PHOTO: The relaunched Port Promotions offers more than 1,000 shore excursions in 200 ports, including Cozumel, pictured. (Courtesy of Riviera Maya)
Port Promotions is back in business and expanding its shore excursion options for 2015. Assets of the company, which filed for bankruptcy in September 2013, were purchased by Liquid Alaska Tours, a Juneau-based shore excursion operator.
"Port Promotions was once the leader in this industry and we recognized the value of the assets, even after their bankruptcy," said Jeff Fanning, founder and president of Liquid Alaska Tours. "We've spent the months since then updating and improving the website and back-end systems, reinforcing relationships with the thousands of travel agents and service providers who have used Port Promotions over the years, and expanding the choice of excursions."
The revitalized Port Promotions offers more than 1,000 excursions in nearly 200 ports. It also sells multi-port packages and transfers to and from ports in most destinations. New excursions for 2015 include eco-adventures in St. Kitts and culinary tours in Victoria, B.C.
"We're delighted that we have re-contracted with many of the former company's valued local operators, and are continually adding new partners and additional ports for 2015 and beyond," Fanning said. "The website has been completely redone with a modern design, providing an unparalleled combination of features to agents and their clients. Just enter the cruise line, name of ship and departure date, and with one click, an array of excursions for each port will be instantly visible to suit every traveler."
Company executives struggled with the decision to keep the name Port Promotions, but "ultimately decided that there was too much positive name recognition with the name to let it go," Fanning said. "The first day we took over the website, orders were pouring in and we knew we made the correct decision.
"It wasn't without its roadblocks. It took a lot of salesmanship to convince some of the operators overseas to work with the new owners of the bankrupt business," he said. "Luckily, we were able to re-establish 95 percent of the tour operators and travel agents that had worked with Port Promotions."
Port Promotions has adopted the customer service policies of Liquid Alaska Tours, including a guarantee that excursions will return to the cruise ships on time. Flights, meals and accommodations are included in the guarantee.
All tours that cancel because of weather will be fully refunded with no fees or penalties. If the ship is late arriving in port, guests should contact the tour operator by calling the local number on their voucher. As a general rule, operators will try to delay the tour departure time or provide a later departure, if possible.
Shore excursions are commissionable to travel agents. To begin selling Port Promotions, agents can register by clicking the "Travel Agent Partners" link on the home page; confirmation will be granted within two business days. Port Promotions can arrange a variety of excursions, from small, private tours to large, customized experiences.
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