Globus Adds Custom Options, Plus Agent Pay on New Excursions

The Globus family of brands has introduced MyAvalon and MyGlobus to its Avalon and Globus brands, offering customers more choice and personalization options. Travel agents benefit as well, earning 5% commission on all Globus and Avalon pre-purchased optional excursions.

Using MyAvalon, customers can pre-register through an online Service Center, where they can also: choose and pre-pay for select options excursions, request bed configurations, list dietary preferences, and purchase drink or celebration packages. Similarly, MyGlobus invites travelers to pre-register their tours, as well as pre-purchase optional activities and excursions.

“We have offered 5% on pre-purchased optionals for our Monograms brand, but never before on Avalon or Globus,” a company spokesperson told Travel Market Report. “This is an entirely new revenue stream for agents and a way for agents to really add value to their client bookings.”

IN OTHER NEWS . . .
Monograms Repurposes Staycation Concept
Monograms is addressing the close-to-home vacation trend with several “Staycation” initiatives. They include three new independent drive vacations; a new partnership with the National Parks Foundation (NPF) for its GoParks tours, and a new rail vacation in Alaska. The three new drive vacations are Treasures of the Pacific Northwest, Florida’s Sunshine Trail and Cape Cod, Boston & Newport.

Staycations is the Globus “spin on a term that has become widely used for staying closer to home,” Globus director of channel marketing Jennifer Halboth told Travel Market Report. “We demonstrate how travelers can stay close but still have far-from-home travel experiences.”

Pacific Delight Debuts Myanmar Program
This year Pacific Delight Tours debuts its first-ever Myanmar program, a 10-night journey into the nation formerly known as Burma. The tour visits the site where Siddhartha attained enlightenment, as well as the famous Kyauktawgyi Paya Buddha statue, carved from a single block of marble. The program also features a cruise along the Irrawaddy River and a two-day sailing on Inle Lake.

&Beyond Appoints East Coast Sales Rep
&Beyond selected John Moody as its East Coast sales representative. He will be responsible for managing all of the company’s trade relationships on the East Coast. He has previously worked for Four Seasons and Westin Hotels.

Travel Impressions Adds Escorted Alaska Tours
Travel Impressions added five escorted tours in Alaska ranging from four to 10 days. The tours are: Winter Extravaganza (7-days), featuring the Iditarod race and Mushers’ Banquet; Alaska Explorer (8-days), featuring Fairbanks, Denali National Park and Anchorage; Alaska National Parks (8-days) featuring Anchorage, Denali National Park, Seward and Girdwood; Denali Express (4-days) featuring Anchorage and Denali; and the Grand Alaska Land Tour (10-days), featuring Anchorage, Valdez, Fairbanks and Denali National Park.

Vacations By Rail Adds 5 Europe Routes
Vacations By Rail added five new independent train tour s to its Europe lineup. New packages include the following city combinations: Berlin-Prague-Vienna, Paris-French Riviera, Prague-Vienna-Budapest, Rome-Florence-Venice and Vienna-Salzburg-Munich.
Each European rail package includes centrally located hotels with daily breakfast, city orientation tours, and first-class rail travel and seat reservations connecting each city. Custom European rail vacations are also available upon request.

Brendan Vacations Expands Locally Hosted Options
Brendan Vacations expanded its collection of locally hosted itineraries in Ireland, the Baltic countries and all of Europe’s “grandest” cities. Among the new city pairings are Dublin-Kilarney, Dublin-London-Paris, Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius, and Moscow-St. Petersburg. Itineraries include daily, guaranteed departures, a variety of hotel categories and sightseeing options, private airport transfers, land transportation and local host for on-site advice and assistance.

Funjet’s New Flat-Priced Private Transfers
Funjet Vacations now offers a flat, per vehicle rate for private transfers in Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Cozumel and Jamaica. Transfer options start with a basic EuroVan accommodating one to 13 passengers for $100 per vehicle. Clients can upgrade to a Lincoln Navigator SUV, Lincoln Navigator Deluxe, Lincoln Navigator Limo or a Sprinter.

Insight Launches India Gold Journey
Insight Vacations launched a new India program, offering a choice of 12 itineraries, two in the company’s Gold Series. The two Gold options are the 11-day Splendors of the Taj & Tiger and the 12-day Imperial Treasures of India. “We added India because our customers and agents were asking for us to offer India product as a destination,” Marc Kazlauskas told Travel Market Report.

“Best customers for agents to target are clients that are well traveled and adventurous, have requested information about exotic destinations, have spent at least $3000 per person on previous vacations and are looking for a trip of a lifetime,” he added.

In other Insight news, the company announced that every 2012 departure of its 10- or 12-day Hawaiian Dreams tour is now guaranteed to go.

Journese Launches Italy Portfolio
Journese has launched a new Italy portfolio that features 39 villas and 22 hotels, commissionable air, and private transportation. Guided activities like Italian culinary lessons or in-depth classes on Renaissance art also are available.

IsramWorld Publishes First Japan Brochure
IsramWorld has published a new dedicated brochure for Japan, operated by its Orient Flexi-Pax brand and produced in cooperation with the Japan National Tourism Organization and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Tour choices span from three to nine days, and include a new Japan by Private Car option.

Tauck Doubles Ken Burns Civil War Event
Tauck will repeat last year’s sold-out Washington, D.C.-based Civil War event/tour, doubling it to two departures this year. The itinerary will feature a keynote address from Burns and private access to several historic sites. Each full day of the event will examine a different facet of the Civil War, with attendees splitting into groups of 15 to 30 to experience a series of private, guided sightseeing modules related to the day’s theme. Themes to be explored include The Meaning of Life, Lincoln’s War and The People’s War. Departure dates are May 20 and Oct. 14.

Nick Verrastro contributed to this report.