26 October 2017
It’s far easier to recommend a hotel or destination that you’ve visited yourself, isn’t it? That cocktail bar where you watched the sun go down. That little restaurant with amazing seafood. We know those personal recommendations are really hard to beat and that’s why we make sure our Travel Counsellors have the opportunity to travel to the places they’re selling!
As part of the ongoing training we offer our Travel Counsellors, we organise familiarisation trips (‘Fam’ trips for short) with our suppliers. These trips are provided by tourist boards, hotels, airlines, cruise companies and other suppliers, giving our TC’s the opportunities to experience their products first-hand. They provide great benefits to both the supplier, and the agent, as it allows them to be better informed about the products they are selling.
So far this year, some of our Travel Counsellors have been on trips to Peru, China, Sri Lanka, Morocco, South Africa, Sardinia, Madrid, Orlando, Boston, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Canada and Abu Dhabi.
Sometimes an invite arrives and we ask our TC’s to apply for the place, while at other times we organise team sales challenges and competitions where the winning team will jet off to discover the destination together. Recently a group of six Travel Counsellors spent 6 nights in Sri Lanka where they discovered the history, culture and stunning natural beauty of this tear-shaped island.
Combining the very best of the country’s many highlights, from ancient cities and emerald tea landscapes, to untamed jungles and pristine coastlines, this incredible trip delivered a truly unforgettable travel experience. The trip was hosted in partnership with our suppliers Turkish Airlines and local DMC (Destination Management Company) Columbus Tours.
Travel Counsellor Diane Bowman commented: I was so lucky to win a place on this amazing trip! From start to finish it was a dream come true. Sri Lanka is not how I imagined it at all and it surpassed my expectations. The highlight for me was climbing the Sigiriya Rock Fortress. I love a challenge and climbing to the top was just that! I plan to pass on my experience to my clients and other Travel Counsellors who may need any advice on this fabulous destination.
The competition is just one of a number of exciting incentives that we organise for our Travel Counsellors to keep them motivated and focused on driving their businesses forward, including global team challenges with the company’s 1,600 Travel Counsellors worldwide. The most recent global challenge saw the winning team enjoy a trip to Vancouver last month with Irish TC, Roger Barrett representing us as a winner.
