Jessica: Thank you for joining us, Jen. Congratulations! Globus is nominated for this year's MailPound Agents' Choice (MAC) awards. 
Jennifer: Anytime the Globus family of brands is recognized by agents we are honored. With how much today’s agents needs to sift through in their daily lives, it is amazing they find time to recognize suppliers. We are thrilled that the efforts we put forth to support the agent community are appreciated.

Jessica: What advice would you give to someone who has never experienced your travel tours and would like to try it?
Jennifer: Go! You’ll wonder why you didn’t travel like this before. A tour is the perfect blend of a relaxed vacation and a journey that lets you truly experience a destination you’ve never been to before. Vacation time is precious and a tour makes the best possible use of your time away. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how the camaraderie of the tour makes your experience that much more fulfilling. From the knowledge of the Tour Directors to perfectly planned sightseeing to the time you get to explore on your own, a tour adds up to the perfect getaway.

Jessica: Globus is a provider of faith-based travel. Can you share with us some details on these unique itineraries?
Jennifer: Globus has been providing faith-based vacations since 2005, formally. But we’ve been taking travelers to some of the world’s most sacred sites since the beginning. These vacations are the perfect blend of faith and fun. Travelers can walk in the footsteps of the people that have made such indelible marks on the evolution of their faith. Rich stories combined with the experience of being physically present at a site of significance – such as being in St. Mary’s Church where Martin Luther preached or visiting the shrine where St. Michael the Archangel appeared – leave travelers with a sense of having experienced their faith firsthand. And then traditional sightseeing plus leisure time, allows those traveling together to bond and learn about new cultures.

We are offering 12 unique itineraries for the 2010 travel year, including three tours that include the Oberammergau Passion Play. Agents can learn more about our faith-based program at globusfaith.com. 

Jessica: As a nominee in the "Most Agent Friendly Tour Operator" category, what aspect of the Globus family of brands do you think appeals most to the travel agent community?
Jennifer: Our longevity combined with our accessibility. Agents know they can not only trust us, we’ve been around for more than 80 years, but they can also count on us to support them in their day-to-day business. We don’t make it hard to do business with us and in fact we strive every day to make that experience easier for the agents. 

We were one of the first tour operators to develop an online reservation system and now more than 30% of our bookings from the agent community come through that system. Our team of 40 sales professionals is visible and engaged. At a time when other companies might have been scaling back their sales team numbers or reach, we have been out there as we have always been. 

From self serve tools like free customized printed marketing materials to extensive training opportunities to unique content (such as our Avalon ship virtual tours) that agents can use to promote tours, independent packages and river cruises to their clients, we pride ourselves on giving agents a wide range of tools that they can use when they want.

We’re a large company that has a personalized touch.

Jessica: Do you have any current promotions you would like to share with our travel agents? 
Jennifer:   

2009 Special Offers
50% off* Air on 2009 Avalon Waterways (or Globus) Europe River Cruise Vacations
Receive half off your airfare with purchase of a qualifying air-inclusive European River Cruise Vacation (learn more)

Save $200 per couple on 2009/2010 Globus European Winter vacations*
Book a 2009/2010 European Winter vacation before August 4, 2009, and you will save $200 per couple on the air-inclusive price. (learn more)

2010 Special Offers
Save up to $1,000 per stateroom on 2010 river cruises & small-ship cruises*
Book a 2010 river cruise or small-ship cruise before September 1, 2009, and you will save up to $1,000 per stateroom. (learn more)


$100 off per person on 2010 Globus Oberammergau vacations*
Book a 2010 Globus Oberammergau vacation before October 13, 2009, and you will save up to $100 per person. (learn more)

Certain restrictions may apply so visit globusjourneys.com/Tour-Globus/Special-Offers/ for more details. 
 

Thank you Jen for sharing such great information with us.   

Please feel free to submit comments below. Have an excellent day!