I visited Puerto Vallarta for the first time last month and I fell in love with the destination (you can check out my Eye on the World slideshow on recommend.com). I’ve visited Mexico countless times, but my path had never steered me toward this Pacific coast city, although I know I’ll make sure to take many detours to this intoxicating coastal destination from now on. Its grand landscapes marry the sea and the mountains and make for idyllic backdrops for nuptials made in heaven, which leads me to this issue’s special section: Mexico Destination Weddings & Honeymoons (page 59). The Recommend editors compiled information on myriad wedding options for this special section—whether your clients are looking for beachside bliss or colonial splendor—giving you a taste of what your clients can expect if they choose to say “I do” or spend their first few days as a married couple in Mexico. With many resorts and hotels offering onsite wedding planners, and taking the guessing game out of planning a big celebration, we asked ASK ME’s co-founder and managing partner, Marilyn Cairo, what the role of the travel consultant is in the destination wedding planning. “Travel agents are a valuable asset when planning a destination wedding. They can provide feedback and expertise on the destination and the hotel. They can also guide the client as to what destination and hotel will best fit their needs, based on the agent’s own knowledge and experience with the hotel and destination. Plus, travel agents can also assist the wedding group (family and friends attending) with the actual travel arrangements, which means more service and less stress for the wedding couple in having to help friends and family booking land/air,” she says. (For the full interview with Cairo and ASK ME’s co-founder and managing partner Hillary Lanzer, visit recommend.com).
Another highlight of the May issue is the Martinique Travel Planner (page 35). It’s an introduction to the online Martinique Specialist Program, available at edu.recommend.com/martinique. This specialist program provides in-depth information on the island’s accommmodations, cuisine, shopping, historic sights, and land- and water-based activities, as well as the many reasons to sell it and who to sell it to. Take the course, complete the exam and sign up for a “magnifique” incentive program that uses Recommend’s Agent Transaction Monitor (ATM) to record your bookings. Incentives include financial rewards, certificate, consumer leads and, for the “best seller,” a dream holiday for two to Martinique!
we’ve got a winner
The Recommend team would like to thank all of the travel agents who took the time to pass by our booth during last month’s cruise3sixty in Fort Lauderdale. The winner of the $100 gift certificate for Morton’s The Steakhouse, drawn at the Recommend booth during the show, is Kimberly Fountain, of Splendid Destinations Travel in Hattiesburg, MS.
—Paloma Villaverde de Rico
edu.recommend.com/guadeloupe
The Guadeloupe Islands Specialist Program, available at edu.recommend.com/guadeloupe, invites you to discover the sun-kissed Guadeloupe archipelago, its diverse cultural tapestry and the unique attributes that set these islands apart from other destinations. Once you have successfully completed the training, you can register for the Guadeloupe Islands incentive program that uses Recommend’s Agent Transaction Monitor (ATM) to record your bookings. Graduates with at least one ATM booking will qualify for quarterly and year-end rewards as well as FAM trips. Each quarter, the top-selling Guadeloupe Islands Specialist will receive $500 while all booking agents will be eligible for random awards of $200 and $300. At year’s end, the premier selling Guadeloupe Islands Specialist will receive $1,000.
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