Come fall, travel agents from 20 major cities in the Unites States and Canada will get to experience the Turks & Caicos Islands for themselves, all thanks to a unique partnership between Beaches Resorts Villages and Spa and its Miami based marketing arm, Unique Vacations Inc.
The Travel Agent familiarization tour, cleverly dubbed “Mega Fam” will welcome thousands of top-producing wholesalers and tour operators. “We are delighted to announce that we were able to secure 20 Mega Fam tours for the Turks & Caicos this fall,” said Resort Sales Manager Tanya Swann, “This year’s event will bring over 5,984 top selling wholesalers to our shores to not only showcase our resort but also our beautiful by nature Turks& Caicos as a premiere tourist destination.”
The annual tour has already experienced a whopping success and has proven profitable for both the resort and the Turk & Caicos Islands. Departure Lounge Manager Michelle Parker has seen these Mega Fam trips come and go since the first arrival, she and her team have been faithfully working with local Taxi drivers to ensure that they leave a lasting impression on the agents.
“As evidenced throughout the islands, everyone is on a stand-still mode with the slow season, the income revenue for our taxi drivers, our local musicians and even our porters at the international airport are down and our goal is to use Mega Fam to keep a steady income for local partners.” Parker said.
Agents are also taken on a Resort Tour visiting various room categories of each village and also experience a ‘dine-around’ experience at specialty restaurants. Other entertainment includes a chocolate and martini buffet, Wet Fete festivities at Pirate Islands, and a fun night of dancing at the Liquids Night Club.
Managing Director Donald Daganias, also commented on the upcoming travel agent mania, “This a great marketing strategy and it is what we doing here at Beaches Resort during the slow season to keep our occupancy up while showcasing the islands and maintaining steady revenue for both our employees and our local partners. ” He said, “We have had a great working relationship with the major North American travel agents who have been actively promoting this destination. The Mega Fam experience will give us the opportunity to make an impression while giving our agents hands on experience of our products and services.”
The Mega Fam experience included a two day familiarization process which commenced with a welcome check–in session with local band Corey & the Boys, followed by a Sesame Street Parade with Kitch Penn’s We’funk Junkanoo band.
“While in Turks & Caicos Travel Agents will get to experience our award winning Grace Bay Beach as well as all the amenities and services we offer here at the resort.” Tanya Swann added.
Travel agents will also have the opportunity to earn or renew their Certified Sandals Specialist (CSS) certification while on the FAM trip, during a four-hour training course that equips participants with helpful tools to grow their business.
Travel agents are flown from their home based hub to Turks & Caicos via North American Airlines, a Boeing 757 chartered by Sandals and Beaches Resorts International.
Turquoise Morning will be covering the arrival of the agents and people can look out for the highlights next week on Turquoise Morning.
