with dramatically higher commissions and substantially stronger profitability. And most importantly, if you do not cultivate relationships with your clientele in order to sell them these more interesting opportunities…..someone else will!

July 2011

24 By Scott

Are You Singing In the Rain?

Koepf

Do, do, do, do, Do-do, do, do, do, do, Do-do…

Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center www.JoinAvoya.com

Can you listen to or sing this song without smiling and just feeling good? Even though I resemble the dancing elephant from that GE commercial I still get instantly happy and want to grab a street light and spin. Now I know I am a musical theatre aficionado, but I think even my sport fanatic buddies would agree that this song moves them (next time we are sitting watching a game, holding hands and emoting, I will ask). While the song itself is magical, I think it is the premise that we can learn from. In other words, when circumstances are bad, what do you do?

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but as much as this is a thrilling and wonderful business, selling travel is hard. I know the callous among you just said “No, really, this guy is a genius” but as I ignore such insults I will tell you that you deal with challenges every day. Yep, it is going to rain! No escape, you will, at some point in your career, be caught in a downpour.

The choice you have is how you deal with it. What better example than Gene Kelley (or if you dance like me, the elephant)? When the sky opens up, singing and dancing erupts!

You may not have a choice as to the external conditions, but you sure do have a choice in what you do in the midst of them.

If I stopped here, you might think that was a nice little message about keeping your chin up in hard times. Yes, it was a nice message but what we can also learn from this is the ability to (continued on page 26)

July 2011

Showcase

6,500 Guests Booked on Princess Cruises During Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ 1 Day Sale No one puts on a promotion like Expedia CruiseShipCenters and our 7th annual Princess Cruises 1 Day Sale was no exception. Our team of agents showcased their incredible passion for travel as they worked tirelessly to make this our best sale ever.

Here are some of the highlights: • First booking was made at 12:01am (PST) on the morning of the sale • 6,500 guests were booked in a single day • 400 guests were booked in a single hour • 972 of our agents made at least one booking during the sale • 20,000 phone calls were made by our agents to let their clients know about the sale • 70% of bookings were for 2012 and 2013 departures • 90% of bookings were secured with a deposit • 135 of our locations held training events to prepare their agents for the sale Find out how you can take advantage of our next big promotion by joining the Expedia CruiseShipCenters team! Attend one of our upcoming webinars to see a live demonstration of our CruiseDesk technology and have all your questions answered.

Upcoming Webinars Thursday, July 7th 12 pm EDT 9 am PDT 2 pm EDT 11 am PDT 7 pm EDT 4 pm PDT

RSVP RSVP RSVP

Saturday, July 9th 1 pm EDT 10 am PDT

RSVP

To request a personal presentation, call us toll free at 1-888-316-1333 or e-mail pheathfield@cruiseshipcenters.com.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Warm regards, Pat Heathfield Expedia CruiseShipCenters Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Just Cruises 43277 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township, MI 48038 Phone: 586-840-7447/800-837-4477 Email: justcruises@cruiseshipcenters.com • www.cruiseshipcenters.com/JustCruisesHB

Travel Agent Professional

‘

26

As travel agents, you will deal with puddles every day.

’

Seek them out and jump right in! It might be that one client who drives you nuts that has been on your “need to call” list for two weeks.

turn an obstacle into a positive experience. Take puddles, for example. When we were kids, we all loved puddles to jump in, to splash through, to kick and just play in. Unfortunately somewhere along the line, we got too serious, we thought our shoes were more valuable than fun or we forgot the feeling puddles used to bring. So now we walk around them and miss the joy these “bad things” can bring.

When you watch Mr. Kelley singing, you will notice he does not just ignore the puddles, he seeks them out and uses them. As travel agents, you will deal with puddles every day. Seek them out and jump right in! It might be that one client who drives you nuts that has been on your “need to call” list for two weeks. Don’t dance around the puddle, just call him. (Be careful not to say “Hi, is this Mr. Puddles?”) So when the rain comes — Sing and Dance!

While I am using this wonderful musical as my analogy of the month, I want to share two other songs from this gem that we can learn from. The first I can still picture my bride of many years singing as she played the lead in a regional production of Singing in the Rain many years ago. “Good mornin’, Good Mo –or - or –nin’!” is another song that just gets you in a great mood — but the key

is not what is said (sung) but how! Good morning is said a bazillion time everyday, and you say it (or hello) to your clients every day. So the words are not memorable, but the way they are expressed are. No, you do not have to sing every greeting you say, but just make it memorable and compelling and sincere.

And the third song provides such a clear message that the title says it all. “Make ‘em Laugh!” Simple, but so important in our world today. Not only do people need and want a giggle now and then, but when you are in the leisure travel business, the interactions should be fun. I am not suggesting that you need to be a standup comedian, but let your natural humor shine. Just like not avoiding puddles, don’t avoid the appropriate use of humor.

A good laugh will make a relationship grow more than almost any well-crafted sentence. Remember, attitudes are contagious, so try to infect your clients with one that will brighten their day. Or at least have them…

Singing in the

Rain!

July 2011

Reduced Affiliation Fees!

