Travel Agent - September 1, 2008 - (Page 8)

Agent CONTRIBUTORS Insider As YTB faces legal action in California, agents have been swarming our web site (www.travelagent central.com) with comments, both pro and con. Here’s a sampling: “I see YTB as just another way to book travel. I am, not nor will I be, a member of YTB, but I like the concept. It’s just a way for a company to sell travel to a captive audience. Travel agencies need to adapt or die. If I remember right, YTB was producing something like $50 million in volume. That’s a lot to lose to appease a hit-ormiss agency community. As I read their site, you can be a Referral agent or take classes and be a real agent. I started with Inteletravel in 1994 and earned and learned my way up.” “It is about time that something is being done about YTB. I know from firsthand experience that their procedures are unethical. I own my agency but was helping someone who had joined YTB. I will be glad to see them go.” “Well they deserve it—$500 to join and $50 a month till you get six people to pay you $500 [to] join and have them pay their $50 a month. If this is not a pyramid scam, I don’t know what is.” SUSAN J. YOUNG, Travel Agent’s senior contributing editor—cruises and tour operators, offers a profile of Trafalgar Tours, which will celebrate serving its 5 millionth customer this fall. A member of the Society of American Travel Writers Editor’s Council, Young loves taking tours and quiet cultural weekend getaways, as well as fast-paced travel. She’s also an avid cruiser and is the veteran of 60-plus ocean and river voyages. With clients concerned about keeping travel affordable during a difficult economy, Young has drafted a collection of tips you may tear out and give them so they don’t overspend on a cruise. Young is also editor of two consumer travel sites: www.southern travelnews.com and www.southerncruising.com. MARK ROGERS, senior editor, files two destination stories this issue from his recent travels. He writes about Eastern Malaysia, with some tips on Sarawak hotels and touring a Borneo longhouse; and he provides insider information about resorts on Fiji’s Denarau Island. He also interviews Michelle Gysberts, vice president of Tourism Australia Americas, and profiles Ramesh Dalchan Kalicharran, the owner of the New York City travel agency Kali Travel. Rogers covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. He’s currently making plans to attend ITB Asia in October, where he’ll report from Singapore. MICHAEL BROWNE, managing editor, has been immersing himself in the travel industry since joining the staff of Travel Agent this past March. In recent issues, he has covered touring Alaska (both by cruise and by rail), reported from Curaçao on that Caribbean island’s efforts to boost tourism and profiled several leading agents. In this issue, he takes a look at Chicago’s new Avenue Hotel, an upscale hotel with a difference—it’s kid-friendly. Browne is also managing editor for Home-Based Travel Agent. GLENN HAUSSMAN, contributing editor, is Travel Agent’s Las Vegas expert. In this issue, he writes about discounted rates in Sin City. He is thrilled that prices are coming down in Vegas so that visitors can have the Vegas experience without going broke. His regular features on Sin City are designed to help create the perfect experience for those expecting the unexpected. Haussman especially enjoys the unparalleled food, drink, entertainment, nightlife and all-around experience Vegas offers. JOSEPH FARRIS is a staff cartoonist and cover artist for The New Yorker, and his work has appeared in many major national and international publications. He is also a painter and sculptor and won the Emily Lowe Award Competition. For Travel Agent, Farris contributes witty cartoons that reflect current issues in the travel industry for the Trendwatch section. 8 | TravelAgent September 1, 2008 http://www.travelagentcentral.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com http://www.southerntravelnews.com http://www.southerncruising.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - September 1, 2008

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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