TODAY AT A GLANCE

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Code Blue

State Of Health Of The Agency Channel
While suppliers are voicing their need for the overall health of the agency distribution channel, there are a number of differing views on the long term viability of travel-selling professionals.
Cruise Week

We’re Jammin’

Sunwing’s Blue Diamond Hotels Buys Breezes Trelawny
SuperClubs has confirmed the sale of the Breezes Trelawny Resort & Spa to Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts, a division of Sunwing Travel Group underscoring Sunwing’s commitment to Jamaica.
Open Jaw

Pump It Up

Antigua Divided Over $100 Million Proposed Beaches Resort
Tourism Minister John Maginley is appealing to the people of Antigua to overcome political divisiveness and support the proposed 400 room Beaches development for the island. Maginley expects the new property will add more than $100 million to Antigua & Barbuda’s economy.
Caribbean News Digital

Newsroom
State Of Health Of The Agency Channel CruiseWeek
Sunwing's Blue Diamond Hotels Buys Breezes Trelawny OpenJaw
Antigua Divided Over $100 Million Proposed Beaches Resort CaribbeanNewsDigital
Travel Buyers Say RFPs Here To Stay, But Changes Needed ABTN
IATA Reports Strong Premium Traffic Growth In March OpenJaw
Morningstar & Opus Merge To Form Aurora Jet Partners OpenJaw
LH May Bid For TP Airwise
Bahrain Rejects Bailout Plan For GF ATW
BA Outlines Plans For BMI ABTN
ATC Strike Disrupts Portugal Flights ABTN
$1.4 Billion New Terminal Opens At ATL AP
BER Delayed Until March 2013 Airwise
China Threatens Retaliation After EU ETS Warning ATW
Proposed MIA-MCO Rail Line Could Become Reality SunSentinel
Strong Q1 For Florida, 1.4 Million Canadians Visited TravelPulse

Cruise News
Riviera Sets Sail On Her Maiden Voyage OpenJaw
AmaWaterways Christens 9th European River Ship TravelWeekly
Newfoundland Expects 100,000 Cruise Visitors In 2012 CruiseIndustryNews

WEEK AT A GLANCE

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Periscope
10 Days When You Absolutely Must Contact Your Customers
John Frenaye
Travel Research Online
On Mother’s Day I sent my clients who are mothers an e-mail broadcast wishing them well. No pitch for a trip. Just a simple wish. And it paid off for me - as it usually does when I contact my clients on 10 special days during the year. ...read on 17MAY12

A Systematic Approach To Generating Referrals
Robin Amster
Travel Market Report
Your travel agency may already be receiving a few referrals from time to time, but generating referrals should be a key strategy, never an afterthought....read on 16MAY12

The Demise Of Travel Industry Partnerships
Kevin Maguire
Business Travel News
The foundation of the travel industry used to be the strong bonds nurtured between the providers and the buyers of travel products and services. Now it appears that travel industry partnerships may be going the way of the dinosaur. ...read on 15MAY12

5 Best Practices For Deep Customer Connection
Dori Saltzman
Travel Market Report
To drive customer loyalty, travel sellers need to make their clients feel cared about and engaged, but the big question is how to facilitate that type of connection. ...read on 14MAY12

Biting Questions
Biting Questions with Jayne Shackleford, Manager Canada of Tourism Ireland
Biting Questions with Doug Vogl, Passenger Sales Manager, Korean Airlines

Upfront
Up Front with Dorothy Keizer, TPI, Winnipeg 14JUN12

On The Town
My Avalon Vista Godmother Moment 17MAY12
FIT Cuba Guests Experience Cuban Hospitality 16MAY12
Korea - Truly Amazing 14MAY12

Deviation
Elderly Cruisers Get Boot For Not Attending Muster Drill
There’s a new cruising reality. An elderly couple was booted from Seabourn Sojourn last week after the wife refused to participate in the mandatory muster drill. ...read on 17MAY12

95 Yr. Old Backpacker Keeps On Truckin’
Hostels aren’t just for 20-year-olds these days, but 95-year-olds? Most people who’ve achieved that golden age consider a bus trip to Swiss Chalet a big outing, but not Australian nonagenarian Keith Wright, who is about to set off on his latest backpacking trip around Europe. ...read on 16MAY12

Conventioneers To Celebrate Joy Of Nakationing
You will have to wear clothes to the daily meetings about what promoters call "the joy of nakationing" conference in LAS, but you can let your hair down (and everything else) at nightly pool parties. ...read on 15MAY12

Flight Attendant Falls Out Of FR Plane
A Ryanair flight attendant is in hospital after tumbling out of a passenger jet during a hurried takeoff at GOT. ...read on 14MAY12

Ivanna
Excuse me, dahrlings, but...
Face This 17MAY12
Excuse me, dahrlings, but...
50 Shades Of Pink 15MAY12

TV Room
“Training Has Enormous Impact On Sales”
with Susan Bowman
V.P. Transat Distribution Canada 17MAY12
The View At Sea Part 2 from Encore Cruises Sea U 15MAY12

Cartoon
The Adventure Travel Specialist 17MAY12
The Inside Cabin 14MAY12