Every challenge comes with an opportunity to learn and grow. Smart people and good companies take full advantage of such an opportunity while others – well…not so much.

Carnival has been an interesting “case study” over the last few years. The various challenges the with rising fuel prices and the eventual recession that followed keeping more people at home, Carnival has managed to handle the adversity very well with a willingness to make tough choices, and the ability to rethink and transform their operations to streamline their business and continue to turn a profit.

Automation has played a key roll in Carnival’s transformation and ability to remain “The Most Popular Cruise Line in the World”. It’s not that you couldn’t book and manage clients through Carnival’s agent portal prior, but much of the “call center” activities that lingering old timers have known for years is now gone. (And they’re visibly upset – as usual.)

Early Saver, Pack & Go and Interline Rates have been handled via automation for a while now. Resident Rates, Senior Promotions, Military Rates and Travel Agent Cruise Sales recently went into automation mode August 1st. With so many new features now handled online only, Carnival decided to streamline their Agent Portal for ease of use with a totally new agent portal called GoCCL.com.

GoCCL was created with the Agent in mind, making it easier-to-navigate, more information than ever before, and it’s even Google-search-powered. The end result helps agents speed up the sales process along with some innovative and creative tools to help market to clients and prospects.

Carnival focused on these key areas:

• Improved design and organization – Carnival took all the constructive feedback and designed GoCCL.com around the concept that the right tool is only one-click away. You’ll always be ready when your customer is.
• The right information – when you need it. Now, there’s no more searching around the portal for information you need. GoCCL.com features a completely redesigned Resource Center that gives you lightning-fast access to a comprehensive library of sales programs and product information. Finding the right link is a breeze with GoCCL’s Google-powered search engine.
• Booking Tools – Create and manage reservations, access FunShipPay and verify Guest Document Status.
• Marketing Tools – It’s the one-stop place for all of your marketing needs, including the updated Ad Wizard, eBrochures, Collateral Ordering Tool, Brand Center, Fun Itineraries – as well as our Carnival Fun Tees!
• Training – Explore informative training videos, exclusive Webinars and learn more about how to advance your business at CCL University. You can also browse schedules and register for executive conferences, exciting shipboard events and our signature “Funtastic” Fam Weekends.
• Resource Center – This is the place to get all the information you need. You’ll find Carnival news and updates, FAQs, forms and policies, and Carnival products and program details. Be sure to check out our value-packed Knowledge Center: a great reference resource with facts about Carnival procedures, ship and port information – and much more.
• Specials – Get the scoop on Carnival specials, Early Saver fares, promotional programs, featured specials and other great deals for your clients.
• News and Alerts – The home page news ticker displays Carnivals latest news and important advisories and remains visible throughout the site.

The GoCCL portal is a state-of-the-art sales and marketing tool that will not only keep Carnival number one, but possibly widen the gap as new agents embrace the technology that’s available today. From the looks of it, it will make sales and marketing faster, easier, and more powerful than ever before.

If you look back over this blog and all the articles we’ve written about Carnival over the years, you’ll see that change is in fact a good thing. It’s not about being broken or unproductive – it’s about tweaking and moving forward in today’s fast paced and information rich environment with more opportunities than ever before. Reminds me of another “business model” that’s near and dear to our hearts. (And we’ve documented plenty about THAT topic here too!)

So go check out GoCCL.com. I think you’ll like the upgrade once you come aboard!

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Do You ZamZuu?

Yes, you read that right – it’s not some sort of typo. (Which I’ve “heard” I’ve been known to make. ;-P)

I hope you were paying attention to our newsletter earlier this spring when we promoted the Viking webniars and trainings. It’s going to come in mighty handy when talking to clients and booking this very profitable niche.

I’m not a big fan of river cruises personally. (More of an ocean going cruiser myself if I had my choice.) However, my parents truly enjoy this type of cruise experience, and have booked several river cruises with BandBVacations.

What makes this type of cruise experience attractive is the constant scenery change and the historical significance many of the ports of call provide.

Viking announced this week that they will be paying commissions on every part of their cruise experience. As a result that means more money for you as an agent. Kind of sounds backwards after all these years I know, but it’s true!

Therefore, it would be wise to offer up Viking as a viable option when this type of experience is selected.

One word of caution however: Because you’re part of an MLM, you can’t promote Viking as an option ethically.

Say what?!

