Travel Agents Can Now Book Guided Tours Through VAX VacationAccess

Travel technology company Trisept Solutions has signed a new agreement with tour operator Adventurelink Travel Inc., that will allow travel agents to compare and book guided tours from major companies through the VAX VacationAccess system.

Already in a soft launch, the system offers 30,000 itineraries from more than 30 tour providers, including Trafalgar Tours, Insight Vacations, Contiki, G Adventures and Collette Tours.

The technology will allow agents to search for tours in Costa Rica, for example, and see all the options from major suppliers. They will then be able to send customers brochures and sample itineraries with their own branding, electronically book the one that best fits their clients’ needs, and earn commissions of 12 percent and up.

“The most important thing,” AdventureLink CEO Kelly Tompkins told TMR, “the fact that you can find the exact trip that matches your clients’ needs, by searching for the number of adults, the dates, the price, the itinerary, the travel style – such as luxury or intergenerational or LGBT; package it all into an email; and send it right to your customer.”

Tompkins noted that cruising really took off when agents were able to book online; the problem with packaged tours always has been that each tour operator has a different technology. “That’s the challenge we’ve cracked,” he said. “This is a great way for travel agents to grow their business, to book tours the same way they book cruises, online and electronically.”

The systems is based on Microsoft technology through the Amazon cloud “so no matter where you are working, it’s fast and reliable and secure.” And the VAX platform lets users adjust the commission and add a fee.

Trisept president John Ische said 88,000 agents visit the VAX portal each month, viewing more than 8 million pages and buying $1 billion in travel each year. Trisept Solutions’ Xcelerator platform is used by 3,300 travel professionals and has a direct link to Travel Planners International’s TPI Central.

 “We see a big growth in the number of independent contractors; that’s the fastest-growing segment,” Ische said, “and VAX is perfect for them because it’s free. It’s a one-stop-shop for a huge breadth of products

The new system will launch “hopefully in the next four to six weeks, so in time for the peak booking season,” he said.

For suppliers, the system saves costs by slashing the number of call center calls; Contiki has seen its calls fall  from five to six to just one per booking, allowing the tour operator to spend time talking to travel agents and answering the detailed questions that really help make the sale, Tompkins said. There is no cost to the suppliers, and the only major tour operator that has not yet signed onto the system is Globus.