Holland America Line has relaunched its PartnerSHIPS portal for travel agents with a new layout and new agent tools.
Exclusively for travel agents, the new portal is designed to be more user-friendly with a navigation toolbar at the top with drop-down menus for each tab. Users can also scroll to the bottom of the homepage and find quick links to some of the more popular topics. A focal point of the homepage is a larger toolbar prominently featuring three primary areas on the site: POLAR Online, Promo Toolkit and Holland America Line Academy. Travel professionals also can see upcoming events, read the latest e-Newsletter and meet their business development manager on the homepage.
Eva Jenner, vice president of sales, said the new portal was designed based on a survey of travel agents.
Under the navigation toolbar at the top, the “Learn” section features Holland America Line Academy and the Specialist Training Courses that were launched earlier this year, as well as POLAR Online booking tips, FAQs and upcoming events such as seminars, conferences and familiarization trips.
In the “Plan” tab, travel professionals can find all of the collateral they need to plan cruises for their clients including eBrochures, product announcements, a deck plan reference guide, cruise finder, sailing schedule, AFAR Destination Guides and information about life on board, Land+Sea Journeys, Journeys Ashore, family cruising and cruising with children.
The “Promote” tab has a message from Jenner and the latest promotions, as well as templates to create customized advertising and marketing materials such as flyers, banner ads and emails. Site visitors also have access to Holland America Line’s extensive image library so they can use vivid imagery to promote the cruises.
Travel professionals will find additional access to the POLAR Online booking engine in the “Book” tab. Important information about visas and passports, cancellation policies, groups, gift orders, the air program, check-in and Travel Professional Appreciation Fares also are located in this area.
Additional features include a “Chat with Us” button that enables travel professionals to communicate online in real time with Holland America Line’s reservations team. For direct contact with Holland America Line’s sales team, the “Contact” tab has information including a departmental breakdown so travel professionals can reach out to the appropriate person.
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