In This Issue

• Stand out from the competition this holiday season
• Notes from Liz: Are you excited about travel?
• This November send your clients a little shock and awe!
• Reaffirming the Value of Travel Agents
• CLIA congratulates first accredited cruise manager graduate

Featured Destinations

• Chicago welcomes the first Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in the United States
• Enjoy laid-back luxury and contemporary comfort at Loews Santa Monica
  Beach Hotel

Stand out from the competition this holiday season

Dear Partners in Travel,

Welcome to our November issue!

Once again, travel agent business has proved to be great business – and this is the message we are aggressively promoting to our hotel partners around the world! News about professional travel planners couldn't be better. According the Pegasus View, which measures GDS activity, revenues through September are up 16.7% YTD over 2010, 39.6% over 2009 for North America and, globally, 21.6% and 54.2% respectively for the same time periods. The Travel Agent Market is back ... with a vengeance, and that is all thanks to you and your hard work!

Read on to learn from guest columnist, Bill Todd, how you can truly stand out from the competition this holiday season. Here's a hint: don't wait until December to get lost in the mix!

Of course it's not too early to start thinking about "Wave Season." This is the perfect time for you to get a jump and start booking your clients' pre and post cruise stays. In this issue you'll find an important article on how to become an official cruise expert. CLIA congratulates its first accredited cruise manager graduate. Check out the article to learn how you can be a graduate too. This is the best way you can stay on top of trends and news that can help you serve your cruise clients better. And please remember, whether you book a great CCRA rate in the GDS or take advantage of our very competitive rates at over 160,000 hotels at CCRAtravel.com.

As always we want you to stay informed with travel industry news and hotel brand information. If you haven't already, we highly recommend you sign up for the November webinars. These webinars will teach you how to become an "expert agent" for these brands and will introduce you to some of their fabulous new hotels and/or programs. You don't want to miss it!

Your CCRA Team

Notes from Liz: Are you excited about travel?

Over the past few months CCRA has been present at many tradeshows (you'll read more about that later!), and this was a great opportunity for me to meet up with a variety of agents. I met brand new agents who are eager to learn, those who are experienced and searching for new travel products, and the ones who appear timid about learning all that's out there. My favorite part about meeting agents, are the many different types of people, their experience levels, and their individual booking styles. Every agent is different from the last, not like some industries where everyone is in a black suit and tie. Travel agents - no matter their type are fun!

Every agent attending a trade show is to be applauded. Each of you has taken the time and money out of your own pocket to educate yourselves, and learn what is new in the travel agent community that can help your business have continued success. This is important and puts the onus on the suppliers (including yours truly, CCRA) to make sure we have something new or better to help you reach your goals.

I love visiting with the eager agents. They are fun to talk to and I usually learn something from many of them. He or she wants to know about our products and will ask questions showing that they are interested in the latest offerings we work so hard to bring you. These agents are enthusiastic about travel and embrace all the new tools available in today's ever changing world. And if you're one of those eager beavers, you know how often things are changing!

If you feel you are NOT one of those agents described above, and you tend to shy away from the "latest and greatest" programs out there, it might be because things seem too overwhelming. Or maybe you're so advanced you're looking for something new to grab your attention, so in the meantime you're missing out! I would really love the opportunity to sit with you and learn more about how I can help you as it relates to our CCRA offerings.

If I or any of our staff can be of assistance, please contact us at service@ccra.com. And the next time you see me at a tradeshow, please come over!


Sincerely,

This November send your clients a little shock and awe!

Guess what your competitors will all be doing in just a few days? Like clockwork they will undertake a ritual they have enacted during every pre holiday season since they first entered the travel industry. This month they must order the obligatory, interdenominational 2011 holiday cards. As a result each day during December their clients will reach into their inbox and pull out a fistful of brightly colored holiday cards from suppliers who sell the company a vast array products or services. Each card will carry a small imprint of the supplier's company name and, occasionally, a personalized signature. Each card will look very much like the dozens and dozens of other holiday cards that arrive every day.

At home your client will also be required to sift through a pile of well meaning holiday cards from plumbers, dry cleaners, doctors, florists and real estate agents. This does not even take into account the surge of holiday emails that will pile up both on their office and home inboxes. Holiday cards are a nice, inexpensive and easy gesture. That's exactly why most of your competitors and suppliers send them out in droves every year.

Want to immediately stand out from the competition this year? Send a Thanksgiving card. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to reach out to your existing clients. Thanksgiving is tailor-made for expressing your gratitude to your clients for their business. Better yet, your card will probably have each inbox all to itself! As an added benefit, you will completely avoid any concerns about selecting a greeting that is religiously incorrect. In short, your card will be noticed and remembered.

