Beyond the Cruise
There is no doubt that selling a cruise and booking a hotel or resort for a client can be lucrative to a travel agent’s bottom line.
But travel advisors who consider that initial cruise sale as just the first step in a process are likely to benefit even more.
Destination tours and activities—such as shore excursions, city tours, adventure-type outings, or simply transfers—are becoming a profit option for agents who look beyond just “getting there” and help their clients truly discover a destination.
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“We give travel agents a reason to interact with their clients during the most exciting time of a traveler’s vacation … in the weeks leading up to the vacation,” said Barry Karp, co-owner of ShoreTrips, a Milwaukee-based company with a mission to enhance every port of call by offering a variety of activities and tours for travelers.
“Travel agents should share the excitement and bond with customers before their trip.”
Karp, a former travel agent, and his wife Julie founded ShoreTrips 17 years ago when they realized there was no way to easily book shore excursions for their cruise passengers. Back then, there was no pre-booking capability. Clients would waste their afternoons on board before the ship docked in port listening to options offered by the cruise lines and then had to make a fast decision.
“We give travel agents the opportunity to be involved with their travelers, show off their travel skills and make money,” Karp said, adding that commissions start at 10 percent and that ShoreTrips also has contracts with the consortia. Agents who register their clients with the company are connected forever, he said, explaining that the travel agent will get commission on any future sale purchased by that traveler.
Agents can also publish their groups on site, so members can easily book the shore excursions they want based on individual interests.
Another benefit the company offers groups is “Webinars with Wine” on Wednesday nights, where agents can invite their clients over to grab a glass of wine and then join them online to find out more information about the kinds of activities they can do in port.
“We give a tremendous amount of service,” Karp said, adding that ShoreTrips also have a team available to provide detailed information on activities and answer questions.
Karp is quick to point out that ShoreTrips does not use the same vendors as the cruise lines, adding that excursions are typically smaller and more creative. The company hand-picks its guides and activity leaders, depending on particular audiences such as seniors, FIT clients, adventure-seekers, etc.
“Nothing is on our site that we haven’t tried out ourselves,” he said, noting that they are constantly traveling and researching. “We have been there and compared various suppliers [and] we always try to do things a little better.”
ShoreTrips also guarantees that it will always get travelers back to their ship on time, said Karp, adding that this concern is an “old scare tactic” used by cruise lines.
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In addition to the niche market of booking shore excursions for their cruise passengers, travel agents can easily find a variety of tours, activities and excursions on ARC Marketplace, a product of Arlington, Virginia-based Airlines Reporting Corp.
Jennifer Briede, senior product manager for ARC Marketplace, describes it as “a B2B website where agents can book commissionable products.”
The site offers over 50,000 tours and activities.
“ARC Marketplace really does cover the world.,” she said.
Options include everything from day-long and multi-day trips along with VIP “skip the line” access tours on one end of the spectrum, to transfers and airport lounge access on the other.
“Travel agents can earn up to 10 percent commission” on tours and excursions, and there is no minimum sales requirement, Briede said, adding that the site is easy to use and agents get paid by ARC, making it simple to keep track of commission.
Other resources on ARC Marketplace include a “Cities” section, highlighting top things to do and travel tips, as well as a blog where the company posts how-to guides, hot new destinations, agent interviews and new tours. In addition, travel agents can utilize the website’s passport and visa services, earning 15 percent on commissionable products.
“It is an opportunity for the agents to set themselves apart and offer a better service to their clients,” Briede said, pointing out that clients are likely to book excursions anyway.
Bringing up options for destination tours and activities, providing knowledgeable information, and sharing in the excitement during the planning stages of a vacation will go a long way toward building relationships with clients and making more money overall.
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