Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page 50)

NEWS IMPACT Cruise Executives Offer E-Mail Marketing Tips WITH 2009’S WAVE SEASON in full swing, do you know Besides describing what’s inside, effective subject lines also have no more than seven words if your cruise clients are actually and create a sense of urgency. opening your e-mail messages? Research shows that many Are your cyberspace commupeople view “free” as a come-on niqués about great cruise deals or spam and thus simply delete effective or simply considered e-mails with that word in the junk e-mail? Several cruise line subject. When possible, personexecutives tackled the subject alize the subject line, preferably with the customer’s name. Timing-wise, Wednesday is considered the best day to send an e-mail marketing pitch, but it’s good to observe what days and times the major online retailers also use. Rather than sending e-mail in the early morning, when people are swamped and tend to just delete multiple, non-esKen Muskat of Royal Caribbean International, left, and Terri Burke of NCL shared their marketing sential messages, “send it perhaps expertise at the Home-Based Travel Agent Expo in Las Vegas this past December before they go to lunch or when they come back rates can be up to 87 percent. during “Full Speed Ahead: 25 from lunch,” said Burke. Anything 14 percent and under Ways to Ramp Up Your Cruise And, while colorful images is considered poor. Sales,” a panel discussion at the make messages more attractive, recent Home-Based Travel Agent “embedded images don’t always Expo in Las Vegas. Getting Your work,” Burke acknowledged. In pre-show consultation with E-mails Read Certain Internet service providher line’s e-commerce team exWhat entices clients to open an ers won’t show them. “And if perts, Terri Burke, vice president, e-mail? First and foremost, the [clients] can’t see the images, industry relations, NCL Corp., subject line must draw the reader they cannot click on them, and said, “I found it really interestin. “The best subject line tells or therefore you do not get your ing just to go through and do describes what’s inside, and the click-through rate.” the analysis on what gets opened worst subject line sells—because List quality is also critical. [and] what doesn’t get opened.” then you’re hard-selling me and Check your list. Purge old names She asked the audience of several that’s not the relationship people and add new ones (following hundred agents if they knew necessarily want to see in their legal permission requirements, of their “open rate,” but only a e-mail,” stressed Burke. 50 | TravelAgent February 2, 2009 CRUISES handful did. “It’s something very important to know because it’s going to tell you if you’re spinning your wheels or if you are effectively marketing,” said Burke. The average open rate for travel firms is around 20 percent, Burke added. That said, the best open SUSAN J. YOUNG course), and, most importantly, make sure client e-mail addresses are current. Be sure that your e-mails aren’t going to be purged as spam. “Content is king and it is all about what is in that e-mail,” said Burke. But avoid sending too many e-mails. Ask clients what types of communications they want. Some might opt for all messages, others might pick and choose from such categories as deals of the week, a monthly newsletter or other travel fare. “This allows multiple access [to the client], but in different ways,” Burke emphasized. Another panelist, Ken Muskat, vice president of sales, Royal Caribbean International, stressed that “all of us have put together some great tools on our travel agent portals.” He urged agents to tap into those, and added that 48 percent of clients receiving a Royal Caribbean eConnect message will call to book within 48 hours. So this Wave Season, rethink your e-mail marketing. Do it right and you’ll likely reap new revenue rewards. —SUSAN J. YOUNG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - February 2, 2009

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 Contents Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” From the Publisher Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar Cover Story: Culture Crash Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients E-mail Marketing Tips from Cruise Executives Looking for a Positive Spin in Negative News In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW3) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW4) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts (Page 4) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts (Page 5) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” (Page 6) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” (Page 7) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 8) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 9) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 10) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 11) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 12) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 13) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 14) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 15) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 16) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 17) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 18) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 19) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 20) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 21) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 22) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 23) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 24) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 25) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 26) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 27) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 28) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 29) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 30) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 31) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 32) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 33) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 34) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 35) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 36) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 37) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 38) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 39) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 40) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 41) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 42) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 43) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 44) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 45) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 46) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 47) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients (Page 48) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients (Page 49) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - E-mail Marketing Tips from Cruise Executives (Page 50) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Looking for a Positive Spin in Negative News (Page 51) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 52) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 53) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 54) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 55) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 56) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Editorial Index (Page 57) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Advertising Index (Page 58) 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