For 2019, what’s new under the African sun isn’t just safaris and wildlife, although those are certainly at the top of the list, but also new experiences, unique destinations and innovative spins on locales. See what's new in the Focus Series! 

As the industry sails through the second half of 2019, we take a look at what’s new, what’s next and what’s trending for the cruise industry and agents who sell ocean cruises.

This five-day email course is designed to help you grow your UK bookings beyond London. With new direct flight routes and a unique culture, history and heritage, Manchester is one of the most exciting places to visit in the UK right now.

Year after year, Italy has consistently remained the European country generating the most interest among U.S. vacationers. If you have clients who are planning to visit Italy and are looking for insider insights, here are some tips and recommendations.

Sign up for our 5-day email sales course to navigate the growing oceangoing small-ship cruise market. You’ll learn the need-to-know trends to help you identify prospects and confidently sell the niche. Plus, sales-focused lessons designed to help you accelerate or launch your small ship business.

If you’re like us, you’re excited by the record-breaking growth that Las Vegas has achieved the last couple of years. Whether your clients are embarking on an epic girls getaway or spring break with the family and everything in between, you want to make sure their stay is as exciting as the Strip and we’re here to help make that happen. Take the Venetian Specialist Course today!

Year after year in survey after survey, London lands at or near the top of favorite European cities to visit. There is no shortage of well-known, popular attractions, from Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London and iconic museums and theaters to Piccadilly Circus, the Coca-Cola London Eye and shopping at Harrods and Carnaby Street. Read all about what's new in the Focus Series! 

Barceló Hotel Group admires and appreciates the tireless work that travel advisors do, day in and day out. That’s why we’ve  created a new loyalty program to make your jobs easier and increase your bottom line. Say hello to Barceló Pro Rewards. It’s simple. It’s informative. And it’s packed with perks.

River cruise popularity is soaring and is currently one of the hottest trends in the cruise industry. Here are some of the latest ship, itinerary and personnel developments on the river cruise fronts for 2019 and beyond.

It’s looking like a banner year for Saint Lucia. This year, it will be celebrating its 40th year of independence, the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival will be produced in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, and 2018 saw a 2.2 percent increase in global visitor arrivals. Here’s a snapshot of what travelers can expect this year. Read all about what's new in the Focus Series!

Do you want to earn higher commissions on your cruise bookings? Sell more ultra-luxury cruises with our all-new email course.

In 2018, Las Vegas, for the fourth consecutive year, welcomed more than 42 million visitors, according to the city’s convention and visitors authority (LVCVA). See what's new in Las Vegas for 2019 in the Focus Series. 

Sign up for our 5-day email course Beyond Booking: A Deep Dive Into Today’s Luxury Hotel Guests to learn how the luxury hotel landscape has changed and why this can affect your bottom line. Plus, tactical sales advice for creating more personalized hotel stays.

Day 1

• Modern Luxury by the Numbers
• How to Shorten the Sales Cycle 

Day 2 

• Profiting from Personalization
• How Hotels are Creating Personalized Experiences

Day 3 

• Why You Should Look East to Grow Your Luxury Hotel Sales
• ​Why "Authentic Asian Hospitality" Sells 

Day 4 

• The Upside of Upselling
• Seamless Cross-Selling Pre-, During and Post-Booking 

Day 5 

• How to Leverage Your Hotel Knowledge to Break into Selling New Niches 
• Industry Trends and Disruptors

We know you have choices when it comes to small-ship, ultra-luxury cruises. This training course is designed to help you see why PONANT, a favorite among luxury travelers in Europe for over 30 years, is on course to become a leading choice among U.S. travelers. 

We’ve created this training program to show you how our diverse collection of nine luxury hotels are the very definition of elegance—stylish yet tasteful, classic yet sophisticated—and suited to every taste, from families to couples to groups to adventurers.

While each property is unique in its attributes and distinctive in its personality, every hotel will welcome your clients with the same warm hospitality and truly authentic Caribbean experiences.

Luxury destination weddings and honeymoons continue to evolve in their style as the bride and groom raise the bar on their expectations.

For destination weddings, couples are planning more customized experiences for their guests, and the planning is beginning earlier and earlier. Read more in the Luxury Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Focus Series!

Focus on Mexico and you’ll see a destination weddings and honeymoons superstar. The reasons are plentiful. It’s a great value, especially with today’s strong dollar-to-peso exchange rate. It’s close to the U.S., with airlift continually on the upswing. Scenic settings provide romantic backdrops that include beaches, jungles, mountains and deserts. And the country’s rich culture maintains ties to ancient roots and puts a premium on hospitality. Read the Focus Series to find out more! 

