Travel advisors looking to capitalize on the multigenerational travel trend or grow their existing family travel bookings can complete the Florida Family Travel Focus and Caribbean Family Travel Focus courses, recently added to Travel Agent University. Each course provides a comprehensive update on accommodations and attractions trending in two top-selling family travel destinations.
Florida Family Travel Focus
The quick-read training course provides two lessons on family-friendly accommodations and gives an overview on over 15 new or recently revamped properties. Among the resorts roundup are the Hard Rock Hotel Daytona Beach, a new 200-room beachfront property which offers brand-exclusive amenities, such as The Sound of Your Stay music program and Hard Rock Roxity Youth Club, which is designed to encourage kids of all ages to get moving; and the new Aventura Hotel, which is set to open in August at Universal Orlando and will offer views of Hogwarts Castle, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster and Universal’s Volcano Bay.
Kids Programming
In addition to providing room and amenities information, the accommodations lessons give an update on kid’s clubs and children’s programming at several trending properties. Lesson highlights include: Club Med’s partnership with Baby Otter Swim School that gives young guests at Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie the opportunity to learn how to swim and acquire essential water survival techniques; and The Ritz-Carlton Ritz Kids Badge Program, which gives kids the opportunity to take part in 24 challenges, from kayak eco-tours or Surrey Bike excursion to speed boat racing, around the 500-acre The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes.
Attractions
The training course downloads travel advisors on the latest family-friendly attractions, from theme parks to museums. Lesson one (Theme Park Thrills and Other Family Fun) reports on the latest rides and attractions from behemoths— Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort—to give advisors a competitive edge when planning their next family trip to Florida.
Additionally, the “Historical and Cultural Florida” lesson helps travel advisors whose clientele are looking for more educational family time. The lesson explores a variety of activities across the region, including the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation and the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, home to more than 180,000 artifacts and archival items related to the Seminole people.
Caribbean Family Travel Focus
The highly sought course answers the pressing questions many travel advisors have about sending their clients to Caribbean, including which islands to visit, the best family-friendly resorts and villas and the festivals and celebrations that can appeal to kid-totting travelers.
Resorts Report
This hefty lesson gives readers the lowdown on which islands and resorts cater to families. Among the suggestions are the completely transformed Meliá Nassau Beach All Inclusive on Cable Beach, a 694-room resort with three pools (including one for children) and a supervised Kids’ Club; and the oceanfront Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort, which reopened March 1 following a multi-million-dollar post-hurricane renovation.
Fun and Learning
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism is hosting its inaugural “Kids Culinary Capital of the Caribbean” program, which allows children ages 4 to 12 to sharpen their cooking skills by participating in interactive culinary activities and educational classes.
For active, adventurous families, the island of Dominica lays claim to the highest zipline in the southern Caribbean, with six platforms, including three rainforest tree-toppers.
Additionally, turtle programs are popular on several islands. Bequia in the Grenadines is home to Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, a major sea-turtle rescue and breeding operation; Coral World on St. Thomas has a Turtle Encounter Program; and St. Kitts’ Sea Turtle Monitoring Network offers conservation education programs and ecotours.
Find Questex’s complete family travel training program, including Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii, 24/7 at travelagentuniversity.com.