When dealing with customers in the luxury travel segment, you have to provide answers to the many questions that will arise with regard to a particular product or a destination. Product knowledge is a given if you even want to contemplate serving this market. To succeed in selling luxury ...

The top tier of the leisure travel industry has undergone a renaissance over the past 18 months. When the economy went south in late 2008, the luxury segment was hit hardest as the well-heeled looked at their suddenly reduced bottom lines and stayed home. But as is often ...

Travel Agent Academy’s redesign includes exciting features and a sweepstakes

TravelAgentAcademy.com, the interactive online educational site, just got even better. A total redesign now makes it easier than ever to find the courses you want to take and to keep track of your progress. As part of the relaunch ...

Luxury lines use incentives to get their market coming back strong

It’s been an up-and-down year-and-a-half for the luxury cruise segment. On the plus side were some fabulous new ships, the first on the luxury side in years. However, the additional capacity came during very tough economic times.

Make more high-end hotel bookings with this expert advice

The global economy is staging a comeback, although a slow and somewhat tentative one. Regardless, companies in the luxury accommodations sector are still debuting new properties, including the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit (www.sofitel.com),  Kempinski Nile Hotel (www.kempinski.com)  and the ...

Upscale tour clients are still seeking value, but the experience is the main thing

The luxury travel market, the most reliable tier for providing a good income for travel retailers in recent years, is back, but with some adjustments. The financial collapse of 2008 and 2009 has left a ...

Regent Seven Seas’ Mark Conroy on the state of the upscale market and more

Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas, is a veteran cruise executive who has his finger on the pulse of the luxury market today. His three-ship company—which includes Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator and Voyager—has developed ...

How to sell the amenity-packed new Norwegian Epic

Norwegian Cruise Line’s 153,000-ton Norwegian Epic, scheduled for a July 2 christening, is ushering in a host of innovations for the cruise industry, including staterooms aimed at solo travelers, the largest spa at sea and headline entertainment. The ship has attracted ...

Blount Small Ship Adventures is enhancing its products and ties with agents

American Canadian Caribbean Line, a family-owned company that operates three small ships, is changing its name to Blount Small Ship Adventures. The new name is a tribute to the late Luther Blount, who founded the line ...

Cunard’s Queen Victoria delivers regal elegance and royal indulgences at sea

As passengers board Cunard’s Queen Victoria they’re greeted by a pianist playing classical music in an ornate three-story atrium. This Grand Lobby has two spiral staircases, gleaming mahogany railings, and circular balconies surrounded by etched-glass panels. This instant ...

Genoa’s spirit and historic sites call for pre- and post-cruise stays

Genoa is not only one of Italy’s busiest ports, but it’s also a fascinating destination that deserves much greater tourist attention than it usually receives. Particularly for clients taking Mediterranean cruises, you should consider adding several pre- or ...

Communication Coach gives you the training to hone your selling skills

Cruise Planners/American Express has introduced Communication Coach, an online coaching program that helps its home-based agents improve their sales skills. The program lets you practice your responses to various scenarios that you may encounter so that when ...

CLIA and cruise line training programs are designed to help you sell more

Last year, more than 11,000 travel agents enrolled in online and classroom training and certification programs with CLIA. They took 19,000 exams. Over 15,000 agents are currently certified as Accredited, Master or Elite Cruise Counsellors (ACC, ...

Starwood followed its Sheraton makeover with a multimillion dollar marketing campaign

In October, Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced a $6 billion worldwide investment to revitalize the Sheraton brand, including an investment of $2 billion in new hotels overseas and more than $4 billion in new hotels, renovations and signature ...

Eduardo Vela discusses his growing portfolio of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico

In November 2008, Eduardo Vela, founder and chairman of the Velas Group of Mexico, opened his fourth all-inclusive, luxury resort in Mexico. The 491-room Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort Riviera Maya is also Vela’s first property ...

This newly refurbished st. lucia resort offers reclusive stays for couples

Last November tourism to St. Lucia got a boost when the refurbished Rendezvous resort made its debut. Now known as Rendezvous, the Boutique Hotel for Couples, the all-inclusive, 100-room property went through a $15 million renovation that included ...

