Recommend June 2014 - (Page 14)
APPLE
LEISURE
GROUP
⏟
tourtalk
"A travel agent can't be an intermediary
any longer, unless he truly adds value.
They have to be more
destination savvy, and savvy in how to
make the overall experience more
pleasant and more convenient."
-Alejandro Zozaya, CEO,
Apple Leisure Group
paloma villaverde de rico
Have a sit down with Alejandro Zozaya, the CEO of Apple Leisure
Group-the umbrella company to Apple Vacations, Travel
Impressions and AMResorts, among other brands-and you'll
walk away optimistic not only about the company's very bright
future, but also about the future of the travel industry in general and
the role of the travel agent within the industry. "I think that in five
years," says Zozaya, "we will still have travel agents account for
more than 50 percent of our sales, and that's a lot of sales. In terms
of passengers, we are currently moving 1.6 million, so I think that
we will go to 3 million passengers, and I see us having 50 hotels. I
see us being the experts in the region-the most important player in
the region, Mexico and the Caribbean-in terms of leisure product."
Take a look at the programs that Apple Leisure Group has
launched this year under Travel Impressions, which it purchased
early last year, and you'll see that Zozaya is not just throwing numbers and statements out there-they are committed to the growth
of all their brands, because although they initially didn't truly grasp
"the uniqueness of the business of Travel Impressions," points out
Zozaya, "we went from a message of Apple Vacations is buying
Travel Impressions to Apple Leisure Group is buying Travel
Impressions and Travel Impressions is as important as Apple
Vacations." Yes, he admits, there is an overlap at times with Apple
Vacations and Travel Impressions, but there's clear differentiation,
he clarifies. "There are geographical markets that Travel Impressions sells that Apple Vacations doesn't touch, and yes, when it
comes to the Caribbean and Mexico, there is clearly an overlap, but
there is differentiation within the product as well. There is a lot of
value added that we give on the Travel Impressions side, distinctive
promotions that have a different price...[both brands] don't have the
same exact ingredients." He does point out, however, that sometimes they need to do a better job at training travel agents in the
differences within each brand, because there are travel agents who
are loyal to each brand, and they need to understand each brand
better, so that "the overlap is less confusing."
When it comes to Travel Impressions, for example, travel agents
can now book charter flights as well as Impress Me Deals, which
offers an opaque pricing strategy that has been designed to help
agents save their clients a bundle provided the client is willing to
be flexible when it comes to the hotel choice. The charter flights, or
14 june 2014
Dedicated Vacation Flights, are point-to-point flights to Jamaica,
Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic via Aeromexico,
AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue available from 24
U.S. gateways. This allows vacationers to spend more time in
the resort, says Zozaya, adding that, for a lot of people, including
travel agents, "charter might mean lower quality, but this program
means traveling on good airlines, with good service, where the
customers are coming back happy, so travel agents start to lose
their fear of recommending it and they are making money off of it."
The Impress Me Deals, says Zozaya, allows travel agents to sell "a
particular type of package without them telling the customer which
hotel they will be staying in, just the category. And this opens up
short-term bookings. Travel Impressions traditionally has had a
longer booking window, but at the same time we can also have a
product for those who are booking last-minute in order to increase
the volume base and for travel agents to make more money."
Apple Vacations, meanwhile, added a collection of villa
properties to its portfolio at the beginning of this year, targeting
upscale travelers and taking advantage of the existing expertise of
The Villa Experience. Villas range from 1-bedroom luxury hideaways
to a 1,000-acre estate in Tuscany, which can accommodate up to
150 persons. And both companies are offering the Every 6th
Passenger Flies Free, offered in conjunction with the tour
companies' risk flight programs. The promotion is applicable to all
packages booked in conjunction with Apple Vacations' Exclusive
Vacation Flights or Travel Impressions' Dedicated Vacation Flights.
To qualify, agents must book group stays for a minimum of 20
adult passengers sharing 10 double occupancy rooms by Oct. 31,
2014 for travel Aug. 16 to Oct. 31.
Being up to speed on these programs and the added value they
provide consumers is what helps a travel agent break through
the crowd, because, as Zozaya notes, "a travel agent can't be an
intermediary any longer, unless he truly adds value. They have to
be more destination savvy, and savvy in how to make the overall
experience more pleasant and more convenient." ●
contact information
Apple Vacations: applevacations.com
Travel Impressions: travimp.com
recommend.com
http://www.applevacations.com
http://www.travimp.com
http://www.recommend.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend June 2014
Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: Seattle’s The Edgewater Rocks
Tour Talk: Apple Leisure Group
Caribbean Weddings: Choices, Romance & More Choices
Honeymoon Havens for all Sorts of Lovebirds
Nuptials at Sea
Wild Honeymoons!
Latin America for Lovers
Colombia Travel Guide
A Fairy Tale Honeymoon
All-Inclusive Powerhouses
Iberostar Playa Mita
Let’s Get Hitched!
Romantic Retreats
Unforgettable Honeymoons a World Away
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