Travel retailers over the years have had uneasy relationships with CVBs, chambers of commerce and other, similar organizations that offer direct consumer bookings of their own tours and destination packages.
The trade cries foul at the so-called "bypass products" because most of these groups operate with some amount of public funds, meaning that a retailer's own taxes could be used to fund competition.
But some of these entities have come to embrace the participation of retail travel sellers, and the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau is one of them.
It has launched a series of year-round, themed group tours that offer discounted admission to many attractions. Agents are invited to customize any of the suggested itineraries and book area hotels that offer either net rates or commission to the trade. These packages cannot be directly booked by consumers through the CVB.
"We've created these new group travel adventures to help agents uniquely showcase their value and expertise by arranging the most memorable group activities and encounters that Virginia Beach offers, and that will appeal to their group's specific interests and needs," said Kelli Norman, director of tourism marketing and sales for the bureau.
The tour series is called Live the Life Adventures and offers six themes: Mind, Body & Spirit; Arts & Culture; Outdoor; Military; History; and Culinary/Agriculture.
The CVB suggests that agents consider its tour roster for family reunions, student groups, senior organizations and to small groups of friends planning a vacation based around a shared interest, such as cuisine or yoga.
The two- or three-night packages offer a wide variety of activities. For example, on a Mind, Body & Spirit package, group events can range from a yoga session on the beach to spa treatments and coastal hikes.
The military package suggests tours of the USS Wisconsin battleship, the Naval Aviation Monument Park and the Military Aviation Museum, before lunch at the Officers Club.
Agents can mix and match the suggested activities and arrange for group transportation, if needed, with one of the receptive operators the CVB recommends. Discounted admission fees to attractions are not commissionable, but visits to the attractions are guided, which offers at least peace of mind that clients will be looked after.
The CVB asks for a minimum of five clients per tour and can work with up to 100.
Virginia Beach is about a four-hour drive from Washington, and the CVB likes to remind agents that it is "within a day's drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population."
Agents can review all of the suggested itineraries and attraction costs at www.vbgrouptours.com. The CVB's phone number is (800) 700-7702.