Selling St. Augustine as a Historical Treasure with a Sunny Spin The U.S. usually isn’t top of mind with travelers interested in exploring centuries-old historical treasures – but there is one town on the continental U.S. that actually has roots in the Renaissance period. And not only does it boast nearly 500 years of history, but it also offers a remarkable culinary scene as well as enough outdoor activities and attractions to keep adventurers busy under the sun for a long while  – plus it has beautiful beaches! The town, of course, is St. Augustine, which, along with Ponte Vedra, forms Florida’s Historic Coast. Read on for ways to entice your clients to spend some time in this area. Adblock test (Why?)

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) took place Thursday, July 28 through Saturday, July 30 at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida.This event brings together elite-level travel advisors and top suppliers from all over the world. It’s a gathering of over 300 industry professionals that many here called “powerful,” “life-changing,” and “the best event ever.”ADVERTISINGTo be eligible to attend travel advisors must meet specific criteria – the biggest being that they must have annual individual sales of at least $1 million or be an owner of a multi-million dollar agency. Trending Now The GTM event, which is put on Northstar Travel Group, provides two days of one-on-one appointments where suppliers come to the travel advisor’s table for a six-minute meeting. It’s designed for both parties to get straight to the point of helping each other grow their businesses.Additionally, suppliers buy into hosting board room presentations where they get 30 minutes to showcase their brand and answer any questions from advisors.“For a decade we have seen instant return on investment for our participating suppliers and advisors, and once again this year, business was booked onsite during our more than 7,000 face-to-face appointments,” said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, Executive Vice President, Travel Group Global Events, Northstar Travel Group. “GTM is professionals, meeting with professionals, and moving their businesses forward. We are so happy to be celebrating this GTM milestone in conjunction with the travel boom that our industry is currently experiencing.”Making Connections To help break the ice and get the attendees to meet new people, everyone was given half of a photo and tasked with finding their match. The matchmaker game, which was sponsored by Tourism Australia, brought advisors and suppliers together in a fun way.The incentive to win a case of wine from Australia by finding your match and posting a photo to social media had attendees hustling to find their match before time ran out.Relationships are everything in the travel industry.Advisors and suppliers here understand the importance of coming together, especially given the circumstances over the last two years.“Whether it's networking with my peers, which I love because you learn so much from people [or] the relationships you build with some of the suppliers, it’s great,” said Phyllis Evenson of Travel Experience. “And in this climate, how things have changed, it's nice to re-connect with the suppliers that you have already met. So, there's just so many levels, it's the networking [and] it's the relationship building.”Michael Gelber, CEO of IWorld of Travel, noted how important GTM is for making new, meaningful connections for him and his business.“In this industry, one of the things I learned about from my father is that you want to have relationships first and then do business second, and I think that's the greatest value of what you get here [at GTM]. You meet people that you want to have relationships with. These are friends, and from there those friendships turn into business, and it's about good business and good relationships. It's not about selling the most, being the most [or] being the biggest, it's about doing the right thing and not always being focused about you, but about us together. It's really, very rewarding.”Growing the Brand The one-on-one appointments coupled with the boardroom presentations help both advisors and suppliers reach new heights for their brands.“I actually just started my business during COVID,” said Shannon Kittner, owner of Main Street and Beyond Travel Company. “I promoted what was open, which was Disney World. Now that everything else is open, I am so excited to be working with all these clients I have built over the last couple of years to promote all these other incredible destinations and suppliers that I am learning about. So just all this knowledge that I'm gaining has been incredible."Monday Evans, owner of Such a Time as This, a Travel Agency, and a member of the GTM Advisory Board, credits this event for the inspiration for her to grow from selling mostly one type of travel to now selling the world.“It’s the best event in the industry,” Evans said. “It provides everything that I need to grow my business, to diversify, and as a matter of fact this is my third GTM and it has just been the catalyst for change in my business. I changed my business name because of GTM, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right here, right now.”Prior to attending GTM years ago, Evans said nearly 80% of her business was selling Disney. Following the event and re-branding her agency to be able to sell more of the world, Evans said Disney is just under 40% of her business. “I’m selling even more of Disney now than I was before, but growing everywhere else,” Evans said.Stephanie Pickles took her business of Pickles Vacations and recently launched her own host agency, Pickles Travel Network, adding over 80 advisors in just two months.