Travel Agents Help Customers Give Back While On Vacation
经过Richard D’Ambrosio/
If given the choice, most travelers would choose sleeping in a five-star seaside resort over bedding down on the floor of a rural medical clinic under construction.
但是专家说仍有强劲的市场interested in building community-service projects in remote locales into their vacations. Many see "traveling with a purpose" as a natural evolution for consumers wanting to immerse themselves in authentic experiences, with Millennials a prime target market for interested agents.
“千禧一代正在赚钱,他们说的是,'让我们旅行,但要做一些好的社会影响,”阿拉巴马州伯明翰CV人道主义旅行的战略和业务发展主管Josh Cameron说。
Anneli Buehrle, volunteer product and contracting manager for STA Travel, said being socially conscious is top of mind for many of today's travelers, "and we're seeing increased interest from Millennials and Gen Zers to participate in responsible travel. More than ever, travelers are keen to be immersed in local life, connect with locals, learn about the culture, and give something back to a community."
STA Travel offers trips in about 22 countries, including Canada, Costa Rica, and in Asia and Africa. Its current projects cover four categories: conservation, working with animals, communities and teaching children.
CV Travel与犹他州西乔丹的慈善机构Choice Humanitarian合作,有助于缓解七个国家偏远目的地的贫困。beplay银行卡这两个组织将团体和个人志愿者与本地项目配对。
选择人道主义者在2015年举办了16次CV旅行,2016年有21次旅行,今年已经计划30次。旅行者在选择人道主义的村庄中至少工作了几天,然后随后添加旅行。例如,尼泊尔的一个项目将增加珠穆朗玛峰的旁旅行。前往肯尼亚的旅行包括维多利亚湖。
“我们将与一个组织合作,我们将为您提供这种经验,否则您将无法度过传统的假期,包括每天说语言,吃真正真实的当地美食,体验真正的文化交流,”卡梅伦说。
Choice Humanitarian's director of corporate community impact Jordan Menzel said he is seeing a lot of interest from high-net-worth families who are "looking for ways to help introduce the next generation to the challenges going on around the world." He also works with universities, including study-abroad programs and groups like Engineers Without Borders.
More agents interested in growing market
旅游业在其良好的旅行顾问计划中的旅行辅导员的认证,以鼓励代理商考虑服务旅行。自从良好的旅行顾问计划启动以来的一年中,已有851名旅行社购买了该课程,已获得498个经过认证,而101名选举已选中,已选中将被包括在Agent Finder(GoodTravels.org)计划中,以帮助来源销售潜在客户。
服务旅行“现在有点瞬间。需求正在上升,这是主流的,”马萨诸塞州坎顿的旅游业社区进步和订婚总监约翰·杨(John Yonce)说。他指出我与旅行公司和经典假期合作,提供带度假套餐的服务旅行机会。
Yonce said he heard from one agent about a couple who asked the guests at their destination wedding to forego a gift and instead spend for a day of giving nearby.
"There is client interest in giving back, primarily among the people already involved with nonprofit organizations at home," said Daniela Harrison, travel consultant at Avenues of the World Travel in Flagstaff, AZ. "If you know your clients do that kind of activity at home, you can then speak with them about including giving back in their travel. Generally they don't bring it up, so it's important for advisors to know their clients well enough to know if this would be of interest to them."
哈里森通过在Facebook上发布来帮助促进服务旅游。“我通常会跟踪谁喜欢'帖子,所以当他们计划下一次旅行时,我可以根据他们感兴趣的东西来定制它。”
Doing good for your business and for the world
Agents say that combining community service with leisure travel can create strong bonds to an agency and repeat business because of the intimate and powerful nature of the experiences the agent helps create.
Yonce说:“这可以为您的客户提供更深入,更丰富的体验。”“如果您做对的话,它将成为一个贤惠的圈子。旅行前和回来后进行的对话可能会导致与客户的更深和更丰富的关系。”
CV人道主义旅行是Christopherson商业旅行的一部分,每年都会派遣一群员工进行人道主义旅行,以帮助提高合作和参与。卡梅伦建议代理商考虑向企业客户提出这样的旅行,以寻求在异地会议上寻求新的转折。
"You're in a village for four to five days. The people you are around have major issues, having enough food, clean water. You're building school houses. It totally takes the focus off of yourself and pulls at your deepest emotions, and you bond with people in a way that isn't replicable in the United States," said Cameron, who himself has gone on eight trips.