As part of our ongoing coverage of the Travel Leaders Network (TLN) 2017 International Conference in Orlando, Travel Agent got the skinny on TLN’s plan to re-launch Vacation.com as simply, “Vacation.”
Using the completely repurposed Vacation.com URL, Vacation will serve as an online hub for consumers.
Initially focusing on the burgeoning honeymoon and destination wedding specializations, Vacation will soon be launched as an interactive consumer-focused lifestyle brand where prospective travelers can research and access valuable information that is credible, objective and insightful – along with various options about specific types of travel – at their own pace. Travel Agent was told that it could be completely ready to launch by mid-May.
When they are ready to receive personalized advice, they will be matched with the most appropriate participating Travel Leaders Group travel agent. For the upcoming consumer launch, members from Travel Leaders Network (including TL Network Canada) will be the first Travel Leaders Group agents invited to participate. Eventually, Vacation will expand to other lifestyle specializations, and other Travel Leaders Group agents will be invited to qualify.
The new Vacation brand represents a significant investment by Travel Leaders Group to reshape the way demand generation is fulfilled in the travel space. Vacation will be launched using Travel Leaders Group’s proprietary, science- and data-based PDG solution focused on acquiring and nurturing highly qualified prospects.
Brian Hegarty, vice president of marketing for Travel Leaders Group, told the roughly 2,100 TLN members in attendance that qualifying agents will be provided with tools designed to help them close sales, including best practice training, consumer call and voicemail scripts, email templates and follow-up collateral pieces. They will also be able to take advantage of a virtual sales assistant that Travel Leaders Group has developed to schedule follow-up contact.The new Vacation brand will focus on the emotional reasons why people travel.
Since nearly 1,900 Travel Leaders Network agents specialize in honeymoon travel, and another 1,250 specialize in destination weddings – making the two categories among the most popular currently listed on TravelLeaders.com – they are being invited to qualify for participation in the initial focus of the new Vacation site. Vacation will engage travelers specifically researching honeymoons and destination weddings, offering them rich and original content in engaging formats to learn more about their options, along with the ability at any time to be matched with the most appropriate agent.
Visit www.travelleadersnetwork.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates from the conference. Be sure to follow Travel Agent's Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike and Instagram @pike5260.