“This is helping immensely,” Pickles said when asked how attending GTM will benefit her new endeavor into owning a host agency. “Just getting here and talking to [suppliers], half the people I’ve spoken to so far they’re going to do live trainings with us on a regular basis. I think it’s really going to help with relationships between each of the suppliers and all Pickles Travel Network agents. I’m looking forward to working with these people. I think I’ve found some suppliers that we’ll work with for many, many years to come.”For the suppliers who sponsor a boardroom, it allows them to dive deeper with the advisors on what they have to offer.“It gives you the opportunity to go more in-depth on your policies, updates, changes,” said Shelly Williams, Business Development Manager at ALG Vacations. “Everything has changed since the pandemic so it's really great to be able to have that little extra time than just that one-on-one. The agents have been great here.” Travel advisors ready to learn in Global Travel Marketplace boardroom (photo by Eric Bowman Advisors felt the same way, as Angela Jennings of Travel Clique noted having her peers with her helped lead to a better environment for all.“The boardroom presentations were great as well,” Jennings said. “I like that there are multiple advisors in the room…sometimes they think of questions that I may not have thought of or vice versa, so it's great that you're getting different perspectives from the agents in the room on the same presentation. A lot of the advisors in the room have experience with the suppliers so they're also giving their feedback and saying, ‘yes work with this supplier they're awesome, I’ve had a great experience’ and so on and so forth, so that's also a plus.”Additional HighlightsThe welcome reception on Thursday was sponsored by Visit Lauderdale. It was hosted at the Diplomat Landing across the street.The gorgeous outdoor setting kicked off a weekend of great networking.Breakfast was sponsored by Virgin Voyages on Friday, which ended with children crashing the presentation to protest the fact they can’t sail on the exclusive to adults cruise line.Too funny. Kids interrupt the @VirginVoyages presentation this morning at Global Travel Marketplace to protest that they can't sail on the exclusively adults brand cruise ships. #gtmelite pic.twitter.com/gGv0l3eIiV— Eric Bowman (@EricBowman_) July 29, 2022Lunch on Friday was sponsored by Seabourn, which featured a presentation on the new Seabourn Venture ship. The video of Seabourn’s first purpose-built ultra-luxury expedition ship left the advisors amazed and many continued talking about it through the weekend.The reception on Friday was sponsored by Princess Cruises. The travel industry loves a good party, and the team at Princess Cruises put on an epic evening. (editor’s note: let it be known I was the first to dance!)Breakfast on Saturday was sponsored by Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand, which included T-shirt tosses from the stage to all around the dining room.Lunch on Saturday was sponsored by Visit Anchorage and Alaska Railroad, where one lucky advisor won a FAM trip to Anchorage, Alaska!GTM 2023 will be held May 4-6, 2023 back at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. To learn more about attending GTM in 2023, or its sister event GTM West, click here.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has announced its Board of Directors' newly re-elected Directors-at-large, who will officially begin their second two-year term at the close of ASTA's Global Convention in San Francisco next month. There were three open Director-at-large seats available this year, according to the organization.The newly re-elected national Directors-at-large include Marc Casto, President Leisure Americas, Flight Centre Travel Group; Jackie Friedman, President, Nexion Travel Group and Tiffany Hines, President & CEO, Global Escapes, Inc.ADVERTISING Trending Now Other at-Large Directors returning to the board for the 2022-2023 term include Kelly Bergin, President, Duglin Travel Group; Roger Block, President, Travel Leaders Network; Kareem George, President, Culture Traveler, LLC; Vanessa McGovern, Co-Founder & Chief Sales Officer, Gifted Travel Network and Patricia Thorington, Manager, Plaza Travel.ASTA also announced seven additional Board seats that were either appointed or voted on by a subset of ASTA membership, including CAC Chair Michael Dixon, who is returning to the Board as the CAC Chair and will sit on the Executive Committee for one more year. CAC Vice Chair Kathy Bedell also returns to her role for one more year. Small Business Network Director Rhonda Shumway will serve the second year of her first term while Consortium Director John Werner of the MAST Travel Network will replace Helen Enriquez, representing Ensemble, on the ASTA Board of Directors.Elected Regional Director for the Southeast Eddie Woodham was elected to a second term. Finally, returning Regional Director for the North Central Deb Belchak and returning Regional Director of the Northwest Lynda Phillippi will both serve the second year of their first term.ASTA said that five At-Large seats, one Small Business Director seat and two Regional Director seats on the Board of Directors will be open in 2023.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Master the Oasis Brand in Cancun and Start Matching Your Clients With the Ideal Resort Oasis Hotels & Resorts is the ideal partner for travel advisors selling Cancun, Mexico and the all-new, free, two-chapter Oasis Hotels & Resorts Specialist Program from Travel Agent Academy is the perfect place to master the information and tools needed to effectively sell this beloved all-inclusive brand. Oasis boasts six properties divided among three beautiful resort complexes in Cancun. The impressive portfolio caters to travelers of all backgrounds and interests, including families, couples, groups, singles and even business travelers who can look forward to a plethora of exciting inclusions such as luxe accommodations, gourmet dining, daily and nightly entertainment, activities and a whole lot more. Read on to discover Oasis' six Cancun properties that students will learn more about when they enroll in the Oasis Hotels & Resorts Specialist Program. Adblock test (Why?)

