Dot-gov sites are valuable resources

MINNEAPOLIS -- "If you never use the Internet for anything else, promise to use it for access to the government pages," urged Shelly Houser, a travel educator who owns and operates Travel Career Options in Ramsey, Minn.

She cited a few of her favorites in this category, beginning with Tourism Offices Worldwide.

This comprehensive site, she said, gives access "only to official government tourist offices and official CVBs," and the user need only remember one Web address.

Agents can click on any of 1,674 linked sites to order print materials, and "you usually can copy what you want into your brochures."

In addition, this site is easy to search, she told agents attending the recent Minneapolis Star Tribune Travel Trade Show here.

Houser was presenting a seminar called Scouring the Web for All You Can Get (Without a Web Site), in a series of seminars co-sponsored by Travel Weekly with the Minneapolis paper.

She also highlighted the U.S. State Department Passport Office because users can download passport applications.

(Also, visa services typically make visa forms available for downloading, she said.)

In addition, Houser pointed agents to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its "vast amount of information" on health issues around the world and for cruise ship inspection reports.

These and more than a dozen other sites appear in the Government Resources section of a book Houser compiled for travel agents called "The Internet Address Book for Travel Professionals." The book lists 1,450-plus sites and "only scratches the surface" of what is on the Web, she said.

A fan of the Internet as a source of invaluable information for the trade, Houser cited a few other favorites as examples of the kinds of tools agents can find and implement there.

Akulink. At this site, she said, the host's AkuQuote feature enables agents, at no cost, to request quotes simultaneously from scores of consolidators for real-time availability.

Rates are sorted by price, airline and consolidator, and the site provides quality ratings for the consolidators. The consolidators pay to be listed, and orders are processed and confirmed by e-mail.

For agents who cannot access the Web from their CRS units, Akulink sells a software package designed to give that access at agency res sets.

CLIA Cruise Academy. Here agents can earn accreditation as cruise counselors, Houser said, and the key benefit is "you can fit training into your schedule."

She said agents can expect more educational opportunities along those lines.

Theatre Direct. Here agents can order New York and London theater tickets, she said, and earn 10% pay provided the client buys cancellation insurance.

A LITTLE HELP MINNEAPOLIS -- Shelly Houser, owner and operator of Travel Career Options in Ramsey, Minn., said she can suggest some Web sites for agents to check out for their on-line marketing potential.
...However, the author of "The Internet Address Book for Travel Professionals," said she could not tell agents what concepts have worked.
...She offers the addresses in her book because there have been "so many requests for addresses."
...She cited several that attempt to match clients with travel agencies: Flycast.com, iWant.com, Respond.com and Trip Quote.com.
...Houser also pointed to NetCruise Travel, which is a network of agencies. Retailers pay a fee to join in return for "as much or more in commissions" with "dramatically reduced costs," the company said.
...NetCruise provides a site where agencies can book air, car, hotels, tours and cruises; the services of a member support center, and a customized Web site for each member.
...Another on Houser's list is OnlineAgency.com, which is a network of 1,200 travel Web sites, the company said.
...Travel agent network members gain access to content from participating suppliers, the company said, adding that some suppliers offer OnlineAgency.com affiliates extra commissions and famtrip options.
...OnlineAgency also offers training on how to market travel products through the Web, it said.
--N.G.

Travel insurance sites. Houser did not highlight a single vendor but said this: "You will sell insurance on line, and you'll never go back. It's wonderful."

She said that each customer's policy is customized "within seconds" and then printed out. "You get the client's signature and money, and it's done."

Just be sure, she cautioned, "that your agency is signed up and then you will get the commission."

Inn & Travel Network. Designed for agents only, this network of 20,000 bed-and-breakfasts guarantees agency commissions.

Retailers pay an annual fee for access, and a higher fee lets agencies provide a transparent link from their sites to Inn & Travel for booking.

Hotel View. Houser likes this one for its video walking tours of some hotels. Terming the site "always agent friendly," she said retailers can be listed here for free, and surfers can find a travel agency here based on geographic proximity.

U.S. Tour Operators Association. This, like several other sites posted by groups, allows agents to get quickly to a membership list. Also, of particular use in certain situations, Houser said, agents can print out the USTOA consumer protection plan to show to clients.

MapQuest and MapBlast for maps to be used for driving purposes, and National Geographic for destination maps.

Houser said agents can print the maps to hand off to clients or to include with itineraries or in brochures.

Note: MapQuest told Travel Weekly that it is OK for agents to use its maps in this way though it would like to be contacted for permission, and it would like branding so users know where the maps came from.

MapBlast said, "Technically speaking, using MapBlast maps for commercial purposes violates our usage agreement."

National Geographic said its maps can be copied only for personal or educational purposes, but it agreed that helping a client find his way around the world qualifies as educational.

Intellicast. Houser said there are "so many sources" for weather -- her book lists 11 -- but she likes this site for its ease of navigation and for the depth of information contained there.

Reference Desk. Houser said that unless an agency has its own Web site and chooses that as its default starting point on the Web each day, the best choice for a default starting point is the Reference Desk.

She recommended the site because of its "links to all-round information sources."

Dogpile. This is one of 27 search engines listed in Houser's book that are so-called metasearch sites because they are engines that search several engines simultaneously.

Dogpile, which simultaneously searches the databases accessible through 15 other engines, is Houser's favorite.

To demonstrate its reach, she said, she used it with the search word, Travel, and got 14 million matches.

Of course, she said, she did not know how many dupes were in that number, and she acknowledged this was not a practical search word!