Travel Agent - January 7, 2008 - (Page 18)

Agent CONTRIBUTORS Insider What are your travel plans for 2008? DAVID EISEN covers the cruise and hotel beats for Travel Agent. Last month he went to Southampton, England, for the naming of the Queen Victoria—an event he won’t soon forget. “There aren’t too many times in life where you get to be a part of something special and historical,” says Eisen, shown here at the ceremonies with Jan Swartz, senior vice president of customer service for Princess Cruises. Eisen then headed to his hometown of Bethesda, MD, to see what Marriott International is up to. He reports on the hotelier’s new Nickelodeon partnership and sales initiatives in News Impact. HAWAII “I plan to go back to Hawaii,” says Bethanne Harrison-Brown of The Travel Authority in Indianapolis. “I visited Honolulu and the Big Island in 2006 and want to visit Maui and Kauai. I am working on becoming a Hawaii specialist and want to get more experience.” MARK ROGERS, senior editor, recently attended several exciting events in Las Vegas: the ninth annual Luxury Travel Expo and the second annual Home-Based Travel Agent Expo & Conference, both held at the Mandalay Bay Resort, and the awards ceremony for Funjet Vacations’ top-selling agents, which took place at Fashion Show Mall. Rogers covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. At least twice a month he travels to attend trade conferences around the region, one of which was last fall’s PATA Travel Mart in Bali. IRELAND “I am planning a 10-day castle-and-golf tour of Ireland,” says Tom Ward of Kitty Ward Travel in Springfield, PA. “We are taking 40 people and staying at the Marriott Druids Glen Hotel & Country Club, Killarney Park Hotel, Portmarnock and playing Old Head in Kinsale, Ballybunion in Kerry and Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort. It will be my best trip next year!” SUSAN J. YOUNG is Travel Agent’s contributing editor for cruises. A veteran of 60-plus cruises, Young was on the Travel Agent staff—first as Southeast bureau chief and then as cruise bureau chief—between 1989 and 2006. Today, she’s the editor and publisher of two online consumer publications, SouthernCruising.com™ and SouthernTravelNews.com™. A member of the Society of American Travel Writers and of the SATW Editor’s Council, Young freelances for Luxury Travel Advisor and other publications. She has a passion for cruising, adventure travel and “ruins.” Her favorite travel experiences include journeying to Kathmandu, taking a cruise shore excursion to the Roman ruins at Palmyra, Egypt, and visiting Red Square in Moscow. She is shown here on Silversea Cruises’ Silver Shadow. THE BALTICS “My major travel plans are for my wife and I to escort a small VIP group on a 14day trip in June that includes an Azamara cruise in the Baltics,” says Dan Smith of Crossroads Travel/ American Express in Richmond, VA. “The smaller, more intimate ship features ‘country club casual’ cruising. All passengers dine anytime, and this is especially appealing to my upscale clientele. A wonderful itinerary, featuring three nights in St. Petersburg, Russia, makes this a trip to look forward to.” J. BERNHARDT has been to six of the seven continents (Antarctica is next on her list) and looks for something unusual everywhere she goes. Whether it’s rock climbing in New Zealand (pictured), shark-cage diving in South Africa or glacier hiking in Alaska, she’s had new adventures around the world. “The secret to great travel memories is tying a specific experience to a destination; that way, each trip remains independent in my mind,” she says. In the Czech Republic, she had her outside-the-box experience by indulging in the local delicacy of liver dumpling soup (“I found it to be surprisingly delicious”). She reports from the country on pages 20–22. GLENN HAUSSMAN is fulfilling his dream of becoming a Las Vegas expert and particularly enjoys creating the perfect experience for those expecting the unexpected in Sin City. Haussman, a regular contributor to Travel Agent, is an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching consumer behavior and public relations. He writes about Las Vegas and casino gaming for a variety of publications. One of the best things in Vegas, according to Haussman, are its unparalleled food options, and he finds as much joy in the greasy spoons as he does at five-diamond establishments. Turn to page 36 to read what he has to say about some Vegas restaurants. 18 | TravelAgent January 7, 2008 http://SouthernTravelNews.com http://SouthernCruising.com http://SouthernTravelNews.com

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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