Travel Agent - February 4, 2008 - (Page 18)

Agent CONTRIBUTORS MARK ROGERS, senior editor, recently attended the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Tourism Forum in Bangkok, where he met with tourism ministers from 10 ASEAN member countries. During his downtime, Rogers toured the medical tourism facilities at Bangkok’s Bamgunrad Hospital and visited backstage at Siam Niramit, a theater complex mounting traditional Thai dance and music performances. Rogers’ beats for Travel Agent include Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, his home. In this issue, he covers all bases, with stories on Lanai, Tokyo and San Francisco. Insider Do you have a concern that suppliers in the industry will move away from a commission structure and move to a net-rate structure? “I think that products in our industry should be sold wholesale like other retail concerns,” says Mike Greenwald of Personalized Travel Inc. in Oakland Park, FL. JOE PIKE is Travel Agent’s associate editor covering the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and Central and South America. In this issue’s cover story, Pike tells agents what makes the Cayman Islands an easy sell. For Latin America specialists, he breaks down Brazil’s selling points (pages 48–52). A couple of weeks ago, Pike attended Caribbean Marketplace 2008 in Nassau, the Bahamas, where he mingled with major players in Caribbean tourism; he’s pictured, on the left, with Travel Agent’s regional sales manager for the Caribbean, Diana Weber, and Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister of tourism. Look for more from Pike’s visit to the Bahamas in this issue’s News Impact section as well as in an upcoming issue. “Then I could make my markup based on the marketplace. This is a different way of approaching business and many agents probably will say they are uncomfortable with it. I would welcome it. I value my own worth to my customers.” “For a while after the airlines cut us to zero commission, I was watching to see if any of the operators would do the same,” says Joanne Gardner of The Travel Specialist in Wheaton, IL. “I think they would like to go that route—net rates—but it would take a brave operator or cruise line to take the first step. The consortia are all set up with preferred agreements, and what would happen to them if suddenly things were on a net basis? I’m not sure the agency community in general is prepared to do business on net rates. You need to be a smart marketer to survive, but it would certainly weed out those who are not very serious about making a living in the travel business.” DAVID EISEN covers the cruise and hotel beats for Travel Agent. Since his jaunt to England for the Queen Victoria christening, he surprisingly hasn’t stepped aboard a cruise ship (needless to say, he feels confused and lost without a porthole to look out). That will change soon enough, though his next trip is to Las Vegas to cover Carlson Companies’ 70th anniversary Summit and World Gala, followed by CLIA’s cruise3sixty conference and the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention, both in south Florida. He’ll report back on all the happenings and tidbits in the cruise industry. Eisen is shown here, on the left, with CLIA’s president and CEO, Terry Dale. GEORGE DOOLEY joins Travel Agent after a 20-year stint with Travel Trade. He began his travel career as manager of press relations for the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and was a vice president of Doremus & Company (now OmniComGroup), handling travel and insurance accounts. He has also worked with Airbus, Hawker Siddeley Aviation, the National Air Carriers Association and World Airways. In 2001, ASTA named him Travel Journalist of the Year. We are delighted to have George onboard. LOIS FRIEDLAND is a freelance journalist based in Colorado who specializes in skiing, golf, luxury travel and adventure travel. She is About.com’s adventure travel guide (www.adventuretravel.about.com). In this issue, she writes about Denver’s new Ritz-Carlton hotel, which she says she loved because “it’s an elegant blend of Rocky Mountain casual and urban chic.” Friedland is pictured here in New Mexico’s Petroglyph National Monument. 18 | TravelAgent February 4, 2008 http://www.adventuretravel.about.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - February 4, 2008

Travel Agent - February 4, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor From the Publisher Contributors Europe: Mid-Priced Hotels in Paris Europe Briefs Africa: Morocco’s Must-See Cities of Fez and Marrakech Africa News & Notes Pacific/Asia: What's New in Tokyo Pacific/Asia Briefs Hawaii: Lanai, Famous for its Pineapple Production, Repositions as “The Private Island” Oahu Hotels and Activities Las Vegas: New Nightclubs in Sin City California: San Francisco Keeps Pace with Demand Ski/Snowboard: The Ritz-Carlton Denver, Luxe Gateway to the Rockies Central & South America: North American Travelers are Discovering Brazil Latin America News & Notes Caribbean News & Notes Caribbean: Three Smaller U.S. Virgin Islands Resorts Cruises: Wave Season Rolls In Cover Story: Cayman Islands Transportation: Airline Issues Facing Agents Agent Profile: New Tzell VP Lisa Benzakein Aims to Pump Up the Agency’s Leisure Sales Technology: TRAMS Marketing Alliance Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar ASTA's Key Issues State of the Cruise Industry Caribbean Hotel News Australia Promotes Shorter Visits In the Spotlight Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch Victoria Clipper/Clipper Vacations Special Outsert

Travel Agent - February 4, 2008

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