Travel agents in the US are being offered online marketing tools and training to help boost bookings.
The agent online resource, PositiveSpace, has developed an “E-marketing Center”, which charges agents for marketing services.
The marketing tools include training courses on areas such as handling complaints and customer satisfaction, which cost from US$250. Also on the website is email marketing, which costs US$500 for a one-off email alert, up to US$2,000 for the design and implementation of an email campaign.
PositiveSpace president Greg Merkley said: “After a year of commission cuts, reduced travel budgets, and other challenges to travel agency businesses, creating greater customer activity is central to business strategy for 2003.”
The E-marketing Center is a joint venture, launched this month, between the host website, PositiveSpace, and online marketing firm, OneGlobe Network. PositiveSpace was founded in 1994 by ex-Galileo executive, Greg Merkley, and the website was launched in 1998. It is free to join and claims to have more than 20,000 agent members.