Why? Rarely do any of us receive a Thanksgiving card at work. A Thanksgiving card will be on display for your client's co-workers to see. It costs no more money to send a Thanksgiving card then it does a Holiday card in December. Yet the impact you will make upon your client will be remarkable. This November why not let your Thanksgiving card "sing a solo" on your client's desk rather than be part of a big nosey choir come December?

Bill Todd
Bill Todd is one of the travel industry's most sought-after sales and marketing speakers and coaches. He is the co-author of the new book Speaking of Success which also features best-selling authors Stephen R. Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) and Jack Canfield (The Secret and Chicken Soup for the Soul). Todd has served as vice president of sales and industry marketing for the 5000+ franchises and seven global brands of Choice Hotels International, and was vice president of sales and marketing for Marriott International's Corporate Lodging Division. BTodd@BTodd.com | www.BTodd.com | 301.633.5856

Reaffirming the Value of Travel Agents
Written by: Brett Vouvillion

As I travel across the country, I get the chance to speak with major travel suppliers to get their views on what's going on in the industry. Increasingly, I am hearing about the value they place on you, the travel agent. Even more importantly, they recognize the dedication and hard work that you provide to connect consumers with their products, as well as the human touch point you represent, which cannot be replaced through automated call centers.

As travel agents, you can deliver that intangible, personalized service that is truly valued by your clients. That may come as a surprise to President Obama, who earlier this year compared the travel agency profession to bank tellers and other supposedly "obsolete" professions. (I must admit that I still visit the tellers in my bank branch, who handle my banking needs with a similar personal touch.)

What we are seeing today is just how important you are as travel agents
both to the travel industry and to the economy as a whole.

Travel remains one of the largest sources of employment in today's economy. The largest generator of jobs in the U.S. today is the service industry – and travel agents certainly are a large and, believe it or not, growing part of that industry. What we are seeing today is just how important you are as travel agents both to the travel industry and to the economy as a whole. Indeed, the very personalized services you provide to your customers keep them loyal and worry free when they are on vacation.

Of the 57,000 private-sector jobs created this past summer, more than one in five were added in the travel industry. The fact that travel has out-performed other employer categories is nothing new in this recovery, as new hotels enter the market, as destinations add new travel offerings and as the cruise market continues to grow. That means there's even more demand for your services, especially as suppliers and destinations seek to move their travel product not as price-driven commodities but as a value offerings for customers. What I increasingly hear from suppliers and destinations is that you sell products at a higher and more desirable yield.

It's more important than ever for you to sell suppliers that drive revenue
for your business and add value for customers.

At the same time, some suppliers still wonder whether you truly have the ability to drive or steer business to their particular brands. That's why it's more important than ever for you to sell suppliers that drive revenue for your business and add value for customers. It's been said in the past and it's even more relevant today: Sell those suppliers who support you and your sales efforts.

In today's tough economic environment, of course, there are going to be more deals generated by every segment of travel, even in the luxury space. That's why now more than ever you need to exert influence over your customers to buy travel with an eye to purchasing value. You need to be able to point out the true value inherent in a travel purchase -- a value that is not just measured in terms of the lowest price. You provide a vital resource to your customers who turn to you for customized help in handling their travel needs and a way out if they find themselves in a pinch while traveling.

Collectively Americans gave up more than 448 million earned, but unused,
vacation days equating to roughly $67.5 billion.

According to a CNN/Money survey, in 2010 the average American got 18 vacation days but only used 14 of them. Collectively, Americans gave up more than 448 million earned, but unused, vacation days equating to roughly $67.5 billion. That represents tremendous earning potential for you as travel agents as well as to the suppliers and destinations that rely on you to sell their products.

You have enormous control over tourism dollars that indirectly support new construction and infrastructure for travel companies and destinations around the world. As we head into 2012, remember our road to economic recovery can be paved by the travel industry. It's up to all of us to get people traveling again – and as travel agents you are more important than ever in doing just that.

To see the original article, click here.

Brett Couvillion is group publisher for Travalliance, parent of TravelPulse.com, Agent@Home magazine, Vacation Agent magazine, Travel Agent Academy, Virtual Travel Events and Travel Tribe.

CLIA congratulates first accredited cruise manager graduate

Barely six months after launching the program, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has congratulated its first Accredited Cruise Manager (ACM) graduate. Jane Vogel, owner of Expedia CruiseShipCenters in Orangeville, Ontario has successfully completed all requirements to earn what is CLIA's newest professional development Certification designation.

