Blue Sky Tours to Relaunch with a Focus on Pacific Roots and Travel Advisor Support
by Briana Bonfiglio
Blue Sky Tours, an ALG Vacations (ALGV) brand, is relaunching with a sharpened focus on the Indo-Pacific region and more support for travel advisors.
Since its initial launch 44 years ago, Blue Sky Tours has been working exclusively with travel advisors and specializing in Hawaii and the Indo-Pacific. The rebranding signals a return to its roots in an even bigger way – with 62 new destinations, more product, and more travel advisor resources.
Jacki Marks, global head of trade brands at ALGV, fittingly announced the Blue Sky Tours rebrand in Hawaii, at the welcome event for ALGV’s Pros in Paradise Maui FAM, saying she’s excited to “take this brand now to this side of the world in a much more meaningful and different way.”
She also noted that the refresh “strengthens our commitment and investment in the Hawaiian Islands … which are going to be the heart and cornerstone of the brand.”
Here are the key takeaways from the new-and-improved Blue Sky Tours.
Dedicated Blue Sky Support
Travel advisors now have dedicated booking support through a highly trained Premiere Destination Team solely focused on Blue Sky Tours. Members of the call center have completed 5,000 hours of training and are experts in the brand.
“They truly understand and can support you in areas that maybe you don’t have all the knowledge on, and they can help you when you’re selling,” Marks said, adding that travel advisors can access the Premiere Destination Team on ALGVacations.com or through a support form.
In addition, ALGV has launched more content on its dedicate Blue Sky Tours brand site that includes destination content, FAQs, and promotional offers. Updated Blue Sky Tours-specific training modules and resources are now available ALGVPro, and an expanded marketing toolkit is now available on ALGV360.
More Destinations and Product
Blue Sky Tours will now have a selection of more than 150 destinations spanning from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The new additions include Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and the Maldives. “You name it in the Indo-Pacific, we have scouted it,” Marks said.
Within those destinations, Blue Sky Tours also now has more product: more airline choices, more DMC partners, and more excursions. Notably, the brand has added Philippines Air, Singapore Airlines, Jetstar, and Bangkok Airlines – and will be adding more in the coming months.
“The product is not fully done; you’re getting the first launch this week with the rest to come by the end of the year,” Marks said. “You should be able to get all the types of things that you’re looking for and not have to piecemeal a vacation together.”
Other Travel Advisor Perks
Through Blue Sky Tours, travel advisors will always earn 15% commission whether they book one tour or multiple tours. Previously, first-time bookers only received 10% commission before they could reach status to earn 15%.
“We realized when you’re selling Hawaii, or any of the [Indo-Pacific] destinations, it is a much more complicated sell. You spend a lot more time on it,” Marks offered as the reason for the commission policy change.
Blue Sky Tours also provides more flexibility on travel insurance deposits and travel credit earnings. Low deposit options now start at $250 per person when purchasing ALGV’s Travel Protection Plus, and an exclusive $350 deposit on bulk fares without travel protection. Travel credits received from Blue Sky can now also be used at ALGV sister company Funjet Vacations.
To celebrate the relaunch, advisors who make Blue Sky Tours bookings will be entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Vietnam, including air courtesy of Singapore Airlines. Advisors will also receive extra entries toward 100 other prizes, including $10,000 cash, content creation kits, and more, as part of ALGV’s September Friends & Family event.
