Recommend December 2010 - (Page 59)

abercrombie & kent owns africa rca Best Tour Operator, Africa 14th annual isram named best in the middle east rca Best Tour Operator, Middle East 14th annual winner winner paloma villaverde de rico FOR AWARDS PIECES rick shively FOR AWARDS PIECES rca There’s no doubt that Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) knows what it’s 14th annual readers’ choice award winner FINAL LOGO.indd 1 rca 14th annual readers’ choice award winner 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM doing with its Africa product, and we’re not just saying this because it’s won the Best Tour Operator, Africa for the 11th year in a row in Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Awards, although that’s part of it. What really makes this luxury tour operator stand quite a few notches above the rest is the fact, says Scott Wiseman, A&K’s president, that, “With 49 years of experience—and 11 offices in East and Southern Africa—A&K has some of the most experienced guides on the continent,” adding that, “long-established relationships from Nairobi to Cape Town allow A&K to offer the most desirable room categories, the best game viewing locations and exceptional service from hundreds of full-time local employees.” For 2011, A&K has a couple of new itineraries that, Wiseman notes, in addition to the company’s more traditional South Africa product, agents should be aware of, including Signature Ethiopia and Extreme Adventures Mali: The Jackal’s Road. And booking those itineraries just got easier for agents. “We have completely redesigned our Africa brochure for 2011 to create a go-to planning resource for agents,” says Wiseman, “with itineraries that can quickly be personalized to reflect a client’s interests.” He also adds that, “Each itinerary is color-coded by tour type; we’ve added a 6-page destination guide; all 2011 group escorted programs are guaranteed to operate; and all 2011 programs will be accompanied by one of our resident experts from start to finish.” And booking with A&K, says Wiseman, is as seamless as traveling with this esteemed tour operator. “There is a password-protected, agent-only portion of the A&K website that allows travel agents to personalize itineraries and e-mails,” he says. “Travel agents are also invited to sign up to receive A&K’s monthly electronic newsletter, ‘A-News,’ which includes information on special offers, upgrades, new itineraries, and value added-promotions; and our destination specialists are always available to answer questions or participate in 3-way calls with clients." l 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM FINAL LOGO.indd 1 Because travel agents are the exclusive distribution outlet for our programs, “…we can only hope they show us the same loyalty that we show to them.... We’re here to assist them....” Ady Gelber, President & CEO, Isram World of Travel “We are proud and honored that Abercrombie & Kent has been singled out as Best Tour Operator, Africa by the readers of Recommend…. It is especially gratifying to earn this recognition from travel agents in what has been a challenging year for so many.” Scott Wiseman, President, Abercrombie & Kent contact information Abercrombie & Kent: (800) 554-7016; abercrombiekent.com Isram World of Travel—a veteran tour operator with more than 40 years of experience that has evolved into a highly successful multibrand travel group with global offerings—not surprisingly, has been named Best Tour Operator, Middle East in Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Awards for the fourth year in a row. At least it’s not surprising to Ady Gelber, long-time president & CEO of Isram, who credits the award and the loyalty of the company’s travel agent distributors to Isram’s ability to bring its travel agents’ customers back home “…extremely happy and thanking them for putting them on an Isram trip. That’s very important for us,” he adds, “because service to us is the main thing.” The company’s innovative approach and varied travel categories is seen in such programs as its Elite Travel Collection, which offers travelers the ultimate vacation experience in private car itineraries, and its recently announced A Woman’s View program, designed for women travelers only and offering vacation programs for women to just about everywhere Isram travels. “We’ve found through our marketing studies that there are quite a number of women who like to travel with other women and share that destination experience,” Gelber explains. And, because travel agents are the exclusive distribution outlet for our programs, Gelber says, “…we can only hope they show us the same loyalty that we show to them. It’s not easy for travel agents with direct booking and the Internet,” he says. “We’re here to assist them and at the same time, increase our market share.” To prove that, the company’s offering a “whopping” 17 percent commission on four select tours to Israel in January and February, made all the better with its permanent Fast Commission Program, with commissions guaranteed within 72 hours of full payment. l contact information Isram World of Travel: isram.com december 2010 59 http://www.abercrombiekent.com http://www.isram.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2010

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk-Marriott International
Tour Talk-Globus
Services-SABRE; Apple Vacations & Travel Impressions
Ritz-Carlton
Hertz & Hawaii
Las Vegas
Tauck World Discovery
Florida
Southwest Airlines
France
Ireland
Italy
Delta Air Lines & Rail Europe
China
Thailand
Singapore Airlines
2011 Taiwan Travel Planner
Tahiti & Goway Travel
Costa Rica
Brazil & Avanti Destinations
Egypt
South Africa
Abercrombie & Kent & Isram World of Travel
Israel
Jamaica
Sandals & Beaches Resorts
St. Lucia
GOGO Worldwide Vacations
Cancun
RIU Hotels & Resorts & Apple Vacations
Riviera Maya
Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean International
Princess Cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines & Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Crystal Cruises & Viking River Cruises

Recommend December 2010