Destination Wonderful, a place where you send a lot of business, is
starting an agent advisory board. And they want you!
With visions of high-level meetings and luxe, all-expenses-paid
trips flashing through your synapses, you dash to the phone, ready
to sign up -- but suddenly, you start wondering if it's really
worth the time and effort.
The answer
to that question is a resounding, "Yes!" said agent Chrissi Vadala,
especially if you want to boost your sales, get the inside track on
product information and make the destination an even better place
to sell.
Vadala, an agent at Post Haste Travel in Hollywood, Fla., is a
leisure consultant with eight years of experience under her belt.
Her tenure as a member of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism's Travel
Agent Advisory Board has helped business "tremendously," she
said.
In her first year on the job, she learned plenty. The two-year
appointment means traveling to different destinations in the
islands twice each year for meetings, and she is invited to bring a
spouse or significant other.
Vadala said she was wowed by the expertise of her fellow board
members, all of whom were agency owners with years of
experience.
"The level of professionalism is very impressive," she said,
which she said pushed her to work even harder because "after I read
everyone's bio, I really prepared because I didn't want to look
stupid."
Vadala learned about plans for a co-op ad campaign during her
first year on the board, and, as a result, her agency was able to
negotiate for a slice of the promotional pie. "Our agency was
tagged [locally] at the end of the ministry's television
commercial. Our name is everywhere, and other agencies wanted to
know how we got this."
Although she's very pleased the campaign has brought business to
her agency, she's even happier that some of those commissions went
directly into her pocket.
As the resident Bahamas specialist at Post Haste Travel, Vadala
has seen a marked increase in business since the campaign started.
"Even if someone is a walk-in or [another agent's] regular client,
I step in and give my opinion and advice, and we work together.
That way, clients gets the best information on the destination they
are choosing."
A true partnership
If Destination Wonderful is so very wonderful, why does it need
agents to tell it how to do better? To paraphrase something Kerry
Fountain of the Bahamas Tourist Office said, you can never be too
careful.
"We like to think we have a good handle on the market, but you
never know," he said. "We ask agents about trends they see; what
the competition is doing; what programs are successful that we
could perhaps [emulate], and what kind of feedback they are hearing
from [returning] clients."
This kind of feedback has proven invaluable, he said. Since its
inception in 1996, the Bahamas' Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB)
has helped to develop and expand the islands' Small Treasures hotel
program; smoothed out the selling and rebating of a cooperative
program with American Express, and selected the best distribution
channel for Preview, its quarterly agent magazine.
"We got TAAB agents involved in our People to People program,"
which puts tourists in touch with Bahamians, Fountain said.
It was a complimentary program, and TAAB told the Bahamas
officials, "you ought to be charging for that." Tourism executives
are now working out the details.
So ultimately, TAAB brings more to the Bahamas' bottom line.
Isn't it nice when everyone sees a profit? Psst? Someone tell the
airlines.
How to get picked
What does it take to make it on a travel agent advisory
board?
Let's assume that Destination Wonderful hasn't beaten down your
door. Wondering why not? Maybe it's because they don't know you
well enough.
In Chrissi Vadala's case, she unknowingly had written herself an
invitation to join the Bahamas' Travel Agent Advisory Board.
The
retailer, who is certified as a specialist through the Bahamas
Tourism Institute, also had been named 1998 Travel Agent of the
Year in the islands' annual Cacique Awards, further endearing her
to the tourism ministry.
The agent hastened to note that her award and board membership
were not rewards for productivity. "Our agency is not the top
producer in this area, and I'm not the top-producing agent, but the
ministry [looks for people] with a personal interest in the growth
of the Bahamas."
Kerry Fountain, general manager of the Americas for the Bahamas
Tourist Office in New York, said the key word in selecting advisors
is "quality."
"We're looking for people who'll be around in 10 years, who will
bring information and quality to the table."
Another key characteristic is an agent's reputation in the
industry, he said. "Are you respected in your community? Are you
involved in other organizations, and how do they [perceive]
you?"
Because the Bahamas is a leisure destination, Fountain said, the
board recruits members from small, independent agencies around the
U.S. rather than from chains.
Tourist office marketing representatives, the people who
regularly work with agents here in the U.S., are armed with a
profile on the types of agents sought for the board, Fountain
said.
In addition, the Bahamas executives "bounce these names off tour
operators, wholesalers and hoteliers. Once we discover one or two
really good members, we ask for their recommendations when they
retire," he said.