The Trump Waikiki features luxury suites and amenities along with panoramic views

Waikiki’s skyline got its latest addition last fall with the opening of the über-luxury Trump International Hotel & Tower Waikiki Beach Walk. The 38-story urban resort is located a short walk from the beach and within reach ...

Lynda Johnson found her niche by combining experience and education 

Luxury hotels can cost $500 or more per night, generating commissions that add up fast. If you make those bookings by using preferred-supplier agreements through your affiliation with an agency marketing group, franchise or consortium, your commissions can rise ...

The hotel giant hopes to lure agents with a revamped website and booking incentives

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has upgraded its website, www.hyatttravelagents.com, which is designed to be a source of everything a travel agent needs to know about Hyatt in order to sell it. And to give you ...

Greaves Tours delivers customized experiences of this exotic destination

To those in the know, Greaves Tours is the ultimate FIT operator to India. Named as a top India specialist by Condé Nast Traveler and a preferred supplier to Virtuoso, the luxury travel network, Greaves specializes in the Indian ...

Dennis Pinto of Micato Safaris sees business looking up as the World Cup approaches

Dennis Pinto, managing director of Micato Safaris, has responsibility for Micato’s USA operation, marketing safaris to his family’s home country of Kenya, as well as to other countries in East Africa and to India. Vacation ...

Globus’ Client Concierge gives managers details on their customers

Globus family of brands has introduced Client Concierge, a new tool that gives agency owners and managers round-the-clock access to client and reservation data through the Globus travel agent portal (www.globusfamilypartner.com).  

Globus has provided this information to ...

If you’ve been reading the column space for the past six years, you’ve benefited from the wisdom of Robert (Bob) E. Whitley, president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA). As many of you know, Bob unfortunately passed away at age 66 on May 13.

We here at Performance ...

The island offers attractions for culture diggers, art lovers and history buffs

Oahu is best known for Waikiki Beach, with its high-rises, nightly entertainment, shopping venues for everything from local crafts to designer clothing and accessories, and dining options that range from casual beach bars to gourmet restaurants. ...

How to match your clients to the right property in las vegas

Hotels are a major part of the travel decision-making process, and nowhere is that fact more important than in Las Vegas, where all of the action—including casinos, fine dining, spas, shopping and entertainment—takes place within the resorts. ...

This small Florida beachside village offers an intimate yet upscale retreat

To the south there’s Miami’s South Beach; to the north there’s Fort Lauderdale. In between, and less than a half hour from both, is Bal Harbour, Florida’s answer to the boutique beach village resort. If your clients are ...

Aruba’s diversity and charm keep most visitors coming back

Apparently, those travelers who acquire a taste for Aruba become devoted to it; the destination boasts a return rate of 60 percent. No island in the Caribbean has a higher number of repeat visitors. Twenty percent of Aruba’s visitors have ...

Tips on how to sell this fascinating country and culture

As travel destinations go, there’s little that Turkey lacks. It has a rich and varied history dating back 10,000 years. It was the home of the Roman Byzantine and Ottoman empires, among many others. It boasts such grand ...

Singapore’s comfort level and new enhancements are luring leisure travelers

“Your Singapore,” the catchphrase of the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) latest branding, hopes to convey that the destination “is an easy place for visitors to follow their own interests,” says Kershing Goh, the STB’s regional director of the Americas. ...

Insider tips for getting top-notch seats at rock-bottom prices

Ah, first class. Plenty of legroom, a glass of champagne, courteous service—what’s not to like? Well, for one thing, the price tag. From the U.S. to Asia, a first-class seat can be $10,000-$12,000. A business-class ticket from the U.S. to ...

These iconic international trains sell themselves to upscale travelers

Just as cruise passengers are often as attracted to the ship as to the destination, the luxury rail traveler is often as attracted to the train. Following is a sampling of legendary luxury trains and a new legend-in-the-making in India. ...

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&K is offering ...