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?

You know, I looked for this list last week and didn’t see it. Then mid-morning yesterday, it dawned on me that it might be out this week. After writing about this Power List the last 4 years (because YTB has made the list all 4 years) I can go directly to the URL without even needing to look it up. I’ve enjoyed the publication (I enjoy it all year long actually) and it’s fascinating to see the chess match that goes on in the travel industry.

Ironically, Travel Weekly appears to see it as a chess match as well, but on a much grander scale – the last decade. There have been some new faces (like YTB) that have shown up in the last few years and others that have either gone completely out of business or have been acquired by or merged with other companies. (More of the latter from what I can tell.)

The biggest surprise to me was who knocked off the #1 and #2 positions the last few years. American Express and Carlson Wagonlit have had a lock on the the number one and number two spots respectively until this year. (American Express has had a lock on #1 since 1992, when the Power List first came out.)

Online giant Expedia jumped over both this year to take the number one spot.

Yep, online travel is now king.

The list also shrunk in size this year (from 61 total to 52) because – well 2009 was a rough year for travel. Bookings may have been up – but with prices cut in half to get people on board ships, into hotel rooms, and on vacation you literally needed to sell twice as much in order to even maintain your spot from last year.

How did YTB fair in all this?

Not too bad actually. YTB did drop from 25 to 29.

Considering the economy, the incessant and dysfunctional obsession from industry “professionals” about YTB’s MLM model and our fine group of ambulance chasers who can’t quite grasp the meaning of the word “NO” – 29 is actually pretty good.

On the other hand, most clients who book with YTB don’t know (or don’t really care) that there’s an MLM arm attached to the company. Technology plays a big part in that.

I’d highly recommend taking some time to read Travel Weekly’s cover Story “10 Years In Review” to attain their perspective on how technology has changed the face of travel. I’ve been writing about it for years here – but I’m just one of those MLM “Yahoo’s” – a newcomer to the industry who really doesn’t know how things work. (Or so some would have you think.)

Turns out that the internet and technology has not only changed the rankings considerably over the last ten years, but it’s essential in the growth and viability of the vast majority of the agencies who are still around. That’s not to say high touch and high service doesn’t continue to play a role like most of the old dogs would have you believe. (The ones who demand this type of service from YTB in order to legitimize the model.)

A total focus on high touch and high service however, would have certainly landed YTB on the outside of this Power List looking in.

Back in 2001 when YTB was founded, they saw a trend towards technology. Today, over $50 BILLION in travel was purchased online last year between Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity. While all four certainly produced top 10 rankings, Travelocity didn’t provide sales numbers and wasn’t included in this years rankings. (See “What happened to…” in the Travel Weekly report.)

Those who have embraced this shift and taken advantage of the paradigm shift from brick and mortar to click and order have done very well for themselves over the last ten years.

Those who haven’t? Well, you can now find them on various message boards, forums and some have even created their own blogs to bitch and complain about how MLM not technology has ruined their business.

Change is a little more difficult for some – and honestly, some may never come around. (I certainly wouldn’t count on it.) I wouldn’t worry about it however. They’re the ones who are faced with another Power List with the name YTB Travel Network in it for the forth year in a row.

Instead, embrace the technology YTB has provided with new an innovative ways of booking travel.

In fact, you can do that tonight if you’d like. Carnival will be featured once again on our booking engine with yet another “Sail-A-Thon” to wind down Carnival Month with YTB. It’s a live 4 hour blowout sale and you could get up to $160 Cash Back from Carnival if you book with us tonight.

Technology and travel…

It appears to be the right mix if you ask me. ;-P

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If you didn’t know that June is Carnival Month with YTB Travel – you’ve got to be hiding under a rock somewhere. Carnival has been sending out all kinds of promotional e-mails this month and even offered up a couple of live webinars to assist the YTB sales  field in promotions and sales.

The month got kicked off to a great start with a “Cash Back” promotion that clients still have time to get in on before the end of the month. YTB Travel will conclude the month long promotion with Carnival with yet another “Sail-A-Thon” coming up June 29th. (More information on that next week.)

Communications were sent out yesterday about Carnival’s newest ship, the Carnival Magic which will home port in Galveston, Texas and offer 7 day sailings. The Carnival Triumph will move from New Orleans to Galveston as well to take over 4 and 5 day sailings. Galveston has always offer some of the best rates from any home port.

New Orleans will still be covered as well, including a fabulous new 7 day itinerary option. Both the Carnival Ecstasy and the Carnival Conquest will move to New Orleans offering 4, 5 and 7 day cruises options. Once again, New Orleans will have two ships making the “Big Easy” it’s home. Something we haven’t seen since Katrina hit back in 2005.

