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RETAIL TRAVEL AGENCIES OWE A WARM THANK-YOU TO THE AIRLINES. FOR WHAT? FOR CUTTING MOST AGENCIES OUT OF THE COMMISSION LOOP. DEPRIVED OF GUARANTEED INCOME FROM TAKING TICKET ORDERS, THE […]

THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TRAVEL RETAILERS AND TRAVEL PACKAGERS IN THE PAST YEAR. ECONOMIC DOUBTS, POLITICAL QUESTIONS, WORLD EVENTS AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE ALL HAD AN […]

There are gains to be made by travel agencies, and it's not all in travel. A growing number of savvy agency owners are boosting the bottom line by selling everything […]

Reprinted from Travel Counselor, July/August 2002. Following the first commandment of business requires a change in focus and a willingness to learn more about your clients than any other type […]

This simple slogan has long been the guiding principle for investigative reporters, political campaigners and successful retailers. Neiman-Marcus, Mercedes, Tiffany, Four Seasons and other top-tier brands built grand empires by […]

It used to be that "travel technology" meant the GDSs, a client database, e-mail, the Internet. For some agencies, however, it's a lot more than that. Atlas Travel International, for […]

A resurgence of travel is boosting traffic and yields across all modes--tours, timeshares, air travel, cruises, hotels, car rentals, resorts. The numbers are rising at destinations from Singapore to Switzerland. […]

SO YOU WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE SUPER SUPERSTARS WHO TURN SIX OUT OF EVERY 10 CRUISE PITCHES INTO CRUISE SALES? YOU COULD GO TO GOOGLE AND PLOW THROUGH […]

THE SKY FELL ON MARCH 15, 2002. THAT WAS THE DAY DELTA ANNOUNCED IT WAS ELIMINATING BASE COMMISSIONS FOR MOST TICKET SELLERS. What did travel agency owners do? Some headed […]

The profit potential in selling weddings and honeymoons in Hawaii is no secret. The websites of island visitor bureaus TI have entire sections devoted to wedding products and private wedding […]

It's easy to sell Kauai to a first-time visitor. Point to any Hawaii poster, brochure, or magazine article with lush greenery, cascading waterfalls and empty beaches and you're almost certainly […]

It wasn't long ago that the best reason--maybe the only reason--to join a consortium was the commission overrides. Every sale for a preferred supplier got at least an extra percent […]

Golf is both blessing and curse for agents selling Hawaii. The upside is obvious: With more than 80 courses, Hawaii has more championship fairways and greens open to ordinary players […]

The complete package with a large diversity for tourism offered by Thailand makes it one of the top 3 favourite Asian tourist destinations. They include excellent cultural component, variety of outdoor activities, few wild activities, maximum client satisfaction in Asia, unmatched hospitality, reasonably priced, and variety of delicious cuisines.

The biggest airport terminal in the world isn't big enough. That's the impression one gets walking into the departure level of Bangkok's gleaming new airport. Streams of travelers wheeling luggage […]

Jussi Salmela is adamant about adding personal time to business trips. A pharmaceutical industry career has taken him from Helsinki, Finland, to New Jersey, Copenhagen and Tokyo, where he is […]

FLASH BACK TO 1993. AIRLINES PAID COMMISSIONS ON EVERY TICKET. MOST TRAVEL AGENTS SAT BEHIND AN AGENCY DESK FILLING ORDERS FOR CLIENTS WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR. AND IATA, THE […]

JEFF MERRITT IS A LONG-TIME BELIEVER IN CONSORTIA. HE WAS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF CORPNET, AN EARLY CONSORTIUM THAT HIT ITS ZENITH IN THE 1980S. IN 1991, HE JOINED AMERICAN […]

Let's get to the bottom line: The Internet can help travel retailers boost Hawaii interest, sales and profits. Agencies that don't use the Web will see their Hawaii business falter. […]

Successful winter travel sellers share a common trait: They sell the destination, not skiing. "There are more things to do at a mountain resort destination in winter than anyone possibly […]

Mountain resorts and skiing. They go together, right? Not necessarily. Many ski resorts are starting to acknowledge a certain reality: Not every winter visitor is a skier. "You really are […]

Multiple personalities help sell Hawaii golf products. That's because the market itself is split into multiple segments, says golf wholesaler Mark Richardson, president of Pacific Golf Adventures in Seattle. Nearly […]

There's no mystery about matching client and activities: Ask what they enjoy. "The very first thing I do is visit with a new client before I ever mention a product" […]

The century-old leisure travel market between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii is still evolving, but marketing and sales strategies have barely budged. Back when hotels in Lahaina and Honolulu first […]

Vietnam's travel industry is seeking to increase demand from the United States market. The industry's growth has been hampered by the lack of hotels in key cities. The decline in US travelers has resulted in lower hotel rates.

The dwindling U.S. economy has proved to be good business for travel to Asia. Asia appears to be a much more reasonable vacation idea as compared to Europe and other destinations.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Most travel agents are turning a blind eye to the scuba dive market, a blindness that costs agents an estimated $1.3 billion in commissionable sales last year. […]

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Post Ranch Inn and Jean-Michel Cousteau opened their first joint-venture resort in Fiji this spring. Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort aims to combine the luxurious atmosphere of […]

CAPE YORK - Ear plugs are essential in Cape York. The broad peninsula, 600 miles north from Cairns and pointing toward Papua New Guinea, is among the emptiest and the […]

Greenland: A Walk on the Wild Side * ILLULISSAT, Greenland - Greenland is promoting its wild, remote scenery to the U.S. consumer and business markets. Remote has been the operative […]

Operator Engineers U.K. Walking Trips YORK - Combine the precision of a NASA engineer with more than 120,000 miles of British walking trails and the result is walking tours that […]

Devil's Island Now Provides an Escape DEVIL'S ISLAND, French Guiana--The stone bench where Alfred Dreyfus pondered his trumped-up treason conviction in the 1890s still stands. So does the solitary confinement […]