January 2012 Issue:

Ravella Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa
Ravella Lake Las Vegas, the newest luxury Four Diamond Resort in Las Vegas

Ocean Key Resort & Spa
Ocean Key Resort & Spa – Key West's Island Luxury with a Twist!

Welcome to the first issue of 2012!

We hope each of you had a nice, relaxing, fun holiday season.

Wave Season is already upon us, so it's time to get back to work.

Have you been booking your clients' pre and post cruise stays? This is often an opportunity for a bonus mini-vacation that travelers don't always recognize. Perhaps, instead of just one night before their cruise, they might be interested in two or three nights. CCRAtravel.com is the best place to book a few additional nights. With our negotiated rate program and our Better than Best program – you can find rates as low as 20% off BAR worldwide.

If you're already done making arrangements for Wave Season, then take a look at our travel partners. We've added some great new partners in the last year like Discover Tours and Collette Vacations. These agencies can help create a fabulous vacation for your next client. Just click here to take a look: http://ccratravel.com/app/pub/IndustryLinks.aspx

This month we also bring good news for you from the World Wide Web. Read the article on how travel agents are making a comeback! It's exciting to see that all the hard work agents like you have put in over the past few years, during such a sketchy economy, is paying off. People are in better positions financially, and are turning to the professional agent to book vacations, family reunions, or conferences.

So we just want to say congratulations for not only rebuilding your industry, but making it stronger then it's been in a long time! Maybe you should reward yourself with a trip just for you. Visit our travel agent specials page to see what you can treat yourself too.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Your CCRA Team

Notes from Liz: Happy New Year!

I love the beginning of a new year. It is a fresh start. This is the time to clear out old files, reorganize (which is a year-long effort for me) and look ahead to the year with "a clean sheet of paper". It makes me feel like I can tackle anything. A new year with new hope and a fresh outlook is good for our souls and hopefully our businesses.

Perhaps you spent the end of last year as we did here at CCRA, assessing what worked and what did not -- planning new projects for 2012. This kind of assessment shows you how far you have come and gives you inspiration to move forward with clear direction.

We wish the best for all of you in 2012. For those of you who have embraced our online portal and have made great commissions, we want you to stay tuned as we will soon be adding content to make your lives even easier and give you more opportunities to sell additional services to your clients.

If you have not yet taken the steps to familiarize yourself with all we have to offer through our online booking portal, this is the perfect time to take a training class (free) or listen to our online recorded training. Be sure you are registered at www.CCRAtravel.com for our online portal.

The world is your oyster – keep moving forward!

Sincerely,

Liz

Discover the newest luxury Four Diamond Resort in Lake Las Vegas, Ravella Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa. Only 20 miles from the Las Vegas Strip but worlds away from an ordinary experience.

In combination with the landscaping and 320-acre lake at the doorstep, the architecture and décor evoke the storybook atmosphere of Florence and the lake country of northern Italy. The 15-acre retreat comes complete with Old World gardens and courtyards, a giant pool and luxury cabanas, a 30,000-square-foot spa, and paddleboats, kayaks, canoes, fly-fishing, and yacht tours on the largest man-made lake in the nation.

The combination of 349 accommodations and 55,000 square feet of conference space supports meetings of 10 to 1,000 attendees. An expert staff directed by meeting specialist Dolce Hotels & Resorts oversees all logistic and technological needs, including requirements for advanced electrical, lighting, and sound system; soundproof air walls; and high-speed internet access.

The 15-acre resort borders not only Lake Las Vegas but also Montelago Village, a Florentine-style complex of boutiques, restaurants, and casino. Food and beverage outlets at home include the Medici Café and Terrace, the beach-and poolside Lagoon Bar & Grill, and the friendly and multifaceted Firenze Lobby Lounge.

To book this hotel, 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.

To Increase Sales in 2012, Start Taking in a Movie at Lunch!
Written by Bill Todd

Imagine how your productivity could skyrocket if you had free access to unlimited sales training or motivation whenever you wanted it. Better yet, what if your instructors were among the top sales, marketing, e-commerce and social media experts in the world, such as Seth Godin, Zig Ziglar, Tom Peters or Tony Robbins? What if each of these experts agreed to make themselves available to you on any day you decided to eat lunch at your desk? Consider it done!

