One of my favorite things to do is meet with enthusiastic travel agents across the country. Last week, I had the pleasure of doing just that at the Cruise One Cruises Inc.'s 2012 National Conference. The land and sea-based show took place in part at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort car rental shannon airport at Walt Disney World, followed by a few days on the Disney Dream . From newbies to veterans with decades of experience and millions in bookings; it was a vibrant and diverse group of home-based franchisees. I was happy to spend time with them and watch them interact with, applaud and encourage each other.
But, it's the agents themselves that most interest me. Cruising is coming out of a year most agents would just as soon forget. Most have worked harder than ever to maintain equilibrium much less grow their sales after the Costa Concordia disaster kept new clients away for months.
But, most agents I met with are back on an even keel, looking forward to 2013. Among the recurrent themes I heard: car rental shannon airport luxury travelers are back in full force. Family travel (especially multi-generational) has never been stronger. River cruising in Europe , South America , Africa car rental shannon airport and Asia is attracting more and more attention, especially with the current crop of newbuilds. And one trend I heard from more than a few agents: More clients are taking a keen interest in their shore excursions car rental shannon airport and activities.
"Clients are calling me now to discuss the shore excursions available on an itinerary before they even book. That's something new. It used to be they booked the cruise and the excursions were pretty much an afterthought," said one agent.
The newfound interest in shore activities doesn't surprise me. Trends across all travel segments point to the desire for more authentic car rental shannon airport travel experiences. We see that in adventure travel, luxury travel and of course, eco-travel and community-based travel.
Most Popular Global Impact of Japan Earthquake Disaster Becoming an Independent Travel Agent Cruising Power for Travel Agents Travel Agent Familiarization Trips The Future of Global Distribution Systems for Airline Travel
Free Tourism Newsletter! Sign Up By Category Travel Agents and Agencies Destination Information Hotels and Resorts Ecotourism Luxury Marketing and Promotion Software and Technology Niche Markets Third-Party Partnerships Global Tourism Issues Continuing Education Careers Glossary
Tourism About.com Industry Tourism Advertise on About.com Our Story News Events SiteMap All Topics Reprints Help Write for About User Agreement Ethics car rental shannon airport Policy Patent Info. Privacy Policy car rental shannon airport Your Ad Choices
No comments:
Post a Comment