Travel Agent - January 7, 2008 - (Page 12)

FROM THE PUBLISHER Another One for the Record Books WHAT A WAY TO CLOSE OUT THE YEAR! Vegas Travel Week, our huge weeklong industry confab, took place at the Mandalay Bay convention center the first week of December, and what an overwhelming success it was. More than 10,000 travel professionals of every stripe were there to network, learn, make deals and enjoy all that our events and the amazing city of Las Vegas had to offer. Vegas Travel Week was built up around our phenomenally successful Luxury Travel Expo, about to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Last year, we introduced the Home-Based Travel Agent Expo & Conference. Each of these stands alone as the premier event for their particular market segment. But our thought was that with these two events occurring separately but colocated, one plus one would equal three. We were right, and took that thinking a step further. So with Luxury Travel Expo and Home-Based Travel Agent Expo anchoring the week, we invited and encouraged other organizations to attach their events to ours, with the resulting whole being considerably greater than the sum of its parts. From December 2 through December 8, we had a host of friends join us in Las Vegas. I The Travel Institute held its annual conference at the beginning of the week. It was the largest ever, with more than 600 agents attending. Signature Travel Network held its annual meeting at the end of the week. More than 1,100 travel agents and 570 suppliers participated in this high-profile event. NEST also held its annual “NEST Fest” early in the week and featured excellent educational seminars and networking opportunities. CLIA hosted a number of standing-room-only educational seminars—always extremely popular. Visit Southern Africa and South African Airways held their second annual educational seminar series. More than 160 agents got intense training on travel to the region, networked with suppliers and had a traditional South African dinner and a very nontraditional—but fun—evening of bowling! Kerry Cannon, right, and Travel Agent Editorial Director Ruthanne Terrero present Rohan Vos of Rovos Rail with the Leaders in Luxury Award for the tour category I I I I Then, of course, we presented the seventh annual Leaders in Luxury Awards to four people who exemplify luxury and service. Deborah Natansohn, former president and COO of Seabourn Cruise Line, was honored posthumously in the cruise category. Rohan Vos, founder, owner and president of Rovos Rail Tours Ltd. in South Africa, won in the tour category. Sibyl Wild, president, Sibyl Wild Inc. Travel Service, was awarded the Outstanding Travel Professional. And Ian Schrager, chairman and CEO of the Ian Schrager Company, was the hotel honoree. A really fun aspect of the week was our first annual Luxury After Dark Party at Studio 54. More than 1,500 agents and suppliers mixed, mingled, danced and had a ball. Make sure to mark your calendar now for next December. The 2008 Vegas Travel Week will take place the week of December 1. We hope you can join us. CONNECTING YOU For ideas and resources from Kerry Cannon, visit www. travelagentcentral.com/publetter KERRY J. CANNON, JR. GROUP PUBLISHER 12 | TravelAgent January 7, 2008 http://www.travelagentcentral.com/publetter http://www.travelagentcentral.com/publetter

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - January 7, 2008

Travel Agent - January 7, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor From the Publisher Contributors Europe: Top Hotels in the Czech Capital, Prague Europe News & Notes Pacific/Asia: India's Tourism Boom Hawaii Spas: Send Your Spa-Loving Client to these Havens of Relaxation in the Islands Hawaii Briefs Las Vegas: Restaurants are Taking Center Stage as Vegas Becomes a Destination for Foodies California: San Diego, La Jolla and Coronado Offer a World of Options Close Together Ski/Snowboard: Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada New Orleans: Hotels for All Types of Travelers and Can’t-Miss Events to Consider Central & South America: Selling Santiago, Chile Caribbean & Bahamas: The Reef Atlantis, Cape Eleuthera Debut in the Bahamas in Time for the New Year Caribbean News & Notes Cruises: Onboard Enrichment Programs Grow as Cruisers Seek to Work on More than their Tans Cruise Lines Expand the Variety in their Shore Excursions with Special Activities and Adventures Cover Story: A New Era for Classic Luxury Travel Expo & Home Based Travel Agent Expo: Photos and a Recap of the Events Rail: Company Books Private Train Trips Agent Profile: Dave and Christa Krick, Advantage Cruise & Travel in Northern California Technology: XML Enhances Sabre and Amadeus Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Onsite Reports from Queen Victoria Christening and Marriott Headquarters Funjet Vacations NCL’s New Ship, Norwegian Gem The African Country of Djibouti In the Spotlight Editorial Index Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - January 7, 2008

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