Funjet Vacations is big on families in every way, according to Daniel Miller, director of global sales for Apple Leisure Group, the operator’s parent company. The sheer number of choices is impressive with over 900 destinations and 30,000 hotels to choose from.

Nonstop Vacation Flights

Funjet works toward making the family travel experience seamless. For instance, families are typically looking for nonstop flights, and Funjet responds by providing Exclusive Nonstop Vacation Flights in over 60 markets, Miller said.

“That means families spend less time traveling and more time on vacation.”

Funjet offers All-in-One/ Cancel for Any Reason Travel Protection, enabling clients to receive refunds for their vacations less the cost of the travel protection with no questions asked or hassles of completing paperwork, he said. It also has a new Pay Monthly option to finance vacations. Uplift, a third-party provider, offers affordable payments to fit within clients’ monthly budgets.

Group Benefits

Families qualify as groups, noted Miller, and fall under most social group policies for many hotels. Many Preferred Partners offer group concessions for family groups, starting with as few as five rooms when booked through Funjet’s Groups Your Way program.

For larger families looking to book a reunion or annual trip, the Contracted Groups solution is the best choice, said Miller. It provides flexible payment and cancellation policies for the entire group, plus other group contract benefits.

What many agents don’t know is that they can lock in pricing and inventory for contracted groups by collecting a deposit as low as $50 per person. Agents then have a window of time in which to make inventory changes, book their clients, or even cancel without any penalties.

While the beach vacation is always an experience that most will be able to recall later in life and is still a popular family vacation choice, agents can enhance that experience by providing their clients with an adventure of a lifetime by recommending great excursions in the destination, Miller said.

Options may include Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica, deep-sea fishing in Cancun, snorkeling in Punta Cana or whale watching in Los Cabos.

Advisor Resources

Group solutions are powered by VAX Vacation Access technology, and enable agents to manage reservations with ease, Miller said. On vaxvacationaccess.com (the booking engine), agents can browse Engagement tools, which include the Look Book (destination-based layout, imagery of destinations and hotels, and Funjet Insider Quick Facts), a Creative Connection platform (cloud-based library that offers customization and personalization engagement tools) and a Sales Email Tool.

They can explore Live and On Demand Webinars on funjetagent.com and access a library of step-by-step guides and tutorials.

Coming in 2019 is the Tripendous App, enabling clients to keep track of their itinerary and add excursions while in a destination. Also debuting this year is Trip Trust, a new program that will use a third party to certify hotel health standards to give agents a better tool to sell Mexico.

SELLING FAMILY REUNIONS

Expand your reach within the family niche by selling highly lucrative reunion vacations. Here are some tips to help you get started:

—Help your clients create a Facebook page to build excitement about the destination reunion by providing updates, photos, videos, etc.

—Provide details on the fun experiences families will have, stressing the variety of activities for all age groups.

—Once the group travels, hand off the responsibilities of managing the Facebook page to the family leader(s), so the trip becomes an annual event, generating repeat business.