Vogel's accomplishment comes as CLIA records another milestone for its Certification system – the 12,000th Accredited Cruise Counsellor graduate – Nuriel Vardi, co-owner of B. Starlite Travel in New York City and Fort Lauderdale. In all, over 19,000 Certification designations, or approximately 1,000 annually, have been awarded since 1992 when the program was started. Almost 5,000 agents have become Master Cruise Counsellors (MCC) and some of those have continued on to earn Elite Cruise Counsellor, Elite Cruise Counsellor Scholar, or Luxury Cruise Specialist designations.

Introduced at cruise3sixty in Fort Lauderdale in April, the new ACM program was prompted by CLIA member agency managers and other professionals looking for a vehicle that would recognize their unique skills and responsibilities and assist them is training and motivating their sales staff.

The ACM program enables agency leadership personnel who are not full-time selling travel agents to complete a course of study and hands-on experience that encompasses personal cruise experience, ship inspections, seminars and a case study leading to Certification. Past cruise experience, training courses and product knowledge may be used to fulfill the requirements.

The program is available to all those working in a leadership capacity affiliated with a CLIA member travel agency but not as a full-time selling travel agent. This may include executives, directors, accounting or marketing managers, ecommerce professionals, trainers or other positions. Within two years of enrollment, participants must complete: five ship inspections, two personal cruises of seven days or more on CLIA-member lines, one of four case study options from the areas of marketing, business plans, enhancing service and closing the sale training, and eight of 14 training seminars or other CLIA training programs. Successful completion of CLIA's Institute Track at cruise3sixty, and achievement of The Travel Institute's CTA, CTC, or CTIE designations may contribute toward completion of ACM requirements. The seminars included in the menu of 14 options may be taken live in a classroom or online.

To read more, click here.

Featured Destinations

Welcome to the first Radisson Blu in the United States, right in the heart of the Windy City. This newly risen star is the latest in our internationally renowned and award-winning collection of modern design-destination hotels.

Fully destined to become a destination in itself, the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, Chicago is simply one-of-a-kind. Yet it sets the global standard for the most genuine welcome you could ever imagine. Every moment, designed to be maximized - from the most deliberate details to our signature services - so you can simply check-in and switch off.

Rich in style and design, the hotel features 334 guest rooms and suites; exquisitely prepared Italian fare at the contemporary bistro Filini; more than 28,000 square feet of meeting and event space; an 8,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness facility; an indoor basketball court; a movie screening room; an indoor lap pool; a full-service business center; as well as an 80,000-square-foot green roof and recreation deck complete with gardens and gazebos, fire pits, two outdoor pools, hot tub with cabanas, and a 1/5 - -mile running trail.

In addition to its enviable location and iconic design, the hotel is just a short ride from Chicago's Union Station, while both the Chicago O'Hare International Airport and the Chicago Midway Airport are less than 16 miles away. Also close by are Chicago's world-famous galleries and North Michigan Avenue with its Magnificent Mile of luxury shopping and cuisine.

Book via GDS chain code "RD"

To book this offer, visit CCRAtravel.com and simply select the C rate category. Offer also available in the GDS - select CCR in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

Southern California provides the sunny beachfront setting and sensational ocean views; Loews provides the signature service and gracious hospitality. You'll savor every moment you spend with us at the beach.

We are currently offering a $25 hotel credit per night with each CCRA reservation. This can be used toward any dining outlet or room service, valet parking, Internet or an in-room movie.

Our luxurious guestrooms surround you in contemporary comfort, where warm, inviting furnishings give you a beachfront home. Amenities include: Keurig single-cup coffeemakers, 42" LCD flat-screen televisions with premium channels, deluxe bedding with signature pillow-top mattresses and 300 thread-count sheets, plush Doeskin bathrobes, choice of newspaper, and Lather bath amenities.

Experience a beautiful balance between breathtaking views and sensational cuisine at Ocean & Vine. The chic dining room offers the perfect setting to enjoy a glass of wine and our distinctive California Coastal cuisine. Enjoy a Pacific sunset from Papillon Lounge, where you will lose yourself in panoramic ocean views while enjoying an aperitif in our cozy fireside
lounge.

The 7,000 sq ft Ocean Spa & Fitness has four treatment rooms with eco-friendly design elements to keep you feeling relaxed ... naturally. Stay fit in style with our Fitness Center's new state-of-the-art cardio equipment by Technogym, interactive training from Expresso bikes and Cybex strength equipment. A private Fitness Studio offers a diverse array of classes and the full-service Salon offers cuts, coloring and styling services along with exquisite nail care.

Located in the heart of Santa Monica, Loews is walking distance to many famed attractions including the Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade, a shopping and dining district. Our location also offers close proximity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is just 8 miles south of the hotel.

To book this offer, visit CCRAtravel.com and simply select the C rate category. Offer also available in the GDS - select CCR in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan or CCRA in Galileo.

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