GRENADA LAUNCHES NEW E-LEARNING AND BOOKING PLATFORM TO SUPPORT TRAVEL AGENTS
Grenada has kickstarted a specialist programme to support travel advisors and ensure they are knowledgeable of all that the island has to offer.
The Grenada Travel Expert Program puts information at the fingertips of the travel agent community via its e-learning and booking platform.
Launched by the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), the site offers short courses for tour operators with pictures and videos of the Caribbean island’s best features.
GTA sales director Christine Noel-Horsford said: “At the heart of the Grenada Travel Expert Program are the tools for travel agents to convincingly sell Grenada to their clients.
“Our goal is to utilise this platform to build a solid core of agents, keeping them engaged and well informed with current news and product updates.
“This intimate knowledge about Grenada will ensure agents are planning curated trips for their clients.”
The new platform is powered by the Recommend Education Centre and aims to boost the island’s tourism industry.
Noel-Horsford added: “The aim of this programme is to increase bookings to the destination and our incentive programs will further push agents to aggressively make that happen.”
The GTA recognises the importance of the travel agent’s role in meeting demand as international travel returns.
In this way, its new e-learning programme has been developed to help advisors to share the destination’s allure with clients.
New developments will also be announced on the site including hotels and attractions, airlift updates and Pure Safe Travel protocols.
Travel agents that opt into the e-learning programme will learn about the topography of the island including its 40 white sand beaches, 30 dive sites and 15 waterfalls.
Grenada Travel Expert Program Incentives
The GTA are also offering benefits to incentivise agents including certificates and cash rewards.
Upon graduation, travel advisors will receive a personalised Grenada Travel Expert Certificate.
Those who wish to continue their studies can also access Continuing Education Units from the Travel Institute or Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.
Financial incentives include monthly cash rewards to the top three agents reserving the most room nights and quarterly cash rewards to the top booking travel company.
There are also booking tier member recognition benefits in the form of gold, platinum and diamond plus an annual grand prize for the travel agent which books the most room nights in a calendar year.
The winning company will be awarded with an all-inclusive holiday for two including airfare, accommodation, meals and transfers.
Furthermore, the top 20 agents will be invited to attend a presentation and awards ceremony at the Annual VIP Fam Trip.
GTA CEO Petra Roach said she is excited about the programme and the opportunities it offers.
She added that Grenada is looking to encourage major airlines to either resume, maintain, or increase their service and that this will give travel agents more opportunities to earn and benefit from the programme.
It comes amid the return of Grenada Sailing Week in January with the 2022 edition featuring three coastal races across Grenada and Carriacou.
Elsewhere in the Caribbean in January, the Dominican Republic was praised by the World Tourism Organisation.
The country was awarded a prize on January 18 for the recovery of its tourism industry in the face of the pandemic.
President Luis Abinader and Tourism Minister David Collado were handed the prize after two years of what was described as “outstanding efforts and personal involvement”.
