Fams are back in vogue
IAN STALKER
Tourist boards are eager to fam-miliarize travel agents with what their destinations offer, with a continually improving Covid situation resulting in more face-to-face contact between tourist boards and travel agents.
Tourist boards contacted by Travel Courier say they are again directly reaching out to travel agents in a major way, no longer having to rely on the likes of Zoom for contact.
“After getting back to normal last fall, we are eager to connect with the Canadian travel advisors this year and build on our strong partnership, make them feel valued, reinforce how much we appreciate their work and remind them we are an ally in their effort to sell Cuba,” says Lessner Gomez of the Cuba Tourist Board’s Toronto office.
Gomez notes that his board has a revamped marketing program and a new campaign featuring an increased number of presentations, fam trips, trade shows and the development of a Cuba specialist program.
“There is no doubt that travellers are seeking increasingly personalized experiences and knowledgeable and well-informed travel advisors are essential to keep the growth of our mutual business.”
Jerry Grymek of LMA Communications says his office — which represents several destinations in this country, among them the island of Dominica and the Florida Keys — recognizes the importance of strong ties with agents.
“Travel Agents and tour operators continue to be an important part of our awareness initiatives for all of our destinations,” Grymek says. “This year, we will look to further engage with Canadian agents further through fams, agent road shows, incentives and trade shows. Any opportunity we can reach agents is something that we value.”
“As travel continues to return we are excited for the opportunities that lay ahead!” Laura Nesteanu of Global Marketing & Sales, which carries the flag for Ecuador in this country, reports that that company is increasing its sales team. “We have new products. We need to be able to reach travel agents.”
Nesteanu says Global Marketing & Sales wants to offer more fam trips in the coming 12 months.
“We’ve done webinars but there’s nothing compared to the real experience of the destination,” she says.
Athena Ho of the Japan National Tourist Organizations adds that that tourism promotion board has always has “close contacts with the travel agents via SNS, fam tours and other activities.”
Michael Lim of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in turn says that the HKTB will use fam trips and other methods to educate agents on what’s new in Hong Kong. The HKTB will also update tour operators and airlines, Lim adds.
Mariel Herrera of the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic reports it is “working on our plan for this year in order to connect with travel agents” and will soon release details.
