Travel Agent - November 10, 2008 - (Page 12)

Agent CONTRIBUTORS Insider With commissions for shore excursions on cruises being such a hot-button topic (see page 6), we asked some agents for theirthoughts on the issue. “Yes, I feel the cruise lines should pay commissions for shore excursions booked via the agency,” says Steve Cousino of Grand Crowne Travel JOE PIKE is Travel Agent’s senior editor covering the Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and Central and South America. Whether at his office in New York City or island hopping in the Caribbean, Pike is always rubbing elbows with top tourism officials, looking to get the latest scoop to help agents sell. In this issue’s cover story, Pike follows up on his recent trip to the Cancun Travel Mart Mexico Summit 2008 in Cancun, where he met with some of Mexico’s top suppliers. MARY WINSTON NICKLIN, European correspondent for Travel Agent, divides her time between France and the U.S. (though an addiction to fromage keeps her across the pond for most of the year). A graduate of Harvard, Nicklin once traveled solo around the world, before settling in Central America for a year to work on sustainable tourism development. She now travels widely in Europe and contributes to various magazines as a freelance writer. For this issue, Nicklin reports on accommodations in Barcelona. in Branson, MO. “Many of my clients seek my advice and recommendations when selecting their excursions, and that isn’t any different than my counsel as to what cruise line, ship and stateroom would be right for their needs and wants.” “I definitely feel that the cruise lines should pay agents commission on shore excursions,” asserts Tiffany Shepperd of Resort Reservation Services in Lexington, MICHAEL BROWNE, managing editor, covers the Alaska beat for Travel Agent and in this issue takes a look at outdoor day excursions for cruisers stopping in Juneau. In addition, he looks at why Edmonton, Alberta, is known as Canada’s “City of Festivals” and offers agents a rundown of the best times to send clients there. Having just returned from New Orleans, Browne will be covering that trip in a future issue, as well as upcoming trips to Xcaret, Mexico (for NEST Fest 2008) and Travel Week in Las Vegas. SC. “As agents, we spend our time going over the cruise itineraries and activities with the consumers and we spend a lot of time talking to them about the different activities that they can do while they are at port. It’s so much more convenient to book their excursions ahead of time. This would eliminate the need for consumers who are wanting to book excursions from standing in line on the ship. They would have already booked them prior to departure. I think agents would be more apt to selling more shore excursions if they were paid commission, resulting in more profit for the agent and also the cruise line.” NICK GOSLING is a contributor for Travel Agent. He visited Tanzania earlier in the year where he covered the Africa Travel Association’s 33rd Annual Congress in Arusha for the magazine. Gosling began his career as a travel writer and has worked for papers in Maine and New Hampshire. In this issue, he writes about Buenos Aires, Argentina’s “City that Never Sleeps.” MARK ROGERS, senior editor, reports in this issue on some of Hanoi’s leading hotels and notes the impact of that city’s mix of Indochine heritage and French Colonial style, as well as covering the Ensemble Travel Group conference held in Las Vegas last month. Rogers recently returned from attending the first-ever ITB Asia, held in Singapore. You can read his blogs from the trip on www.travelagentcentral. com. Rogers covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. 12 | TravelAgent November 10, 2008 http://www.travelagentcentral.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - November 10, 2008

Travel Agent - November 10, 2008 Reality Check Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor Special Supplemement: Business & First Class Travel Specialist 2.0 Hawaii: Art Lovers will Appreciate the Islands’ Offerings Europe: Barcelona is Blooming with Terrific Hotels Pacific/Asia: French Colonial and Asian Styles Blend in Hanoi Alaska: Adventure Abounds In and Around Juneau Canada: Edmonton is Canada’s “Festival City” Las Vegas: Where to Find Inner Peace in Sin City Central & South America: Buenos Aires Brings European Flavor to Argentina Caribbean, The Bahamas & Bermuda: Romance and History Meet in St. Kitts The Slot Spot River Cruises: European Itineraries Offer Convenience and Value Cover Story: Selling Mexico Car Rentals: Tapping an Underappreciated Revenue Source Consortia Profile: Ensemble Travel Group Launches New Initiatives and Tools Luxury Travel Expo WESTA Offers Growth Opportunities for Agents Hawaii Gets New Inter-Island Service Caribbean, Mexico Ramp Up Resort Plans Classified Marketplace In the Spotlight Agent Access Editorial Index Advertising Index

Travel Agent - November 10, 2008

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