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Editor’s Note — TRO wants to remind it’s Travelgram readers the articles presented here are meant to assist you in remaining informed and prepared to discuss travel news of the day with clients.
Destinations
US Luxury Travellers Are Eyeing Up These Destinations
Planning a trip usually means finding a budget that will let you see everything you want to see without completely emptying your bank account. Luckily, many of the destinations that are surging in popularity with US luxury travellers this fall are within reach of those who don’t have a luxury-sized budget. Luxury travel network Virtuoso has revealed the destinations that are in-demand…
— Lonely Planet
How to Spend a Weekend in Jaipur
With grand palaces, historic city walls and buzzing streets, the Pink City (admittedly it’s more a shade of salmon) is the perfect stop as part of a larger North India tour. It’s the most complex and largest of the cities in Rajasthan, though it’s perfectly possible to navigate solo or as part of a small group. Its modern offerings, juxtaposed with centuries-old institutions…
— The Independent
Tours and Activities
Best Water Parks in the Country
Summertime means plunging down water slides, bobbing in wave pools and floating along lazy rivers. At least, that’s how we roll in South Florida, home to water parks and attractions that deliver all of the above in abundance. Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach isn’t South Florida’s only oasis for wet-and-wild fun. For spills there are new inflatable obstacle courses in Dania…
— Sun Sentinel
The Best Places to Travel in September
Ah, summer comes to an end in this transitional month, but it doesn’t have to mean farewell to your travels. Some of the best places to travel are more inviting than ever in September. Crowds are fewer, temperatures are milder, and a chill in the evenings makes it so cozy to put on a sweater or sit by a fire. European cities host plenty of September festivals, including…
— Travel+Leisure
Cruise
Review: Viking River Cruise through Europe
One of the hottest travel trends of the last decade has been the rapid rise in popularity of European river cruises. I've been reading about them, writing about them, seeing the ads when watching Downton Abbey and wondering about them for years. But I always hesitated to go on one fearing I'd be the youngest person onboard, feel embarrassed to participate in the…
— San Francisco Chronicle
Airlines and Cruise Ships Are Cracking Down on Emotional Support Animals
Sorry, your emotional support hedgehog is not allowed on the plane. Southwest Airlines is the latest large carrier to tighten the leash on passengers bringing emotional support animals (ESAs) onboard. The airline announced that starting in September, only dogs and cats on a leash or in a carrier will be allowed to fly as ESAs and passengers can travel with only one…
— Today
Transportation
J.D. Power: JetBlue, Southwest top frequent-flier ratings
JetBlue Airways’ “TrueBlue” frequent-flier program topped the list for customer satisfaction for the second consecutive year. That’s according to J.D. Power, which revealed its 2018 Airline Loyalty Program Satisfaction Study on Wednesday. It’s the second year that the group looked specifically at airline loyalty programs, a study that’s in addition to J.D. Power’s long-running overall customer-satisfaction ratings for…
— USA Today
Southwest Latest Airline to Restrict Service, Emotional Support Animals
Southwest Airlines has become the latest big airline to tighten its policies on service and emotional support animals. The carrier said its “update” would take effect Sept. 17 and would “provide clearer guidelines” to customers hoping to bring such animals onto its flights. Southwest's policies cover three types of service or support animals: emotional support animals…
— USA Today
Lodging
In the Hospitality Game, New Players With Familiar Names
Not just any bar in New York City will offer you corn nuts in a coupe de champagne that took six artisans to craft from fine crystal. But that is how things are done in The Bar at Baccarat Hotel. With its prismatic glass facade and 114 light-filled suites (Champagne on speed dial, flutes at the ready), the entire property was created as a 21st-century embodiment of a French crystal brand founded circa 1764 by the royal decree of King Louis…
— New York Times
How Hotel Operators Can Win And Retain More Customers
Process management or process modeling is an underrated application that can be used to enhance the experience of travel. More than ever, the hospitality industry is looking for ways to increase their productivity and leverage technology for client communications. Business process management (BPM) is one discipline that can assist airlines, hotels and other travel related…
— Forbes
Other and Odd
Scotland in France? Germany in Argentina? Curious Towns That Lost Their Compass
In 2017 Clare Wiley paid a visit to La Cumbrecita, a surreal slice of Deutschland in rural Argentina. “The street signs are in German, the restaurants serve schnitzel and goulash, while the delis peddle Bavarian-style beer and jars of homemade sauerkraut,” she wrote. “It’s undeniably kitsch.” La Cumbrecita was designed as a faithful recreation of a Swiss-German…
— Telegraph (London)
Put Down That Lamp! What You Can — and Can’t — Take From Your Hotel Room
When Lynn Culver stays at a hotel, she helps herself to the soaps and shampoos in her room. If housekeeping replaces the items, she takes the new ones, too. Culver, a retired attorney from Lumberton, N.J., believes her room rate covers the amenities. “But some of my fellow travelers consider this stealing,” she says. “Can you please settle a dispute among…
— The Washington Post
Today in History
The Cologne Cathedral
On August 15, 1248, the cornerstone of the Cologne Cathedral was laid. Construction was completed in in 1880, a period of over 600 years. Originally, the Cathedral was conceived as a home for religious relics of the Three Kings which had come into the possession of the Archbishop…
— Travel Research Online
Supplier Profile
Experience China with ChinaTour.com
 When it comes to dream vacations, many people have put China high on their wish lists. Whether it be sightseeing around Beijing, cruising the Yangtze River, or walking the Great Wall – China has much to offer the traveler. For all of this, and more, you can look no further than ChinaTour.com.
Chinatour.com has been providing in-depth and trusted tour in China since 1996. They are originally based in North America (Diamond Bar, California). But this…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Mike's Morning Missives
Marketing Mistake #10: You Let Past Customers Get Away
 Shame on you! You lost another customer.
The human response to this dilemma is to avoid the client … to keep your distance thinking that the people you once did business with don’t like you anymore. We look within and begin to believe that it must have been something we did or said – didn’t do or didn’t say. This is both a foolish response and a total waste of your time and energy. In all probability, the reason they stopped doing business with you was because you stopped paying attention to them. It appeared to your customer that you were taking their business for granted.
Regardless of your thought process your time would be better spent going back to the former business associate and find out…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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TRO and The Travel Institute Scholarship Program
TRO believes ongoing training is important to the health of the travel professional. Therefore, we have partnered with The Travel Institute to assist travel agents to earn their Certified Travel Associate designation. TRO will be awarding a $100 scholarship to at least one attendee of TRO webinars each webinar. If you want to be considered for the scholarship you need only to register here:
http://www.thetravelinstitute.com/troscholarship/
and then attend TRO’s webinars. Winners will be selected and notified immediately after each webinar!
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
Small Group Touring through Europe
Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
Do you have clients interested in the concept of an escorted tour but no desire to travel long days in a large bus? Look no further! Join us for an informative webinar about Back-Roads Touring Co and give those clients an option they will love! Back-Roads Touring Co, a London based tour company, has specialized in leisurely paced scheduled departures through the UK, Europe, and Asia for the last 28 years. This webinar will cover their touring portfolio, including their newly released 2019 schedules, all the selling features you’ll need to know to sell their destinations, and give a more in depth look into the unique travel experience provided to your clients.
Register Now ➠
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