Thanks to hotel and wholesaler deals, and other efforts to attract visitors, fall travel to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland promises to be robust. And this comes despite the perfect storm of a sluggish economy, high airfares boosted by inflated fuel prices...

As high gasoline prices and a sluggish economy take their toll on tourism, especially with fewer visitors driving from California, Las Vegas wholesalers and suppliers are taking steps to mitigate the impact.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ...

When Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown named William Griffith as the new director of tourism, he called it a critical time in the island’s history. “We are ushering in the platinum period in tourism, which includes a lot of activity in the hotel sector, including a new resort at the ...

When most people think of Brazil, they remember Rio’s Carnival, tropical jungles, the Amazon or thriving metropolises such as São Paulo. Well, leave your preconceptions about Brazil at home because one of the country’s top tourist destinations, frequented by savvy insiders, is the ...

If your clients are visiting London, it’s all about location, so you want to match them up with accommodations in just the right place. One hotel company that offers a plethora of locations is a new one in town -- a Malaysian-owned company with a Chinese name offering ...

At 16 million people, Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is one of India’s largest cities, as well as one of its most cosmopolitan urban areas. It has some of the country’s richest people as well as some of its poorest. One of Mumbai’s wealthiest citizens ...

Paraphrasing the old show tune, “people who love people will love Ireland.” Nowhere are greetings warmer or more genuine, conversations more vibrant, and assistance more readily available. Ireland also is ideal for lovers of history and gorgeous natural scenery. Nevertheless, there is one caveat your clients ...

Club Med’s new mantra is upscale family vacations – and that’s exactly what Club Med Ixtapa Pacific delivers. After a $20 million renovation, the resort re-opened this year as an upscale family all-inclusive. The property was the first resort built in the area in 1982, and today it is ...

While full-service, five-star resorts are few and far between in New Zealand, the country does have its share of intimate and upscale luxury lodges. Ranging in size from four to 25 rooms and located in some of the most beautiful settings country-wide, New Zealand’s renowned luxury ...

The dual island of St. Maarten/St. Martin offers a little Dutch and a little French blended in two lively cultures. Both sides bustle from dawn to dusk with gourmet eateries, duty-free shopping, casinos, nightlife and an array of accommodations. The smallest territory in the world shared ...

For history lovers, Egypt is a serious bargain. Not only are prices significantly lower and the dollar stronger than in many other high-profile destinations, but you also get twice as many millennia to deal with than virtually anywhere. For example, when the Greek culture peaked in the 5th ...

For several years after U.S. tourists began visiting Vietnam, Hanoi was like the shy little sister of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. In contrast to the bustling commercial center of the south, Hanoi was quiet – bicycles we...

Last May Alex Herrmann began serving in his new post as Switzerland Tourism’s director of North American operations. Herrmann, who grew up in Lucerne, knows America well, having traveled in 38 U.S. states and also having worked for the IBM Corporation at their ...

Do you have questions about technology? Are you looking for information on hardware, software or gadgets? Have you learned of a new program that could help others? This column is where you can ask questions and share information about technology useful to your home-based business.

You’ve carefully logged all the information you can in your customer database. Now how do you use it to fatten your bottom line, to help you sell more and sell up? The key is to build your relationship with your clients and leverage those relationships so your clients will come ...

You’ve carefully logged all the information you can into your customer database. Now how do you use it to fatten your bottom line so you can sell more and sell up? The key is to build relationships with your clients and leverage those relationships so they will come back ...

There’s still time to sign up now for Virtual Vacation Expo, which goes live Sept. 25, 26 and 27 at www.VirtualVacationExpo.com. Keynote speakers and seminar panels, as well as the virtual tradeshow floor itself, will be available on-demand 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week for 90 days after that. If you’re an agent interested ...

The spa industry has radically evolved from the luxury niche that it occupied upon first entering the marketplace. According to the first Global Spa Economy Report, prepared by SRI International and given at the 2008 Global Spa Summit, held in May in New York City, the global spa ...

                  High-end travelers who haven’t been to Los Cabos haven’t been looking for luxury in quite the right places. Since the days of Bing Crosby and John Wayne, Hollywood’s hot list continues to flock to this Pacific Coast resort community, located on the southernmost tip ...

            Once again the travel industry has hit a difficult patch. The increase in fuel prices and the plunge in the value of the dollar have combined to create a maelstrom, and industry players are shuffling rapidly to adapt to formidable forces in the marketplace. But the ...

Several months ago I wrote a column entitled “The Art of Weathering Change.” It was inspired by the reality of the economic situation, and the winds of change that were on the horizon for us all on a global basis. Many readers responded favorably to the perspective and ideas shared ...

Ecotourism is on the rise, and while many travel agents offer ecotourism options, Liz Wessel has built her at-home agency, Madison, Wis.-based Green Concierge Travel, entirely around the concept. Wessel was an environmental activist for more than 20 years, working for nonprofit environmental groups. While working on a biodiversity project ...

With the economy stagnant, it becomes more important for you as agents working from home to address the issue of how to protect yourselves and your clients from supplier defaults. While the number of such defaults has continued to decline over the last several years, there are still ...

After nearly 29 years in travel, Karin Lacy had had it with retail. The upscale specialist, an at-home consultant, affiliated with the Altour Collection, had a few too many demanding clients who had to have seat 2B or nothing else. The final straw came when a client didn’t get ...

I am a very curious person by nature, so when I decided to make one of my main business goals selling luxury travel to wealthy individuals, I wanted to find out what makes these type of people tick. Where do millionaires and affluent individuals spend their money? I wanted to ...

Gasoline prices have increased at an astounding rate. The stock market has suffered one of its worst downturns since the Depression. The U.S. dollar has declined against other currencies. Does this mean that travel sales will tank? Scary, isn’t it?

No doubt the challenges in the ...

The “V” word I refer to in the headline to this column is VALUE. And I’m putting the word in all caps in my opening sentence because it is so critically important. In fact, it’s the most important concept travel sellers can embrace right now.

Before we ...

Once again the travel industry has hit a difficult patch. The increase in fuel prices and the plunge in the value of dollar have combined to create a perfect storm and tour operators are shuffling rapidly to adapt to formidable forces in the marketplace. But the tour business has surmounted ...