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Saint Lucia remains open to visitors from all countries. While entry requirements are constantly updating, protocols might include a negative PCR test result from within five days of travel, completing and submitting an online Travel Registration Form prior to travel, temperature checks and other screenings at the port of entry and adhering to all safety protocols in the destination. Learn about St. Lucia's standout accommodations, dinning options, activities and more through the St. Lucia 2021 Experience Series course.

April 1, 2021 Travel Agent Magazine

Many travelers seek a Caribbean aura closer to home in the Sunshine State.

For travelers who don’t want to travel out of the U.S. right now but still desire a Caribbean vacation vibe, Florida awaits with beachy enclaves, fresh local seafood, pirate-focused activities, reggae and island-style music, watersports and fishing, and hotels and resorts that deliver a subtropical “Floribbean” ambiance. 

Here’s a sampling of some of the new “Sunshine State” options. Before heading out, though, check attraction, restaurant and hotel websites for the latest health/safety protocol information, opening hours/days and capacity restrictions.  

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All-inclusives are a major drawing for destination weddings and honeymoons. As bookings for this very important market return for 2021 and beyond, we caught up with “Mr. Honeymoon,” Jim Augerinos, president of Perfect Honeymoons, to find out what the romance market looks like as COVID begins to lift. Here’s a condensed version of our conversation.

Our new Bahamas Specialist Program is designed to make you an expert on all things Bahamas with easily-accessible training modules. You’ll also find downloadable and shareable content to help promote your business, from maps and island fact sheets to photo and video content. Get Started!

The Swiss Travel System Excellence Program is the only e-learning program worldwide to cover the entire public transport system of a country. In the individual courses, participants learn everything about the characteristics of the Swiss Travel System.

Learners are accompanied on this journey by Heidi and Peter, two animated characters personifying two important Swiss qualities: reliability and enthusiasm. They guide participants through the various modules and share their knowledge in a playful way. At any time, the current learning progress can be accessed and personal high scores compared to those of other participants. At the end, the certificate as Swiss Travel System Excellence Expert waits to be collected.

A Perfect New Beginning. Selling weddings and honeymoons show tremendous potential for 2021 and beyond. Consider the grand weddings that were downsized to backyard events this summer and all of the honeymoons not taken because travel was not possible. If travel opens up again in the near future, travel advisors should be ready to deal with newlyweds with a tremendous, pent-up demand to finally take their big trip. What will these trips look like? Some couples may want to still take a relaxing, sun and sand vacation to celebrate their nuptials, but they are certainly assuming you’ll be able to add unique activities in to the trip so they’ll be able to come home with great stories to tell their friends. Other couples  want nothing to do with the traditional honeymoon. They’re seeking to go where none of their friends have gone before. They’ll be pondering whether to go somewhere in to the depths of Africa or perhaps an undiscovered town in Eastern Europe. Learn more now.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration on your next vacation, might we suggest Saint Lucia. Heading into 2020, the island was looking to top its record-setting 2019 but the coronavirus (COVID-19) had other plans for travel this year. Get Started!

We tapped in to our newly named “30Under30” winners for 2020 to find out where they send their clients in Mexico for destination weddings and honeymoons. They’ve provided a broad selection of romantic resorts which should help you for your altar-bound clients. Learn more in the Mexico Destination Weddings & Honeymoons 2020 Experience Series.

The tourism-dependent Caribbean islands were among the first to close their borders and turn away cruise ships back in March as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak turned into a global pandemic. But the good news is that, with careful planning and plenty of health and safety protocols in place, the islands are reopening and again welcoming visitors to enjoy their beaches, warm waters, off-road adventures, culture and beyond.

Learn about the island-by-island breakdown regarding the latest travel protocols and news in the Caribbean 2020 Experience Series.

Anticipating their “return to travel,” consumers are now booking 2021 voyages to iconic European destinations — such as London, Dublin, Monte Carlo, St. Petersburg (Russia) and Istanbul, Turkey, among others. Increasingly, they’re eyeballing cruise itineraries with “overnight” stays (or even double overnights) in one or more ports. Learn more.

Las Vegas hasn’t missed a beat to enhance its options for travelers in the past few months. Those who return for a fabulous vacation or business trip will find things quite spruced up and in some cases, simply brand new. Learn more by completing the Las Vegas 2020 Experience Series course.

Mexico’s Pacific Coast is ideal for those seeking quietude, peacefulness and plenty of space. Its dramatic natural ocean setting is ready to receive visitors in a mindful, careful way that acknowledges all of the issues the COVID-19 challenge brings. Here, we provide the latest information available as of press time. Learn more.

Cancun, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya are ready to welcome visitors back to their beautiful, natural settings with open arms, providing a warmth and service that will make everyone feel rejuvenated after months of being home.

The region has been awarded the “Safe Travels” seal by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), being the first in the Americas to receive this certification for destinations that adopt global standards to ensure that hygiene and protocols at establishments ensure traveler safety. Get started!

Travel advisors offer their “inside intel” & top tips for selling destination weddings & honeymoons in this online course.