Sorry, but it’s one of those double standards that we have to put up with because of the fears, phobias and illusions our traditional agents have about us. We only do it for the money – we’re not looking after the best interest of our client.

See, last year I made the “mistake” of writing about how I tend to promote lines that offer better commissions over others. If all other things are equal, I’ll most certainly offer something that pays a higher commission as a result. It’s just smart business.

Not everyone understands “business” however, and I went round and round in the comments section of this post with a commenter who just couldn’t grasp that concept because it’s MLM, not traditional business. Traditional Agents picked up on it as well, and laid claim that I wasn’t looking out for the best interest of my clients.

Now that the shoe is on the other foot however, it appears that “travel agents” don’t have a problem “promoting” one line over another.

Very strange how that works – but it’s just another example of the double standards we have to put up with in order to keep these myths and rumors about MLM being something less than legitimate alive in their own minds. It creates drama and controversy for them, which keeps them from looking at their own shortcomings.

Like I’ve said many times over, the truth always has a way of coming to light. ;-P

Anyway – this is a really good deal from Viking, and found the Press Release here:

LOS ANGELES (June 8, 2010) – Viking River Cruises, the world’s leading river cruise line, today announced that effective June 9, 2010, it will implement a new, industry-leading commission structure: Viking will pay commission on every aspect of a client’s booking—from cruise and air to shore excursions, port charges, taxes, fees, travel protection plans and more. With a decade-long tradition of innovation, Viking River Cruises now leads the travel industry—including its river cruise competitors and all ocean cruise lines—with the trade’s only fully commissionable program.

“This unprecedented commission policy was developed with input from leaders in the travel agency community, and it is very simple,” comments Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking River Cruises. “If an agent sells a Viking River Cruises itinerary, they earn a commission on all of it. Our partners will be paid for everything they sell.”

In addition, to the industry-exclusive payment on air, port charges, taxes and fees, Viking will offer many other commissionable upgrades—such as Premium Economy or Business Class air upgrades, beverage packages, gift orders and more—to make the most out of the guests’ river cruise experience while increasing the agents’ profit from the reservation. Unlike other river and ocean cruise lines, there are no exceptions. The new commission program will apply to all new 2010 and 2011 bookings, and Viking will continue to pay commissions 29 days prior to departure.

There you have it folks – a vendor who actually wants your business by offering you more commissions. What a concept!

Like I said, it’s a great little niche when you find the right clients who enjoy this type of cruising experience. Profitable, and very easy to service.

Keep up to date with our newsletter, we’ll keep an eye out for more trainings from Viking to help you get up to speed if need be.

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Think back to last week when we gave yet another example of our exemplary “Travel Professionals” and their bizarre behavior.

Since we spent time highlighting how poorly one segment of our industry can behave, I thought I’d spend an equal amount of time highlighting a perfect example of how another segment can respond. What’s even cooler – it comes pretty close to what I suggested as a viable solution for our “Professionals” last week, and how they should respond to the iTrek promotion about them being – well – “dead”.

There’s a right way to do things – and a wrong way. The wrong way leaves everybody involved feeling bitter and angry – which also leaves the industry exhausted and void of any hope.

The right way is getting some pretty good press with people talking – and laughing.

I first found this story on Twitter from PhoCusWright. (we’ve written about PhoCusWright before) We’ve all seen the “Bags Fly Free” promotions of Southwest Airlines. I’m not so sure you’ve seen the latest in this series of commercials. (I know I haven’t – but I don’t watch that much TV.)

The latest installment entitled ‘Battle Cry’ (shown left) highlights the now familiar Southwest baggage handlers who charge another airplane on the apron, only to flash passengers on another airline with individual letters painted on their bellies – which spell out the words “Bags Fly Free”.

It should be noted that the “competing airline” wasn’t blatantly obvious to the average viewer, but it was pointed out that the airline that Southwest baggage handlers “flashed” was Airtran. (The logo was blocked out on the plane in the commercial.)

As thing often do, word began to spread about this new Southwest commercial and questions and rumors began to circulate that Southwest was “dissing” Airtran.

Airtran had a couple of choices here.

They could have reacted like our “travel professionals” as petty and angry to strike an attack on Southwest with a bunch of bad press and move to “out” Southwest for the commercial.

Or respond with its own internal commercial which pokes fun at Southwest.

