Selling Travel June 19

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e-learning
MAHE ISLAND, SEYCHELLES
SAN DIEGO MARINA
TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SUSHI
well as allowing agents to learn about
the destination through themes like art and
culture or food and drink.
Niche areas
Online training increasingly focuses on niche
markets and the Malta Tourism Authority
demonstrated this recently when it teamed
up with Online Travel Training to create a
programme dedicated to LGBTQ+ travel.
Same sex marriage was legalised in
Malta in 2017, gender-neutral passports
introduced last year, the island retained its
top spot on the European Rainbow Index
for a fourth consecutive year in 2019, and
learnlgbtmalta.org aims to educate agents on all
this plus the accommodation, activities and
places to visit for this market.
Peter Vella, Director UK & Ireland, Malta
Tourism Authority commented: “It’s
important for the trade to be equipped with
the right facts about LGBTQ+ travel to help
travellers make an informed decision.”
Agents who complete the course will
receive a certificate and be entered into a
prize draw to win a £50 iTunes voucher.
Expert status
SeaWorld Parks’ agent training (seaworldagents.
co.uk/myseaworld/training) has been updated with
a conservation module. It has information
about the professional accreditations the
parks have, the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens
Conservation Fund, SeaWorld Rescue and
more. Agents who complete the training get
a goodie bag, park ticket and entry into a
competition with prizes like Bose speakers.
Carnival Cruise Line is launching a new
Gold Level ‘Loyalty Rocks Club: Carnival
Cruise Line University’ training programme
at loyaltyrocksclub.com, which is designed to
reward agents for investing in professional
development. The content is video-based
and will be followed by Platinum and
Diamond levels later in the year.
Agents completing the Gold training by July
1 could win a place on the inaugural sailing
of Mardi Gras as well as a Merlin annual pass
and £50 worth of Loyalty Rock Club points.
To enter, agents must complete the training
and post their certificate on social media
with the hashtag #MARDIGRAS2020.
Future-proof
While reading followed by multiple-choice
quizzes are still the most-used mode of
travel training, webinars are on the up.
The Seychelles Tourism Board recently
reported plans to expand its training to
include virtual reality fam trips. The videos
will be available on seychellessuperstar.co.uk later
this year and will cover a range of topics
from how to travel around the islands to
airport transfers and accommodation.
For more training updates, sign up to
Selling Travel’s weekly e-newsletter.
For news from our training partner Travel
Uni, see page 72.
sellingtravel.co.uk