Innovative Marketing, Training and Technology Programs Recognized with Gold and Silver
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (October 10, 2019) – The B2B division of award-winning leisure travel company World Travel Holdings has been recognized again this year by Travel Weekly. Dream Vacations further differentiated itself from the competition as the best travel agency franchise when it received top honors for innovative marketing, engaging training and groundbreaking technology.
“We have the best team in travel creating and designing diverse programs to support our agents’ success and the variety of categories we were recognized in validates this,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations. “The Magellan Awards represent the best of the best in the industry and it is an honor to be recognized among the elite.”
Gold Winners
Charleston Cruise & Travel Show – As part of the Dream Vacations Road Show series, we created a travel show unlike any other where attendees could not only book travel and speak with suppliers and agents, but also recreate vacation experiences. What’s more, the event kicked off with a ceremonial ribbon cutting featuring local councilmembers; representation from the South Carolina Ports Authority; and reality TV Stars Shep Rose and Captain Lee Rosbach, who were invited as social media influencers.
Immersive Educational Series takes a personal and hands-on approach to training Dream Vacations travel agents about niche topics – river, luxury, groups and land. More than 400 agents attended these intimate trainings in 2019.
Group Registration Payment makes it possible for travel agents with Dream Vacations to accept credit card payments within our existing online groups registration platform. This tool empowers travel agents to create and customize professional group event websites that showcase amenity options, highlight itineraries, outlines payment schedules and accepts secure payments during the initial registration process. The ability for travel agents to capture initial booking information any time of day, coupled with a consumer having the ability to choose how much they want their initial payment to be and each passenger in a cabin having the option of paying together or individually adds flexibility for both the Dream Vacations agency and the client.
Silver Winners
The 2019 Luxury Brochure was a direct mail piece designed completely in-house in an innovative style that exudes luxury and does not look like a typical cruise brochure. This aspirational marketing piece uses storytelling, unexpected imagery, varnishes and textures to symbolize how special and unique a luxury vacation experience is.
Vacation Magazine is a high-quality publication that inspires readers to travel to new destinations and experience different cruise lines. With a different theme each issue, it includes articles about travel trends, industry news, cruise news and destination highlights. Messaging about the benefits of using a travel agent are sprinkled in throughout the magazine.
Promo Websites for DreamVacations.com clearly illustrates complex pricing and promotions down to the most basic level in an easy-to-use system, making it a valuable resource for travelers and travel agents. These websites give consumers the confidence to take their bookings into their own hands without being detached from a travel agent. People can book a cruise on our websites and have comfort in knowing they have a travel agent as an advocate.
Dream Vacations has leveraged strategic partnerships with four consumer brands that have national audience of qualified clientele who are likely to travel or book a vacation — online wine retailer Wine.com, high-end luggage outfitter Tumi, Swarovski crystals and travel apparel line Beyond Proper. Using reciprocal marketing, Dream Vacations gains national exposure to new clients, while existing customers are introduced to other desirable brands and memorable life-affirming experiences. These partnerships are being leveraged through consumer promotions to offer more value and perks to enhance client’s vacations and lifestyle, as well as provide agent incentives.
The Magellan Awards are judged and overseen by a one-of-a-kind panel of top travel professionals representing the best names and most accomplished leaders from the industry. In determining winners, entries do not compete with one another, instead they are judged against a standard of excellence based on the long experience of Travel Weekly. To uphold this high standard of excellence, a category may have multiple winners, or may have no winners at all.
The Magellan Awards honor outstanding design, marketing and services in a broad range of industry segments including Hospitality, Travel Destinations, Cruise Lines, Online Travel Services, Airlines and Airports, Travel Agents and Agencies, Tour Operators and Ground Transportation.
Those who are passionate about travel with an entrepreneurial spirit who would like to be part of a travel agency network that cares more about its agents and travelers, should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com to learn about franchising with Dream Vacations.
