ITB Berlin News - Day 2

18 TRADE TALK UK Travel

18 TRADE TALK UK Travel Agents Again Targeted for US MegaFam Brand USA announces seven itineraries visiting 22 states in 2015 Brand USA is again running a MegaFam campaign in 2015 in partnership with American Airlines and British Airways - a multi-destination familiarisation tour for international travel agents. The 2015 MegaFam will visit 22 states, 12 of which have not previously been included in the MegaFam itineraries. The new itineraries developed specifically for 2015 are: California – Arizona Utah – Wyoming – Idaho Missouri – Kansas – Oklahoma Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama Tennessee – Kentucky Illinois – Indiana – Ohio – Michigan Massachusetts – Rhode Island – Connecticut – New York After exploring one of the seven itineraries, agents will fly to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the grand finale. Here the agents will share their variety of experiences with the goal Philadelphia Skyline © Ed Yakovich of educating other agents and enabling them to better sell the destinations upon return. Agents get to earn a place on the MegaFam by booking American Airlines and British Airways flights to the United States. To qualify, agents are required to earn specialist badges on the agent-training site, www. USADiscoveryProgram. co.uk. Previous Brand USA MegaFams were held in May 2013 and May 2014. Participants included 100 travel agents from a range of UK and Ireland operators. The agents experienced multiple destinations across the United States of America, before culminating in a grand finale show-and-tell event. In 2014, agents vying to win a place on the MegaFam booked over 12,000 flights to and within the USA, up from the previous year’s 5,500 flights, significantly increasing the number of international tourists planning holidays to the United States. Tom Garzilli, Senior VP Global Partner Marketing for Brand USA, said, “The Brand USA MegaFam is one of the ways Brand USA engages in ongoing trade and consumer outreach. We work with a large number of states and locations to create inspiring itineraries and great value for our participating buyer and supplier stakeholders. We are excited to again be working with our valued partners at American Airlines and British Airways in developing another exciting set of routes to the USA. Our MegaFams give travel agents the knowledge and assurance they need to sell more of the USA from our gateway cities to the off-the-beaten path destinations they discover on these familiarization trips.” Chris Rankin, British Airways, Head of Consumer Sales UK&I, said: “We’ve had a very successful two year partnership with Brand USA, which has really helped to increase awareness of the U.S. with agents. Their support for this initiative has been key to its success and a tremendous help in growing sales on our North America network. With over 45 flights a day to the USA with British Airways alone, we’re proud to be working once again with American Airlines to continue this sales drive and make the 2015 MegaFam an even bigger incentive than last years.” David Thomas, Sales Director UK & Ireland, American Airlines, remarked “We continue to support the Brand USA MegaFam having enjoyed great feedback for the previous two MegaFams. Following our merger with US Airways in December 2013 we now have up to 66 flights per week from Europe, including up to 27 per week from the UK and Ireland to the U.S. Philadelphia is now one of our biggest hubs and most important markets so it is great to host the finale there to show off what the city has to offer and our .2billion investment in the airport, which continues with .3billion earmarked for the coming years. From PHL our customers can connect to over 400 U.S. destinations, so it is an Tom Garzilli Senior VP Global Partner Marketing, Brand USA excellent landing point for onward discovery of the USA.” Brian Said, Executive Director of Tourism, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, commented: “Philadelphia is continuously evolving as a top notch tourism destination as our audience realizes that we are easily accessible, very affordable and there is so much to do. By partnering with Brand USA and AA / BA to showcase Philadelphia, the top selling agents in the UK and Ireland can experience first-hand and will sell more of Philadelphia and the region to their customers. American and British Airways fly 8 nonstop flights daily from the UK and Ireland to PHL.”. Hall 2.1 Stand 200 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 5 th March 2015 www.itb-berlin-news.com

CRUISES SPECIAL FEATURE 19 Take A Cruise Around ITB Berlin Strong growth year for the Cruise Industry, strong presence at ITB Berlin 2015 In February, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) released its annual State Of The Cruise Industry Report which, once again, projects strong growth for the industry in 2015. A record 23million passengers are expected to sail this year, with 61% of North American CLIAcertified travel agents reporting an increase in 2015 travel bookings over this time last year. Cruise lines are enticing travellers with nearly 1,000 ports of call in new, exotic locations, especially in the fast-growing Asian market. CLIA also revealed that member cruise lines are scheduled to debut 22 new ocean, river and speciality ships in 2015 for a total investment of more than billion. River cruises are as well a fast-growing segment, with Vodohod and Mekong among the products represented at ITB Berlin. In 2013, the global economic output of the cruise industry was more than 7billion; the industry supported nearly 900,000 jobs and contributed to billion in wages. “From new ports around the globe to the investment by CLIA’s member cruise lines in new, innovative ships, it’s an exciting time for the cruise industry and cruise passengers,” said Adam M. Goldstein, CLIA Chairman and President/COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “This year will prove to be another step forward for the entire industry as our members continue to strive to make cruising the best overall vacation experience.” The CLIA research has unearthed some interesting statistics about cruise travellers – including the fact that they are likely to be contented repeat customers. In fact, 62% of travellers are return cruisers and 69% ranked cruising as better value than a landbased vacation. And as a demographic, they do not necessarily conform to a strict profile. While the average age of the cruise traveller was 49, they were evenly spread across the age spectrum from 30 to 74. While the cruise industry has happily responded to the needs of the modern traveller with innovations such as bow-to-stern Wi- Fi and phone connectivity, Cruise Industry Outlook By Numbers multigenerational appeal, themed cruises and “foodcations” one traditional factor remains prominent - travel agents are still the key to cruise travel, with 70% cruise travelers using a travel agent to plan and book cruise vacations. TUI Cruises, Ponant, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC can all be found as you set sail around ITB Berlin. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 5 th March 2015