Expedia Group is now offering U.S.-based members of its Travel Agent Affiliate Program, Expedia TAAP, the opportunity to earn rewards by booking through the system and redeeming them for their choice of gift cards.Travel advisors will earn reward points on eligible bookings without a minimum spending requirement.ADVERTISING Trending Now [RELATED_NEWS} Rewards are earned for every dollar spent on accommodations, available for redemption one week after the completion of the trip. They’ll be able to track their points, redeem their earned points for gift cards and earn greater rewards through promotions."TAAP is a program full of constant innovation and exciting opportunities that are designed to help advisors offer once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences to their clients,” said Expedia Group’s TAAP Director Phoebe Bush. “Advisors are an integral part of the travel industry ecosystem. We hope that our TAAP exclusive incentives and rewards for US travel agents will help advisors maximize their revenue and enjoy some extra perks for their hard work.”The Expedia TAAP offers advisors the ability to book over one million properties, 200,000 activities, 175 car rentals and 500 airlines under a single booking platform.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Carnival Cruise Line has revealed its latest offering for the travel advisor community, launching its first-ever Loyalty Rocks! merchandise store where travel advisors can redeem their reward points for a variety of unique Carnival-branded merchandise.Travel advisor partners will also have the option to redeem points for a donation to Carnival’s longtime charitable partner St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.ADVERTISING Trending Now The online store is currently offering a plethora of products at limited availability, including Carnival, Agentpalooza and Travel Agents Rock apparel and accessories, Carnival funnel-embossed items such as games, travel-inspired products like luggage tags, technology in the form of wireless speakers and charging pads, cooler bags and can holders, among other items."Our Loyalty Rocks! program rewards our amazing travel advisors for the important work they do in support of their clients day in and day out, and we're always looking for new and fun ways to make the rewards program an impactful tool that supports and grows their business," Adolfo Perez, senior vice president of global sales and trade marketing, said in a statement. "The store was developed based on travel advisors' feedback and requests for special Carnival-branded items that they could share with their clients, family and friends, so we hope they love this new reward feature designed just for them."Carnival said that it plans to expand the store in the future. Travel advisors can visit GoCCL.com to begin earning points in the Loyalty Rocks! program.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here. Adblock test (Why?)

Chicago-area travel and hospitality industry executives gathered July 18 at a charity golf outing held at Prairie Landing Golf club in West Chicago, Ill.About 112 played in the 18-hole golf scramble and were joined by another 44 attendees for the after-golf cocktails, buffet dinner, and many raffle prizes and trips sold at a live auction. The event is chaired by Dan Trankina, business development manager for Pleasant Holidays | Journese.Last year, the Chicagoland Travel Industry & Hospitality Golf Outing raised $5,000 for Make-A-Wish Illinois, a non-profit charity that helps to “create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.” Make-A-Wish was represented this year by Ashley White, who explained how the charity works and also expressed appreciation for the fund-raiser. From left, Jake Coldiron, national manager of golf sales for Sandals/Unique Vacations Inc.; Theresa Norton, editor of AGENTatHOME magazine and contributor to TravelPulse; and Chris Martin, business development manager-Midwest, for Sandals/Unique Vacations Inc. (Photo by Theresa Norton) Trankina also expressed gratitude. “I would personally like to thank all the vendors and more who truly are the backbone of this event,” he said. “Their contributions for hole sponsorships, dinner tables and of course their generosity providing trips for this incredible charity event benefits Make-A-Wish Illinois.