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Chennai was once the heart of British colonialism during its heyday. Today, however, it is a delightful mosh-posh of local architecture, artifacts, and culture, seasoned only slightly with the remnants of colonial rule. This city has so much to offer visitors, from those looking to explore the history of world trading routes to stunning mosques and temples, all the way to amazing golden beaches lapped by turquoise waters. Make your way to Chennai, before this little-known secret gets out! Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it is that time of year. The geese fly south and the bears go into hibernation. And believe it or not, so does TRO—but just for a little bit. As the year winds down, we ease up on our daily publishing, spend some time with our families, and focus on the loose ends that invariably exist in our own travel businesses.  About a month ago, we all celebrated Thanksgiving. Now we are in the midst of the December Holidays—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and a few others I probably left off; but I want to take this time to offer my personal thanks to some individuals who have made working on TRO a true pleasure. Besides, my thanks can stay up for two weeks! Read the rest of this entry »

Travel agents have been incorporating websites into their business for well over ten years now. However, too few agencies and independent agents leverage their website as a key driver of their business. We’ve seen a few phases of website marketing over the years – some successful, and some not so successful.  The ‘if you build it they will come’ phase, where agents thought consumers would magically come to their website and generate business. The booking-engine phase, where some agents thought that many of those magic consumers would also book cruises and tours online with no agent interaction. The search-engine phase, where agents thought that search engine traffic would automatically generate a tremendous source of new business. Read the rest of this entry »

Travel agents are starting to use their websites as an effective component of their sales and marketing campaigns.  The content, tools, ease-of-use, and technology exist today for agencies of all sizes and web skills to have their own effective web presence, and to focus their websites on their particular specialties.  We know that consumers are shopping more and more on their agent’s websites, before they make the decision to buy. Now is the time to use your website to differentiate yourself in the market. Read the rest of this entry »