It should be noted that Airtran has not made any public statement about the commercial – but instead responded on its internal website for Airtran employees to view. (In other words, you won’t see this on TV) It also added this statement with the following video to the Airtran family:

“We’ve heard from many Crew Members from around the country about a funny ad currently running on network TV. We’ve been asked again and again how we planned to respond. Well, we thought about it and thought about it and decided to not respond at all. After all, focusing on running the best low-cost carrier in America is enough to keep us busy.

BUT…if we were to respond, it might look something like this:

Thanks to all of our volunteer Crew Members for donning these costumes and playing along. Your dedication to AirTran and your performance was truly MMMOOOOOOOving.”

It’s obvious that there’s no need for Airtran to get bitter or angry because Airtran happens to have viable service and sufficient market that flies with them. In other words – they’re far more secure in their own product and service than our “travel professionals” appear to be.

Does everyone need to fly with Airtran? No. They also understand that they can’t be everything to everybody. There’s more than enough market to go around, and Airtran isn’t about to take its eye off the ball simply because someone else takes a pot shot at them.

While they did spend some time putting this piece together, it’s all done in good fun and leaves everyone in a good “moooooood”. (Sorry, had to do it.)

That’s what true “professionals” do. It’s called re-framing, and good leaders know how to disarm a potentially volatile situation with grace and humor.

Now if it could only branch out to those who truly need to lighten up. They might be able to attract some positive press like this, and actually attract clients instead of pushing them away.

The only question I have is: Will they figure it out before it’s too late?

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In my short five years in the Travel Industry there’s one thing that I’ve come to not only know, but expect from traditional Travel Agents:

They absolutely LOVE to complain.

In all the industries, all the companies I’ve worked for during my adult life, I’ve never seen an industry so quickly drawn to anger and criticism the way Travel Agents are. It’s no wonder so many of them have gone out of business. Currently, with two thirds unable to show a profit last year, one might suggest that a bit more focus on their own business would be in order – rather than spending time and energy on someone else’s.

Not Travel Agents. They relish the role of victim and have an uncanny way of finding something to complain about – even if it’s a half a world away.

I first caught wind of this iTrek story and promotion in Australia called “The Travel Agent Is Dead” at the beginning of the month. I didn’t think much of it, nor was it “news” to me by any means.

As we’ve come to expect, the industry can never let anything go. Quite the opposite. Since the initial story posted on March 8th, there have been numerous other articles on the progress, compounded with more bickering back and forth within the community.

As a result, more heals are being dug in on both sides of the fence that only heightens the hostility and anger – now almost a month old.

There soon appeared to be a tie with Travel Guard in this developing story, in which they proceeded to do some major backpedaling in order to save themselves from the wrath of the Travel Agent community. If you’re wondering how Travel Guard got mixed up in this mess half way around the world, they do some of the underwriting for iTrek. Enormous pressure (and blame) was bestowed upon them in order to “fix” this promotion once and for all.

After all the dust settled, I’m reading Travel Agent Central yesterday only to find that iTrek has decided to move forward with the promotion. While putting an end to the gala affair they initially planned for this promotion, they’ve decided to move forward with the film competition and prize awards, however, on a much smaller scale. We found this on their website home page.

THE RUMOURS ARE TRUE.

Unfortunately “The Travel Agent Is Dead”, is dead. The competition has come to a tragic and premature end due to the unprecedented hostile response from Travel Agents in both the USA and Australia.

There has been a biblical over reaction by Travel Agents to this marvelous competition. The pressure that was put on our Underwriter to withdraw support for this competition was of the highest degree and due to this relentless onslaught we are unable to continue with the campaign.

Biblical overreaction. Sound familiar? You bet it does!

I’ve seen far too many “relentless onslaughts” from this community over the years, to the point that it makes me sick to my stomach that we actually work in the same industry. It’s not only appalling; it’s embarrassing to see grown adults react in this fashion.

And that will eventually be their downfall – they “react”, they never “respond”.

And there is a difference.

In my humble opinion, Travel Agents as a whole need to get a spine and start promoting their value – rather than attacking and condemning everything that appears to stand in their way. It’s gone past the point of sad to the point of absurd. You just can’t get anywhere effectively by doing this type of bickering. With every problem lies a solution, but most can’t get out of the way, due to the emotional outbursts we see all too often. None of them ever appear to take the time to look at more effective ways to respond to any given situation.

