Travel Agent - September 1, 2008 - (Page 47)

also bringing back some of the old cocktails, but we’re doing it the right way. With the new dessert menu, we have a combination of some of the standards and two or three new selections each day for the guests. So, from the food and dining business, we’re looking everywhere to continue to innovate and stay fresh there. We also have opportunities in every destination to build upon. If you deliver a fresh and innovative product, people are quite willing to pay for it, whether it’s Antarctica or a Ferrari experience in Italy. They’re really quite willing to try that and they’re very excited by it. TA: Are you surprised that people have grasped some of the ultra-luxurious ground experiences that you’ve put together? SMITH: No, because that’s what they expect. If we weren’t doing it, we’d feel it. And I’m not surprised that they’re tremendously successful. The same person that’s going to One&Only is looking for a unique, personalized experience. MICHEL: If we keep to the concept of how do we deliver that destination, the foundation of our goal is to keep improving that. If we go into Monte Carlo and a different cruise line goes into Monte Carlo, when you read those two brochures, they’re going to say “Monte Carlo.” But we need to deliver that worldclass destination better than the next guy. And whether it’s that destination or whether it’s a not-so-popular destination, we’ve got to find the very best things to do there and deliver them in the right way. TA: Will you continue to push to deliver more of those ultra-luxury experiences? SMITH: Yes, and we’ll be pushed by the consumer who will want that. The challenge will be to continue to come up with those unique experiences. I remember when we did the Mig [Fighter Jet excursion over Moscow]. Well, we thought that was just super cool. Now, all of a sudden, they’ve got a Mig Jet but now they want a Ferrari and “I don’t want that Ferrari, I want this Ferrari, and I don’t want it for half a day, I want it for a full day.” So, it may become a challenge to come up with what’s next, where’s that envelope, what’s the next cutting edge, what’s the next thing that you’ll push. You know, what’s going to happen? Consumers are going to tell us what that is. TA: I noticed that your guests are getting a little bit younger. SMITH: Younger people are coming in and more internationals are coming in. When we’re in the Mediterranean you’re going to see younger guests; in the Baltics, it will probably skew older and in Asia it will probably skew even older. If you look at the person taking the World Cruise now, it’s not a demographic, it’s a psychographic. MICHEL: You also have baby boomers, who these days are doing things that a generation ago they wouldn’t have been doing. They want to have a good time, they want to be challenged. Don’t get me wrong, the World Cruisers aren’t a bunch of 50-year-olds, but we see that the people taking them are much younger and some of them are very, very energetic and really they’re ready to experience anything. I September 1, 2008 TravelAgent | 47 http://www.broadmoore.com/travelagents http://www.broadmoore.com/travelagents http://www.broadmoore.com/travelagents

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Travel Agent - September 1, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor From the Publisher Europe: Apartment Rentals Offer a Different View of Paris Pacific/Asia: Authentic Sarawak Culture and Longhouse Experiences are Highlights of a Visit to Malaysian Borneo South Pacific: Fiji’s Denarau Island Offers Paradise within a Paradise Las Vegas: As Business Slows, Discounts and Deals are in the Cards at Many Vegas Properties Central & South America: São Paolo, Brazil, is Ideal for Business or Leisure Vacations Caribbean: The Caves in Negril, Jamaica, Offers Quiet Luxury Rosecita Jeffers Takes Over the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Cruises: Crystal Cruises is Making Plans and Changes for the Future Keeping Cruises Affordable with These 12 Tips for Clients Cover Story: Top Supplier Sales Reps Hotels: At Chicago’s Stylish Avenue Hotel, the Kids are all Right Bali is Reinventing Itself as a Family-Friendly Destination Tours: GOGO Worldwide Vacations Renews its Commitment to the Travel Agent Community Agent Profile: Ramesh Kalicharran Looked for His Roots and Helps Others Find Theirs Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Luxury Travel Expo The YTB Controversy Rages On The Latest News From the Caribbean Australia Promotes Australia New Flagship to Relaunch Orient Lines Classified Marketplace Agent Access In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - September 1, 2008

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