The Let's Talk Travel group: Kimberly Hartley, Myrtle Beach; Andrea Mendelsohn, DeNure Tours; Lydia Markser, Universal Orlando; Kim Barbisan, Cruise Strategies; Rosemarie Wilson, Turks & Caicos; Kosta Tsimklis, Alio and, seated, Phillip Solomon, Tourcan
'One stop shopping' at Let's Talk Travel
It was one-stop shopping (and learning) on Wednesday night when a host of interested agents met with the team from Let’s Talk Travel at the Sheraton in Richmond Hill. The Let’s Talk Travel group – an informal association of tour operators, attractions and tourist boards – has been holding these seminars for 14 years now, allowing smaller suppliers to pool their money and expertise to showcase their products outside the major cities.
This year there are 9 participating suppliers, hosting presentations in 9 Ontario cities from St. Catharines to Sarnia. Suppliers included Jordan, Cruise Strategies, Universal Orlando, Alio, Tourcan, Turks & Caicos Islands, Scenic Tours, Myrtle Beach and DeNure Tours.
“All in all we’ll host some 400 agents at this year’s presentations,” Rosemarie Wilson of the Turks & Caicos Islands told me. “It’s a great evening of learning and the agents love it.”
Those in attendance were certainly very attentive, picking up such handy factoids as:
• 97% of all Tourcan product sold is custom itineraries – only a tiny percentage are brochure tours, according to GM Phillip Solomon. The company is increasingly into specialized tours such as photography, golf, pre- and post-cruise tours, luxury trains and yoga holidays in Brazil, Bali and India
• Universal has opened a value-priced hotel: the 50s-and-60s themed Cabana Bay features rooms accommodating as many as 6, the only Universal property to do so
• Cruise Strategies reps 6 small vessel luxury cruise lines including Windstar and Un-Cruise (“uncommon, unrushed and uncontrived – with no TV, no radio and no internet”) according to Kim Barbisan, the Director of Sales for Eastern Canada). “We don’t do res, we don’t deal with the consumer. We are here to work with you, do cruise nights and group contracts.” Several of their brands specialize in enrichment cruises, so clients can learn as they sail.
• Jordan is known as the Switzerland of the Middle East and is surprisingly diverse, with attractions ranging from 5,000 year old castles to eco-holidays, hot springs to scuba, hot air ballooning to a 1st rate vintage car museum!
All in all an excellent evening. Interesting that even in this age of webinars and on-line self-teaching, there’s still room for face-to-face marketing!
