Travel Advisors Get Experiential Education at ALG Vacations’ Pros in Paradise Maui FAM

Travel advisors received an experiential masterclass in Maui throughout ALG Vacations (ALGV)’s Pros in Paradise FAM Trip to the Hawaiian island from Sept. 7 to 11.

Hotel web site inspections, cultural actions, a volunteer venture, instructional workshops, and networking all helped the group of fifty advisors be taught extra about this fashionable vacation spot that’s been in want of some tourism TLC just lately. 

“Education and experiencing destinations is very important to us in the way we work with our travel advisors,” Jacki Marks, ALGV’s world head of commerce manufacturers, advised Travel Market Report. “It’s been two years since the Lahaina fires, and we wanted to get back here and make sure we don’t lose sight. Sometimes it gets very easy to think things are recovered, but it takes time, so supporting that recovery is important.” 

This was ALGV’s third Pros in Paradise journey of the 12 months (others had been in Aruba and Tulum) and helped the corporate present its “commitment to the Hawaiian Islands that we’re very passionate about,” Marks stated, particularly because it coincides with ALGV revitalizing its Blue Sky Tours model and ALGV’s participation within the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB)’s strong Maui advertising and marketing marketing campaign. 

ALGV, together with lodge companions and the HVCB, made the journey all about mana (objective), ‘ohana (family/community), and mālama (taking care of and preserving Maui) – threads that ran throughout the entire week’s actions. 

The ALGV staff additionally introduced alongside their Travel Advisor Champion Carson Kressly, TV character identified for the unique “Queer Eye” sequence, to hitch in on the enjoyable and assist promote the vacation spot. Here had been the most important highlights from the 4 jam-packed days in Maui. 

Practicing Maui Traditions

The week kicked off with a welcome get together on the host lodge, Hyatt Regency Maui, that additionally celebrated the Blue Sky Tours relaunch. Guests had been instantly greeted with leis, coconut drinks, dwell Hawaiian music, and a sampling of dishes from the property’s a number of eating places. 

Early the following morning, one group of advisors and companions had been off to see the dawn at Haleakala National Park, whereas one other group visited Maui Gold Pineapple farm – completely different but each enriching experiences that advisors stated they’ll now return and advocate to shoppers. 

Later that day, the advisors got here collectively for his or her first lodge visits – however these had been no common lodge web site inspections. Aston Ka’anapali Shotes hosted hula dance, ukulele, and basket weaving classes, and advisors additionally witnessed the every day cliff diving ritual at Sheraton Maui. 

Each of the 9 lodges visited all through the journey served native delicacies that introduced Maui’s flavors to the forefront. Other highlights included exploring the cultural middle at Fairmont Kai Lani and interesting with the leisure staff at OUTRIGGER Ka’anapali. The remaining night, advisors additionally skilled a Tour of the Stars at Hyatt Regency Maui, the place they discovered about historical Hawaiian wayfinding whereas stargazing from the rooftop. 

“I hope that advisors leave and feel like they can sell Maui from the heart and the experience of what their client is going to get when they come,” Marks stated. “The majority of those that are here haven’t really experienced Hawaii before, so this is really important to understand and experience it.” 

Giving Back with ALGV

Bringing vacationers again to Maui post-wildfires has been no small job, however voluntourism can assist vacationers really really feel the optimistic influence of their journey. Travel advisors received a way of that with a give again exercise throughout their time with ALGV in Maui. 

Treecovery, a Maui-based nonprofit group, put advisors to work planting seeds that can at some point develop into bushes – freed from price – for individuals who misplaced houses within the Lahaina fires. The catastrophe destroyed greater than 21,000 bushes within the space, and Treecovery’s mission is to plant and develop 30,000 bushes (they’re at 6,000 up to now). 

Robyn Basso, HVCB’s senior director of journey trade partnership, volunteered alongside advisors, calling it “an incredible, impactful experience.” 

“There’s so much alignment with ALGV’s values and Hawaiian values of aloha and mālama, so it was just such an incredible fit, and I was so honored to be a part of it,” she stated, including that journey advisors can discover different Hawaii voluntourism alternatives to advocate to shoppers by visiting gohawaii.com/malama.  

While many Lahaina residents nonetheless await permits to rebuild their houses, Basso stated that guests can assist them by patronizing the numerous eating places and companies which have reopened within the city. More particular info on the restoration will be discovered at mauirecovers.org. 

Learning to Sell the Destination

The week in Hawaii was main for each advertising and marketing Maui and educating journey advisors on the product accessible there. Marks and Kressly hosted a Facebook Live that achieved each, offering highlights of the journey for advisors watching from residence. 

For these on the journey, ALGV held a morning of studying periods, together with social media and reserving device tutorials, a crash course on Hawaii tourism, and a motivational keynote speaker to spherical all of it out. 

Advisors first received a lesson on turning uncooked video footage into partaking content material for his or her social media channels – particularly the best way to create a lodge room tour reel. ALGV’s affiliate supervisor of social media, Megan Weisser, gave step-by-step directions for this advertising and marketing talent that’s necessary now greater than ever. 

Ben Recob, ALGV’s director of schooling and implementation, additionally led group discussions about matters equivalent to finest advertising and marketing ways and overcoming consumer objections. Keynote speaker Eric Saperston bolstered the journey’s themes of kindness and rising collectively by lending a hand and searching for assist when wanted. 

“We really wanted to create a small group of agents that actually can walk away and continue to engage with each other, because we believe advisors need that community,” Marks stated. “We really are trying to create that atmosphere where they spend time together, support each other, and when we leave here, we still have our WhatsApp group.”