Blue Sky Tours Offers 30 Percent Commissions to Hawaii

Big news from Blue Sky Tours today: In honor of the tour operator’s 30th anniversary, they will be offering commissions of up to 30 percent on tours to Hawaii for three weeks only as of Monday.

Kevin Wilmore, Vice President and General Manager of Blue Sky told Travel Agent that the promotion is designed to thank the travel agents who have booked Hawaii travel through Blue Sky over the last 30 years—and, of course, to attract new agents to the company as well. “We discussed it with our marketing team, and we had a whiteboard full of 30s,” he recalls. “Then someone suggested, ‘How about 30 percent commissions?’ We worked the numbers, we worked with our partners, and we made it happen.

Those partners included some prime Hawaii real estate like Aulani, Aqua, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Royal Lahaina, Royal Kona, Pacific Beach and all Starwood properties. Depending on which property agents book, the commissions will range between 20 and 30 percent—“and there’s a lot available at the 30 percent tier,” Wilmore adds.

Working out the deals with the hotels was not as difficult as one might expect. “I wouldn’t even describe as negotiations as much as discussions,” Wilmore says. “Everyone knows this is a soft booking time, and everybody liked the idea of driving extra business, so we didn’t have to lean very hard. We got wows when we talked about the plan. Almost everyone we went to was on board.”

Ultimately, he says, the goal is to keep agents happy so that they’ll keep booking Hawaii tours through the company. “Agents are a key distribution channel for Hawaii, moreso than for other destinations,” he said.

Vacations must be booked between the dates of August 22, 2011 and September 9, 2011.  The vacation travel dates are between August 22, 2011 and December 16, 2011.

Actual commission percentage varies based on property and room category. When booking, look for the codes below as part of the room description to earn up to that amount of commission on that property. The Blue Sky team will adjust the commission amount after booking is made.
•    30COM = up to 30 percent
•    25COM = up to 25 percent
•    20COM = up to 20 percent

Visit www.blueskytours.com for more information.