Look at YTB. Sure, the hostility and public shame has driven some away, but our company as a whole is much stronger and far more resilient than they ever imagined. That’s the nature and the beauty of the Direct Sales and Network Marketing model. There’s power in our numbers, and no two people are going to perceive or respond exactly the same way. In stark contrast to the Travel Agent community, our industry spends far more time looking for opportunities to advance and improve – not blatantly attack and tear down.

In their defense, nobody likes being called a dinosaur or worse – dead. They see evidence of things changing around them every day. Look at the Travel Weekly Power List. Four of the top ten companies are on-line Agencies, producing a combined $45 BILLION in sales without any need or want for their fine services, which they proudly hold near and dear to their heart. And they should be proud of what they offer. Likewise there is a market for their fine customer service and support.

The problem as I see it comes from the heart – instead of using their heads. As a result, the emotions elevate and compound each situation instead of finding an applicable resolution that most everyone can agree on.

Produce another competition here in the U.S. for all the reasons why you actually need a Travel Agent. (Without any need or desire to even speak of iTrek.) With all their years of experience I’m sure there are some wild stories that could be told. Real horror stories and how they came to the rescue and aid of long time clients they’ve helped over the years. Not only could it be extremely informative but down right fun to watch if done in the proper spirit. And by proper spirit – I mean in a way that I’ve heard them talk for years – a Travel Agent is your partner – a Travel Agent is your friend – a Travel Agent is there to build a relationship with you. It’s the only way a Travel Agent can offer the perfect vacation or travel experience.

All features you just can’t get from a web site – bits and bytes simply can’t compete in that regard.

Promote your features, advantages – benefits as to why your worth every penny, while at the same time saving your clients valuable time and money.

What a novel idea.

Instead…what we see is more anger, with more fingers being pointed – this time from across the globe. All that does is push potential clients away. What’s even more amazing to me is their anger is directed at a company that the average American has never even heard of until Travel Agents decided to make a stink. Now, not only do more people know about them, but iTrek actually won more promotional leverage in a market that’s very keen on saving every penny they can. Based on what I’ve seen, who would want to work with a hostile and angry Agent like the one iTrek described? You couldn’t pay me to book with some of these “professionals” at this point.

At this rate and with their attitude, they will be dead when it’s all said and done.

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I had this scheduled for Friday, but with so much attention on our good friend Andy Cauthen, I decided to bump this back until today.

That being said, this may not be “news” for many who follow the industry closely, but I still wanted to offer up how I perceive this news. For those of you who know poeple who always look at things in a negative light, you might consider making a push to contact these people now, before Carnival’s 5% price increase goes into effect on March 22nd.

According to Carnival’s Press Release:

Carnival Cruise Lines is reporting record wave season bookings, with strong reservations activity for 2010 departures.  As a result of the strong booking volumes, a general price increase will be implemented effective March 22 for all summer sailings in June, July and August.

For the period of Jan. 1 through Feb. 21, 2010, bookings were at unprecedented levels for the line’s 22 ships which operate three- to 15-day voyages from a variety of convenient North American home ports.

Carnival President and CEO Gerry Cahill said, “We’re seeing significantly increased volume as consumers are taking advantage of the incredible value that a Carnival cruise provides. And while pricing hasn’t fully recovered to 2008 levels, we are increasing prices and will implement an across-the-board increase effective March 22.”

He said that the price increases will vary by departure date but will be up to 5 percent.

Cahill attributed the record booking activity to a wide range of factors, including strong travel agent partner support, targeted marketing initiatives, itinerary enhancements and the wide variety of close-to-home departure points.

Wave season typically runs from about mid-January through early spring and is traditionally the busiest, most important booking period in the cruise industry.

Carnival Cruise Lines is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 15 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England and Europe.

Carnival also has two new ships on order — the 130,000-ton Carnival Magic, which is scheduled for delivery in 2011, and a sister ship set to debut in 2012.

For additional information on the Carnival vacation experience, contact any travel agent, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

###

If by chance you’re thinking to yourself that I’ve lost my marbles over a price increase being “good news” you’ve missed some very key components to Carnival’s message.

Bookings are not only up, but at unprecedented levels. Yes, Carnival made many moves over the last year that helped attract customers, and I don’t want to discount how that played a major role. Cruise customers have seen some very attractive prices in the industry over the last year to 18 months, which some say they’ve not seen in over a decade. Now that the economy is turning around, travelers are once again booking vacations for the upcoming summer season. Because demand is high, the prices therefore go up.