For 40 years, valued partners like you have counted on us to deliver world-class accommodations, exceptional privileges, and unparalleled service to your clients. That is the Classic^®Difference—the difference between a good vacation and a great one.

Register here to learn more about the Classic^® Difference.

Learn how to tap into a versatile suite of tools devised to save you time by making each step of the planning process easier and your sales efforts stronger. 

Reports from various sources indicate that Jamaica continues to be one of the most popular destinations for American couples planning to be wed outside the United States. The island nation hosted about 5,000 destination weddings last year alone. With most marriages in the U.S. falling within the Millennial demographic, we reached out to several 30-and-under travel advisors to get their take on Jamaica as a destination, as well their resort recommendations for weddings and honeymoons.

In the pages ahead you’ll find more of what makes Jamaica a popular wedding and honeymoon destination, including accommodations news, adventures for couples to share and more.

We asked Millennial travel advisors to tell us about any unique hotels they’ve visited that they feel fit in very well with their locale. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of their Europe accommodation choices fall into the luxury category. Here is a sampling.

The Caribbean has a wealth of attributes that can inspire or amplify romance. Whether your couples are planning a destination wedding, a honeymoon, anniversary celebration or simply a romantic getaway, there are plenty of hotels to meet their needs. Read on to help you find your clients a place to stay that they will fall in love with.

The diversity of Pacific Mexico sells itself. Natural beauty, varied ecosystems, rich culture and history have all made distinctive marks on the coast. The mountains meet the ocean in Pacific Mexico. And in Baja California Sur, they meet the desert as well. Read all about it in the Mexico Pacific Coast 2018 Focus Series! 

Like you, our clients look to us for the unique and authentic.  Localized, immersive experiences aren’t just terms we added to our sales materials a couple of years ago. To us, unique and authentic aren’t a marketing strategy. For over 40 years, we’ve created distinctive hotels and resorts that capture the spirit of the destinations we are proud to call home. We strive to harmonize with each property’s local culture and environment–it’s the reason we got into the game. To pay homage to our communities. To connect through curiosity. To experience high touch, hand-crafted hospitality. Take the Noble House Hotels & Resorts course today!

Hawaii is rich with resorts, activities and sites well suited for romance travelers. From honeymoons, weddings or even just a getaway for two, the naturally breathtaking views of the islands provide a picturesque backdrop for lovers. Here are some recent developments on that front.

With an increase in visitors, new air routes, and exhilarating hotel and lodge development, it’s a good time to recommend travel to East and Southern Africa to clients. Travel to the Middle East has held steady over the last four years, thanks in part to a stronger than average interest by Millennials, with Matures (born before 1946) not far behind. Discover what's new in these destinations in the Africa & The Middle East Focus Series.

As cruise selling agents sail into the second half of 2018, the horizon is clear for robust cruise sales. But the cruise seascape always brings swells and bigger waves too. Being proactive in your sales game and knowing what opportunities to tap are critical for retailers. Here are key trends and events to watch through the end of 2018 and beyond.

It’s no secret that the consumer has changed in terms of what they want from a trip. Today’s traveler no longer wants to feel like a tourist, like a stranger in a strange town. The desire these days is to fit in like a local and to take part in activities that convey the emotion of what it would be like to live in the place they’re visiting. Or, at the very least, to feel like a very privileged guest who has been granted access to see the sights in a most respectful way. Here are some take-aways from a recent Tour Operator Roundtable we conducted that should help you sell your services to Millennials and other experiential travelers.

The St. Vincent and The Grenadines E-Learning Program aims to give you all the information you need for a sublime island experience, and we hope to do so by immersing you in the character, culture and flavor of our places and people.

From Paris to Provence, Brittany to Bordeaux, there are accommodations in France to suit every client’s wants and needs. Discover what's new in the Focus Series!

This course will provide you with the necessary knowledge to book this successful brand that has been catering to couples and romance for more than 35 years. At all four Jamaican oceanfront resorts—two in Ocho Rios and two in Negril, guests will find virtually everything included. 

Year after year in survey after survey, London lands in the top three of favorite European cities to visit, jockeying for position with Paris and Rome. Among the advantages the British capital has over its French and Italian counterparts, especially with first time transatlantic travelers, is a shorter flight time and, beyond some delightful differences in some word meanings, no language barrier. And, of course, there is no shortage of iconic attractions, from Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London to the Coca-Cola London Eye, shopping at Harrods, and the West End theaters, where “Hamilton“ and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” are the hottest tickets. Read more in the London 2018 Focus Series!

