This article originally appeared in the February issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.
For Delta Vacations, 2024 is shaping up as a year of innovation. The company will be adding destinations, unveiling a new activities initiative, stepping up advisor training and producing a very different kind of educational program in place of Delta Vacations University.
1. Experiential Vacation Offerings
A major focus will be on activities with a large investment in offering more differentiated experiential options, said Delta Vacations President Kama Winters. The operator said it will be working with a “new and innovative” partner (to be announced) on the project.
Even before that happens, the company’s travel advisor boards have been providing guidance in growing the small-group activity portfolio, said Kristen Molloy, vice president of sales, adding that clients “want something that brings them to the heart of the destination.”
As always, Delta Vacations follows the routes of its parent company, Delta Air Lines, offering programs where the carrier flies. The tour operator’s most recent additions include Auckland, New Zealand; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Curaçao; and Shannon, Ireland. There is also more product in the Greek islands, the Dalmatian Coast and Zagreb, Croatia, and in the islands of Tahiti.
2. Enhanced Advisor Training
With all those additions and with more to come, Molloy said, training is key and is growing in importance. Last year, there were more than 50 live events attended by 11,000 advisors. In addition, activity on the WorldAgent Direct advisor portal’s Marketing Hub has been “astronomical,” Malloy said.
Travel advisor and happy clients. (Photo Credit: Dragana Gordic/Adobe Stock)
Destination training is comprehensive, she said. Local experts are brought in to teach, there is instruction on how to sell, and it’s all wrapped up with a tutorial on why Delta Vacations is the way to go. Advisors have asked for more video content, and it is being added – and can be either downloaded or shared and branded on advisors’ social media, she added.
3. Loyalty Program Benefits
The tour operator is adding more vacations in the islands of Tahiti, as well as a host of other destinations.
Another enhanced focus for the operator is on Delta SkyMiles loyalty program member benefits, with tools provided to advisors to promote the program, enabling clients to earn and burn miles without affecting advisor commissions.
A multi-year process to further modernize the ways in which Delta Vacations works with advisors—with the help of three travel advisor advisory boards—is now underway, Malloy said.
They include the traditional board, comprised of a variety of agencies; the council of emerging leaders, who are the up-and-coming generation of advisors; and the host advisory board, which was rolled out last year to represent the needs of host agencies.
The annual Delta Vacations University event in Atlanta gives travel agents an inside look at the tour operator's latest products. (Photo courtesy of Delta Vacations)
4. Revamped Annual Event
A significant change is in store for the operator’s annual educational event. After 28 years of Delta Vacations University conferences, the company will instead welcome small groups of advisors to multiple destinations—domestic and international—where they will be privy to classroom sessions in the mornings and onsite visits in the afternoons. A conference will return in 2025.
As for the clients themselves, there is growth in sales to SkyMiles and elite status members—guests who engage actively with the program, Malloy said. Their holidays are slightly longer and involve more redemption of miles. Another trend is that combined with an ever-increasing interest in Europe, there is less seasonality as travelers visit the Continent throughout the year, Winters said.
Selling Tips
- Provide a premium experience for your clients. Start by upselling the vacation with a premium air experience so the vacation starts at the airport.
- Curate itineraries with options like private transfers and upgraded hotel rooms to create the kind of trip that will drive customers back to your agency.
- Never forget the power of your marketing. Delta Vacations executives noted that through the Marketing Hub, it’s easy to customize and brand materials. No matter how busy you are, it’s always worth the time to reach out to clients with relevant information.
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