By karryon
50 Personal Travel Managers to Attend Inaugural Cruise3sixty Expo.
Following on from the success in 2012 when a contingent of personal travel manager’s participated in a Cruise3sixty expo in Vancouver, 50 personal travel managers representing six Australian States are registered to attend CLIA Australia’s inaugural Cruise3sixty conference in Sydney on 7 February.
“TravelManagers wholeheartedly supports personal travel manager participation in the upcoming Cruise3sixty expo. The opportunity to meet with key cruise line representatives during pre-scheduled one-on-one appointments which help to build and develop industry contacts and relationships is invaluable,” says TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal.
TravelManagers has experienced a sales growth of 32% for total cruise sales in 2013 over the previous year, which constitutes approximately 10% of total leisure sales. “TravelManagers increasing cruise sales show the significant contribution home-based consultants make to the cruise sector. This is achieved in combination with established and well respected partner supplier relationships across a broad spectrum of cruise suppliers,” says Gazal.
Gazal sees the results as proof the cruise market is robust and confident and that demand for the personal travel manager concept is strong.
“The TravelManagers business model caters extremely well for all cruise clients whether they are single, a couple, family or a group of friends. We’re thrilled with these results as it shows the professionalism and calibre of our personal travel managers who have taken everything we’ve given them and leveraged it into sales,” says Gazal.
TravelManagers recognise the need for ongoing cruise education. “TravelManagers is taking very positive steps to educate personal travel managers and promote the value of cruising and developing strategies and techniques in converting cruise enquiries. CruiseManagers, TravelManagers’ specialist cruise division, is a growing success,” says Gazal.
CruiseManagers currently comprises a select number of personal travel managers who have met the strict productivity and qualification criteria to be part of the division. With a large number of personal travel managers being cruise novices, TravelManagers is creating a programme known as ‘Cruise Fusion’ to provide assistance for personal travel managers to gain expertise quickly in this growing market,” says Gazal.
TravelManagers, the only truly national mobile travel consultant host agency with licensed offices in all states, attributes its key to success being the personal and consistent service delivery for both leisure and corporate clients from the 420 personal travel managers across Australia.
“When you’re dealing with a personal travel manager you’re dealing with the boss. They’re local, motivated and well informed. That’s why they’re proving to be so popular with clients and also why the personal travel manager model is so attractive to travel consultants. They work under their own steam, when and where they choose in addition to the remuneration being very attractive.
“We have personal travel managers across all states and territories plus six state based local business partnership managers ensuring our personal travel managers throughout the country have access to the broadest and most in-depth support and infrastructure. We make it our business to invest in the talent of our personal travel managers with training, famils, technical support and mentorship, amongst other things,” says Gazal.
