Recommend January 2011 - (Page 8)

agent speak editor’s Travel agents are chatting us up on our Facebook page. Here’s what they’re saying: Leona Olson This is the best magazine for the travel community. Leila Dada I enjoy reading Recommend magazine for the most up-to-date and insight ful information on destinations. By the way, the photo shot of the Bay of Ixtapa [one of our editors tweeted the photo during a recent press trip to this destination in Mexico]...that is gorgeous and a wonderful place to be! One of my favorite destinations in Mexico. Always look forward to each edition. Manjeet Singh Bewli Your November edition.... I like the articles on Medical Tourism. In the future, I would like to see more of them, especially on how to run a Medical Tourism agency and what kind of accreditations are required.... Paul Cox Great information given by Recommend. Love your magazine! Lori Green Found out about this fan page in the latest issue.... Love Recommend magazine! Responses, opinions and comments are welcome at agentspeak@recommend.com. Recommend reserves the right to edit letters submitted to Agent Speak. A notes A very Happy New Year to all and judging from some of the input we received at last month’s USTOA Annual Conference and Marketplace, 2011 could very well be a happy year indeed. In fact, many of the tour operators and destination entities we spoke to were quite happy with 2010, as well. Many of the tour operators with Latin America inventory were particularly pleased with 2010 sales and looking forward to even better sales this year with Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Panama all posting good sales with lots of optimism over 2011 bookings. Colombia, too, is coming up, with Brazil on the fast track, as well, despite the visa problems that’s driving USTOA Latin America operators a little crazy. Asia tour operators, too, were optimistic, now that China is coming back after a couple of disappointing years and Asian river cruise companies are practically ecstatic with the way the Mekong River cruises are selling. See our 2011 Asia Travel Planner in this issue, where we’ve highlighted a host of Asia product from culinary and shopping tours to luxury India product, not to mention eco-adventure product in Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Northern India, Taiwan and The Philippines, as well as Asia river cruising in Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Borneo. Viking River Cruises, which started its Mekong River product this year chartering with Pandaw River Cruises, sold out its entire 2011 charter allotment of 800 berths in just 30 days, resulting in another charter agreement for 2012. AMAWaterways is launching its second Mekong River ship this year after the successful bookings it’s had since it brought its ﬁrst AMA Mekong ship in the fall of 2009. Plus, there are at least two other North American river cruise companies that have completed charter agreements with Pandaw for 2012 and will undoubtedly be making those announcements early this year. Speaking of Pandaw, this is a fast growing Asian river cruise company that’s starting to make a name for itself in the North American marketplace. It’s a luxury product in the most unlikeliest destinations such as Vietnam and Cambodia, Myanmar and Borneo, with a focus on maintaining its goal of delivering a genuine colonial-style river cruise on its new, but period-style river ships. The itineraries in Myanmar and Borneo are truly unique and will pretty much guarantee your clients a truly remarkable vacation experience. Check it out in our Asia River Cruise feature in this month’s 2011 Asia Travel Planner. Another interesting note are the opportunities available in the best-selling destinations of Egypt and Italy, destinations that have high repeat visitor numbers and actively promote new product to generate that repeat business. Egypt, for example, is promoting its western desert region, the moonscape-styled “White Desert” and the Oases Road where Egyptology enthusiasts can see several hundred 2,000-year-old sarcophagi of the so-called “Golden Mummies” unearthed in 1993 in the Bahreya Oasis. There’s also the incredible tombs and temples located around the ancient town of Dakhla, far off the beaten tourist path. Here, too, are excellent attractions for eco-adventurers with 4x4 tours and desert camping opportunities. (See our feature on what’s new in Egypt on page 14.) Italy, too, has had enormous success in garnering repeat business with niche products that appeal to culinary and wine aﬁcionados and which has turned the Tuscany region into as popular an attraction as the big three of Rome, Florence and Venice. Now it’s the Piedmont region’s turn and they’re going at it full-bore. (See our onsite review on page 56.) next month You’re going to have plenty of fodder for upscale customers hungry for new luxury and spa product in our February Luxury & Spa Issue—everything from the elegant and oh-so-chic spa resorts in Baden Baden, to high-end stays in destinations around the world. In the meantime, have a great read.—Rick Shively 8 january 2011 recommend.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend January 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
A New Look at Ancient Egypt
Celebrity Cruises' Eclipse
Asia Travel Planner
Viking River Cruises' Viking Sky
Discovering Piedmont, Italy
Latin America 2011
The M Resort in Las Vegas Hits its Off-Strip Stride
Gansevoort Miami Beach
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Recommend January 2011