Value and budget are two key words that are top of mind for today’s traveler. Everyone is looking for value for their money, but not necessarily for the cheapest deal out there. That’s important to remember as you provide recommendations in this deal-crazy environment. Those deals—both real and imagined—create a ...

As noted in our cover story starting on page 60, the economic downturn of the past year and a half has done nothing to slow down growth in the all-inclusive resort segment. We’re seeing new properties and new brands as consumers embrace the pay-once-upfront concept. But it’s not just ...

Puerto Rico Travel Experts close more sales

Puerto Rico has launched a new ad slogan, “See the Islands of Puerto Rico,” as well as a new logo and website (www.SeePuertoRico.com).  The theme of the new slogan is built on a photographer’s view of the destination. Some fifty years ...

Celebrity cruises launches a virtual Xpo to spike your sales

Celebrity Cruises has gone virtual, inviting you to log on to the Celebrity Cruises Virtual Xpo, currently available on demand for free at www.CelebrityCruises

VirtualExpo.com. The “live” event took place on March 25, with thousands ...

Oceania’s Frank Del Rio oversees his newbuild and his company’s future

Frank Del Rio is chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings, which owns Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. He recently chatted with Vacation Agent during a trip to the Fincantieri shipyard near Genoa, Italy, to see ...

Celebrity’s eclipse enters service this month with its own personality

Celebrity Cruises’ new Eclipse, scheduled to enter service April 26, is a sister ship to the popular Solstice and Equinox but will break new ground in several ways. Vacation Agent got a sneak peek at the 122,000-ton, 2,850-passenger Eclipse ...

Voyages to Antiquity follows the history of the Mediterranean

Voyages to Antiquity is a new cruise line that will trace the beginnings of civilization in the Mediterranean, but you can feel confident in comparing it to the old Orient Lines, which sent small, comfortable ships to interesting places.

CLIA’s robust new website motivates consumers and empowers agents

CLIA has transformed its website (www.cruising.org),  overhauling the sections for consumers and travel agents. The site is now more evocative and dynamic. The homepage has alternating views of beautiful cruise ships, ranging from mega-liners to river cruisers. The consumer ...

CLIA celebrates 35 years of growth as cruise3sixty approaches

On June 2, as CLIA celebrates its 35th anniversary, all the leaders of the North American cruise industry and well over 1,000 travel agents from across the continent will gather in Vancouver, B.C., for the sixth annual cruise3sixty conference. The following ...

Grow your all-inclusive bookings with just a few tricks of the trade

If there’s one thing the sluggish economy has not slowed down, it’s the all-inclusive resort industry. More and more all-inclusive brands are expanding their portfolios with additional properties and, in some cases, new brands. So no matter ...

 Value-added vacations are increasingly available at non-branded properties

All-inclusive resort stays are ideal for travelers who want to know the total cost of the trip upfront and can budget for that amount. But booking this type of travel experience for clients doesn’t limit them to a resort that specializes ...

Get up to speed on the major resort companies in Mexico and the Caribbean

“All-inclusive” is a term that has come to have as many different meanings are there are Caribbean and Mexican beaches. How it is defined can depend on the traveler, the location and, of course, ...

The new JW Marriott Los Angeles is the focal point of L.A. Live

The opening of the 878-room JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. Live in February marks the final phase of the L.A. Live entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles—well, almost. At press time, the 123-room Ritz-Carlton, ...

Legacy Travel specializes in all-inclusives and fun

When it comes to selling all-inclusives, Legacy Travel is a rock star—a double-platinum rock star, in fact; the company achieved Platinum status with both Funjet Vacations and Apple Vacations this year.

When the Plano, Texas-based agency learned of its achievements, the ...

Tour operators bundle all-inclusives for easy booking

The all-inclusive resort concept is a very powerful revisioning of traditional hotel payment plans that dramatically changes the vacation experience for guests. The all-inclusive-style resort is not for everyone, but the concept can be adapted to a variety of markets. The ...

Ya’lla Tours hit on the right formula to combat the recession

Ten weeks into 2010 Ya’lla Tours—a specialist in Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Turkey, Jordan and Greece—was having its best year ever. “It’s surprising, in one way, but predictable in another way,” says Ronen Paldi, Ya’lla’s president. “Since the summer ...

Jeff Willner of Kensington Tours tells how his company learned to love travel agents

Growing up near the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the Congo, Jeff Willner developed a thirst for exploration. It led to him becoming a Royal Geographic Society Fellow and eventually founding Kensington Tours, an operation ...

Travcoa’s online booking engine offers rich and dynamic content

Travcoa, the luxury tour operator that specializes in taking small groups and individuals on highly experiential worldwide trips, has revamped its website, adding an online booking engine and giving it a more dynamic search capability.

You can now ...

USTOA’s history shows its unwavering integrity and dedication

It’s gratifying to look back at the history of USTOA and to realize how our founding principles have served us well through good times and bad—and even through seriously challenging times like those we have recently been through. We wanted ...

What’s new in the major resort and hotel companies in Hawaii

Hawaii offers a multitude of lodging choices, from sprawling beach resorts to boutique city properties. Some are strictly hotel properties, while others are condo hotels, villas or time-shares with units available for vacation rental. While many are independently ...

Beyond the gaming and shows is a plethora of adventures and cultural attractions

Gambling, fine dining, high-end shopping and star-studded shows are the hallmarks of a Las Vegas vacation. But they aren’t the only perks this destination has to offer. A plethora of attractions—particularly outdoor adventures to some of ...

Universal Orlando’s new attraction is set to lure legions of Harry Potter fans

It just happens to be one of the more eagerly anticipated attractions in Florida theme park history—and it’s now set to officially open on June 18. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, located in the Universal ...

Sell Barbados by focusing on its diverse attributes

You may have noticed that Barbados is all over the airwaves these days with its “Long Live Life” campaign, developed by MMG Worldwide. The campaign puts the relaxed persona of the island on display, as it celebrates the island’s history, ...

Cartagena’s beauty and historic ambience invite visitors to savor its many treasures

Perhaps it’s with good reason that Colombia’s current tourism campaign slogan is “The only risk is wanting to stay.” Destinations such as Cartagena de Indias are attracting an increasingly diverse array of international travelers, who find there ...

ASTA’s IDE delegates will discover one of Europe’s most glorious cities

This year Istanbul, Turkey, is a European Capital of Culture, and from April 19-22 it will host ASTA’s International Destination Expo (IDE). Being a capital is nothing new for Turkey, which, over the course of 1,700 years, served ...

The middle east country takes the world tourism stage

The Jordan Tourism Board’s third annual Jordan Travelmart held Feb. 21-23 at the King Hussein Convention Center, Dead Sea, Jordan, was a milestone in that country’s steady climb to build itself as a first-tier tourism destination. Only a few years ...

Transatlantic flights this summer will be more full so deals will be more scarce

The picture is beginning to brighten, relatively speaking, for the airline industry. The International Air Transport Association just cut in half its forecast for the aviation industry’s losses for 2010. It now estimates airlines will ...

Car companies are making environmentally friendly advances

A driving force behind car rental companies’ increasingly eco-friendly strategies is corporate America’s own mandate to go green.

Companies are tackling the problem of calculating and then reducing their carbon footprint, says John Barrows, vice president, corporate communications for Avis. ...

India’s Maharaja’s Express explores the subcontinent in luxury

Trains are powerful icons in the saga of modern Indian history. Palatial stations (as in Mumbai) affirmed British authority in the days of the Raj, and deep-rooted images of the Indian peasantry riding on the roofs of Victorian club cars still ...

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 ...