Visitors bureau adds CD to travel agent training
By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Hawai'i Visitors and Convention Bureau yesterday expanded the reach of its Ke Kula 'O Hawai'i training for travel agents in North America, adding a CD-ROM to the program.
The CD features 30- to 60-second videos with music and voice-overs offering information about each island and selling points for travel agents. Icons include cuisine, golf, romance, adventure and physical/spiritual renewal. The CD also offers links to the bureau's Web site, as well as links to sites with information about Neighbor Islands.
"People in the sales business only sell things they're comfortable with," said David Preece, the bureau's vice president for North America. In addition, "these seminars provide a deeper level of awareness about the quality of a Hawai'i visitor experience, which is particularly important for travelers in this post 9-11 period."
More than 300 travel agents on the Mainland have ordered the CD, which complements a training course that includes a reference manual, course workbook and certification test. More than 5,700 agents have been certified in the program's three-year history.
The year-end goal, said Preece, is to have 10,000 agents certified.
At a time when nearly every aspect of tourism is in crisis, targeting agents who interact directly with potential travelers appears to be an effective use of some of the bureau's $25 million annual leisure marketing budget in North American, according to Preece.
Of the additional $2 million the bureau received from the tourism authority and the $10 million the Legislature gave the bureau in emergency money last fall, about $6.5 million was directed to North America. All $12 million was spent in about six months.
"That was the goal, to put that back in the market as soon as we could," said Preece, who believes this has had a tremendous impact on the rapid recovery in the North American market.
Last year, the bureau invested approximately $400,000 in live presentations, travel, staff time, administration, database handling, production of materials and the perpetuation of the self-study system to train nearly 5,000 travel agents and sales staff in the Ke Kula program.
"That's a pretty small investment to create an extension of our sales team," said Preece.
The self-study program also appears to be a bargain for travel agents. They pay $30, plus $9.95 shipping, and now another $5 for the CD. In return, they receive consumer leads, continuing education credits, access to more sales tools for increasing bookings and an opportunity to earn free stays at Hawai'i resorts.
Some local businesses who have significant contact with visitors, like Atlantis Adventures and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, recently requested the training program for their staff, the bureau said.
According to Preece, the program "went through an unbelievable amount of editing" with leaders in the Hawaiian community to ensure the accuracy of the cultural elements.
Parts of the CD contents have already been used in Asia, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, said Preece.
The ultimate goal is to translate the self-study program into a variety of languages to certify travel agents around the world.
At the American Society of Travel Agents' World Congress in November, the bureau plans to introduce a more advanced training program in a live seminar.