“I’d also like to thank our travel advisors who have withstood the challenges the last two years of the pandemic, cancellations, airlines issues and on and on. That they persevered through another challenging time is a testament to their tenacity and love for making dreams come true. In this case, that’s also true for Make-A-Wish. The board planning the event includes, from left, Chairman Dan Trankina, business development manager for Pleasant Holidays; Ashley White of Make-A-Wish Illinois; Craig Ochoa of You’re No. 1 Inc.; and Roger Kraemer of CIE. (Photo by Theresa Norton) “I must share how privileged I feel to be working with such a fantastic team/board who I count on to make this event the success it is and what it has turned into the last few years. Thanks to our volunteers for their time and efforts. This is not an easy event to put together, but the rewards and purpose are worth every minute.”The 2021 golf outing was especially poignant and celebratory since it had been two years since people were able to socialize in person. Participants this year said it was just as important now to continue to nurture relationships between suppliers and travel advisors face-to-face as often as possible. From left, Wendy Jensen, business development manager at Sandos Hotels & Resorts; Ashlea Varca, senior travel industry sales manager for Four Seasons Resorts Lanai and representing Midwest Ohana; Margaret Campbell, senior director of marketing for Mayflower Cruises & Tours; and Judy O’Brien, business development manager at Mayflower. (Photo by Theresa Norton) “It is a great way to reconnect with a lot of our travel advisors, who we’ve been vacant from for the past two years,” said Joel Petersen, sales executive with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “So many of our travel advisors today have been starving to get back into live and in-person events with their supplier partners. We’re so tired of looking at each other through square screens. Just to be able to hug someone and get back into that one-on-one engagement. That is so paramount for our destination to have that relationship with our travel advisors, and this is a great forum to do that.”Pam Carroll, of Gababout Travel in Palos Hills, Ill., agrees. “I love all these people and I love the socializing,” she said. “I’m not a good golfer at all, but I do like to get together with everybody and support the travel industry. For two years, we didn’t do anything, and we missed everybody. So, it’s just nice to get together.” Enjoying the after-golf festivities were Pam Carroll, of Gadabout Travel in Palos Hills, Ill., left, and Aggie Lewis of Aggie's Travel in Oak Lawn, Ill. (Photo by Theresa Norton) She said business has really grown over the past year. “I’m thrilled that business has picked up again,” Carroll said. “We can’t wait for all testing requirements to go away; we’ll be busier than ever. Everybody is booking a lot more higher-end than they were before. I think there’s a lot of people that were saving their whole life to go to Italy, Hawaii, wherever, and then for two years they thought they may never get there. So now they want the best. Nobody wants the garden-view room, they all want the oceanfront room.”Tom Karnes, co-owner LaMacchia Travel in Kenosha, Wis., a storefront that just launched a host agency called LaMacchia Jet Stream, said the pandemic spurred an influx of new-to-travel-agent clients.“When things slowed down from the pandemic and business came back, I would say 30 to 40 percent of business was new to a travel agency and new to us,” Karnes said. “That was exciting at the beginning, but they’re a tough nut to handle” since new clients often require education. Husband-and-wife agency owners Monica and Tom Karnes flank Christopher Dobson, district sales manager-Midwest, for the Jamaica Tourism Board. (Photo by Theresa Norton) But the golf outing and other such industry events “renew the energy of what we do,” Karnes said. “These events prior to covid were fun, but at a certain point they were also taken for granted. But post-covid, we’re so thrilled to get back out here. Things we took for granted pre, oh my God, do we appreciate them now!” Adblock test (Why?)

The COVID-19 pandemic cast a spotlight on the importance of travel insurance and protecting your clients and their trips while bringing in more commissions starts with gaining the expertise and tools to effectively sell a travel insurance plan tailored to their needs. The free, newly-revised Allianz Partners Specialist Program from Travel Agent Academy details why offering travel insurance is such as key part of the travel sales process as well as why it pays to team up with a dedicated third-party partner like Allianz. Over the course of three chapters, students will learn all about the award-winning travel insurance and assistance provider as well as the myriad of ways the right Allianz policy can protect their clients while helping them maximize their earning potential. A step-by-step overview of your customers' experiences with Allianz Travel Insurance, from pre-booking to post-trip, is also included along with key sales tactics. For those who may be unfamiliar, here are a few of the benefits Allianz can offer your clients.  Adblock test (Why?)