Each of these prominent speakers and trainers is first and foremost their own frontline salesperson. They must connect daily with meeting planners, sales leaders and CEOs who can either hire them for presentations or purchase their books. They make it easy for potential clients to watch and evaluate their best and newest material by uploading to YouTube a selection of their very greatest speeches, seminars or presentations. These videos serve as a combination brochure and e-fam trip for the speaker. As a result, these videos will always contain their best information, strategies and sales tactics.

Research by Thomson Reuters found watching videos for individual training boosts retention by 50% more than just reading or listening to an audio program. To get you started, I have setup a private web page that contains several videos from 2012's best sales trainers, business authors and motivational speakers. http://www.btodd.com/videos.html

If you like what you see, simply head over to YouTube anytime for unlimited private training from your own favorite business speakers and authors.

Bill Todd is one of the travel industry's most sought after sales motivational speakers and trainers. He has served as vice president of sales and industry marketing for Choice Hotels International, and was vice president of sales and marketing for Marriott International's Corporate Lodging Division. Todd is the author of How to Increase Sales During The Slow Economic Recovery of 2012.
www.BTodd.com

Ocean Key Resort & Spa introduced ultra-luxury to the quaint and quirky little island of Key West. Located on the top of Duval Street at the world famous Sunset Pier, bars, restaurants and shopping are all within a short walk from the resort.

Guestrooms and suites are appointed with hand crafted Dorado stone floors and luxurious bathrooms. Interiors embrace the elegance of the West Indies, while still capturing the playfulness of the Florida Keys. Shades of indigo, turquoise and lime lend their pallet to unparalleled ocean front views.

At award winning Hot Tin Roof restaurant, guests bask in the glow of the perfect sunsets and sweeping water views. This Four Diamond restaurant features upscale Latin cuisine with a decidedly Caribbean influence. SpaTerre, the islands upscale boutique spa, offers indulgent Key-lime margarita pedicures and decadent deep soaking Japanese Baths.

The guest favorite, Liquid Lounge, is located surrounding the pool with a breathtaking oceanfront locale. Dripping in lime green cabanas and furniture, this lounge features an attentive staff and great fun.

Lastly, marvel each night at the "Sunset Pier" where lights shine on the colorful people and music during the sunset festival. With cocktail in hand, become one of the many who marvel at the nightly event - taken for granted in most other spots in the world.

Ocean Key is the perfect spot to place your clients for the famous Key West festivals throughout the year. Two popular events coming soon are The 30th Annual Conch Republic Independence Celebration (April 20 – 29, 2012, www.conchrepublic.com) as well as the 17th Annual Song Writer's Festival (May 2 – 6, 2012, http://www.keywestsongwritersfestival.com). It is recommended to book early as these events sell out every year!

To book this hotel, 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.

Travel agents making a comeback
Written by Nancy Trejos

Travel agents received a nice Christmas present when the Miami Herald spoke of their successes. The Herald cited a study by Forrester Research that found the number of leisure travelers who enjoyed using the Internet to book travel fell from 53 percent in 2007 to 47 percent in 2010, as well as a survey by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) that showed 44 percent of agents said they had more clients in 2010 than in 2009.

"[Travelers] don't have hours to spend on research to compare multiple flights, multiple cruises, multiple packages," Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Forrester Research, told the Miami Herald. "It's not unlike doing your taxes. Depending who you are, what your priorities are, there are some people who will choose to do it themselves or to use a professional."

In addition to the convenience factor, travel agents are also uniquely positioned to deal with disasters affecting their clients, an ability that has garnered increasing attention as disasters and political unrest came to dominate the headlines in 2011.

"I think with everything we've seen in recent years from volcanoes and snow storms to civil unrest in certain countries, customers are more in tune for the need for travel insurance," Isaac Cymrot, director of sales and industry relations at Travel Insured, told Travel Agent during our exclusive coverage of Luxury Travel Expo 2011. "And that only mean higher sales and greater revenue for travel agents."

