You consultants go on so many famils and attend so many events that we’ve had to create a whole new section dedicated to your awesome adventures.
Check out what consultants got up to over the last seven days below, including famils to Hainan Island, British Colombia and Bourgogne or click here to check out last week’s pics and snaps.
1 . Spotted… on Hainan Island.
itravel agents Stephen Talbot, Sue Milosova and Sekha Walsh on the streets of Hainan Island.
Several itravel agents experienced an all-expenses-paid famil to experience China’s Hainan Island. The agents joined a VIP group of 68 agents who experienced the first direct flight from Sydney to Haikou with Hainan Airways.
The agents gained a better understanding of Hainan’s tourism development and a number of golfers in the group were invited to experience the world class golf courses visited by celebrities including actors Michael Douglas and Matthew McConaughey.
All agents stayed in luxury 5-star hotels, some even had their own villas! The agents visited must-see attractions including the Five Lords Temple, Volcanic Cluster National Park, Hainan Museum and the Guanyin Statue of Hainan.
It was a successful trip and itravel agents explained that they would book Hainan Island for anyone looking for a relaxing holiday.
2. Spotted… in British Colombia
Blue with cold but putting on brave faces in Whistler’s famous Vodka Ice Bar, MTA Members Leisa Crotty and Mel Sherry visited the iconic watering hole as part of a recent Whistler Tourism and Vancouver Tourism exclusive study tour.
Itinerary highlights included a plethora of further ‘cool’ activities including skiing, snowmobiling and snow shoeing, a float plane tour of Vancouver’s Grouse Mountain, a visit to the popular Granville Markets, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a food tasting tour of Gastown and a Vancouver city tour.
3. Spotted in Bourgogne
TravelManagers’ PTMs explore the Citadel of Besancon: Peter Carmichael, Karen Nelson, Marie Miller, Kristina Acevski, Jason Smith, Michelle Michael-Pecora and Janice Lee.
Six personal travel managers recently enjoyed a dedicated TravelManagers’ famil of the Bourgogne region in France where they experienced a six day Back-Roads Touring Barge Cruise aboard MS Jeanine on Le Canal De Bourgogne from Dijon to Besancon.
Hosted by Karen Nelson, Business Development Manager NSW & ACT, for Back-Roads Touring the New South Wales based PTMs attending the famil were Kristina Acevski representative for Merewether Heights, Jason Smith representative for Newtown, Peter Carmichael representative for Merewether, Michelle Michael-Pecora representative for Tennyson Point, Janice Lee representative for Surry Hills and Maria Miller representative for Parkes.
Carmichael has sold a few French barge cruises but hadn’t personally experienced one until now.
“I now understand why my clients come back raving about their barge cruise, the hype certainly lived up to my high expectations. The guaranteed small group experience creates an intimate experience and by the end of the cruise you have made some great new friends. A barge cruise is such an easy way to see many destinations without the hassle of moving from hotel to hotel on a daily basis or the sorting of plans for driving and self-touring in each village. We also saw the small villages and towns that are outside of the touristy areas.”
Michael-Pecora discovered a new appreciation for barge cruising.
“Barge cruising provides the opportunity to see a destination from a different perspective and if your time is limited, is a great way to see so much. We were so fortunate to experience the product in its entirety, getting to know staff and the ship in such detail. It is often the little things that make a product unique and the highlight for me was definitely the staff and the food. The staff’s impeccable attention to detail and eagerness to assist made a good holiday, great.”
Miller proves firsthand experience makes all the difference
“Since returning home my client was looking for a stress-free, all-inclusive small group holiday with personal experience on all levels. I knew a barge cruise would suit perfectly. Being able to talk knowledgably about visiting the Besacon Citadel, the famous Hospice in Beaune, wine and cheese tasting at local vineyards and even being able to suggest a great local restaurant in Dole that’s located in a cave, was invaluable. Talking about the cruise with such passion and excitement with knowledge gained from my own experiences and sharing my own photos, without doubt closed the sale,” she laughs.
All the PTMs agreed they were spoilt for culinary choice both onboard MS Jeanine and at the local French villages.
“Food is an important part of any cruise and we felt we were on a floating French restaurant. There were so many good meals aboard our barge, whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner but it was also nice that we could get off the barge each day to experience local life and dine in some spectacular restaurants. The highlight for me was dining in a cave in Dole – not only was it an incredibly unique venue, the food was delicious,” says Carmichael.
For Lee, the town of Dijon was a foodie favourite.
“The best souvenir of the trip had to be the Dijon mustard, from the source at Dijon, but I can highly recommend the mustard and local ginger cake, it’s divine! The Burgundy wine also goes without saying as a highlight!”
TravelManagers attribute the exceptional, strong and effective business relationships with key airline, cruise and wholesale suppliers with providing personal travel managers the ability to experience exclusive educationals on a variety of products and worldwide destinations.
“Supplier relationships have been built over many years and support of our partner suppliers’ products is absolutely key to our business model. The ability for our PTMs to experience dedicated famils on a wide range of products is a large part of this support,” says TravelManagers Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal.
Gazal further adds that “TravelManagers prides itself on providing exceptional and personal customer service which comes from firsthand knowledge and experience. Educationals that allow immersion into a destination, such as our co-created dedicated supplier famils, are so important and why we proactively work to provide as many educational opportunities as possible.”