A team of six Personal Travel Managers (PTM) who qualified for a famil in Northern California spent six days exploring the highlights of Sonoma County, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco.
The famil, which was exclusive to TravelManagers and hosted by the tourism boards of Yosemite/Mariposa County, Sonoma County and San Francisco, was the culmination of a sales incentive that rewarded six PTMs as high achievers either for Qantas ticket sales or accommodation bookings via roomsXML in each of the three destinations featured on the famil.
Lyndy Burston, representative for Werribee, Victoria said the trip was her first visit to San Francisco in 20 years and was a great way to refresh her appreciation for the city.
“As I had never been to either Sonoma County or Yosemite National Park, I can now confidently sell all three Northern California destinations to my clients and tailor-make itineraries with activities and experiences to suit.”
Lyndy Burston
Ozlem Tuncay, from TravelManagers’ National Partnership Office technology support team said ziplining through Redwood Forest in the Sonoma County as one of her favourite experiences of the trip.
“The bike ride tour across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, then back across the Bay to San Francisco by ferry was another highlight,” she says.
“But I will have to return to explore San Francisco further, as two days was not nearly enough!”
Chantel Scott said the famil gave her “complete confidence” in building itineraries as she now has a clear understanding of how much time her clients should spend in each destination, which towns to stay in and even which restaurants to recommend, adding that she will recommend her clients try the walking food tour they took in Healdsburg.
Rounding out the group were four more PTMs from around Australia: Merran Anderson (representative for Mitchelton, QLD), Debbie McLean (representative for Narrandera, NSW), Ally Casey (representative for Long Jetty, NSW), and Kerry Reading (representative for Wahroonga, NSW).
Merran Anderson said the self-drive itinerary made the famil a very ‘hands-on’ experience and believes that she will now have the utmost confidence in selling the Northern California region to her clients.
All the PTMs mentioned the local food experiences as another highlight of their time in Northern California.
TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal, said the famil was another example of the close partnership the company enjoys with its partner suppliers and tourism industry representative offices – in this case Qantas Airways and Gate 7, the marketing and public relations agency representing all three destinations to the Australian market.
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