Here’s a list and time line for all the changes:

• 9/22/11 – CARNIVAL ECSTASY begins service from New Orleans
• 10/6/11 – CARNIVAL TRIUMPH begins service from Galveston
• 10/28/11 – CARNIVAL MAGIC 16-DAY TRANSATLANTIC FROM BARCELONA TO GALVESTON!
• 11/13/11 – CARNIVAL CONQUEST begins service from New Orleans with 3 different seven day cruise options!
• 11/14/11 – CARNIVAL MAGIC begins service from Galveston

Both Galveston and New Orleans ports are fabulous destinations in themselves and to combine the cruise offerings, makes this a perfect choice for a Carnival Cruise. You’ll want to promote these ships and sailings now to capture this business!

The following release was sent out yesterday.

NEW 130,000-TON CARNIVAL MAGIC TO OPERATE SEVEN-DAY CARIBBEAN CRUISES FROM GALVESTON BEGINNING  NOVEMBER 2011,

TO BE PORT’S LARGEST YEAR-ROUND SHIP

Carnival Conquest, Carnival Ecstasy to Sail Year -Round From New Orleans,

Returning the Line’s Capacity to Pre-Katrina Levels

MIAMI (June 23, 2010) – Carnival Cruise Lines’ newest ship, the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, will operate seven-day Caribbean cruises from Galveston beginning Nov. 14, 2011, becoming the largest cruise ship based at the port year-round.  Additionally, the 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph will reposition from New Orleans to Galveston to operate year-round four- and five-day Caribbean cruises from that port beginning Oct. 6, 2011.

Homeporting the Carnival Magic and Carnival Triumph in Galveston represents the largest-ever capacity commitment by a cruise line to Texas.  With these deployments, Carnival expects to carry more than 450,000 guests annually from Galveston – a 28 percent increase over the current year.

In turn, the 2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest and 2,052-passenger Carnival Ecstasy, both of which are currently based in Galveston, will reposition to New Orleans to operate year-round departures from that port, returning the line to pre-Katrina capacity levels there.  With Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy, the line is expected to carry nearly 340,000 passengers annually from New Orleans – the most of any cruise operator.

“Deploying the new Carnival Magic to Galveston and increasing capacity on our popular short cruise program with the Carnival Triumph is a clear indication of the tremendous appeal and growth of this key homeport, which consistently earns high marks from our guests,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival president and CEO. “At the same time, we are very pleased to return to pre-Katrina capacity levels in New Orleans with the Carnival Conquest and Carnival Ecstasy – a wonderfully positive indicator of the city’s continued growth and recovery,” he added.

Carnival Magic, Carnival Triumph from Galveston

Carnival Magic, which is slated to debut in Europe in May 2011 with a host of innovative facilities and features, will offer two different week-long itineraries from Galveston, including seven-day western Caribbean voyages to Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and week-long eastern Caribbean cruises to Nassau, Freeport, and Key West.

Carnival Magic will offer many exciting amenities including a spectacular water park, an exclusive adults-only retreat, a wrap-around promenade with whirlpools that extend out over the ship’s sides, and expansive spa and children’s facilities.  Also featured will be a variety of stateroom choices, including deluxe ocean view  accommodations with two bathrooms, some of which feature five berths and hold particular appeal for families; cove balcony cabins located closer to the water line; and spa staterooms that provide special access and benefits.  A number of new innovations are scheduled to be announced in the near future.

Prior to launching year-round Caribbean service from Galveston, Carnival Magic will operate a series of seven-, nine- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona May 1 to Oct. 16, 2011; followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to Galveston departing Oct. 28, 2011.

Also being deployed to Galveston is the Carnival Triumph which will operate year-round four- and five-day western Caribbean cruises beginning Oct. 6, 2011, becoming the newest and largest ship to operate a year-round short cruise program from that port.  Four-day cruises depart Thursdays to Cozumel, while five-day voyages depart Mondays and Saturdays and visit Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.  Carnival Triumph offers many guest-pleasing features and amenities, including nearly 500 balcony staterooms which are very popular among consumers and typically not available on short cruises.

Expanded Capacity from New Orleans

Carnival Conquest will reposition to New Orleans for year-round seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning Nov. 13, 2011.  The ship will offer three different week-long Caribbean options from New Orleans: a new western Caribbean program featuring Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, an eastern Caribbean itinerary to Key West, Freeport and Nassau, and exotic western Caribbean cruises to Belize, Roatan and Cozumel.

Carnival Ecstasy will operate year-round four- and five-day western Caribbean voyages from New Orleans beginning Sept. 22, 2011. The ship underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation last year that added an expansive water park, tropical-style main pool area, adults-only retreat and 98 balconies to existing staterooms.  On the Carnival Ecstasy’s new itinerary, four-day cruises departing Thursdays visit Cozumel, while five-day cruises departing Mondays and Saturdays call at Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.

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Do You ZamZuu?

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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Do You ZamZuu?

Wow! What a week!

Sorry, I haven’t been around much this week. My post on Monday got a ton of traffic and I appreciate the private messages, e-mails and phone calls. Every so often you write something that strikes a nerve and you learn to just ride that wave of traffic. I also enjoyed the break. It gave me an opportunity to do some additional reading, planning, and finish some projects that have been sitting on the back burner – but needed to get done.

