talking shop IN THE NEWS Crystal’s bespoke agents campaign Crystal Cruises has launched a new
trade campaign that rewards travel agents with increased commission and better targets their 'needs' by offering more personal contact and the chance to voice their selling queries. Now any agent booking a new-to-
Crystal guest will receive a two per cent additional commission. In addition, the booking agent will
receive £50 as a 'thank you', and any agent who has never – or rarely – worked with Crystal before will receive a one per cent 'uplift' in commission and a guaranteed place on a ship visit either in the UK or in Europe. A new ‘business advisor’ is to be
appointed to deal specifically with new- to-Crystal agents, giving them a single point of contact who will answer their individual needs. To be launched in the early summer,
the Crystal Cruises’ Supper Club will be a small focus group that will meet on a regular basis across the UK. Crystal staff
OUT AND ABOUT Agents got to network with
Namibia in April at an event organised by the Namibia Tourism Board, Air Namibia and the Royal Geographical Society. Held at London’s prestigious Royal Geographical Society, more than 50 members of the trade attended as well as media and consumers who enjoyed lectures by Namibia experts.
Last month (April) Yosemite Mariposa Tourism Bureau and partners hosted an evening for agents and product managers keen to learn more about the California destination over some food and drinks. Pictured L-R are: Jeff Hentz, director, Yosemite Mariposa Tourism Bureau; prize winner Suzanne Owen, TUI; Kevin Shelton, Yosemite Resorts and Gene Hagberg, DNC Parks & Resorts.
Gold rush for agents selling Antigua
The Antigua and Barbuda
Tourism Authority has launched the 2011 exclusive ‘Summer Gold’ card, with the chance for agents to cash in too. Agents can win anything from a pair of
will meet with agents over dinner and receive feedback on how Crystal can help them. These dicussions will help Crystal shape its UK marketing. Crystal will continue with its online training, customised point of sale and roadshow events, as well as its ‘Sell Three, Sail Free’ promotion, under which an agent selling three staterooms
on any Crystal sailing will receive a free cruise for themselves and a guest. Andy Harmer, Crystal's UK director
of sales and marketing said: “We’re hugely supportive of both existing and new agents, which is reflected by the fact that we don’t encourage direct bookings from consumers.”
www.crystalcruises.co.uk
AITO All Stars up their game AITO Specialist Travel Agents
reported an overall sales increase of 13 per cent in March compared with the same month in 2010. These figures come via the AITO All
A BRIGHT Workshop in York last
month (April) saw independent agents meet operators such as Kirker Holidays, Viking River Cruises and Cox & Kings. Pictured are Maggie Binnington and Helen Yates, Wallace Arnold Travel, with Jonathan Whiteley of 1st Class Travel. The next events are in Edinburgh and Glasgow (May 17 and 18) and London on June 22. See:
www.brightconsortia.com.
Travel Indochina and Travel 2
are inviting UK agencies to hold consumer evenings. The operators will provide inspiring presentations, Q&A sessions, Asian nibbles and drinks. Interested agencies should contact northern-based Richard Swain at
richards@travelindochina.co.uk or southern-based Pat Chase at
patrickc@travelindochina.co.uk.
62 May 2011 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
Stars incentive scheme, which rewards members for booking AITO holidays with monthly prizes, and an ongoing league table of top-booking agents. The top prize on offer is a luxury Caribbean fam trip. Following news that online travel industry sales in the UK fell by two per cent in March, chairman of AITO Specialist Travel Agents, Oliver Broad, commented: "It's fantastic to see AITO agents buck current trends and achieve this level of success. It demonstrates that customers are choosing to book with independent specialist travel agents and operators, whether for their expert knowledge or the financial protection of an AITO holiday.” The eight best-selling agents between
January and June 2011 will win a VIP trip to the Caribbean in autumn, courtesy of ITC Classics.
www.aitoagents.com
CA SuperFam is back – get set!
The California SuperFam will
return this Autumn (September 15-23). Visit California and British Airways will take 60 lucky agents out to experience the Golden State first-hand, with four groups following action-packed itineraries in the Mountains, Northern California, The Central Coast and Southern California, before reuniting at a fantastic finale party (location TBC). To take part, register your BA bookings
to California made before July 31 on the California Superfam microsite. Each booking is counted as a separate entry but agents who complete the California Expert online training programme (www.
californiaexpert.travel) have more chances to win the fam and other prizes.
www.visitcalifornia.co.uk/superfam
JLS tickets to a fam to the Caribbean islands. They must book an Antigua holiday that departs between June 1 and September 30 2011 and request an Antigua Summer Gold card for their client. Bookings must be submitted by June 1 2011 – and the more bookings, the better the chance of winning. Summer Gold card holders benefit
from exclusive discounts at over 20 participating companies, saving up to £1,300 on restaurants and activities. The card is valid for use between June 1 and September 30 2011 for adults aged over 18. Sign your clients up at:
www.antiguasummergold.com
Missed out on the fun? Read our fam trip reports!
Get more out of
SellingLongHaul.com by accessing our archive of destination supplements and fam trip reports, including California and Israel
BMI PUBLISHING/ LAURA GELDER
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68