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Four of TravelManagers’ personal travel managers have been circumnavigating Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu, with just six other travel agents invited by Captain Cook Cruises.
“Any isolation that I may have feared in becoming a home-based consultant with TravelManagers is just not an issue,” says personal travel manager, Christopher Cogan, of Hoppers Crossing, Victoria. “There were four of us from TravelManagers on board the MV Reef Endeavour for a seven day cruise, sharing experiences and tips with each other. “We were hosted by Alex Raicebe who is Captain Cook Cruises’ Sales and Marketing Manager for Australia and Louisa Siniasi from Tourism Fiji, so any answers we needed came straight from the source,” adds Cogan. “A great networking opportunity.” Lyn Tyson, who is a personal travel manager at Pymble in New South Wales, was impressed by the historical and environmental aspects of the Vanua Levu experience. “This Captain Cook Cruise took me snorkeling at Yadua Island – a natural hatchery for the gigantic Manta Rays. Then we mixed with the Banabas’ people at a school visit on Rabi Island and we crossed Bligh Water where the man famous for his crew’s mutiny once showed his remarkable maritime skill. There’s a lot here to give the leisure-seeker a more layered experience.” The invitation for TravelManagers’ home-based consultants to join the educational aboard the Reef Endeavour is an example of the company’s growing relationship with cruise suppliers and interest in cruise product, says Diane Craig who joined the famil as a personal travel manager from North Balgowlah, New South Wales. “TravelManagers’ turnover of cruise product increased by more than 65 per cent last year,” she says. “We’ve just invested in becoming a member of Cruiseco too which will open the market right up for us and allow me to offer my clients something special. The appeal of cruises for many of my clients is obvious, especially after these last seven days.” Michael Gazal, General Manager of TravelManagers, says the cruise segment of the market is very important to the company. “Our personal travel managers who are master accredited with the ICCA (International Cruise Council Association) have an exciting year of trade ahead of them, what with the benefits of Cruiseco membership and the availability of educationals to experience different cruise product,” Gazal says. “Nothing can sell to a client like the consultant’s own experience, and we work very hard to ensure that the perception of working as a mobile consultant is no barrier to firsthand experience for our personal travel managers.” |
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