The strategic endeavor includes a comprehensive educational platform that will not only promote awareness and visibility of Trinidad & Tobago’s product to travel trade professionals, but also enable travel trade professionals to become an extension of Trinidad & Tobago’s marketing team in selling the destination.
The program is designed to identify, engage and educate travel trade professionals by covering key components of Trinidad & Tobago’s destination profile - including accommodations, culture, festivals, cuisine and eco adventure – as well as important niche markets, such as multi-generational travel, spa and wellness, romance, diving, destination weddings and honeymoons, birding, soft adventure, and other specialized product offerings. Program participants are then encouraged to record their bookings on the website in order to become eligible for prizes.
All website activity will be monitored in real time, and the agents securing the most bookings to Trinidad & Tobago per month and per quarter throughout the year-long program will be eligible to receive a variety of rewards, from gift cards to FAM trips. Qualifying agents will also receive a personalized full color, printable certificate and accreditation for participating in the program, selecting to receive either four (4) continuing education credits from The Travel Institute or twelve (12) credits from the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA). Local stakeholders will also be sending promotional packages and special offers for inclusion in an e-newsletter sent to travel agents who have successfully completed the program.
“We are extremely pleased to implement this program and partner with travel agents to raise the profile of our destination, while at the same time driving direct sales. The Trinidad & Tobago Travel Agent Specialist Program is a key strategic initiative of the Tourism Development Company for positioning Trinidad & Tobago as a top-of-mind vacation destination in our primary source travel market” noted Warren Solomon, General Manager of Marketing at the Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Development Company.
Tim Grace, principal of the Travel Marketing Network (TTMN), the marketing arm of Trinidad & Tobago’s US marketing and public relations agency of record, Cheryl Andrews Marketing Communications (CAMC), echoed these sentiments: “The travel trade is a critical link between Trinidad & Tobago and its visitors. This year-round online program and the complementary print initiative will help agents to sell the dual-island nation more efficiently and enable them to target the key niche markets which are so vital to tourism growth.”
