THE SECTION JUST FOR AGENTS INSIDE...
60 Wise Counsel Barbara Charlton shows she can be a counsellor in several senses of the word
61 My Recent Holiday to The USA's South with Claire Robbins of Chew Valley Travel. A drive through swamps and levees to reach space and Elvis
64 Out & About TIPTO launches its new website, plus Contiki winners, a new Collette Worldwide campaign and ABTA column
NEWS
62 Travel Uni All the latest travel training news, including incentives and fam trip opportunities
We Value Agents!
Check out the We're Backing Agents campaign offering news, views and interactive chat for agents. Be a part of it - register with the campaign microsite via:
www.shortbreaksholidays.com
Wise up on the web!
Be in the know with Travel Uni. Coming soon... training on the fabulous Seychelles. visit
www.traveluni.com for more...
Win a fam trip to Thailand
Take the Thailand Challenge and you
could win a fam trip to Thailand AND a fantastic 46" 3D Television worth £1750. Just use your creative talents to promote the destination and you could be on your way. Full details see page 11.
THAILAND MARKET ING
CHALLENGE
Agents show that travel is on the up
BY LAURA GELDER Cox & Kings reported 'staggering
sales' last month (February). The operator revealed that among the
hefty bookings made by travel agents was an £80,000 booking to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, a £48,000 booking on the Maharajas’ Express luxury train across India, and a £38,000 booking to Borneo and Tahiti. Cox & Kings had a 'positive 2010' and
saw a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue from agent bookings, with clients spending £625 more per person compared to 2009. Meanwhile, AITO announced its top-
IN BRIEF
Book early for Bermuda savings Bermuda’s Early Booking Offer has
TALKING SHOP appears in every issue of Selling Long Haul. It is your opportunity to tell us and your fellow retailers what you have been up to. Have you been on any fams, attended a conference, hosted a theme evening at your agency or sold an unusual holiday? Or maybe your shop is selling travel a little differently to your competitors? Or do you have a strong view on one of the industry’s burning issues? We want to know!! Please send your news, views and photos to Talking Shop, Selling Long Haul, Suffolk House, George Street, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 1SR Tel: 020 8649 7233 Fax: 020 8649 7234. Or email
steve.hartridge@bmipublishing.co.uk
been extended until March 31 2011. The scheme gives customers $500 off the cost of their holiday for every five nights booked, when travelling between April 1 and December 31 2011. Those who book 10 days receive $1000 off the cost of their summer holiday.
www.bermudaspecialist.co.uk
Get ready for a Destination Dialogue If you haven't yet attended one of our Destination Dialogues here's two more opportunities. Estonia is set for March 30, in the Estonian Embassy, and Italy is earmarked for April 4, in Hesperia Hotel, London Victoria. Expect the usual informative exchange between key suppliers and agents. Email:
julie.baxter@
bmipublishing.co.uk
Boost your commission with Silversea Silversea Cruises is offering agents
£100 bonus commission on all bookings made before March 31 for voyages departing before June 30 2011. Agents can also tempt their clients with
a consumer incentive of up to $1000 shipboard credit in 2011, as well as free flights and transfers too.
www.silversea.com
selling national and regional agents. The top-selling agent prize in its All
Stars incentive scheme went to London- based agent Travel Designers (pictured), with regional recognition for Robert Broad Travel (Central England and the East) and Deva Travel (North of England). AITO's deputy chairman Ted Wake
commented: "AITO All Stars scheme agents saw an overall 11 per cent sales rise in January 2011, so it’s great to recognise and celebrate those agents that contributed the most to such successful figures.”
www.aitoagents.com
Kuoni thinks inside the box
Kuoni has devised a new concept to
help agents better understand their customers' 'needs'. 'Concept boxes' and 'inspirational areas' will be introduced into five UK stores this April. The boxes contain image cards
summing up different holidays on offer – such as a couple on a beach or a destination shot, like Sydney Opera House. On the back is information to help the agent select the right holiday. Derek Jones, of Kuoni, said: “It’s not
a magic box that gives all the answers, but a tool that facilitates dialogue with the customer."
www.kuoni.co.uk
www.sellinglonghaul.com • March 2011 59
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