TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

The voice of the travel agency community

Publisher's Corner

A State of Disarray

by Richard Earls
October 5, 2008

Your income will increase, consumers will have greater awareness and respect for you as a professional and “instant agents” will disappear. How? Read on….

For many years, the Airlines Reporting Corporation provided travel professionals with a benefit that agents hardly recognized. In some way, shape or form, most agents were connected with an ARC agency. The formalities of airline ticket issuance and the requirements of managerial oversight in an agency provided the industry with an ordering principle, an array, around which the entirety of the professional status of the travel agent depended. A consumer expected a travel agent to be associated with a local agency, and it was clear who was and was not Read the rest of this entry »

Editorial Musings

So, what’s in a name anyway?

by John Frenaye
October 11, 2008

The other week, I had a fairly deep discussion with a colleague whose opinion I respect very much. We covered many aspects of the industry including my well known stance on Multi Level Marketing and the recent surge of organizations and individuals looking to “credential” our industry. The question came up, “What exactly makes an agent an agent?” (Disclaimer: this column will ask many questions and answer few.)

When you really delve into it, you will quickly realize that the whole credentialing thing is a very complex issue. We discussed a colleague that we both know to be the consummate professional. He has been in business Read the rest of this entry »

Point-to-Point

Get off your duff and stand out from the crowd

by John T. Peters
October 7, 2008

If you’ve been anywhere near a TV, radio, newspaper or Wall Street employee, you know one thing; the economy is taking a beating. I know my wife and I are looking for a nanny and it’s been tough finding good applicants…until a few days ago. Then, a barrage of applications came in. When I asked why this was happening, the lady at the agency said a lot of folks had lost their jobs and therefore, so did their nannies.
So, with this kind of news, can you assume the travel market will be impacted? Sure. That’s not rocket science. Some people WILL take a vacation however. More important, many people will Read the rest of this entry »

Agent Perspectives

I said FEE not FREE

by Laura Frazier
October 10, 2008

Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando and work at the Travel Research Online (TRO) booth with Richard Earls at the THETRADESHOW sponsored by ASTA. I met so many great people at the show, and learned a lot; and it never ceases to amaze me at how much you can learn from your peers. All too often, it is almost too easy to feel you know it all–and that is a dangerous place to be.

On the last day of the show Richard gave a seminar entitled “The 7 Characteristics of Top Travel Agents“. One of the highlighted habits was that top travel agents charge fees. When Richard asked how many agents in attendance were currently charging fees, only about 1% of those in attendance raised their hands. Read the rest of this entry »

Supplier Profile

Solar Tours: much more than a consolidator

Back in 1997, Solar Tours was my preferred consolidator to Central and South America. Without hesitation, we would call Solar and get outstanding prices and exceptional service, and immediate payment from their Washington, DC headquarters. Solar Tours began in 1984 as a wholesaler for Foreign Independent Tours (FITs) to Latin America. Due to their success and the relationships they built, expanding into airline consolidation made a lot of sense and Solar became known for their consolidation business. My how times have changed.

Today’s Solar Tours is still that great consolidator for Latin America, but they are so much more. They have taken their extensive FIT background and developed a program for agents not only in Latin America, but in Europe and the Asian-Pacific markets as well. Over the past five years, Solar Tours has invested on growing their business to include other products—one that every agent will love. Read the rest of this entry »

The 365 Guide

Your 2009 Marketing Plan: Cross marketing

TRO is devoting the next few weeks to assisting agents in developing a 2009 Marketing Plan. Follow along with us each day to gain the traction you need to make 2009 your best year ever. You can find all of the previous articles in this series by clicking on the 365 Guide link at the end of this article.

Cross marketing refers to the practice of working with a non-competitive retailer to enhance business opportunities for both parties. Any compatible product is a possible theme for cross marketing purposes, and travel presents a great opportunity because of how easily it can be linked to almost any theme.

Retailers make excellent cross marketing partners because they typically do not compete with travel agents and because it is easy to create real value by marketing together. Read the rest of this entry »

Outposts

Meet Jamaica

The island of Jamaica is the third largest in the Caribbean. It is ideally located, capturing trade winds that assist in maintaining a near constant temperature between 77 and 82 degrees and which bless the mountainous island’s northeast coast with abundant rain. Jamaica supports a wide diversity of plant and animal life. More than half the island is higher than 800 feet above sea level. The economy depends heavily on the tourism Read the rest of this entry »