For those of you who have ever taken a river cruise, I bet you’re officially hooked. They’re a great way to explore a variety of places, from Europe to Asia to the American Pacific Northwest. For most Americans a river cruise is something of an emerging product, even though river ...

When I first starting covering the cruise industry in 1995 or so, river cruising was in its infancy in North America. I remember doing one of my first major stories on river cruising, and I interviewed Serba Ilich, who then ran Uniworld, one of the few suppliers selling cruises on ...

Client interest in the World Cup is just one reason to learn more about South Africa

The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa slated for June 11 through July 11 is a major sporting event, and a big draw for South Africa tourism. It will take place in ...

Attend the Virtual luxury expo on demand to boost your high-end sales

Have you visited Virtual Luxury Expo yet? Don’t miss this opportunity to access advice from top industry experts who can help you jump-start your luxury sales efforts. It’s free, and you can enjoy the show and conference ...

Expert advice on how to sell and market river cruises

Once considered an emerging niche product, river cruising has gone mainstream. Though it existed for decades, primarily short cruises on dayboats as part of longer Europe itineraries, river cruising was really born in 1992. That’s when the Main-Danube Canal ...

A look at new itineraries, ship launches and renovations

River cruising is growing in popularity, as clients who have sailed on large, oceangoing vessels look for new experiences. Despite the economy, and the recent pull-out of one cruise line—Peter Deilmann—from the river cruise segment, international river cruise bookings ...

River cruises continue to be a hot growth market for tour operators

For the past several years it has been common knowledge among the top tour operators that river cruising is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, growth market for them. River cruising rumbled around during the ...

Uniworld’s Guy Young discusses the line’s success and its travel agent relationships

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises has seen steady growth throughout the years, and the company credits much of that success to its partnership with the travel agent community. In fact, it does very little marketing directly to ...

AMA Waterways’ rudi schreiner talks about his company’s latest ship and other news

Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder of AMA Waterways, is a true pioneer in the river cruise industry in North America. He oversaw river cruise operations for Uniworld starting in 1992 and then opened the North American ...

Viking River Cruises’ Torstein Hagen preaches the benefits of river cruising

Torstein Hagen, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Viking River Cruises, has a history with oceangoing cruise lines. He had served as CEO of now-defunct Royal Viking Line and has also served on the boards of Holland America ...

The Paul Gauguin will continue serving luxury clients in french polynesia

The luxury cruise ship Paul Gauguin is remaining in French Polynesia, which is excellent news. For a time, its home was uncertain as it changed hands and a former owner discussed moving the 332-passenger vessel around the world. ...

The upscale Costa Deliziosa exudes unmistakable European flair

Driving through Venice to the cruise terminal to preview Costa Cruises’ newest ship, the Costa Deliziosa, one could notice a customary practice regularly seen along the roads and streets of towns across Europe: busy but otherwise unremarkable roads are lined ...

Bill and Theresa Reinagel favor river cruisingand better commissions

River cruises equal higher profits for Bill and Theresa Reinagel, owners of a Cruise Holidays, based in Williamsburg, Va.

River cruises are more profitable than big-ship cruises on several fronts, according to Bill. The commissions are higher, thanks ...

Consider these Sales-close tips to help you “GTM”

GTM. It means “get the money.” And it can be the hardest part of being a sales agent.

You’ve done the relentless networking, created the clever promotions and arranged the best pricing. But nothing will come from this hard work ...

REPOSITIONING CRUISES ARE A GREAT CHOICE FOR CLIENTS LOOKING FOR EXTRA VALUE

Just over 50 years ago, something happened that was to change vacationing forever. In 1959, more people flew across the Atlantic Ocean than sailed across it on ocean liners. Since then, the modern cruise industry has ...

Hilton is taking its brands to the four corners of the earth

Hilton is expanding its horizons with an aggressively growing portfolio of new and renovated properties both at home and abroad. Plans are in place to increase Hilton’s existing collection of 550 hotels around the world by nearly ...

