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Wednesday December 04, 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

5 Hottest Places To Travel In 2020 For Your Best Vacations
In less than a month we will be in a new year, and for many of us, that means a reload of our vacation days. If you’ve got kids, it means another spring break and assorted school vacations. For all of us, it means another spring, fall, summer and winter, so no matter what your leisure preferences, schedule or the type of travel you enjoy, it means another year full of exciting possibilities. Some…

The most popular city for tourists revealed
Hong Kong has been beset by political unrest and protests in 2019, but that hasn't stopped it from being named the most visited destination in the world this year. According to UK-based market research company Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations 2019 report, the Asian metropolis will clock up 26 million international tourist visits before the year is out. It's a glimmer of good news…

Black Travel Vibes: Find Your Paradise In Bora Bora
With over 100 countries to explore around the world, finding the one place that will take your breath away often seems impossible, that is until you arrive on the shores of the South Pacific paradise known as Bora Bora. After all, there’s a reason the French Polynesian island consistently makes it to the top of traveler’s bucket list, it’s literally the stuff dreams are made of. From the moment you arrive by…

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Tours and Activities

Rulantica, Europa-Park’s new indoor water world
I’m ushered into what looks like an upright glass coffin, told to fold my hands across my chest in the classic corpse position – and then push a green button. I’m wondering exactly what I’ve got myself into when the trapdoor falls open and I plummet into a tube of fast-flowing water. It’s up my nose, in my mouth; I can’t see and can hardly breathe for a few tumultuous seconds before the gradient of…

Windsor Castle’s Christmas Decorations Are Seriously Splendid — and You Can Visit Them in Person
The British royal family is putting all other Christmas decorations to shame. On Monday, the family released images of the stunning holiday decor at Windsor Castle. And, with the gold drapes, the red carpet, and absolutely massive evergreen trees everywhere, it’s truly a holiday wonderland. Visitors to the castle can see all of the decor for themselves now through Jan. 5, 2020. It includes thousands of tiny…

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Cruise

And the world's best new cruise ship is ...
Viking Cruises dominated the 12th annual Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards for the third year in a row with five wins in 2019. Royal Caribbean International, AmaWaterways and Crystal Cruises tied for second place with three awards each, all of which were revealed on December 4. "Our list of winners represents just how much the industry continues to change -- and the fact that there really is a cruise…

Pandaw Ship Crashes into Pontoon, Passengers Evacuated
A Pandaw river vessel has crashed into a pontoon on the River Ganges forcing the evacuation of everyone onboard. Kindat Pandaw ripped a pontoon bridge off its hinges at Patna and passengers are currently on a sandbank nearby while crew remove their luggage and safes from cabins. Paul Strachan, Pandaw Group Founder, has said in a statement to Cruise Critic: "Indeed there was a very minor collision…

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Transportation

Delta Plane’s Evacuation Slide Plummets Into Massachusetts Man’s Backyard After Detaching Mid-flight
A Massachusetts man doing yard work received a shock over the weekend when a plane’s inflatable evacuation slide fell from the sky and landed in his backyard. The slide fell off a Delta plane as it passed over Wenhan Huang’s Milton, Massachusetts, home amid its flight from Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport to Boston's Logan International Airport on Sunday. "It's kind of crazy," Huang told CNN affiliate…

Legal clampdown on unruly airplane passengers
Whether they're pretending to be an airplane captain or becoming aggressive and forcing an airplane to divert, badly behaved airplane travelers continue to hit headlines. In the photo above, actors play out a disruptive scenario as part of training carried out by the aviation security company Green Light. But from January 2020, newly ratified legislation will seek to curb the issue of unruly airplane…

United Has Made It Way Simpler to Get a Business Class Upgrade
An upgrade to business class or first class is the holy grail of flying. It’s also becoming a rare phenomenon. Road warriors slog away on flights year after year earning the necessary status to enjoy regular upgrades. On the other hand, some airlines have introduced complicated upgrade bidding systems aimed at squeezing every last penny out of fliers willing to pony up for a shot at turning left.…

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Lodging

When In Fiji, Do As The Billionaires Do At This $100 Million Private Island Resort
Incredible seaplane arrival courtesy of a barefoot (and very good looking) pilot? Check. Enchanting welcome complete with beautiful Fijian singing, a cold towel and a fresh coconut? Check. A stunning private one-bedroom beachfront villa complete with an infinity pool, butler, outdoor shower, and dream worthy bathtub? Check. Check. And check again. This is just the beginning of what you can expect when…

Tokyo will be short an estimated 14,000 hotel rooms each day of the 2020 Olympics, and the city is scrambling to find alternatives for the flood of visitors
An estimated 10 million visitors are expected to descend on Tokyo next summer for the 2020 Olympics. But the Japanese capital might not have room for them all. The city is facing a hotel room shortage of an estimated 14,000 rooms each day of the Olympics, according to the Nikkei Asian Review, leaving the city scrambling to find alternatives to house millions of tourists. This will be the fourth time Tokyo…

