FRAMINGHAM, MA, May 1, 2019 – The Travel Institute announces its new Northern Europe destination specialist course, comprising Scandinavia and The British Isles, is now available. The Northern Europe course is the first release in a new, multi-part European series designed to educate agents about the region using an in-depth, comprehensive overview that will enable additional sales.
“The key to successfully selling European travel is simply to understand the complicated possibilities,” emphasized Diane Petras, CTIE, president, The Travel Institute. “As a travel professional, you must know and be able to articulate well what travelers don’t know about a particular destination. Our goal is to curate this type of information and place it at the agent’s fingertips,” she continued.
Petras cited statistics from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office indicating international outbound travel for U.S. leisure travelers in 2018 was up 6% overall with a 12% increase in U.S. leisure travel to Europe, a destination chosen by 17.7 million Americans last year.
Guida Botelho, CTIE, director of training for The Travel Institute further explained, “With so much to see and do, travelers considering Northern Europe want to call upon a travel expert who can align their personal interests with an itinerary that maximizes both the experience and their return on investment. This course helps agents do just that.”
Utilizing The Travel Institute’s recently announced e-Learning platform to better engage students and support retention of the material, the Northern Europe course includes the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland, and Iceland, along with The British Isles, which includes England, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Agents taking the course can become proficient in Europe’s vast cultural norms and culinary options, varying climates, rich history and architecture, inter-region travel methods, tipping, adventure travel options and other nuances of the countries, while also tapping into professional sales strategies to close the deal. Students taking the course will:
- Tap into curated lists and descriptions of key landmarks, attractions, and local ground transportation options in each country.
- Discover the culture, celebrations, special events and public holidays that add value to traveler communications.
- Provide insider advice with local vocabulary, pronunciation guides, and other travel secrets.
- Understand seasons, temperatures, optimal travel times and geography using interactive maps.
- Learn about local shopping, dining and entertainment possibilities.
- Access key-word searches to find additional information in just moments.
- Obtain sales tips and niche market advice.
- Drill deep for specifics on cruise ports of call in each region.
- View sample itineraries to make planning easier.
- Read valuable arrival briefings with information on customs, changing money, tipping and more.
Students who successfully complete the Northern Europe course will earn continuing education units toward maintaining certification as well as standing as a Northern Europe Destination Specialist, both designations which can be used in further marketing agent expertise. Central Europe, the next course in the multi-part European series, is scheduled for release in Q4 2019.
About The Travel Institute
A collaborative industry effort created in 1964, The Travel Institute has continuously evolved to maintain its role as the global leader in industry education and certification while staying true to its mission: dedicated solely to advancing the professionalism of both agents and industry leaders in support of individual and industry success. A non-profit, independent organization, The Travel Institute also works with leaders throughout the industry to create and deliver relevant, meaningful and rigorous coursework. Using exclusive proctored, closed-book testing to ensure its graduates earn credentials that demonstrate the highest standards of expertise and service, The Travel Institute has certified more than 25,000 Certified Travel Associate (CTA®), Certified Travel Counselor (CTC®), and Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE®) graduates and also administers the Travel Agent Proficiency, or TAPSM, exam to confirm students new to the industry demonstrate a mastery of travel industry basics. A trusted partner to industry suppliers and educational institutions, The Travel Institute has trained hundreds of thousands more through additional courses, webinars, and in its online Premium Member Lounge. Throughout North America, many successful agents and high-profile leaders credit their success to coursework from The Travel Institute. Learn more at The Travel Institute.