GOGO Vacations hosted the four-day intensive training at Majestic Mirage in Punta Cana
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (September 12, 2018) – Land and resort vacation business is booming for work-from-home travel agents with Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc. ®, with land sales up 25 percent year-to-date compared to last year. With non-cruise bookings making up more than 20 percent of the business, the need for travel agent training in this niche is more important than ever which is why Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. hosted the second annual Land Summit at the Majestic Mirage in Punta Cana, D.R. Approximately 100 travel agents attended the four-day training, which consisted of interactive workshops, agent panels, exclusive hotel events, 10 site inspections and networking opportunities.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. on their annual Land Summit,” said Brennan Quesnele, vice president of sales for GOGO Vacations. “The opportunity to collaborate as the host wholesaler while partnering with Majestic Mirage, Olympus Tours and many others was the perfect alignment to educate, highlight the destination and provide useful insights on selling land package vacations. We had an action-packed Land Summit agenda that informed, inspired and engaged while providing a whole lot of fun and long-lasting memories, as well as the experience and confidence needed to sell land vacation packages and groups.”
Land business has continued to grow each year as a result of the increased marketing efforts of travel agents with Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. In addition to providing them with a dedicated “land brochure” which promotes everything related to resorts, escorted tours and more, agents who subscribe to the free Automated Social Media program have access to destination-themed social media posts. Land vacations are also promoted on websites, direct mail pieces and within weekly email newsletters. In addition, more emphasis has been placed on land trainings as a result of preferred relationships with more than 25 suppliers.
“We find it more beneficial for our agents to have smaller training groups so they can really engage with the suppliers and each other, gaining a deeper understanding of the product which ultimately results in increased sales,” said Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance for Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “In fact, travel agents who attended the 2017 Land Summit experienced more than $1 million in sales over the past year. We anticipate this number to increase after this year’s Summit.”
The Land Summit concluded the 2018 Immersive Education Series, which featured intimate training opportunities on niche topics such groups, luxury and river cruising, which is launching in 2019.
“I was able to achieve everything for which I had hoped at this year’s Land Summit,” said Jeff Leach, Dream Vacations franchise owner and vacation specialist in Omaha, Neb. “The sessions were insightful and the variety of resorts we inspected was perfect. But, the most important accomplishment was the new relationships we were able to build with our vendor partners.”
Those who are passionate about travel with an entrepreneurial spirit who would like to be part of a travel agency network that cares more about its agents and travelers, should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com to learn about franchising with Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, and www.SellCruises.com to learn about becoming an independent vacation specialist with business opportunity Cruises Inc.
About Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.®
Dream Vacations, CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® are part of World Travel Holdings, the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. The Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise opportunities give entrepreneurs a choice in how they want to brand their travel business, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity. Both business models provide a work-from-home opportunity to those interested in selling all types of travel experiences whether it be a cruise, resort stay or land tour. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, travel agents with all three brands are given premium resources to plan and create a seamless vacation experience for the customer while offering the best value. For more information on Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com, like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise or watch its videos at www.youtube.com/DreamVacationsBusiness. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit www.SellCruises.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SellCruises.