From the Panhandle to the Keys, Florida is dotted with a great number and variety of family-friendly hotels and resorts. In addition to amenities for all ages, they are convenient to fun activities, be it a great beach, a theme park, a wildlife reserve or other adventures. Here are some of the most recent developments on the Sunshine State’s accommodations front for you to share with your multi-generational clients.

For clients planning to take their first family vacation outside the continental United States, especially those living on or near the East Coast, the Caribbean offers many advantages. For starters, flight times are shorter; even the southernmost islands are only three hours from Miami. Read all about updates in the Caribbean in the Focus Series!

River cruising is a hot commodity for travel advisors desiring to increase earnings. Discover what's new in river cruising in the Focus Series!

For the third year in a row, Las Vegas topped the 42 million visitor mark in 2017, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). That trend is expected to continue with the LVCVA forecasting a just-shy-of-the-record count of 42.7 million visitors for 2018.

The destination also continues to enjoy industry-leading occupancy rates — averaging 88 percent over the last four years — with an exceptionally large base of nearly 149,000 available rooms. That inventory always includes rooms in new properties as well as expansions and renovations of existing accommodations. Upgrades to amenities such as restaurants and spas are also part of the equation, spurred by the always desert-hot competition among the city’s hotels. Here are some of the latest developments on that front. 

Become a Certified Switzerland Travel Expert

The North America version of the Switzerland Travel Academy consists of core and specialization modules.

Core modules

Core modules (4 + News from Switzerland) cover what you need to know about Switzerland and inform you on the latest events and experiences in Switzerland. 

1. Basic and practical knowledge: This module is about the country’s geography, languages and cultures, customs and traditions, and important practical information.

2. How to travel to and within Switzerland: In this module, you will learn about Switzerland's transportation system, also known as the Swiss Travel System, which, precise like a Swiss watch, connects even the most remote places by train, bus, and boat.
   You will become familiar with how to travel to and within Switzerland, learn about the numerous means of transportation, and understand the different ticket options.
   Last but not least, you will discover the best scenic routes to transform a journey through the country into a unique experience.

3. Switzerland in 3, 5 or 10 days: Discover Switzerland’s must-sees and learn how to combine them into packages and itineraries, creating the perfect Swiss experience that suits your clients’ needs and wants.

4. Must-know for North American travel professionals: This is a market-specific module that provides important information relevant for North American clients.
   Learn about Switzerland Tourism contact points in North America, flights from North America to Switzerland, passport & visa regulations, tour operators (both outbound and incoming), and much more.

5. News from Switzerland 2018: This module presents the most important Swiss events, openings, and projects occurring in 2018 and is updated every year. Discover on what your clients cannot absolutely miss out!

Completion time for core modules: about 3 hours.

Specialization modules

Specialization modules offer a deeper focus on different topics and provide insights in touristic experiences, knowledge on a specific topic of interest connected with Switzerland Tourism’s partners, segments or campaigns.

• Road Trip: Grand Tour of Switzerland
• Cultural attractions and city breaks
• Nature and outdoor activities
• Snow and winter activities
• Perfect accommodation
• Luxury, wellness, and lifestyle
• Family vacations
• Meetings, congresses, and incentive planners

Completion time of each module: about 40 minutes.

Certification

The process of certification is easy and free:

1. Pass the final exam on the core modules to graduate as a Switzerland Travel Expert.

2. You will receive the certificate that is valid until December of the following year.

3. Every year, stay informed and renew your certificate by taking the exam of the updated “News from Switzerland” module.

After passing the core modules exams, you can continue your training to receive specialization certificates: choose the specialization module you are interested in, pass the exam and receive the certificate.

Graduate benefits

• Certification upon graduation
• Option to specialize in certain segments
• Rights to use the Travel Expert logo for letters / brochures / website / email signature
• Possibility of ordering brochures
• Enter to win an amazing trip to Switzerland (including flights with Swiss International Airlines and Swiss Travel Passes for two people) by graduating by November 30.

Interest in visiting Mexico has remained steady over the last several years, with Millennials and Gen Xers — the generation most likely to be traveling with children — showing the strongest inclination. Read on for information on things for families to see and do, as well as updates on places to stay. 

