News articles in Travel Trade

"Travel Effect" Campaign Raises Awareness of the Positive Benefits Travel has on Our Lives.

(Dive Travel Business News - Monday January 21, 2013) --Many people get the sense that travel strengthens relationships, improves health and can even help close a business deal, but they don't know it as fact. A new U.S. awareness campaign has been launched, called Travel Effect, aimed at making sure the public understands the impact that travel has on relationships, health, education, business and communities.

According to campaign organizers, Travel Effect will produce “groundbreaking” research projects and studies that will demonstrate the benefits that travel brings to people's lives, their careers and their communities. Current research examines travel's effect on relationships and its power to create lasting memories for children and adults. Other projects underway measure the bottom-line impact of business travel and the impact of government meetings on government operations, private-sector development and local communities. read more »

Caradonna Worldwide Dive Adventures Announces Change of Ownership.

(Dive Travel Business News - January 18, 2013) -- On December 16, 2012, Caradonna Worldwide Dive Adventures, Inc. was acquired by Rose Point Holdings, Inc. of Seattle, WA.

Over the past few years, TUI Travel’s growth strategies have evolved with a greater focus being placed on leisure and mainstream business models. This development provided Rose Point Holdings, Inc. with the opportunity to acquire Caradonna from TUI Travel and return the company to private hands while retaining the same management and staff.

“We have benefited greatly from our time with TUI Travel,” stated Caradonna President Timothy Webb, “We look forward to working closely with Rose Point Holdings and are excited for the opportunity to grow our brands under this new ownership.” read more »

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Named Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel

(Dive Travel Business News - October 23, 2012) -- Fiji’s Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort was named Australasia’s Leading Green Hotel in the 2012 World Travel Awards. It was the hotel’s third time of winning the award, the first time being in 2008. The World Travel Awards recognize excellence in the tourism industry in various regions, including the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean, the Americas, Asia and Australia, and Europe. The 5-star Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort is located on the island of Vanua Levu on 17 acres of a former coconut plantation.

According to Mark Slimmer, general manager of the resort, “It is our enduring philosophy to strive to maintain nature’s balance by respecting the Fijian people and the vitality of our environment, while creating an eco-friendly vacation experience for our guests.” read more »

World's Best Dives Offers Industry Fams for Dive Travel Professionals

(Dive Travel Business News - August 15, 2012) -- Familiarization trips, a.k.a. "Fam" trips, are designed to provide dive travel professionals with a hands-on look at the properties and destinations they sell. When done well, Fams provide professionals with the TOOLS to organize, promote and conduct a successful trip or even to build a "Travel Program". World’s Best Dives delivers some of the best opportunities for dive travel professionals to learn about exciting new destinations or the chance to re-visit classic destinations around the world.

World's Best Dives Fam Trips are designed to let Group Leaders experience each of the host operations to the fullest extent, as well as to introduce many of the available activities (eco-tours, cultural tours, etc) as possible - participants become true experts through first hand experience. The advantages of investing time and money in a Fam trip include: read more »

Island Dreams Marks 25th Anniversary

(Dive Travel Business News - April 23, 2012) – Houston-based Island Dreams Travel marks its 25^th year in business with sales, celebrations, an underwater photo contest and a great travel prize drawing. Founded in 1987, Island Dreams isa a wholesale and retail travel business specializing in scuba diving trips to exotic locations spanning the globe. The company’s award-winning web site, divetrip.com, is the longest-running scuba travel-specific site on the Internet.

First launched in 1995, this web resource has grown to encompass a wealth of fascinating content and hundreds of unique underwater photographs. As a result, Divetrip.com provides an invaluable resource for web surfers interested in researching and comparing diving opportunities. read more »

Canadian Travelers Boost Tourism to the Caribbean.

(Dive Travel Business News - Feb 22, 2012) -- Recent statistics released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) show that Canada far outpaced the U.S. market in 2011, with Canadian arrivals in the Caribbean up 6.8% over 2010.

Arrivals from the U.S. were up 1.7% last year. Anguilla, Barbados, Belize and Curacao registered the highest increases from U.S. travelers, followed by Aruba and Curacao. Visitor numbers from Europe remained flat, especially from the U.K., which showed a decline for the third straight year. CTO attributed the decline to a weak economy and increases in the U.K.'s departure tax.

The Caribbean welcomed 23.8 million tourists in 2011, a 3.3% rise over 2010. In a press conference, Sean Smith, the CTO’s statistical specialist, said arrivals to the Caribbean are not expected to increase more than 3% in 2012. He cited several factors, including high unemployment in main source markets, an election year in the U.S. that could keep travelers at home and the Summer Olympics in London, “all of which could be a significant distraction from north-south travel this year.” read more »

Travelocity Releases Traveler Confidence Report 2012

Travelocity Traveler Confidence Report 2012

(Dive Travel Business News - February 8, 2012) -- In spite of economic concerns, acording to Travelocity’s annual "Traveler Confidence Report," a majority of consumers (53 percent) plan to travel more in 2012 than they did in 2011. This data represents an 18 percent increase versus 2011. Of those who plan to travel more this year, about two-thirds plan to increase their travel budget in 2012, while one-third will travel more without spending more.

"The travel industry should be encouraged by our findings and take this as a vote of confidence," said Carl Sparks, president and CEO, Travelocity Global. "While increases in spending are being driven by higher prices, travelers are taking more vacations and trips that are longer and farther away this year compared to last." read more »

Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas Launches Free Online Tool for Dive Travel Sellers

(Dive Travel Business News - January 26, 2012) -- Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas has launched a new, free online application called PAW, which is available for industry pros to review online. PAW stands for Profit Application Widget and was designed to provide dive travel distributors a proven method to enhance profits on individual dive travel sales, merchandise while maintaining complete control of their clients and retaining customers on their own website at all times.

According to Debran Nielsen, Dive Travel Specialist with Maduro Dive Fanta-Seas, the initial comments from distributors that added PAW to their website have been overwhelmingly positive. Beta-testers of PAW said they are realizing more profits from travel, instruction and equipment sales. Fresh content and new specials are motivating clients to return more frequently to the distributor's website. read more »

Turquoise Travel Adventures Inc. Opens its Doors

(Dive Travel Business News - June 1, 2011) -- Dive Travel veteran Terry Peralta is heading up the team of the new Turquoise Travel Adventures Inc.. Terry has over 16 years service in the travel industry, with 12 of those as top Group Dive Travel Specialist with PADI Travel Network. She has extensive experience working with dive shops on group and individual client needs, helping dive retailers build a travel profit center within their business.

Based in Southern California, the new dive travel company has a combined 52 years of diving experieince, offering dive travel services to a variety of dive destinations around the globe. Turquoise Travel team members have traveled extensively in order to offer first-hand dive travel guidance to their customers.

Call (949) 335-9055 or toll-free (877) 553-5395, email terry@ttadiver.com or visit Turquoise Travel Adventures.

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Major Chains Launch Roomkey.com

(Dive Travel Business News - January 12, 2012) -- Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International and Wyndham Hotel Group have started a new hotel website www.Roomkey.com.

Industry pundits believe the new collaboration is a response to the rise of major online travel agencies (OTA's) and the pressure to fill rooms during the recession. Hotels have lost control of their pricing due to the marketing power of major hotel booking sites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz.. OTA's don't necessarily provide the best price or the most accurate reflection of available inventory. The six founding partners came together to work out how to tackle the problem of growing distribution costs. Hotels increasingly want to “own the booking”, giving them a chance to up-sell ancillaries to travellers and allow guests to manage their bookings in a better way. read more »