CHI Hotels’ Glenn Carroll focuses on his company’s products in Europe and beyond

While many luxury lodging companies can’t seem to grow their European portfolios quickly enough, Malta-based CHI Hotels & Resorts is focused on a new Corinthia Hotel in London, slated to open this coming October. But the ...

Marriott’s revamped website places the agent community front and center

Marriott International has redesigned its travel agent website (www.marriott.com/travelagents), basing many of the changes on agent feedback. One of the enhancements enables you to access and view commission statements online.

Previously, only preferred travel agencies could view ...

The Alisal Guest Ranch & resort packs adventure for families

Family clients seeking something different for their vacation will enjoy a stay at the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in Solvang, Calif. It doesn’t matter if they’ve never been on a horse before, all they need is a spirit ...

Barceló is luring families to the mexican resort with its newest Palace property

Last December, Barceló Hotels & Resorts made its debut in the Los Cabos market with the opening of a new Barceló Palace Deluxe property. In a destination traditionally known for its luxury tourism products, it’s ...

Scott Wiseman’s company made early adjustments for the recession to speed its recovery

Scott Wiseman joined Abercrombie & Kent in January 2006 and quickly impressed the A&K management with his quick grasp of all aspects of the business. A year and a half later he was promoted to ...

The tour operator has gained a national presence after expansion in ‘09

Not many travel companies will put down 2009 as a good year. Many will say that they made the most of it, that the economic downturn forced them to sharpen their business skills and maintain stability. But ...

Sceptre tours has pumped up its agent website to help you sell

Sceptre Tours has upgraded its agent website, expanding upon what had been a booking engine with some marketing collateral into a more robust Travel Agent Resource Center (www.sceptretours.com/resource-center).

The new site includes a vacation ...

A Survey of major tour operators reflects optimism

An informal survey of USTOA members found that more than 75 percent of respondents anticipate sales to rise by an average 18 percent in international packaged travel in 2010. Just over 56 percent said they foresee average growth of 10 percent ...

Hawaii boasts a plethora of unique wedding resorts with special packages

Hawaii is an ideal place for destination weddings for several reasons. Among them are year-round warm weather and beachfront resorts that provide not only plenty of indoor event space for nuptials and receptions, but also outdoor venues, including ...

About a third of all river cruise passengers choose the legendary waterway

Lined by castles, palaces, monasteries and historic cities, the Danube River has long cast a romantic spell over travelers—an enchantment that Johann Strauss famously gave form to in his sweeping “Blue Danube” waltz. The romance of the ...

Jodhpur combines fascinating historical sites with a vibrant market

Jodhpur, the second-largest city in Rajasthan after Jaipur, blends fascinating attractions with a welcome ease of access. Smoothly incorporated into most Indian itineraries, Jodhpur has a busy airport and good road connections. And, the city, home to nearly 1.5 ...

One of Asia’s historic and cultural waterways impacts the market

Things are happening on the Mekong River, as travelers are increasingly seeing it as a convenient and in-depth way to explore the countries of the former French Indochina. Though Americans mostly associate the Mekong with the Vietnam War, ...

Online access in flight is really starting to take off

Increasingly, your customers can be online while in flight. For many of us, that’s a boon. It makes all that in-flight time more productive—a way to catch up on work, clear your desktop and increase your personal time ...

With three top brands, this company helps you target different markets

Nearly three years ago Enterprise Rent-A-Car purchased Vanguard Car Rental, parent company of the Alamo and National brands. Industry observers wondered just how Enterprise, largely known as a local and replacement car rental firm, intended to position ...

The Orient-Express family of products still inspires the romance of travel

The iconic name Orient-Express first showed up in 1883 on the rails between Paris and Istanbul. It has remained one of travel’s most powerful brands since that time. The name still conjures up an Edwardian romance unsullied by ...

Suppliers wishing to have their fam published in Vacation Agent must submit the information to Mimi Kmet at mimik@pmgemail.com  at least three months prior to the departure date of a fam tour or the expiration date of a fam rate.

Abercrombie & Kent

A Costa Rica fam ...