Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - (Page 64) TOURS Going South Avanti Destinations reports that it is seeing an increased interest in Buenos Aires, aka the “Paris of South America.” Harry Dalgaard, president of Avanti, says, “We are starting to see long stays there, not just for a couple of nights pre- and post cruise. People are going to Buenos Aires and staying a week, some are renting apartments and really enjoying that cosmopolitan city, which is a combination of good value and dining. For $30 you can get a fabulous meal served with local wines. There is also an interest in the dynamic of the city itself.” Interest in Spain continues to grow; pictured here, the Sagrada Família, or Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, in Barcelona CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63 know if the view they are getting is a canal view and if so, is it a partial view? As far as transfers go, they want to know what kind of car it is. They’ll say, ‘I don’t want a Fiat, I want a Mercedes.’ The travel agent who is able to say, ‘I can get that for you and I can deliver it,’ is the one that provides that value.” To ensure quality service on the ground in CONNECTING YOU For more information on tour operators, visit www. travelagentcentral.com/tours-tour-operators the destinations it serves, Avanti uses destination management companies (DMCs) throughout Europe and Latin America. “They are our ‘Johnny on the spot,’ they know the general managers of our hotels better than I do and they’re charged with fixing an issue on the spot instead of having the client call an 800 number back in the U.S. at 2 a.m.,” says Dalgaard. To ensure that the services and hotels Avanti offers are up to par, Dalgaard spends 40 to 50 percent of his year traveling to Europe and Latin America. “My job is finding people in foreign countries who understand what our consumers want and what Avanti stands for in terms of brand and what our value proposition is. So I spend a lot of time choosing DMCs, grading their performance and understanding their issues. It’s good for me to get out in the field to visit our hotels so we understand what they are saying and [they] understand what we want.” Travel agent education is vital for Avanti and so the company provides a series of webinars that provide destination and geography information. “One of our goals is to provide online training on how to sell FITs,” says Dalgaard, who notes that Avanti also puts its relationships with the various agency consortia to good use. “We use their distribution channels to focus on our marketing relationships. They have a lot of tools and it’s a matter of using those tools.” To service its travel agent clients, Avanti employs 85 people in total; 45 of them are in the reservations system. “Travel agents like to use our website to check availability, but then they like to call us, especially if they have questions on the hotels,” says Dalgaard. Looking back, and ahead, Dalgaard can’t help but reveal his love for the travel industry. “What I enjoy so much about this job is that you are always learning and it’s not just about new destinations, it’s about new technology or new styles of travel. For me personally it’s also been very enriching in terms of the relationships we’ve established over the years with both our customers and our suppliers.” I 64 | TravelAgent July 21, 2008 http://www.travelagentcentral.com/tours-tour-operators http://www.travelagentcentral.com/tours-tour-operators
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor Europe Pacific/Asia Tanzania South Pacific Pacific Northwest Las Vegas Florida Mexico The Caribbean Comes to D.C. Cruises Tours Hotels Agenda Luxury Travel Expo Global Destination Update Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia ASTA is Changing, and Growing Carnival Reduces Direct Business In the Spotlight Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 (Page 1) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 2) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Online Now (Page 3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 8) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Contributors (Page 9) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 10) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 11) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 12) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 13) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 14) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - From the Editor (Page 15) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 16) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 17) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 18) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Europe (Page 19) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 20) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 21) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 22) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific/Asia (Page 23) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 24) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 25) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 26) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tanzania (Page 27) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 28) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - South Pacific (Page 29) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 30) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Pacific Northwest (Page 31) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 32) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 33) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 34) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Las Vegas (Page 35) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 36) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 37) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 38) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Florida (Page 39) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 40) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 41) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 42) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 43) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 44) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Mexico (Page 45) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 46) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 47) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 48) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 49) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 50) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 51) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 52) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - The Caribbean Comes to D.C. (Page 53) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 54) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 55) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 56) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 57) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 58) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 59) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 60) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Cruises (Page 61) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 62) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 63) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 64) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Tours (Page 65) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 66) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Hotels (Page 67) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 68) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 69) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Agenda (Page 70) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Luxury Travel Expo (Page 71) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Global Destination Update (Page 72) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Small Luxury Hotels Expands into Asia (Page 73) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - ASTA is Changing, and Growing (Page 74) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Carnival Reduces Direct Business (Page 75) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - In the Spotlight (Page 76) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Classified Marketplace (Page 77) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Editorial Index (Page 78) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Advertising Index (Page 79) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page 80) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover3) Travel Agent - July 21, 2008 - Trendwatch (Page Cover4)
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