One quarter of all weddings are destination weddings, often with the wedding party’s travel arranged by a professional travel advisor. Creating dream honeymoons is another lucrative trade revenue opportunity. So, what are the emerging trends, changes necessitated by COVID-19, good tips for the sales process and pitfalls along the way? 

However your clients define “romantic,” the Cayman Islands can cater to their vision.

Regardless of which island your clients choose for reveling in or renewing their romance, they’ll find a resort, villa, condominium or guest house suited to their tastes. Before we review the accommodation choices (it will be hard to choose one), the Cayman Vows course will provide a refresher on the differences between each of our three enchanting islands and more.

The VIP Cayman module was designed to help you sell more luxury travel to our islands. In the next three lessons, we’ll introduce the many products, from five-star accommodations to bespoke tours to signature wellness escapes, that uniquely position our islands to appeal to the affluent market. 

We anticipate another year of record-breaking arrivals to our destination by showing travelers that the Cayman Islands is more than a sun and sand destination; rather it’s a premier luxury lifestyle destination catering to travelers of all ages. This is our ongoing goal and we invite you to join in our efforts.

Welcome to the Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® continuing education module, Onboard Life. At the conclusion of this six-lesson module, you will have a deeper understanding about our unparalleled onboard lifestyle, which is centered on our continuous desire and effort to ensure each guest finds exactly what they’re searching for.

Welcome to the Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® continuing education module, Selling Luxury. At the conclusion of this four-lesson module, you will have a better understanding about all the sales and marketing resources at your disposal. Our luxury cruise packages stand out above our competition in both quality and cost, providing a truly all-inclusive experience that delivers An Unrivaled Experience^®. 

Welcome to the Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® continuing education module, Worldwide Destinations. At the conclusion of this five-lesson module, you will have learned about the exciting global destinations that our ships visit and the many ways your clients may explore over 450 ports of call.

July 1, 2020 Travel Agent Magazine
Keeping up with all the newest hot spots, trends and travel specialties can be daunting when trying to make a recommendation to a client. Luckily Travel Agent will keep you Focused! The Focus Series is a collection of product immersion supplements which include sales tips, fresh ideas, client mining, and special hidden gems only you can share with them.  From global destinations to niche travel, the Focus Series is a surefire way to help you stay one step ahead in this fast moving business.

Year after year, Italy has consistently remained the European country generating the most interest among U.S. vacationers. If you have clients who are planning to visit Italy and are looking for insider insights, here are some tips and recommendations.

Join the Palladium Connect program to earn great rewards.  Palladium Hotel Group presents 10 educational courses and its Palladium Connect rewards program designed for its most loyal agent partners. The 10 courses have been broken down into key categories to help you boost your knowledge and sales of Palladium Hotel Group.

The e-learning Palladium Specialist course is part of the Palladium Connect Program, the hotel company’s rewards program for travel agents. You simply register for the program and earn money that can be redeemed for cash, gifts, gift cards or room nights at any of our 5-star all-inclusive resorts in Mexico (Costa Mujeres-Cancun, Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit), Dominican Republic (Punta Cana and Cap Cana), and Jamaica (Montego Bay).

There are four ways to earn money through Palladium Connect:

• Become a Palladium Specialist
• Book Palladium Hotel Group properties in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic and register your bookings
• Invite other agents to register with Palladium Connect
• Provide hotel reviews based on a Palladium Hotel Group stay

Become a Palladium Specialist.

Your clients want to head to Asia and you want to send them there, but does your expertise match your enthusiasm? Start by specializing in one of Asia’s most exotic destinations – Macao – in under 30 minutes. A short 15-lesson course, the Macao Specialist program provides targeted insights, like “Top 20 Selling Points” and sample itineraries, for in-depth knowledge into the destination’s unique blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures.

 

We believe luxury exists in the smallest details, the most attentive service, and the most inviting atmosphere. On our cruises, we create opportunities for your clients to embrace each moment, inviting them to create memories that will last a lifetime. Through The Regent Experience training module we’ll look at how Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® provides passengers with an unrivaled experience and elevates the concept of luxury cruising with all-suite, intimate ships offering every luxury included and our award-winning, personalized service.

Nestled in one of the most beautiful bays in the Caribbean and listed as one of Saint Lucia’s top five resorts by U.S. News and World Report, Marigot Bay Resort and Marina offers an escape to personalized paradise. We invite you to embark on a voyage to discover why Marigot Bay Resort and Marina is the perfect setting for a luxurious Caribbean getaway. Sign up or log in to learn how our all-suite, all-inclusive option and A-list sales proposition is your answer to more luxury bookings to one of the world’s most beautiful destinations.  

Langham Hospitality Group is a global hotel company with over 20 hotels operating on four continents and another 10 projects in development under both The Langham and Cordis flags. Our seasoned management team draws on the best of its 150-year heritage and a modern, innovative approach to hospitality, to provide the highest level of service to our guests. You’ll graduate the course with a thorough understanding of why The Langham Hotels and Resorts represents the epitome of luxury and how Cordis appeals to a broad range of travelers looking for a locally-infused hospitality experience.