Features
Selling authentic travel
"Get real" & earn big profits
When in Rome, as the expression goes, do as the Romans do—which, these days, is catching a fashion
show at the chic Gilda night club.
And when in Hawaii, if you want to do
as the Hawaiians do, you’ll toss aside the grass skirt and instead take the “Hole-in-the-Wall Tour” of Oahu’s best kept culinary secrets.
Travel that’s “authentic,” inspired by local hot spots rather than tourist traps, is the latest trend in leisure travel, according to a recent CNN report. And witness the popularity of shows such as Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel, wherein bad-boy Bourdain travels the world seeking authentic experiences that flutter way off the beaten track.
So don’t be surprised if your customers ask to live like the natives, at least for a week.
This is good news for your business: “authentic” travel can be quite profitable to travel agents. Booking off-the-beaten track excursions like the Oahu tour offers you a generous profit margin. Beyond that, it makes your agency valuable as a source of expertise on local flavor.
This is also good news for your customer. Off beat travel means less congestion and often adds savings to stretch their travel budget.
“By offering a vacation from the tourist traps, your agency can evolve to meet the changing needs of the leisure travel clientele,” said Owen Wild, director of marketing for Amadeus North America. “Trips with an emphasis on authenticity inspire more frequent travel, as your customers begin to acquire a ‘taste’ for exploring local cultures. Smart agents should take note of this lucrative trend as a long-term moneymaker.”
So go ahead—get real. Start suggesting Thailand-bound vacationers take elephant treks in Phuket, or direct them to the Hot Stream and Rain Forest in Krabi. You’ll win loyalty and big commissions in the process.
New hotels report 
Study reveals emerging trends
Imagine checking into a hotel where the front desk attendant sends a barcode to your mobile phone, which acts as your virtual room key.
Or picture yourself sitting on a subway,
viewing an ad for a dream vacation—and then being able to book the trip from your mobile phone or handheld device.
These scenarios aren’t “sneak peaks” from an upcoming Sci-fi movie. Rather, they represent the future of the hotel industry, according to a new Amadeus study that polled 46 global hotel executives to identify the key issues and concerns facing the market.
Three important trends
The study, conducted by Inspire Resources, identifies three key trends that will shape the hotel and hospitality industry over the next year, in the next three to five years, and from 2012 onwards. Over the next three months, we’ll highlight these trends, which include:
- Globalization: Hotel companies are expanding to new, emerging global markets. Populations in these markets are increasingly travelling to international destinations. To address these new travelers’ diverse cultural backgrounds and sensitivities, hotels must expand their staffing capabilities to offer new skills, training and technology.
- Demanding & educated consumers: Guest expectations are rising—and so are their needs, wants and purchasing behaviors. As a result, hotels must capture and use customer data to create personalized, “high-touch” experiences for their guests.
- New technologies: Emerging technologies will help hoteliers identify and address customer needs that drive buying decisions. Web advancements—like 3D, virtual tours and 360-degree panoramas—will become standard, and the miniaturization and mobilization of technology will deliver new tools for booking travel.
Stay tuned to future editions, where we’ll offer insight to help you better understand these trends, so you can translate your knowledge into business-building opportunities.
To download a free copy of the report, click here.
Concerned about the economy?
Travel agents can still earn $$$
 Everywhere we turn it seems, political
candidates, pundits and the general public are engaged in heated debate over the state of the economy.
Whether tough economic times have touched your workplace or not, one thing is certain: the belt-tightening is far from over.
So what can travel professionals do to keep their businesses humming—and keep customers coming through their doors—during the worst of economic times? Here are a few helpful suggestions:
7 ways to bring in the biz:
|
| |
1. Encourage local travel. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy said,
“If I am going to go looking for my heart’s desire, I won’t go any further than my own back yard.” Travel agencies can help their customers book long weekends, mini-vacations and local tours in nearby areas, says Jolene Iredale, a product manager for Amadeus Activities & Entertainment, an online booking resource for Amadeus travel agents that offers travel guides and thousands of bookable travel products in over 400 destinations. Iredale also suggests “one tank trips” to local tourist attractions, restaurants and other destinations your customers may have overlooked—but now can’t afford to miss!
2. Suggest budget accommodations and activities. Look for budget hotels that offer discounted amenities. Penny-pinching ideas include taking advantage of free continental breakfasts, using the hotel pool instead of paying for off-site water parks, booking beachfront hotels with free umbrellas and chairs, and requesting discounts at hotel restaurants and nearby shopping areas. Other amenities worth suggesting: complimentary shuttles, coupon books, discounted tour packages and frequent visitor programs.
3. Encourage off-season or shoulder-season vacations. Traveling during non-peak times can offer advantages like cheaper rates, fewer tourists, better deals and greater selection. According to CAPC Debt Management, the first thing the average family cuts back on during a recession is travel. Therefore, lower demand translates into increased hotel, car and cruise inventory, meaning you can offer the lowest rates! In particular, look for hot spots like Florida, Hawaii and Mexico during the off-season.
4. Trips with extended family or groups of friends. Suggest your client split the car rental bill, gas, food and hotels costs by traveling with friends or family. The result is a half-price vacation and quality time spent with people they love.
5. Vacation around a work-related trip. Have a client who has to go to Orlando or Vegas on business? Why not suggest they bring the family along and stay a few days longer—turning that business trip into a vacation?
6. Push for “dollar-savvy” destinations. Ask your clients to consider travelling to destinations where the US dollar is strong, such as Argentina; or choosing better values such as Austria or Germany over countries like Switzerland and France.
7. Keep on marketing. When a recession hits, many companies make the mistake of cutting back on marketing or foregoing it all together. This opens a window for your competitors to capture awareness—at your expense. |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
In summary, it’s all in how you spin it. Recessions don’t have to cause excessive belt-tightening for travel agents or their customers. Rather, they offer new opportunities for investment, creativity, marketing and spending more time with loved ones—either close to home or far away (but during the off-season!) Your ability to help customers weather the storm today will deliver big rewards when the tough times pass.
Amadeus gives back
Trade show visitors swap tchotchkes for charitable donations
It’s time we all ‘fessed up. Whether
it’s CLIA, ASTA, the Vacation.com Conference or the Industry Event
of the Year—we’ve all been swept away by the impulse to collect those useless trinkets, toys and tchotchkes … shoving them into bulging bags, packing them into overstuffed suitcases, and dutifully reminding ourselves we must “bring something back for the folks at home.”
Yet in reality, most of these relics end up in the “circular file”—a reminder of needless excess, expense and waste.
For the global good
Amadeus chose to buck the “giveaway trend” in favor of something new, the “Global Citizen” concept.
“We wanted to show Amadeus as a responsible global entity, acting locally to everyone we came in contact with during our trade shows,” said Tom Cates, chief commercial officer, Amadeus North America.
According to Cates, Amadeus distributed ‘For the Global Good’ blue bracelets and stickers at its exhibit, giving each attendee an opportunity to become a global citizen.
Each person who entered the Amadeus booth was able to make a donation to the charity of his or her choice through an online charity calculator. Amadeus not only paid an initial donation on behalf of each donor, but also matched the amount raised at each trade show. A total of $10,610 was donated during a four-city effort.
“This program offered a tremendous opportunity for Amadeus to extend the proverbial ‘olive branch’ to our customers and the world—and to create good karma that enabled us all to become better global citizens,” Cates concludes.
|
