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So what do you do when a resort closes due to an emergency situation?

It’s always a good idea to have a plan in place so you’re able to handle any type of emergency situation that may arise. This is one of the reasons why I always work with a tour operator, as you never know what’s going to happen!

Knowing exactly how to handle a travel emergency can help you be seen as a better travel agent. Travel agents are expected to handle every single aspect when booking travel arrangements for their clients, and if you can learn how to properly deal with any travel emergencies that come your way then you’re definitely on the right path.

I recently got an email from one of my clients who saw a Facebook post that said somewhere in the Caribbean Islands a resort was shutting down. They announced they would be temporarily closing starting the very next month and wouldn’t be opening up again until for a few more months, at least.

Unfortunately, not everyone is personally advised when a resort is going to be shutting down. So you can only imagine how people would be scrambling in order to find a new resort location due to such short notice that was given! These types of quick shut downs can really make for bad business.

And it’s the clients who pay the price, as they have to scramble when on their vacation. Now they are on the hook for finding another resort to stay at, and with very little time to do so. Not a good situation to be in!

When resorts shut down they do often offer choices – relocate and stay at another resort, reschedule the client’s vacation, or cancel the booking and receive a full refund. None of these options are ideal. Especially if the client wants to cancel because the resort states that they have no control over airline bookings and therefore can’t offer them any refunds for airfare. So what happens to their airfare if they cancel?

Yes, a resort closing last minute can really throw everyone for a loop! I definitely recommend having a tour operator on your side that you can trust and work with on an ongoing basis to help you out when these types of situations come up.

Elite Travel Management Group, Inc

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SOURCE: Business Observer

Tammy Levent promotes destinations worldwide through a new TV and web-based travel segment. Now, partially behind a powerful partner, she aims for increased exposure.

Travel agent and entrepreneur Tammy Levent wants Just Go Trav to be a household name.

What’s Just Go Trav? It’s a four-minute sponsored segment about niche travel sites and vacation ideas, airing on NBC, Youtoo America and various websites. Levent says the goal of the segments is to promote tourism and help consumers “buy smart” when it comes to travel.

To get household prominence, Levent, based in Pinellas County, is partnering with former “Shark Tank” investor and the man behind “As Seen on TV” merchandise Kevin Harrington to help bring the segment to a larger audience. Harrington lives in St. Petersburg and has supported multiple businesses.

Levent, Harrington’s travel agent for personal and business travel, says the prominent pitchman will treat the program like one of his products and promote it, so it will achieve a bigger national reach. “The great thing about Kevin is he has a brand and a name,” Levent says. “If he endorses something, you’re golden.” He also brings his expertise in television and entrepreneurship, she says, and will help her promote the segment like an infomercial — but for travel instead of a tangible product.

Just Go Trav segments range in topics from specific destinations such as Ireland, South Africa and Iceland to companies offering vacation packages. Levent says the segment could also be used to showcase products related to travel, like suitcases.

“We like to cater more to the unknown companies that still do great business,” she says. “I like to go to the companies that are not as commercialized. Let’s give the underdog a little credit and help them out.”

Just Go Trav’s model is to sell sponsored segments. Levent, who also owns Palm Harbor-based travel agency Elite Travel, says Just Go Trav has sold sponsorships for more than 40 weeks in 2018, and she thinks it will sell out the whole year.

Clients, so far, include Teeming River Cruises, Exodus Travels, GOGO Vacations, Unico resort in Mexico, Villas of Distinction, Ladera Resort in St. Lucia and Silversea Cruises. Levent has also promoted destinations sponsored by tourism entities, such as the Jamaica tourism board. And Levent sees clients promoting cities and countries as a growing market for Just Go Trav this year.

Customers who are interested in something they saw on Just Go Trav can call Elite Travel to book the trip. In that way, the segment boosts both businesses.

While Levent declines to disclose Elite Travel’s revenue figures, she says she has built the agency to more than $120 million in travel business to date since she founded it in 1997. About 20 agents work with her firm.

On the consumer side, by watching her segment, Levent says viewers will be able to understand the value of what they’re getting with a certain trip and how they can book it. “My whole goal,” she says, “is to bring consumer awareness about other products they may not know about.”

Just Go Trav aims to offer consumers better information than what they can find online or from other sources. “We’re trying to get people to understand there’s more to travel than what you see online or read in a magazine,” she says.

There’s lots of misinformation to be found online, Levent says — and that impacts both travel agents and consumers. “Our industry needs education,” she says. “Travel agents really need to have a knowledge of the product. They need to know what the consumer is like and what they want to buy. Listen to the consumer. Know your consumer.”