5
Competitions linked to training ramped up, with Royal Caribbean International claiming a coup with an Asian adventure for 10 winners of its Fortune Awaits competition. Entrants had to complete Royal Caribbean’s new Online Travel Training (OTT) course on how to sell East Asia cruises, plus a photo challenge with specially branded Royal Caribbean chopsticks. Winning agents scooped a place on a trip to Shanghai in China with a four-night cruise to the tropical island of Okinawa in Japan on Spectrum of the Seas. More than 300 agents completed the new course.
6 7 9 10 50 50 November 2 r 2025
Agents saw earning opportunities rise with Riviera Travel’s decision to start paying commission on previously exempt elements, including additional upgrades and other ancillary add-ons such as extra baggage, pre-booked seats and priority boarding. Commission was extended to all sole occupancy supplements, room and flight upgrades and extras such as personalised holiday experiences.
8
Agent fam trip
winners on Spectrum of the Seas
Online training went sky-high with Virgin Atlantic’s new trade training portal The Hangar, designed to boost agents’ knowledge and let them earn more rewards. Part of the airline’s training platform the Sky High Club, The Hangar features bite-sized modules so agents can dip in and out of training and earn points to redeem on flights and lifestyle rewards. The carrier described The Hangar as a “one-stop hub”, with details about Virgin Atlantic’s cabin classes, codeshares, route network, joint venture with Delta Air Lines and other partnerships. The airline also introduced the AIRmazing Awards to further recognise the achievements of its agent partners.
Do Something Different’s parent company Attraction Tickets pledged to give £1 million in bonuses to its 128 staff as it transitioned to employee ownership this year. The UK’s largest seller of theme park ticket and hotel packages believed it was the biggest travel company in the country to become an Employee Ownership Trust, in a transaction valued at £41 million.
Tour operators homed in on improvements by tech providers to make selling easier. Gold Medal made its flight inventory accessible in all TProfile applications, saying it would allow agents to provide quicker, more accurate quotes. Travelsphere made its 89 itineraries available on TProfile, helping agents create tailored quotes. Continued investment in Vertical Systems’ cruise search engine and quoting system vCruise was credited with helping Vertical Travel Group increase cruise sales by 23% in the first half of 2025, while Latin Routes’ new online marketing trade hub offered more downloadable sales documents. Technology provider RateHawk has been busy: the last year has seen new partnerships with Hays Travel Group and Elite Travel Group, among others, to expand RateHawk’s reach among the trade.
The Travel Corporation pledged “substantial investment” in tech to support agents as part of a global growth plan for its touring and cruise divisions. The plan involved an expanded on-the-road sales team; a new inside sales team to bring in more partners; investment in its agent portal; white-label tie-ups; and the provision of API links to partners to make accessing tour brands and river cruise bookings “as seamless as possible”. A dedicated sales marketing function was also created. Software company Widgety, meanwhile, upgraded its cruise-and-tour search widget to help agents build more bespoke pre and post-cruise itineraries, and collaborated with European river cruise operator Viva Cruises to boost the line’s UK trade sales.
globetravelawards.co.
co.uk
PICTURES: Shutterstock/frantic00; Royal Caribbean
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