Delta Vacations University Celebrates Partnership in Minneapolis
by David Cogswell
Two thousand travel agency partners from 45 states attended the educational event and participated in 75 classes.
Delta Vacations held its 25th anniversary Delta Vacations University at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis last month. The event returned to Minnesota, its original home base, after two years of being held in Atlanta near the Delta world headquarters.
The 25th anniversary event was a milestone for the annual education and networking event, which began as MLT Vacations University when the vacation packager was part of Northwest Airlines, before the airline’s merger with Delta in 2008.
“It is a truly special moment for us,” said Jennie Ho, president of Delta Vacations. “First and foremost, it speaks to Delta Vacations’ commitment to the agency community. We are pleased to welcome more than 2,000 agency partners to the event.”
The turnout represented a broad cross section of the U.S. retail travel trade, with agents in attendance from 45 states.
An evolving curriculum
Travel agents had the opportunity to choose from 75 unique classes on destinations and Delta Vacations’ hotel partners, as well as some classes on business best practices. For the first time, two courses were offered to take agents behind the curtain to see the inner workings of the decision-making processes behind the operation of Delta Air Lines.
“We have a lot of new things,” said Ho. “Based on agent feedback, we have two Delta Air Lines content classes, one on Delta’s commercial strategy, product investment and marketing strategy and another on Delta’s alliance and network strategy.”
There were seven new courses offered this year, including classes on new destinations for Delta Vacations, such as the Azores; South Korea; Bordeaux, France; Salzburg, Austria; and Crete; and a new class on how to be a good small business owner.
One highly popular offering was a session on social media best practices, something that did not exist when the educational event began 25 years ago.
“The social media best practices class is super popular,” said Ho. “It is about what are the best practices for travel agents to differentiate themselves in the social media space. Also very popular this year is the course on how to be a good small business owner. It’s a model that has evolved over time.”
The curriculum continues to evolve year after year, with changes based on agent feedback. “One core value we hold ourselves to is to listen to feedback,” said Ho. “We always do a survey after the event. We listen to what the agents tell us. We try different things and we pay attention to the results. Then we act and make changes again. There is a constant evolution in our curriculum. It evolves and develops based on what we’re hearing year after year.”
The evolution of the event also reflects the changes in the agent community. “What has changed is how we’re educating agents,” said Elizabeth Moriarty, vice president of product. “Today, so many agents are not in a brick-and-mortar setting. They are virtual, working in their own homes. So, we’ve really tailored a lot of the education to support the individuals.
“When you’re not in a brick-and-mortar situation, you don’t have that interaction with your colleagues. So, this event provides an opportunity for more interaction for them. Some of our partners bring in agents from home and use this as a training tool.”
In addition to the classes, the event also included a trade show both afternoons with 200 partners presenting, including hotels and destination marketing organizations. “Our travel agency partners like to get first-hand knowledge and interaction with them,” said Moriarty.
The state of the business
Business continues to be strong for both the airline and Delta Vacations. It has grown significantly over the last year in the Caribbean, as well as in Europe. The Caribbean has rebounded strongly since the extensive hurricane damage in 2017 in some destinations. The region is experiencing double-digit growth for Delta Vacations.
“There’s a surge in demand for the Caribbean over the last year,” said Eric Fandek, senior director of product for Mexico and the Caribbean. “Jamaica and Punta Cana are especially very strong. They are our most popular destinations in the Caribbean. Nassau has come back extremely strong. The hotels are refreshing themselves
“Since the hurricanes, some destinations are still coming online, but for most part the Caribbean is performing very well. We are adding new product and new personalized experiences in the Caribbean.”
San Juan, Puerto Rico has built its tourism sector back impressively, Fandek said, though the island is still experiencing some challenges in its struggle to rebuild. “Puerto Rico hasn’t come back fully,” said Fandek. “It’s going to take another year.”
The Florida Keys have recovered strongly and are doing well, according to Patricia Christenson, senior director of product for Europe, Asia and domestic U.S.
Other domestic destinations are also thriving, according to Christenson, with cities such as Nashville, Austin and New Orleans proving to be very popular.
The business tends to be moving upwards in terms of luxury. The company continues to expand its luxury offerings, and 85 percent of its revenue is now coming from the four- and five-star tier of the market.
Experiential product
Following the wave of increasing interest in experiential product and cultural immersion, Delta Vacations is rapidly expanding its experiential offerings.
Vacationers to Cancun and Riviera Maya, Delta Vacations’ most popular international destinations, are increasingly looking for experiences beyond the beach and the hotel.
“We are changing how you are able to personalize packages throughout Caribbean and Mexico,” said Fandek. “We are adding new experiential product. You can book a private tour of Chichen Itza, with a private guide to take you through. One of my favorites experiences to be able to really immerse yourself in the culture of Mexico is one in which you meet a chef who walks you around the market, where you’re able to pick your food for dinner. Then, they will take you to their home and you will cook it with them, then have a meal.”
Other examples of experiential product available are a surf lesson at Waikiki Beach; an Irish food and pub tour; a chocolate-tasting walking tour in Paris; and a variety of biking, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, castle tours, star gazing and market tours.
What’s new for Delta Vacations
- Delta Vacations now offers packages to 300 destinations and 5,000 hotels globally.
- This year, for the fourth year in a row, the company will be expanding with 500 new hotels.
- A new global partnership with Hilton, which provides direct connectivity to live inventory to thousands of Hilton properties around the world.
- Delta Vacations hottest destinations currently are: Punta Cana; Dominican Republic; Nassau, Bahamas; Montego Bay, Jamaica; San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; and Maui.