Avoya Travel has reduced its affiliation fees from $495, to NOW $195! Be a part of the most successful home-based network in the industry.

We are committed to helping independent travel agencies live a lifestyle of success and are looking for passionate experts that sell cruises, tours, and vacation packages, and who run their businesses with Integrity and ProfessionalismTM.

• Offered 24/7, Live Leads™ enable travel professionals to focus on selling to new and repeat customers, earning top tier commissions, and living a lifestyle of success.

• Live Leads are sent via the phone, Internet, and now text message to only one Independent Affiliate per lead based on their expertise and performance.

• Choose what you want your agency to sell, specialize in what you’re good at selling, and have the freedom to focus on your clients – we’ll take care of the rest.

Ready to Grow Your Travel Business?

888-426-6184 www.JoinAvoya.com CST# 2016664-10 | Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No ST36781

28

Selected Host Agencies

H o s t

Amadeus North America, Inc.

Corporate Site:

9250 NW 36th Street

www.ctptravelservices.com

Miami, Florida 33178

Leisure site:

(888) AMADEUS

www.rennerttravel.com

E-mail: salesinquiries@amadeus.com

L i s t i n g

www.amadeus.com

Corporate Travel/The Travel Center

Amadeus North America’s Canadian

West Coast:

14 Duncan Street, Suite 301

1102 N. Brand Blvd. #50

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Glendale, CA 91202

M5H 3G8

(818) 241-6746 • Fax: (201) 994-0652

(888) 611-5554

East Coast: 5 Jefferson Place

AuthorizedAgents 30230 Rancho Viejo Rd., Suite 110 San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 (800) 684-3260 E-mail: info@authorizedagents.com www.AuthorizedAgents.com Avoya Travel/American Express 5201 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 900 Miami, FL 33126

Moonachie, NJ 07074 (800) 870-9345 • Fax: (201) 994-0652 E-mail: travelcenter@juno.com www.thetravelcenterusa.com CruiseBrothers.com 950 Wellington Ave Cranston, RI 02910

Design Travel Inc. 2168 Lake Shore Circle Arlington Heights, IL 60004 Satellite Location: Sheraton Chicago Northwest Hotel (847) 577 7930 • Fax: (847) 577 7917 E-mail: travel@dtmgi.com www.dtmgi.com

2151 LeJeune Road Ste. 300 Coral Gables, FL 33134 (866) 703-5244 E-mail: info@luxurytravelnetwork.com www.luxurytravelnetwork.com

U.S. /Canada: (888) 447 8459

(800) 827-7779 x 721

Montrose Travel

International: 001-760-305-5070

E-mail: steve@cruisebrothers.com

E-mail: Contact@JoinAvoya.com

www.cruisebrothers.com

2349 Honolulu Ave. Montrose, CA 91020 (800) MONTROSE • (818) 553-3200 Fax: (626) 294-9109 E-mail: andi@montrosetravel.com Home Based Agent Program

www.JoinAvoya.com

Cruises-N-More 610 Crescent Executive Court,

Travel Planners International

2500 Maitland Center Parkway, Incentive Connection Travel Suite 230 13029 North Cave Creek Road Maitland, FL 32751-4174 Phoenix, AZ 85022 (800) 730-6392 • (321) 422-7738 (602) 867-9606 • Fax: (602) 867-9216 E-mail: sales@tpionline.com E-mail: harvey@ictravel.com www.TravelAgentFromHome.com www.ictravel.com Travel Quest Luxury Travel Network 6597 Laketowne Place, Ste. A

(401) 941-3999 x 721

www.AvoyaTravel.com

Stevens Travel Management 119 West 40th Street, 14th Floor New York, NY 10018 (800) 275-7400 • Fax: (212) 696-0591 E-mail: hostagency@stevenstravel.com www.stevenstravel.com

Albertville, MN 55301 (800) 392-6484 • Fax: (815) 572-0113 E-mail: bonnie@travelquestonline.com www.tqagents.com Trip Professionals 400 N.Commerce Parkway, Suite 105 Weston, FL 33326 (877) TRIP-PRO • (954) 714-3260 Fax: (954) 733-5424 E-mail: info@rrtrippro.com www.tripprofessionals.com

Brentwood Travel Service

Suite 220

UNIGLOBE

1022 Executive Parkway

Lake Mary, FL 32746

1199 West Pender Street, Suite 900 Vancouver, BC, V6E 2R1 CANADA (604) 718-2600 E-mail: info@uniglobetravel.com www.uniglobetravel.com

St. Louis, MO 63141 (800) 527-1059 • Fax: (314) 439-5757 E-mail: sturner@brentwoodtravel.com www.brentwoodtravel.com Coral Sands Travel "America's Host Agency" 1165 Riverbend Drive LaBelle, FL 33935 (866) 481-4678 • Fax: (407) 479-3461 E-mail: host@coralsandstravel.com

www.join.mtravel.com Company Web site (407) 771-4454 • Fax: (407) 771-00077 www.MontroseTravel.com (800) 733-2048 E-mail: info@cruises-n-more.com www.cruises-n-more.com Cruise Planners 3300 University Drive, Suite 602 Coral Springs, FL 33065 (888) 582-2150 • Fax: (954) 344-0875

OASIS

E-mail: franchising@cruiseplanners.com

4800 Federal Hwy Boca Raton, FL 33431 800-613-8380 PH 561-393-7622 Fax E-mail: kelly@oasisagent.com www.OASISAgent.com

www.betterthanahost.com

www.coralsandstravel.com CruiseShipCenters Int'l Inc./ Corporate Travel Planners &

Nexion® 6225 N. State Hwy 161, Suite 450 Irving, TX 75038 (800) 747-6813 E-mail: sales@nexion.com www.nexion.com

Just Cruises & Vacations

Rennert Travel

400-1055 West Hastings St.

