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processor The voice of the travel agency community Toggle navigation Homepage Home Resources TRO Marketing & Research Virtual Reality Videos Travel Brochure Rack Where2TravelNext: The next-generation marketing program to help today’s travel agents Activity Guides Destination Guides Webinars TRO Travel Specials & FAMs Voyager Travel Articles TRO ePostcards Electronic Brochures TRO Tour Operator Directory TRO Travelgram Back Issues ConsolidatorTravel Voyager Websites Directory Webinars Community Where2TravelNext Member Log In Search Publisher’s Corner Empowering Your Clients by Richard Earls June 6, 2021 Long ago, travel agents held the keys to the kingdom. The general public knew very little about the logistics of travel. Anyone wanting an itinerary of any complexity went to a travel agency for assistance. Travel agents had access to “hidden” resources like the GDS systems and access to travel specials not available direct to the public. But there were urban legends of people who knew tricks. Rumors of cargo ship travel, package couriers, backpackers and mysterious student discounts floated about, making many feel as though everyone in the know was traveling better and more cheaply than they. There were “secrets” out there and travel agents weren’t talking because they wanted the public to book with them. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online The Incessant Traveler The Great Release is Here: Are You Ready? by David Cogswell June 10, 2021 After a year of being pent up, the Great Release is upon us, and now it seems sudden. Things are opening faster than predicted just a few months ago. In March 2020, the COVID pandemic submerged us in the exponential growth of new infections and, before we could comprehend what was happening, we were virtually imprisoned, taking shelter to save our lives. We settled in and got used to being confined. Now the release is happening all around us. And it seems to be happening faster than almost anyone expected. The demand for travel is, unsurprisingly, going through the roof. But to say “it’s complicated” is to vastly understate the circumstances. World travel now is an extremely tangled web. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online The Rosen Report On Business Strategies, PPP, and Legislative Day: With Alex Sharpe and Jackie Friedman by Cheryl Rosen June 3, 2021 ASTA’s annual Legislative Day brought a crowd of travel advisors and consortium executives to Washington to talk travel industry issues and concerns. I caught up with two of my favorite people, Alex Sharpe, president and CEO of Signature Travel Network, and Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion LLC, following their press conference there to talk about some of the biggest concerns of travel advisors. Here’s what they said: Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Ex Fida Bona Does Your Traveler Know About Cancel for Any Reason Benefit? by Bailey Foster May 6, 2021 More and more people are getting vaccinated across the United States each day, and countries across the globe are starting to reopen for American travelers who are vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. As reported by the New York Times on April 25, 2021, tourists from America who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to visit the European Union over the summer. This is exciting news for all of us that have been waiting anxiously to begin traveling again. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Deck Plans Tauck Will Resume Operations In Europe & Africa by Britton Frost June 11, 2021 Tauck announced the official restart of its operations in Europe and Africa. The company plans to reopen in stages, beginning with selected departures of its “Iceland” and “Treasures of the Aegean” small ship ocean cruises in June and July. Also scheduled for July are the resumption of the company’s cruises in the Galapagos Islands as well as its Tauck Bridges family adventure in Costa Rica. Tauck’s guided safaris in eastern and southern Africa will resume in August, as will its land tours in Spain, France and Portugal. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Mike’s Monday Cup of Mo-Joe 200-1 Odds? Go Figure! by Mike Marchev June 7, 2021 This year’s PGA golf tournament was both entertaining and historic. The winner, by the way, was a 200-1 longshot. Nobody in the history of the game has ever won a “major” golf tournament at his age. The final day was an up and down seesaw of great shots, followed by less than great shots. As a matter of fact, I personally have hit a few more attractive shots than some viewed on television on that particular Sunday. What appeared to be a runaway at first glance came down to the final hole. In the end, it was Phil Mickelson who took the final bow at age 50 plus eleven months. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online TRO SMITH Checklist: Tour & Event Marketing by Catherine Heeg May 27, 2021 Woo h oo! Your first post-COVID tour is planned (or nearly planned). Now comes the fun of marketing it. As things open up again and tours start rolling, getting butts into seats is goal #1. However, if you’re looking to effectively market in this new era, some things have changed since pre-pandemic. What worked in 2019, might not work as well to attract consumers now. Whether you’re marketing your newest tour, looking to attract potential clients to a consumer night, or hosting a virtual information session; here’s the social marketing essentials you’ll need to be successful. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Editorial Musings Wanna Thrive Post COVID? Here are Three Steps by John Frenaye June 7, 2021 Did you know that with more than 300 million people living in the US, more than 27 million are entrepreneurs? And for the record, I really hate that word; but for this column, it is probably the most fitting. An entrepreneur runs most travel agencies. And if they want to continue running them in a post COVID world, here are three steps that must be taken without a stumble. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Soundings Deeply discounted Drive America road trip packages, customizable and commissionable with American Tours (ATI) by TRO Travelmole April 27, 2021 AmericanTours International’s (ATI) Drive America customizable road trip packages make it easy for travel agents to set up, save clients money (compared to booking it on their own online), and generate commissions on a $3,000 couple booking and up to $10,000 or more for a small or multi-generation family. ATI support team knows about the ins and outs of traveling within your destinations and is always available to help you. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Point-to-Point 15 Great Cruising Grounds from Which Your Clients Can Choose (Part 1) by Steven Frankel June 9, 2021 If some of your clients love cruises, they may have promised themselves that – if they got through the COVID crisis unscathed – they’ll find some new places to visit. Here’s how you can help them fulfill these promises. Suggest some new places to explore and provide them with enough information to turn their dreams into reality. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Supplier Profile Times Square and Beyond by Joseph DeLoach April 28, 2021 As the vaccine rollouts increase, destinations are beginning to plan the grand opening of travel once again. The excitement is palpable, an electrical current moving along that has started the idea of planning getaways and seeing the world. It is guaranteed New York City, one of the most popular cities in the world, will be on the traveler’s list. And this is where Beyond Times Square comes to the rescue. Read the rest of this entry » Travel Research Online Agent Perspectives On Location With Downton Abbey, Bridgerton, Morse, Midsomer and Father Brown by Paull Tickner June 11, 2021 I would hazard a guess that, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, your anglophile customers have been ...