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Other and Odd

Is travel the secret to a long life?
I was that old gringo. I was driving south in my own car in Mexican sunshine along the straight sloping road through the thinly populated valleys of the Sierra Madre Oriental – the whole craggy spine of Mexico is mountainous. Valleys, spacious and austere, were forested with thousands of single yucca trees, the so-called dragon yucca (Yucca filifera) that Mexicans call palma china. I pulled off the road to…

Want to work for Queen Elizabeth? She's hiring a travel director
Love travel? You could work for a royal. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is hiring a "Director of Royal Travel," according to a job listing posted to the Buckingham Palace website. The role is a permanent, full-time position with a starting salary listed at around $111,000 (85,000 pounds). The travel director will focus on purchasing "safe, efficient, cost-effective and appropriate travel services" for the official duties…

The 10 most important innovations in travel and tourism over the past decade
For an industry that is all about movement, travel changes at a glacial pace. At your local airport, the experience today will be much the same as it was in January 2010 – with the possible exception of carrying your boarding pass on your smartphone. You will need to follow the same rules to go through the same security. The odds are you will board an Airbus or Boeing jet that was designed decades ago;…

Today in History

The Discovery of the Mary Celeste
On December 4, 1872, the captain of the commercial sailing vessel Dei Gratia spotted the American ship Mary Celeste sailing toward the Straights of Gibraltar. Captain David Reed Morehouse of the Dei Gratia knew the Mary Celeste had sailed out of New York only a few weeks before. The Mary Celeste was sailing…

Mike's Morning Missives

Are Surveys a Good or Bad Practice?

I recently overheard a group of my friends saying that they have noticed the number of surveys arriving in their inbox have become overwhelming. They found these surveys to be a nuisance and they resented the intrusion.

They felt that if the service they were receiving was not up to par the supplier would hear about it without the need of filling out a survey. This of course is one side of the story.

The other side clearly depicts a company who is interested in improving their service or, at the very minimum, confirming that they are doing things right. Personally, I cannot find fault with this practice. The receiver, as with all emails, has the option to simply delete the communication and get on with their…

  — Travel Research Online
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Motivationally Speaking...

To Be Fired and Rehired is Desired
by Stuart Cohen
Wednesday December 04, 2019

When your client returns from vacation, you are essentially fired. They are now your unclients. You may call them clients again only when they have put money down on a future trip.

Many businesses make the egregious mistake classifying post-sale consumers as loyal clients. This is a common default assumption when: a) the business is confident they delivered as promised; and b) when the consumer does not follow up with issues or negative feedback.

This business expects repeat and referral business to be the natural next step in the relationship — sort of a reciprocity payback for a job…

  — Travel Research Online
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Upcoming Training Opportunities


Australis 101

Australis 101

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST

Navigating the Patagonian waterways for 29 years, Australis offers passengers an exclusive look into remote areas of the region, that include visits to glaciers, sub-polar forests and a view of amazing marine and terrestrial wildlife.

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A Journey to South Africa with South African Airways

A Journey to South Africa with South African Airways

Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 3 pm EST/12 pm PST

Learn about South African Airways, the largest airline in Southern Africa. SAA offers convenient connections from more than 100 cities in North America and daily flights from New York JFK and Washington Dulles with connections to over 75 destinations in Africa. See why South African Airways, a Star Alliance Member is Africa’s most awarded airline, which includes earning a 4-star rating for 17 consecutive years and recently named as having the “Best Airline Staff in Africa” by Skytrax.

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Hungary – The Wellspring of Wonders

Hungary – The Wellspring of Wonders

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST

Hidden in the centre of Europe is a country where water roils under the earth and erupts to the surface, hot and healing. A country, where you can refresh your body and mind by relaxing in the hot water of genuine medieval Turkish baths, both in the summer and winter. Where you can always find something historic or modern that touches your soul, and the atmosphere is vibrant and relaxing at the same time. Where the ”aszú” grape berries are harvested during autumn, from which beautifully balanced “gold wine” is produced. Where on hilltops, deep in the valleys and on endless plains, you find the hustle of small, centuries-old villages, charming towns, luxurious castles and a lively metropolis.

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Earn More Commissions With Agencia Global

Earn More Commissions With Agencia Global

Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST

Agencia Global is the most innovative and user-friendly booking platform for home-based and traditional travel agents. We understand that your goal is to be a travel expert, not a GDS expert, and our platform will allow you to be just that. Not only does Agencia provide agents with aggressive commissions and net fares for over 150 airlines, it will also offer you innovative features such as:

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