(An American Express Affiliate)

Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9 Canada

OutsideAgents.com

8030 Phillips Highway, Suite 13 (604) 685-1221 • Fax: (604) 685-1245 Jacksonville, FL 32256 (866) 822-1000 San Antonio, TX 78213 (904) 739-2224 • (866) 208-5604 E-mail: careers@cruiseship.com ( 830) 964-2464 E-mail: chad@outsideagents.com E-mail: pketchum@ctptravelservices.com www.cruiseshipcenters.com www.outsideagents.com 1919 NW Loop 410; Suite 200:

If you are a host agencies and not on this list please E-mail tap.com@verizon.net

Wyllys Professional Travel 132 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, Fl 33134 (305) 442-2008 • (800) 3WYLLYS Fax: (305) 441-0945 E-mail: wyllyst@wyllys.webmail.com www.wyllystravel.com YourNameTravel.com (ToGoAway Travel Network) 825 West Jackson Plaza Morton, IL 61550 (800) 207-8383 • (309) 266-8000 Fax: (309) 266-8384 E-mail: mail@togoaway.com www.YourNameTravel.com

July 2011

Showcase

Ethnic Travel Presents A growing, profitable niche for North American travel agencies, according to new Amadeus report Report analyzes market opportunities and business drivers for agencies serving ethnic and heritage travelers in the U.S. and Canada. Amadeus offers solutions package tailored to the unique needs of North American ethnic travel agencies Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, has released a new report focused on the growing niche of ethnic and heritage travel and the emerging business opportunities it presents for travel agencies in North America.

The Amadeus report, “Understanding Ethnic Travel Agencies’ Cost Drivers and Business Optimization Opportunities,” takes an in-depth look at ethnic travel trends and travelers; explores the various business models of various types of ethnic agencies; and identifies opportunities for them to optimize their business and serve their clients.

“With the foreign-born population in the U.S. at 38 million people, ethnic travel is an area that is positioned to significantly increase. This presents a potentially profitable opportunity — but one that comes with unique business and technology needs — for travel agencies who want to serve this growing niche group of travelers,” said Tom Cates, Chief Commercial Officer for Amadeus North America. “This report, along with Amadeus’ unique solutions package, is aimed at helping travel agencies better understand and position their services and business efforts to capitalize on the ethnic travel segment.”

For the purposes of the report, an “ethnic travel agency” is defined as

one primarily serving foreign-born individuals who are part of particular ethnic groups traveling to and from their native country to visit family or friends. Ethnic travel agency owners and agents are also likely to come from the same background as their customers. Ethnic travel agencies are predominantly located in U.S. metropolitan areas and within ethnic communities.

Cates said although the focus was on U.S. ethnic travel agencies, many of the recommendations in the report hold true for any travel agency. The study reveals that ethnic travel agencies could benefit from: • Increasing sales of high-margin, non-air products like hotels, car rentals and packages • Diversifying their destination offers to seize the opportunity of attracting and retaining 2nd and 3rd generations of ethnic travelers • Establishing an online booking engine as a complementary sales channel to offline efforts • Tracking marketing expenditures so the agency can redirect their dollars to the most cost-efficient and profitable channels • Utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) tools so the agency can increase revenues by offering products based on their clients’ preferences, while also tracking customer satisfaction and marketing activity • Capitalizing on distribution automation delivering broad content and business efficiencies

There are currently 38 million foreign-born individuals living in the U.S., comprising nearly 13% of the total population, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Latin American immigrants account for 54% of this population, with Mexico being the main country of origin. People migrating from Asian countries account for 27%, with China, the Philippines, and India accounting for 51% of that group. New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, and Washington D.C. have the highest foreign-born populations, accounting for almost 50% of the total foreign-born population in the US. In the report, Amadeus identifies that there are currently over 1,000 ethnic travel agencies in North America, with approximately 80 percent in the U.S. and 20 percent in Canada.

Amadeus offers a tailored portfolio for ethnic travel agencies “The Amadeus Ethnic & Heritage Travel Specialist package to help these specialty agencies maximize their business and the services they provide to their clients so they can keep up with the demand,” said Cates.

The unique solutions package incorporates the Amadeus Selling Platform, with time-saving tools and high-value GDS and non-GDS content to help an agency expand its offering and serve its clients.

To find out more about Amadeus please go to www.amadeus.com To visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please go to www.investors.amadeus.com

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