New trends are sweeping across the nation as people emerge from the pandemic with an insatiable desire to travel.Host agency Travel Experts' advisors indicated that they are seeing an increase in interest for river cruising, bucket-list destinations and off-the-beaten-path locales despite facing challenges such as high prices and long wait times from suppliers.ADVERTISING“While pent-up demand is now driving clients to book vacations, the challenges facing the advisors and their clients can be daunting,” said Sharon Fake, Executive Director for Travel Experts. “However, no one is complaining now that bookings are flowing in and less restrictions make it easier for the clients to vacation.” Deck chair on a cruise ship on the promenade deck. (photo via grandriver/Getty Images) Clients looking for value may be interested in booking a cruise.“I think there are a lot of cruise deals out there and the river cruises are a great deal right now. I just booked two cabins for Festive at an amazing price," a Travel Experts advisor based in Birmingham, Alabama.Travelers are also interested in traveling to new destinations. Trending Now “Bucket list vacations such as a safari or Egypt and private boat charters remain very strong," said Holly Lombardo a Travel Experts advisor based in Atlanta, Georgia. "And we see ‘Wellness’ resorts gaining a larger audience as well because of the renewed interest in self-care.”There also seems to be a rise in the number of companies encouraging solo travel by waiving single supplements.“I’m grateful to be seeing many more specials aimed at solo travelers. From newer ships with designed single cabins to lower or no single supplements on tours and cruises. This is a big boost to my business," said Andy Lunt, a Baltimore-based Travel Experts advisor.While travel advisors are definitely seeing a surge, there are challenges as well.Peggy Purtell, a Travel Experts advisor in Milwaukee noted: “Last-minute travel is difficult because of inventory. Some of my hoteliers are still facing staffing issues. One told me they cannot sell all of their rooms because they do not have the staff to service 100 percent of the rooms.”Linda de Sosa an advisor based in Houston had a similar experience.“I just had a last-minute booking, e-mailed three suppliers for a quote and two basically laughed telling me to get back to them in September," she said. "Fortunately, one of them was able to source everything I wanted.”Clients are not used to the current climate for travel and aren't prepared for the difficulties of last-minute bookings.“Encouraging travelers to book with some sort of advance is the biggest challenge for me right now. Fall should have been booked last March or April at the latest," said Lombardo. "But I know without a doubt half of my inquiries will come with three to six weeks' notice. It means that I have to hunt and peck through what is remaining and it may not be the first or second choice I would have originally recommended to my client, which is disappointing as I want my clients to experience the perfect vacation personally suited to them; not just second best.” Airport billboard panel with canceled flights. (photo via Delpixart / iStock / Getty Images Plus) Flights are also extra challenging.“Currently I am avoiding (as much as possible) booking my clients on flights with a connection," said Kim Schott Steiger, a Travel Experts advisor in Saint Charles, Minnesota. "The nightmares of canceled flights, lost luggage and staffing shortages within the airports is causing unrelenting chaos. I am making my clients aware that they need to travel with great patience, and understanding, and it is imperative they allow themselves extra time at the airport."While there may be obstacles, travel advisors are still very grateful for the uptick in business, as noted by Susan Quillin of Travel Experts in Palenville, New York.“June and July are proving to be my busiest months of 2022, 2021 and 2020," said Quillin. "So many clients leaving for Greece, Italy, France, the U.K., Spain and Canada all within a few weeks of each other. It is fantastic to be this busy again. Client confidence is picking up, COVID protocols are greatly reduced or nonexistent. Drivers and VIP airport assists are easier to arrange than ever. I am grateful for the varied and trusted DMCs that have partnered with me on behalf of my clients, many of which for the first time in two years or longer.”For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Travel Edge and Travel Edge Network joined Ensemble, Travel Group in the aftermath of Navigatr’s recent acquisition of Ensemble.Navigatr also owns Travel Edge and Travel Edge Network, whose combined membership includes 800 travel advisors.ADVERTISING Trending Now “While it may at first seem logical for Travel Edge Network to join Ensemble, the reality is that we make decisions based solely on what is best for our luxury advisors and we believe this is truly going to be a game changer for our network,” said Nadiya Makarenko, senior vice president of Travel Edge Network.“With Ensemble’s new leadership and a laser-focused vision on helping advisors elevate their craft with greater opportunities to maximize earnings, we are confident that being part of this new consortium will allow us to deliver tangible benefits and results to our network.”Added Ensemble Travel Group President Michael Johnson. “As a result of Ensemble’s recent acquisition by Navigatr, it is poised to dramatically change the consortium landscape with new technology, enhanced marketing resources and a commitment to being a true business partner that is dedicated and focused on improving their margins and profitability.”Johnson previously served as president of Travel Edge.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)