Selling Luxury

Things are moving quickly as the COVID-19 flu plays havoc with the ability for consumers to get on a plane or a cruise ship or visit their favorite destinations. We caught up with Craig Compagnone, chief operating of MMGY Global, to get his take on how leisure travel will fare in the coming months. One thing he is certain of and that is that when the green light to travel freely again is given, consumers will have plenty of pent-up demand for vacations. The travel advisor will play a major role in planning these trips, particularly if they are sensitive to what people are looking for. “If intermediaries can find a way to help travel brands in reaching the right traveler with the right message on a more targeted basis, then I think travel advisors will have a real opportunity to play an important role for our industry as things evolve,” said Compagnone. “Our research certainly shows that travel advisors are actually a very trusted resource; we’ve seen for years that younger generations, like the Millennial generation, are actually oftentimes turning to travel advisors as well for assistance with travel….” For more on how travel advisors and travel brands can participate in the inevitable travel rebound, listen to our podcast with Compagnone. For more, be sure to visit TravelAgentCentral.com and LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com daily for updates.

There are many ways travel advisors can market their services to new and existing clients. Terrie Hansen, SVP of marketing for Virtuoso says: "“If you think about it, marketing in its truest form is just an authentic conversation between you and your clients and your prospective clients. And when you view marketing that way, it changes things,” she told Ruthanne Terrero, VP of Luxury Travel Advisor during this informative podcast. “It’s the sharing of knowledge, the sharing of your personality, of who you are," says Hansen, who provides great tips all the way through the podcast, including getting yourself on the local news station and using social media to promote yourself.

Taking a trip to Switzerland? Find out all that’s new in Switzerland in this lively podcast! You’ll come away with a multitude of reasons to suggest this exciting, pristine destination to everyone on your client list. Our conversation covers every topic, from food and wine to ease of access and many things to do throughout Switzerland. Want a peek into what’s revealed? Travelers are looking for experiences to remember these days and visiting Lindt’s new shop in Kilchburg, Switzerland, just 10 minutes from Zurich should be on every chocolate lover’s list. This will be not only the largest Lindt chocolate shop in the world, it will also have the largest chocolate fountain across the globe. And….It's easier than ever to get to Switzerland from the United States; on March 29th, Swiss International Airlines launches a new daily non-stop flight from Washington DC to Zurich. The move supplements an already robust offering of 130 weekly flights from the U.S. to Switzerland. Listen as Paolo Lunardi, Switzerland’s manager of trade relations for North America reveals his list of insider secrets about traveling to this beautiful country in a conversation with Ruthanne Terrero of Travel Agent magazine and Luxury Travel Advisor. (Sponsored by Switzerland Tourism)

A conversation with Anne Scully of McCabe World Travel by Ruthanne Terrero

A conversation with Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal of Fischer Travel by Ruthanne Terrero

Insight Vacations's CEO Ulla Hefel Böhler speaks with Travel Agent Central and Luxury Tavel Advisor's Ruthanne Terrero. (Sponsored by Insight Vacations)

The beauty of Ireland is its accessibility from the United States. In some cases it’s just nine hours from the West Coast and five or six hours from the East Coast. Listen to Alison Metcalf of Tourism Ireland as she speaks about the culinary revolution happening in Ireland, driven by the country’s great chefs and its artisanal producers. If you’ve got a client who’s a real foody, consider the Island of Ireland for their next vacation. They’ll be able to come home with bragging rights for having dined in a Michelin-star restaurant, or having gone foraging on one of the country’s many food trails. “The food in Ireland is second to none!” says Metcalf. For more on Ireland, visit www.travelagentcentral.com. Tourism Ireland's Alison Metcalfe speaks with Travel Agent Central's Ruthanne Terrero (Sponsored by Tourism Ireland)

Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner at Embark, discusses luxury trends and how to get to know your luxury clients better.

Chris Austin, senior vice president of Seabourn, shares his expertise on how luxury travel advisors can sell more luxury vacations.

Ruthanne Terrero, vice president and editorial director of Luxury Travel Advisor chats with Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara, a member of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited family of cruise lines. Over a three decade career, Pimentel his built successful cruise lines and brands while accumulating a unique body of knowledge about affluent travelers and the experiences that appeal to them.