Land and resort vacation business is booming for travel advisors with Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, with land sales up 20 percent year over year. The need for travel advisor training in this niche is more important than ever. Hyatt Inclusive Collection co-hosted the annual Dream Vacations and CruiseOne Land Summit at the Secrets/Dreams Playa Mujeres in Cancun, Mexico. During the four-day training, more than 140 travel advisors participated in interactive workshops, agent panels, round-table discussions, hotel events and site inspections.
The strong year for land vacations also highlighted some shifts in consumer habits:
- Dream Vacations and CruiseOne have seen an increase in the average booking window
- Luxury is in high demand
- The Caribbean, Mexico and Europe remain extremely popular, and bookings are significantly up
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne travel advisors grew their businesses due to the marketing programs provided. The marketing team unveiled a new initiative called “Destination Spotlight” (with the first edition highlighting the Dominican Republic). The goal is for advisors to be able to showcase the highlighted destination and provide travel inspiration to their customers. An advisor’s toolkit includes a dedicated landing page, email template, customizable assets and social media content. Marketing also announced a land-exclusive promotion, funded by the franchise, which runs until October 3 to commemorate the 2023 Land Summit.
Said Sean Tolkin, vice president of land strategy and network performance for Dream Vacations and CruiseOne: “Small businesses must create a unique brand, customize their products, and think about their customers’ needs to succeed. To ensure that our travel advisors are successful, our Land Summit covered relevant best practices and provided them with the latest tools, resources and content.”
Dream Vacations and CruiseOne also announced the official endorsement of the TAToolkit. Dream Vacations franchise owner Debby Corwin developed this resource. The TAToolkit provides first-hand accounts of various resorts that can allow travel advisors to be comfortable selling and recommending packages for their customers. The Land Summit concluded the 2023 Immersive Education Series, which featured intimate training opportunities on niche topics such as groups, luxury and river cruising.
For more information, visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com.
Related Stories
ABTA Launches Road Shows Across the United States
Black Travel Summit Launches National Black Travel Day
Travel Edge Network Focuses on Growth at Its Limitless Event
World Tourism Day Highlights Sustainability—Are Companies Ready?