CRUISE AND
TRAVEL AGENTS ONLY rolled out plans for its first Cruise
University sailing Alaska's Inside Passage. Cruise University, the
travel agent training program for U.S. and Canadian retailers, will
be held aboard the Carnival Spirit on a roundtrip sailing from
Vancouver May 9 to 16. Along with onboard training, the CVBs in
Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan will host seminars for
participating agents. Agents interested in learning more or making
reservations for Cruise University can contact Cruise and Travel
Agents Only at (954) 491-2269 or visit www.cruiseandtravelagentsonly.com.
A NEW
SERVICE that lets agents create their own blogs entered
the marketplace. The blog template, called You! the Brand, is the
brainchild of Scott Ahlsmith, president and CEO of the
Illinois-based Magellan Travel Group. Ahlsmith said agents benefit
from getting into the blog world because this medium, unlike
typical Web sites, provides a dynamic two-way conversation with
customers and it turns the travel professional (the individual, not
the agency) into the product, he said. FOR $40 a month, or $360 if
paid annually, a subscribing agency buys a domain name and e-mail
account; instructions on how to create good blog content and good
headlines; and three or four weekly blogs written and posted by
Ahlsmith. He said he writes generic pieces about news or other
relevant matters to boost each agent's image as being an expert in
the field. More details are at www.you-the-brand.com.
THROUGH THE
PORT HOLE: Carnival Cruise Lines' 110,000-ton Carnival
Freedom will operate a nine-day inaugural cruise in March 2007
featuring visits to five ports in Italy, Greece, Croatia and
Turkey. The 2,974-passenger vessel will kick off its regular
schedule March 14 and offer 12-day Mediterranean and
Mediterranean/Greek Isles cruises from Civitavecchia through Oct.
16, 2007.
FAM OF THE
WEEK
Egypt/Jordan
Trip: Visits Aswan, Cairo, and Luxor,
Egypt, as well as Amman, Madaba, Mount Nebo and Petra,
Jordan.
Departures: Saturdays through 2006 from Los
Angeles or New York to Cairo via EgyptAir.
Length: 11 nights.
Sponsor: Tours Specialists, Palm Harbor,
Fla.
Cost: $2,160 per person, double, from New
York, $2,260 from Los Angeles. Includes roundtrip air,
accommodations, most meals, sightseeing, transfers and a Nile River
cruise.
Noteworthy: Single supplements are
available; the companion rate is an additional $100.
Contact: (800) 223-7552; e-mail: [email protected].
Home-Based
Agent Editor:
Donna
Tunney
Phone: (508) 221-3674
[email protected]
For promotional
opportunities in the E-letters, contact [email protected].