To me, this is another sign that the travel industry is on the mend and it’s good for everyone who works in this industry.

I remember talking with George Dooley this summer before the Convention and the interview we had together. We were talking about how it took one and a half to two bookings to make the same amount of commission in years past because of the lower prices to attract customers. Our total number of booking was in fact up in 2009, but we didn’t reach the same level in commissions from years past due to the lower prices. We worked harder for less money.

It’s good to see prices on the rise again in that regard.

Could the price increase backfire on Carnival? Possibly – but even with a 5% increase, the lines pricing is still below other cruise lines who offer the same itineraries. What’s going to be interesting – or something to look for – is if other lines follow suit. I’m sure Cruise Industry is at least considering a similar move, and those that are showing the same unprecedented levels certainly will announce a price increase in the near future. Those that do, will be the ones to watch as the industry leaders showing the strongest bookings thus far in 2010.

For those that want the bargain basement prices, still have time over the next couple of weeks. If you have some loose ends and quotes out there now, as we do with Carnival, you’ll want to follow up with those people before March 22nd. That is, if you want to offer value to them as an Agent.

Take this as a sign that the industry is following right along with the economic recovery we’re seeing in other sectors – and recovery certainly is good news. Demand is up, and people are looking to take vacations this year.

It’s a much needed “wave” of revenue the industry needs right now.

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Do You ZamZuu?

I read an interesting article this week that I wanted to share it with you. Before I reveal the source of the article, I’d like you to read it in it’s entirety. It highlights many of the benefits of owning a home based business including income opportunities, tax benefits, personal growth, and risks.

While you can take this “Top Ten” list and fit it into just about any home based business, it’s clear from the very beginning of the article that the author is speaking of a home based “travel business”.

Take some time to read this article and I’ll be back at the end, to enlighten you just who this intelligent, articulate and successful author is.

Enjoy!

As the economy continues to top the news, along with the constant doom and gloom that the media projects for the travel industry, some home-based agents may wonder what the future holds for them. However, judging by the number of calls that I get each week from people who are excited at the prospect of getting into the travel business, I would have to say that our future is bright.

It certainly is refreshing to see new agents discovering the benefits of running businesses out of their homes. If you’re looking to get out of the rat race, to spend more time with family and friends, and to live a more balanced life, a home-based business may be the right decision for you. Here are 10 reasons why it pays to work from home.

Personal freedom. If you’re used to spending hours in traffic every day to and from work, some of the most exciting advantages to starting a home-based business are your newfound freedom and the retrieval of lost time. The average American spends 348 hours each year commuting, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. With a home-based business, you have those extra hours to regain control of your personal life. Plus, there are no bosses, no dress code, no set work schedule and no office politics. All you will need is personal drive, discipline, marketing and time-management skills.

You get to keep the money you make. It’s a simple principle: The harder you work, the more money you can make. Your earnings potential is directly proportional to your performance, so you don’t have to wait for a raise or a promotion. You’ll also save money on gas and food. Preparing lunch at home is more cost efficient and offers a nice break in your work day.

Increased opportunity. With so many corporations and industries in slumps, starting your own home-based travel agency means you can create your own income-producing opportunities. Good job prospects can be scarce in some industries, and promotional opportunities within major companies are also shrinking. With many workers now opting to take early retirement packages, becoming a travel agent is an excellent chance to take a passion for travel and turn it into a second career.

Less risk. Running a travel business from home takes much less startup cash than starting a storefront business or even a franchise location. Since there are no inventory or products to purchase, and the business is located where you reside, you don’t have the additional monthly expenses of rent or utilities.

Tax advantages. There are a number of tax advantages to having your home and office under one roof. Check with your tax advisor to see if he or she recommends deducting operating and depreciation expenses on your home as business expenses. This can be a percentage of your mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and/or the expenses of household maintenance.

More time for friends and family. This is especially important for parents of school-age children. You can see the kids off to school and on most days be home when they return. Also, if someone is sick, it’s easier to leave your desk at home than in an office.

Less stress. It’s a little less stressful to juggle the demands of work and family when you know you can stay home to care for a sick child and generally make appointments according to your own set schedule. Also, you can schedule new appointments on the same day as other events on your calendar. For example, if your weekly networking meeting is on Tuesday, set as many other appointments on that same day, even if it’s just a trip to the dry cleaner.