Besides the broad appeal of Hawaii’s natural wonders, adventure activities and cultural attractions, there are places to go and things to do that zero in on special interest and niche markets. There is more information on things for families to see and do — as well as updates on places to stay — in the pages that follow.

As engagement season (unofficially Christmas Eve through Valentine’s Day) draws to a close, be prepared for newlyweds-to-be seeking out your services to plan their destination wedding or honeymoon (or both). Better still, try to set up a cross promotion with your agency and local bridal shops, advertising each other’s services. Read on for some other tips on getting and handling this business, gleaned and distilled from conversations we have had with travel agents and wedding professionals.

Crystal’s all-suite, butler-serviced river ships feature the same classic elegance and luxury Crystal Experience found on board the company’s award-winning ocean ships. Sell Crystal river cruises to upscale/luxury travelers, particularly those who have stayed in five-star hotels or who have sailed on luxury and upper-premium ocean cruise lines, and to repeat Crystal guests.Take the Crystal River Cruises course to find out more!

Whatever it is that inspires your client’s wanderlust —the legendary elegance of a classic ocean voyage, the immersive discovery of a river cruise, the intimate adventures aboard a luxury yacht, or the soaring wonder of travel by chartered private jet — Crystal presents the world's most fascinating destinations to your discerning clientele with expert finesse and award-winning luxury.Take the All Things Crystal course to find out more!

Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises offers gorgeous social spaces and impeccable butler-serviced suites rivaling any land-based hotel or resort while transporting guests to idyllic harbors. Currently, Crystal Yacht Expedition Cruises is composed of Crystal Esprit as well as three new builds which are expected to be delivered between 2019-2021. The on board guest experience is exclusively designed for travelers who love adventure, culture and revel in the casual elegance of the Crystal Yachting Lifestyle.

The Crystal Cruises Specialist course is designed to help you understand and communicate Crystal’s commitment to offering the world’s most luxurious and acclaimed travel experiences.

This course will provide an in-depth review of the award-winning Crystal Experience at a time when the line's celebrated ocean cruises are being elevated to a new level of luxury, service and adventure. Use Crystals’ standout sales features when positioning the line to clients. The key to selling Crystal’s ocean cruises is emphasizing how Crystal goes beyond all-inclusive to ALL EXCLUSIVE.

Welcome to the Wyndham Wise training course. We didn’t grow to 8,100+ hotels across 78 countries without our valued partners—like you.  In this course, you’ll gain actionable insight on how to sell more to key market segments.
You’ll graduate a Wyndham Sage, earn 2 CEU credits from the Travel Institute and be entered to win a $50 gift card.

Navigating through the multigenerational travel niche can be a balancing act. Investigation, negotiation and good old-fashioned legwork all come into play when family dynamics are involved. But the rewards are handsome, as well. Read about multigenerational travel trends in the pages ahead.

Your clients want to head to Asia and you want to send them there, but does your expertise match your enthusiasm? Start by specializing in one of Asia’s most exotic destinations – Macao – in under 30 minutes. A short 15-lesson course, the Macao Specialist program provides targeted insights, like “Top 20 Selling Points” and sample itineraries, for in-depth knowledge into the destination’s unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures.

 

The three islands of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique form one destination made of unspoiled natural beauty, warm friendly people and year-round tropical temperatures. Here is a place where clients can discover blue waters framed by both white and black sand beaches and inland adventures that include tropical rainforests, waterfalls, Sulphur Springs, and breathtaking views. When selling the destination, describe it to clients as PURE: Peaceful, Unadulterated, Rustic and Easy-going. Take the course today!

Sure, your clients have been to the Caribbean and most likely, with their entire family in tow. But there is a reason why families frequent an area whose beauty is matched only by its bounty of attractions. One destination in particular, Cayman Islands, speaks directly to the prominent role that kids play in the vacation decision-making process by checking all the boxes. A range of full-service, family-friendly accommodations - check. Snorkeling, swimming and children's programs - check. Children's menus and delicious non-kid dining - check. Happy kids and even happier adults - check. Learn more to sell more.

Fresh off a record-breaking year, Hawaii’s tourism will focus on the latest travel trends, from adventure to culinary tourism, to give visitors authentic cultural experiences with every Hawaiian vacation. Become a Hawaii Destination Specialist to stay on top of the latest tourism developments from one of the world’s most popular destinations.  Both existing and new graduates will benefit from a richer understanding of the six individual islands. In addition to learning insider tips and accessing customized sales tools, you’ll benefit from consumer referrals, up-to-date and robust marketing materials and ongoing rewards.