As a result, I’m feeling pretty refreshed and eager to get going on some new projects that fell into my lap during the week. It’s amazing to me how you finish something up; something else opens up to fill that space. We’ll be writing more about them as the week’s progress.

I wanted to do a quick post today about a new program that I’m pretty excited about. I have a relative who’s disabled and this type of thing always peaks my interest because of it. Being disabled doesn’t mean you can’t experience life. Yes, it can make things a little more difficult, but as I’ve seen time and time again, it’s all about how you perceive things that can make a disability an obstacle or advantage.

It’s nice to see this type of program in our industry. While it’s not a niche that I’m actively involved with, I do know a number of people are. I did a search on it last night and only found one other link to it, so I thought I’d promote it, so all of you know about it in case it comes up in your dealings with clients.

Oh, and yes, that’s a real cat! (In other words, it’s not some Photoshopped prank.)

~ Guests of Beaches Turks & Caicos can now become Handicap Scuba Association (HSA) certified at the property ~

Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa has expanded resort programming for persons with disabilities and now offers a tailored disabled scuba diving program. A team of twelve dive instructors from the resort, under the guidance of Mark Rausch of Poseidon Handicap Scuba Adventures, underwent an intensive training course that will allow guests to participate in three specialized programs. Through the Handicap Scuba Association (HSA), guests can become certified in the HSA Basic Open Water Scuba Diving, the HSA Junior Open Water Scuba Diving and the HSA Open Water Dive Buddy. The resort will continue to offer the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification in addition to the Handicap Scuba Association certification.

Michael Clark, Beaches Resorts Water Sports Manager, stated, “Scuba diving is the sport where gravity is not an issue,” he further stated, “we are delighted to be able to offer our disabled guests the full value of our ’Luxury Included’ facility including equal water sports opportunity that caters to their special needs.”

Handicap Scuba Association is made up of over 4000 underwater educators, with disabilities and supporting members, located in over 45 countries. Beaches Turks & Caicos is the first in the Beaches Resorts chain, as well as the island of Turks & Caicos, to receive HSA certification training and marks an important milestone in disabled programming at the resort.

###

How cool is that? (Thought you’d like it!)

Have an awesome weekend!

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Do You ZamZuu?

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.

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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?

You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it – just about everyone has heard how wonderful travel sales have been from “Travel Professionals”. Even with all the doom and gloom about a recession last year.

Heck, it’s easy to say things are wonderful when you don’t have to disclose just how well you’re really doing. Very few of the world’s travel agencies are publicly traded companies and as people often do, they tell you what they want you to hear.

Looks like the truth is starting to catch up with some of these folks, as Orbitz announces a net loss of $337 million for 2009 yesterday. Net revenue just for the fourth quarter was $738 million, down 15 percent from the same period of 2008. According to m-Travel news, the losses were pinned on “removal of most domestic air booking fees and a significant reduction in hotel net revenue due to lower average daily rates, lower hotel booking fees, lower breakage and disappointing results at HotelClub.”

2009 wasn’t a very nice year for the travel industry. Royal Caribbean had problems getting financing for their new mega ship at the beginning of the year. (Although they obviously secured the financing needed eventually.) Expedia was hit with a $129 million settlement in a class action that was filed for unfair business practices. We also can’t forget how hard Mexico was hit last year with the H1N1 virus that wreaked havoc across the globe.

All while consumers saw some of the best deals seen in decades – which was great for them, but not so sweet for Travel Agents. We had to sell two to three times as much in travel just to keep commission levels at levels they had seen in years past.

I have to hand it to any company who’s made it through a year like 2009 regardless of who they are, or what they do. When anyone in our industry takes a hit like Orbitz has, the entire industry is reminded of how lucky we are to still be in business. In a way, it shows strength and resolve – even with the huge losses.

Think about YTB with all that it had to endure for the last 18 months – yet I’m still here with a booking engine that’s producing sales and revenue. Some said I nor the company would make it past 2009. At this point, every day I look at my booking engine, or see a new cruise booked in my back office, I think about those people and smile. Why? Because I no longer have to question if they could be right – I see the fruits of my dedication and determination with my own eyes. My experience once again overrides mere words to the contrary.

It wasn’t easy, nor was it pleasant to endure all the doom and gloom during 2009.

The outlook for the coming year looks much better than it did this time last year. Commissions are getting close to where they were prior to the all fire sales we saw over the last year. (That’s not to say there aren’t some great deals to be had.) Businesses and families are traveling once again. Maybe not at the levels they once were, but when I look at the amount of advanced bookings compared to this time last year, it’s dramatic. Most of what I saw last year were last minute deals that customers just couldn’t pass up.

It’s good to see that I wasn’t alone or that our situation in YTB was unique. Everyone struggled and everyone had “issues”.

I’m just thankful that it looks like all this is behind us (for the most part) and everyone appears to be far more optimistic and on the mend.

Including YTB.

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