Opportunities for professional growth. Being your own boss gives you the chance to wear a lot of hats: sales director, marketing professional, strategist, business development manager and more. This gives you experience with all aspects of running a business.

Increased productivity. Now that you no longer have to budget time and energy for commuting or a succession of useless meetings, you should have a lot more time and energy to make your business a success.

A creative outlet. Your home-based agency can be an opportunity for you to give birth to your passion and create a money-generating opportunity. You can try out new ideas, take risks and run the business in exactly the way you want.

Now if this sound like a big MLM pitch, you could be right. Not only have I written about many of these subjects here over the years, I’ve seen several ads and articles that relate directly to MLM promoting the same features, advantages, and benefits of running your own home based business with YTB. (Or other MLM Business)

But before you go writing this entire article off as some lame MLM pitch to get you to fork over a bunch of money to an MLM opportunity, or think the tax benefits and income opportunities are somehow misleading or deceptive, I’d like to introduce you to the source and the author of this wonderful piece.

Anita Pagliasso is not only the author of “No Place Like Home” found in the September issue of Agent @ Home, but is also the author of a book called, “How I Made a Small Fortune as a Home Based Travel Agent“, which includes a CD that contains Anita’s tool box for Home Based Agents loaded with forms, letters, disclosures, disclaimers, and templates for the Home Based Agent. In addition to her articles and book, Anita is an Executive Board Member of PATH (Professional Association of Travel Hosts) and also hosts a very informative web site surrounding the Home Based Travel Business called Ticket 2 Travel.

I got to ask…do you see any real difference between what you’ve seen on this blog or in my Newsletter and what’s in this particular article? Can you find anything in this article that you can’t find in YTB or another general MLM? (Taking the “travel aspect” out of the equation of course)

Makes you wonder why Anita gets a pass and MLM’ers get all this flack about being misleading and deceptive doesn’t it?

Keep this article handy next time you see another emotional outburst about the benefits of owning your own Home Based Travel Business.

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Our friends at PhoCusWright have come out with another report revealing that monthly traffic and conversion for travel websites is up in almost all travel categories in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the same quarter of previous years. (Air being the only category that’s down – no surprise there.) Each area showed increases in traffic during the first half of 2009 compared to 2008 and 2007 when the company researched Online Travel Agencies and Travel Suppliers.

According to a PhoCusWright Press Release, the month of June revealed that visitors were strong with year-over-year growth. Almost all categories were up such as cruise lines – up 19 percent and hotel chains were up 13 percent.

“The reliance that consumers have on travel Web sites has not weakened one bit,” says Carroll Rheem, director, research at PhoCusWright in a press release. “Online channels are attracting, engaging and inspiring travelers who recognize that this year is actually a fantastic time to take a trip. Consumers are certainly spending less, but they are not giving up travel, nor are they turning away from the Web sites that offer them the selection and convenience they value.”

There are also signs that Online Travel Agencies and Supplier Web Sites are enhancing their ability to convert online shoppers to actual purchasers.

Don’t get too excited however, there are still a considerable amount of people who visit but don’t purchase according the report. (It’s what PhoCusWright calls “leakage”.) Online Travel Agencies are lagging behind suppliers, who are doing a better job of converting visitors into purchasers over their Online Travel Agencies counterpart. However, the average of actual purchasers is growing in both segments as consumers get more comfortable with the ease and convenience of shopping online. Monthly online conversion rates ranged from 20% for a car rental supplier to 0.2% for cruises booked via an Online Travel Agency.

Online travel agencies have shown a slight increases in hotel and car rental visitor volume in the first half of 2009 compared to 2008 and 2007. The only category to show a decline in traffic from 2008 through 2009 for Online Travel Agencies was air – which is down 15 percent. Still, air conversion has increased significantly over the same time period, according to the PhoCusWright report.

“The online travel ecosystem now supports a diverse variety of transactional and informational sites—each playing a role in how consumers research, shop for and purchase travel,” adds Rheem. “For example, we found that visitation to planning and review sites drives dramatic differences in hotel conversion rates. Understanding the intricate relationships that connect all travel sites is essential to setting the right strategic path.”

Don’t know if you noticed or not, but our September Trip of a Lifetime Sweepstakes has a survey attached to it to find out more about our customers. This ability to collect data gives YTB an edge in finding product and destinations our customers care about, which in turn can convert online shoppers to actual purchasers based on providing products they’re actually looking for.

Technology – Ain’t it grand?!

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