2011 also garnered increased publicity for travel agents after President Obama made comments implying that the Internet had replaced travel agents, sparking a flurry of counterarguments by industry groups like ASTA that underscored just how important the travel agent industry is.

"Travel agents work as personal advisors to provide their clients with the best travel experience before during and after their trip," ASTA CEO Tony Gonchar wrote in a letter to the President. "Thanks to their in-depth knowledge, experience and industry connections, travel agents are able not only to save their clients money, but their most valuable possession—their time."

Looking ahead, organizations from around the industry are forecasting positive trends for 2012. Travel Leaders'annual Travel Trends Survey shows that over 91 percent of Travel Leaders members expect clients to spend the same or more on travel in 2012 as compared to 2011. The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) in its annual member survey revealed that 75 percent of its members are confident of sales growth in 2012. Finally, in the 2012 Travel-Ticker Traveler Intentions survey of consumers 44 percent of respondents planned to travel more in 2012 than 2011.

Read the Miami Herald's full article here.

Tourism Cares plans volunteer project to give back to Florida Landmarks

Tourism Cares is pleased to announce the Pensacola Lighthouse and Bayou Texar as the sites of the 2012 Tourism Cares for Pensacola volunteer program scheduled for March 30, 2012.

The project, in its 10th year, brings members of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries together to make a difference at an historic site in need of care and rejuvenation. During this Tourism Cares restoration and clean-up project, tourism professionals, from the front line workers to the corner office executives will work side-by-side with a common goal - the restoration and preservation of important sites in Pensacola. The impact of these volunteer projects is far-reaching. These projects will likely increase visitor confidence in an area, boost the area's economy and spark further acts of responsible tourism.

Registration is now open online at www.tourismcares.org/volunteer.

This year, volunteers will help in two different and equally important projects. The Pensacola Lighthouse has towered over Pensacola Bay since 1859 and is still in use today. Located at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, the historic lighthouse is a major Florida landmark. The Pensacola Lighthouse Association, a non-profit organization, is solely responsible for the maintenance and public tour operations of the Pensacola Light. Proper conservation and repair of this structure is vital - and that's where Tourism Cares volunteers come in.

As with any historic structure; the elements, especially in a coastal environment, create wear and tear. Extensive painting projects of both the exterior and interior of the house will be done. Landscaping and parking lot upgrades need to be completed to accommodate an increasing flow of visitors. The impact on this venerable lighthouse and its grounds will enhance the guest experience and help develop an even greater appreciation for its history.

"The whole Pensacola Bay area is an ecological and historic treasure. Having bounced back from the scourges of a devastating oil spill, the area needs our help in bringing help and attention to its history, beauty and welcoming community." said Bruce Beckham, Executive Director, Tourism Cares.

Volunteers will also join with The Ecosystem Restoration Section of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Northwest District in partnership with the City of Pensacola, Clean and Green, and the Bayou Texar Foundation, to participate in the conservation of Pensacola Bay. Volunteers will be installing native, wetland vegetation and nearshore oyster reefs along 1,500 feet of shoreline on Bayou Texar. This project will enhance and restore habitats, stabilize the shoreline, and serve as a natural filtration system for runoff and potential pollutants.

"The Ecosystem Restoration Section and Clean and Green are excited about partnering with Tourism Cares to assist in this restoration of habitat in Bayou Texar, Pensacola Bay," said Amy Baldwin, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. "Projects such as this could not be completed without the aid of enthusiastic volunteers and we hope to continue this new found partnership with future endeavors."

The project in Pensacola joins a long list of destinations Tourism Cares volunteers have come together to help including, New York/New Jersey's Ellis Island, New Orleans before and after Katrina, the Mississippi Gulf Coast post Katrina, Gettysburg, Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, and most recently Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT.

Tourism Cares is a 501c(3) non-profit public charity that benefits society by preserving the travel experience for future generations by awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide; by presenting academic and service-learning scholarships to students of hospitality and tourism; and by organizing volunteer efforts to restore tourism-related sites in need of care and rejuvenation. For additional information about Tourism Cares, visit www.tourismcares.org.