Vacation.com Set to Target Luxury Agencies as Members

Vacation.com, the travel agency marketing group, welcomed more than 1,200 travel agents to its 12th international conference and trade show in Orlando at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center with a program focused on 150 hours of educational classes and keynote addresses from top industry executives.

Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com, said the group has experienced tremendous growth in the first six months of 2010, adding 260 members, including 165 in the U.S. and 95 in Canada.

Vacation.com also is ramping up efforts to add large agencies with a luxury focus to its membership by touting the benefits of its free Engagement direct mail and email marketing program; EZ Guider, the group’s proprietary leisure travel booking tool; Vacation Vignettes, which feature hosted cocktail receptions and unique shore excursions on cruises; and a Hotel Elite program, offering special amenities at more than 150 properties worldwide.

Vacation.com also has made an effort to add more high-end suppliers over the past year, such as Kensington Tours, Insight Vacations, Smithsonian Journeys, Oceania Cruises and Silversea Cruises, among others.

Vacation.com also unveiled more details of a program called Engagement Select, developed in concert with ClientBase, which allows Vacation.com to tap into the back office systems of its members to get information on past passenger travel. That will be used to better target direct and email marketing efforts through the Engagement program.

Vacation.com also is getting its members to help recruit new agencies by offering a bonus for referrals. Member agencies can get from $100 to $200 per referral depending on the level of preferred suppliers they sell, as well as a tiered bonus after the new member has been part of the network for one year.