PHOTO: Jeff Clarke and Theresa Gatta of Travel Impressions speak to agents at the 2014 Travel Impressions Best of the Best event in Los Cabos. (Photo by Ryan Rudnansky)
The 2014 Travel Impressions Best of the Best event kicked off last week at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos Golf & Spa Resort in San Jose del Cabo, honoring the leisure tour operator's top travel partners and agencies.
The event, which took place from Nov. 20-23, marked yet another opportunity for Travel Impressions to recognize agencies that went above and beyond after the popular 2013 event at Moon Palace. It also was a chance for TI to further educate agents about the company, the travel industry today and the ever-popular destination of Mexico through presentations and workshops.
TI, which celebrated its 40th anniversary at the event, made sure to reward its top-selling partner agencies. The company, which allows agents to work directly with their clients without interfering, offered a variety of activities to its partners at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos, including archery, a bicycle tour, an interactive cooking class, rifle shooting, tequila tastings, a wine tasting, spa treatments, shopping at the nearby Art District and a golf tournament and luncheon on the property's scenic golf course overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
On top of that, a couple of major artists showed up for the nighttime festivities as agents wined and dined, including Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. and Kool and the Gang.
Workshops were also conducted by popular organizational educator Paula Mulford. Workshops focused on a variety of topics, including how to gain credibility in the workplace, how to best communicate with clients by adapting to their communication style and-last but not least-identifying your inner animal and understanding other personalities (animal profiles included panther, peacock, dolphin and owl).
"We think it's the industry's top recognition event. It's great to recognize our customers," said Jeff Clarke, executive vice president of Travel Impressions. "We want to hear and get feedback from our customers in a non-business setting."
Clarke added that it has been "an incredible year" for Travel Impressions, thanks to the hard work of TI and TI's partner agencies. He said that TI's commitment to travel agents has been unwavering, aided by the excellent work of the agents themselves.
"It's a strategy that has not failed," Clarke said. "We haven't had to go direct."
Given the Best of the Best event was held in Los Cabos this year, it also marked an opportunity to highlight the work Mexico has done since Hurricane Odile struck in September. Despite experiencing its most intense hurricane since 1967, Los Cabos was at 60 percent of its total room capacity by Nov. 15 according to Mexico Tourism, a testament to the destination's rebuilding efforts since Sept. 14 (Secrets Puerto Los Cabos reopened on Nov. 15). And, despite the hurricane, Mexico is having a record year. From January to September 2014, international arrivals were up 18 percent year-over-year. Total air arrivals were up 10.6 percent.
"We have had a fantastic year," said Rodrigo Esponda, regional director for North America, Mexico Tourism Board. "I've been here 15 years and we have never seen such a record year."
Overall, the 2014 Travel Impressions Best of the Best event highlighted how hard work and dedication can overcome any odds, whether you are a travel agency facing ever-increasing competition or a destination that has rebuilt at an unprecedented pace after a historic hurricane.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
