Travel Agent Comp

conTribuTors agent AnAstAsiA (stAshA)Mills heAly, managing eDiTor As Managing Editor, Anastasia (Stasha) Mills assigns and edits stories and writes on a variety of topics as well. She co-wrote a cover story on the Home-Based Travel Agent Expo and Luxury Travel Expo and has interviewed top travel executives ranging from John Stow, president of Sabre Travel Network, to David Speakman, founder of Travel Counsellors. Mills, who wrote the cover story on New orleans a year after Katrina, has spent much time in the Big Easy, beginning with her university days. other recent scouting trips include South Africa and Zambia, attending the Indaba travel conference and doing property site inspections; London; and Buenos Aires. advice CHinA karin hansen of Frosch Travel International in deerfield, il sends clients to dali, lijiang, and shangri-la to visit museums, monasteries and markets and to see cultural performances, explore nature preserves and eat at local restaurants. to make the most of the exotic, rural nature of the area, Hansen advises clients to have their guides leave the towns and drive them into the rural areas. “Walk through a village built with haye bricks, where pigs and chickens wander freely,” she says. MArk rogers, senior eDiTor, covers Hawaii, the South Pacific and Asia, as well as California, where he is based. At least twice a month Rogers travels to attend trade conferences around the region. These provide Rogers upfront access to newsmakers and trendsetters in the industry. Recent trips include attending the Australia Tourism Exchange in Brisbane and the Thai Travel Mart in Bangkok. In addition, Rogers finds time to immerse himself in a destination to understand it in detail. Recent independent trips found Rogers having expansive off-the beaten track experiences such as sleeping overnight in a Buddhist monastery in Korea, or participating in the Beehive Rocket Festival in Taiwan. Before moving to the west coast, Rogers was Caribbean editor for the magazine. Joe Pike is Travel Agent’s expert covering Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda; Mexico; Central & South America. Since taking over the beat, Pike has traveled to the Caribbean more than a dozen times, most recently visiting great Exuma, The Bahamas. Pike also recently covered the recent Caribbean Week in New york City and the Caribbean Hotels and Tourism Conference (CHTC) in Miami. Pike has interviewed such notable tourism officials as Caribbean Tourism organization (CTo) President Allen Chastanet, CTo’s Secretary general vincent vanderpool Wallace, and Basil Smith, director of tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board to name a few. Some of Pike s recent cover stories include “Family Travel in the Caribbean” and “Hidden Caribbean gems.” SoutHern FrAnCe gary Mansour of Mansour Travel in Beverly Hills, ca says, “the best time to visit the côte d’azur is at the end of June to early July, as the crowds haven’t arrived yet. i would spend about 10 days there for a real riviera experience. My favorite hotel is the Grand Hôtel du capFerrat. there is no location like it anywhere else. DAviD eisen is the cruise and hotel expert at Travel Agent magazine. He’s been on a number of cruises to the Caribbean and Europe, and interviewed many of the top executives within the cruise industry including Bob Dickinson, CEo of Carnival Cruise Lines, and Mark Conroy, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. He recently returned from a week cruising through the Mediterranean. While cruising is his newest beat, Eisen has been keeping tabs on the hotel industry for the past few years. His expertise in the field covers all facets and his most fond memory was a sit down with the president and Coo of Hilton Hotels Corp., Matt Hart, who will take over as Hilton CEo in 2008. Most recently, he interviewed John ueberroth, chairman and CEo of Preferred Hotel group, at his office in Newport .Beach, CA. nApA VALLey, CA Nancy Melton of American Express Travel in Phoenix, aZ tells us that “there are any number of wonderful lodging opportunities in Wine country, from chain hotels to small B & Bs. One of my favorites is Hotel Healdsburg. the location is perfect and the hotel itself is fabulous. Perfection Jennifer Merritt is Travel Agent Magazine’s expert reporter covering Europe, Tour operators and Technology. In addition to roaming the floors of international and domestic conferences like ITB and vacation.com, she’s recently traveled to germany, Italy and several regions in the French Riviera. Prior to joining the staff of Travel Agent, she traveled extensively throughout Europe. Merritt has profiled such high producing agents as John Clifford of International Travel Management in San Diego, Heinke McDade of McDade Travel in Roanoke, vA and Jami Sales of CruisingCo.com and Mouse Ear vacations. She’s also had the opportunity to go one-on-one with a variety of supplier executives, including Jerre Fuqua of Travcoa, Ady gelber of IsramWorld and Laurie Palumbo of Island Destinations. 1 | TravelAgent september 24, 2007 http://CruisingCo.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent Comp

Travel Agent Comp Online Now Contents From the Editor From the Publisher Mexico Los Cabos Primer: How to Seel This West Coast Gem Contributors Mexico Deals Pacific/Asia Korea Primer: The 4-1-1 for Your Clients Asia Packages Caribbean Caribbean News & Notes Hotels Canada’s Tried and True Ski Resorts Multi-Generational Travel Tour Package Briefs and Commission Deals Cover Story: Sir Richard Branson Agent Profile Supplier Profile Agenda What Hurricane Dean Means to You Two Cruise Deals: How They Impact You Five New Tour Operator Agent Liaisons In the Spotlight Classified Marketplace Advertising & Editorial Index Trendwatch

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