Recommend November 2013 - (Page 27)

tour operator intel SITA world tours "We have been offering tours to various destinations that included short river cruises...in China, Brazil, etc. Our clients enjoyed these immensely and wanted more options [so] we decided to expand our portfolio," says Pete Sohi, operations manager of SITA World Tours, which is celebrating its 80th year in the business. Contrary to the stereotype of river cruise passengers as oldsters, Sohi says this kind of vacation appeals to "people ages 12 on up...who seek an educational and cultural experience." Why did SITA recently decide to put so much emphasis on AmaWaterways cruises? "We wanted to partner with a company that offered the same kind of quality that SITA could stand behind. We found AmaWaterways to be that partner," says Sohi, adding that SITA can book all of the line's ships, whether they be in Europe, Asia, or Africa. And why should agents focus on SITA? According to Sohi, "Our travel specialists are truly familiar with the many destinations, so our team can help agents close the sale by working with them closely to educate the client on the best seamless program at the best value." Speaking of educating, he says, "SITA World Tours also offers unique opportunities to agents by helping them build groups and business in their local area, including groups with an agent's church, chamber of commerce, museum, or for example, a women-only group." Sohi is also proud of SITA's commissions and incentives for agents. For example, the tour operator is celebrating its 80th anniversary by providing an $80 American Express gift card to every agent for every booking, and the offer will continue through March 31, 2014. "I got a call from one of our key agents," says Sohi. "She recently racked up three $80 American Express gift cards, and you can imagine, she was thrilled!" By the time you read this, SITA will have launched new European land packages. "We'll be offering join-in programs along with independent, customized tours," says Sohi. "The future of river cruising looks promising, with more and more people adding it as part of their land package." (800) 421-5643; sitatours.com/AgentServices/index.php celtic tours Offering AmaWaterways cruises is not a recent phenomenon for Celtic Tours. "We added river cruising with AmaWaterways in 2011, due to interest from repeat travel agents that book our products," says Kathleen (Callanan) Writer, senior v.p. Writer calls attention to the AmaPrima's "multiple dining venues, heated pool with swim-up bar, WiFi, beautiful decor...and the unique twin balcony feature." Like SITA, Celtic Tours offers all the AmaWaterways cruises. "Popular itineraries for the AmaPrima include the Enchanting Rhine, The Romantic Danube, and Melodies of the Danube, to name a few." m Why do agents turn to Celtic Tours? "Travel agents that book with us on a regular basis are very familiar with our staff and booking procedures, so it's seamless for them. We pride ourselves on making it easy for the travel agent to book with us," says Writer. "When agents call our ofﬁce, they are instantly talking to real people who can direct them to the appropriate department. Our staff are well trained on all aspects of our products...so we can help agents with any questions they may have." Inevitably, some of those questions are about commissions. "The more an agent books with us, the better commissions they will receive," Writer explains. "Our commissions are performance based." (800) 833-4373; celtictours.com uniworld boutique river cruise collection "The river cruise sector is booming and, in fact, the capacity to Europe alone has more than doubled in the last four years," says Guy Young, president and CEO, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. Adding that one of the major challenges that the industry has right now is delivering enough capacity to meet the surging demand for river cruising. "While the sector has grown, it's important to remember that river cruising is currently a relatively niche business. In 2013, I estimate that the industry will carry 350,000 river cruisers from North America. We also have the age demographics working in our favor. There are 75 million baby boomers who will be entering retirement over the next 15 to 20 years. This is Uniworld's core demographic and should present many new potential river cruises to our company and the segment overall. Demand and demographics are on our side. So as long as we can continue to build ships and the supporting infrastructure, I believe that we will see our segment grow signiﬁcantly over the next 10 years." And although he stresses that baby boomers are the core demographics for river cruising, he goes on to say that "multigenerational travel is growing tremendously. Parents and grandparents want to expose their children or grandchildren to enriching experiences. Recognizing this trend, Uniworld has developed a limited number of family-friendly cruises. On these departures, we encourage children on board our ships. These cruises are designed with children in mind and the goal is to expose them to the wonderful cultures and experiences in Europe. On board we offer different activities for children such as a crepe-making class with our chef. There are also excursions that are designed speciﬁcally for children. This is a new and growing opportunity and one that agents should deﬁnitely tap into. The guest feedback is fantastic and the commission earnings are substantial." On tap for 2014 is a new ship on the Rhone to operate the line's popular 7-night Burgundy & Provence itinerary, and the company is introducing a new itinerary in France, the 7-night Bordeaux, Vineyards & Chateaux. Young points out that this cruise "will be particularly appealing to guests interested in winemaking (and tasting!)." (800) 733-7820; uniworld.com november 2013 27 20-27 CR VikingAMA.indd 27 10/22/13 11:58 AM http://www.celtictours.com http://www.sitatours.com/AgentServices/index.php http://www.uniworld.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend November 2013

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Generator
Tour Talk: Vistas by IsramWorld
Sailing the Danube With Viking (and a Teeneger in Tow)
AmaPrima
Bhutan: The Eternal Kingdom Beckons
The Greening of the Caribbean
The Saint Lucia Travel Agent Specialist Program
Merida: Gateway to the Yucatan Experience
Nicaragua Now
Las Vegas Embraces the Future
Tasmania: A Devilish Destination
Zimbabwe: Southern Africa's Comeback Kid
Georgia: Off the Radar

Recommend November 2013