Travel agents are ringing in the new year with new goals and aspirations, hoping to stay ahead of the curve and evolve alongside their clients.

In a December blog survey, CCRA Travel Solutions polled travel agents to highlight their top three New Year’s resolutions.

The survey question was, "What’s your New Year’s resolution for making your travel business more successful in 2014?"

The top three New Year’s resolutions were: hiring additional staff, using social media, and traveling.

What can we draw from this?

Well, hiring additional staff is a sign that travel companies are looking to grow, sacrificing more money in the short term for potential reward in the future.

The use of social media is almost a requirement to build a business these days. After all, the more people you can reach out to, the better. Social media also tends to connect the old with the new, so to speak. Companies that have followed an old and outdated blueprint in the past can benefit from connecting with the younger demographic. New and effective ideas can sprout from this relationship.

The fact that agents are focusing more on traveling the world is a sign of the sector wanting to become more complete experts on destinations through personal experience.

Travel agents also described plans to build more relationships with local businesses through community networking, enhance agency websites, use client testimonials in marketing efforts, and set aside more time to call previous clients.

Commenting on the blog survey results, President and CEO of CCRA Dic Marxen said, "We were delighted to learn how travel agents plan to boost their business in 2014, and look forward to providing agents with helpful tips to earn more income, use social media effectively and consider new travel destinations in the New Year through our upcoming blog posts.

"Our CCRA Travel Agent blog remains an integral part of our enhanced agency engagement efforts, which also include our CCRA Power Solutions travel events taking place in cities across the country in 2014. The invaluable information we receive from travel agents through our blog surveys as well as through face-to-face interactions during our 2014 regional travel event series will allow CCRA and our suppliers to provide the resources, tools and offerings that travel professionals need to increase sales and enhance their overall success." 

Mary Wiley, CCRA’s Vice President of Marketing, added, "We are thrilled with the increasing number of responses to the survey questions within our ‘Wednesday Rewards’ contests, as well as the personal stories and helpful feedback that we have received from the travel agent community since we first introduced our CCRA travel agent blog over a year ago. Our blog has not only become a ‘go-to’ place for many travel agents to share their wisdom and learn new tips and tricks to become more successful, but it has also opened a mutually beneficial dialogue between agents and CCRA suppliers."

Travel agents can visit the CCRA Travel Agent Blog to share their personal success stories, participate in the “Wednesday Rewards” contests, and read tips and strategies from fellow agents and travel industry professionals for becoming more successful. All travel agents may participate in CCRA’s monthly “Wednesday Rewards” travel agent blog contest, which typically consists of a brief survey for a chance to win various prizes that may include gift certificates & gift cards, credit card rewards, significant keepsake amenities, program points and more. The contests are free, easy to enter, and are based on participation (not bookings).

CCRA will be hosting the following four regional travel events in 2014: March 12 in San Francisco, Calif.; May 14 in Atlanta, Ga.; Sept. 10 in Denver, Co.; and Nov. 12 in Raleigh, N.C.  The purpose of these events is to bring together professional travel agents, travel suppliers, and representatives from each of CCRA’s four business units in a social environment to share knowledge, build relationships, and learn new ways to become more profitable and successful by working together. Visit the CCRA Regional Travel Event website at http://www.ccra.com/agents/supplier.php.

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