TRO Travelgram: Travel articles influencing your clients, from top consumer publications... Sponsor

Monday August 12, 2019

Editor’s Note — TRO wants to remind its 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

Nothing to see here: Popular European destinations want fewer tourists
Hotel owner Verena Lobisser says tourists visiting her village, on the edge of a glassy lake tucked into the Austrian Alps, regularly stop her and ask her to pose for pictures. Sepp Krumböck, who runs a boat rental outfit, recalls the morning he realized that a…

Cuba feels the pinch of the Trump administration's travel restrictions
When a bus packed with Spanish tourists pulled into her restaurant in the picturesque Viñales Valley in mid-July, Rosa Isabel Hernandez Pino was grateful. But she was also worried. That busload represented her last reservation for the summer. Americans…

What happened to Denmark's hippie paradise?
Seen from a boat drifting along Copenhagen's wide canals, the neighborhood of Christiania is a verdant enclave tucked beneath a thick canopy of trees. Half a century after it was founded as a breakaway anarchist commune, it seems to have matured into…

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Tours and Activities

Kick Off Your Marriage With an Adventure, Say Travel Experts
While many couples go all out on their wedding day, the average U.S. pair spends $4,466 on their honeymoon, three times the average amount for a typical vacation, says TripSavvy. For luxury honeymooners—who make up 15% of the $12 billion a…

17 of the most secluded beaches in Greece
It's no secret that Greece boasts some of the most stunning stretches of sand in the world. While many of the Mediterranean country's best-known beaches are often teeming with sunbathers, there are still plenty of gorgeous hideaways for those keen to…

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Cruise

Aranui Expands Cargo Cruises in the South Pacific
Tahitian cargo cruise line Aranui has announced the addition of new itineraries to its 2021 line-up. The new itineraries add 11 destinations including a maiden visit to the Cook Islands, an expanded Pitcairn program and a dedicated Society Islands voyage.…

Why cruise when you can sail into port in style?
Feeling the surge of a ship under the power of the wind and looking up at sails billowed by the sea breeze is an exhilarating pleasure. Normally you would need to be on a small yacht for this experience, with all the associated drawbacks, such as…

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Transportation

Travel disruption continues after flooding
Heavy rain and flooding is continuing to cause issues with transport across Scotland. Storms on Saturday and Sunday have left many areas waterlogged and made the return to work on Monday morning problematic for many. Flooding at the Winchburgh…

An Inside Look at a Day in the Life of an Emirates Flight Attendant
Dubai-based carrier Emirates Airline has a team of cabin crew made up of more than 20,000 individuals who travel from across the globe to move to the destination and become part of one of the world's top airlines. Crew members receive accommodation…

Hong Kong airport closure: Everything you need to know about travelling to the region
As Hong Kong airport is shut down by order of the authorities, the Foreign Office is warning prospective visitors to the city that protests involving significant violence “are likely to continue”. These are the key questions for travellers in Hong Kong at present,…

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Lodging

21 Incredible Adults-only Hotels for a Stress-free Getaway
While family vacations offer their own charm, adults-only resorts give you and your loved ones a chance to unwind in privacy. Many adults-only hotels around the world are set in romantic locations ranging from private farms and islands to grand historic…

Peek At This Luxurious Grand Hotel With The World's Longest Porch: Mackinac Island Magic
Take a seductive step back into yesteryear at the posh Grand Hotel, a National Historic Landmark, on picturesque Mackinac Island, affectionately known as America's Summer Place, which is located in Lake Huron, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower…

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Other and Odd

15 Of The Best Luxury Travel Experiences For 2019, 2020 And Beyond
Travel advisors from the Virtuoso network of travel agencies and executives from luxury resorts, cruise lines and tour companies have descended on Las Vegas for Travel Week. Altogether, there are nearly 6,400 attendees. Today, a select group of travel…

How Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family Really Travel
It’s no surprise that members of the British royal family are among the world’s most well-traveled individuals. They frequently jet overseas on official business, and are also no strangers to holidaying in far-flung—and, of course, secluded—destinations.…

Today in History

The IBM PC Introduced
On August 12, 1981, IBM introduced the IBM 5150. Designed and created by a team of IBM engineers in Boca Raton Florida, the IBM 5150 quickly became known as the IBM Personal Computer,…

Press Releases of Interest

South African Airways Further Strengthens Service To Accra, Ghana With Daily Nonstop Flights From The U.S.
Fort Lauderdale, FL (August 8, 2019) - South African Airways (SAA), Africa's most awarded airline, will increase its frequency on nonstop flights between Washington, D.C.-Dulles International Airport…

Editorial Musings

Are you still at home? Or have you shifted into a co-working space yet?
by John Frenaye
Monday August 12, 2019

When people hear you work from home, the reactions can range from complete adoration and jealousy to “oh, when are you going to get a real job?” I am sure we’ve all heard similar. But as an independent businessperson, it really makes a lot of sense. But there is a downside. Unless you have a dedicated space in your home with an external exit, the perception of your agency being a hobby is very real. There is a solution.

Starbucks!! No, just kidding. Starbucks or your local coffee shop is fine for a client meeting here and there (and certainly great for your mental health is you need a change of scenery) but it is still just a Starbucks.

Renting an office. Let’s be real here. Most…

  — Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews

Eben Peck, Executive Vice President of Advocacy, American Society of Travel Advisors

Since 2017, Eben Peck has served as Executive Vice President, Advocacy at the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), where he is responsible for ASTA’s work to advocate for the travel agency community at all levels of government, within the travel industry and before the traveling public. This includes management of ASTA’s Government Affairs, Industry Affairs, Communications, Research and Legal functions, and ranges from day-to-day association management to federal/state government affairs to interaction with national and trade media to liaising with travel suppliers and industry groups to content for ASTA’s annual conference and other events.

From 2012 to 2017, he served as ASTA’s Vice President, Government Affairs and Senior Vice President, Government & Public Affairs, with a heavy…

  — Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner

Find Your Niche
by Richard Earls
Sunday August 11, 2019

One way top travel agents stand out from the crowd is to develop a niche area of practice. Though we hear the advice to specialize,  the concept of niche marketing is often misunderstood. Niche marketing is a way of helping you focus on locating new clients, not a set of restrictions on your business offerings. Niche marketing is not necessarily about gearing your entire business to a particular type of travel, but rather about segmenting your marketing efforts to focus on particular groups of people.  Many travel consultants avoid it as a concept out of fear of having to turn away business outside the chosen niche, or being too closely identified with the niche. Properly executed, however, niche marketing is a terrific way of locating and marketing…

  — Travel Research Online
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Mike's Morning Missives

Think Twice Before Sending That Email!

I know exactly what I am talking about in today’s message, as I recently dodged a bullet. Let me share my good fortune with you.

Months ago, I was contacted and requested to send a speaking proposal regarding an upcoming assignment. By my calculations, I categorized this as a “significant” project as measured by net profit.

My “ducks were in a row” and because they contacted me, I felt pretty confident as to the eventual…

  — Travel Research Online
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