In one of the most challenging times we all may see in our lifetime, I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible spirit of partnership on display between those travel advisors, my team at Travel2, and that of our air and land suppliers who under the most arduous circumstances continue to do their utmost for the interests of our mutual clients. We truly are in the trenches together.
To collectively spend such effort and time simply writing down and canceling beautiful itineraries for no recompense is disheartening for all of us. Yet, we have immense faith there will be pent up demand post Covid-19 and we’ll all be overcome with clients who once more, remember that passion to tick off their bucket lists more than ever.
In working together, we have seen great success by encouraging postponements/deferments rather than cancellations. To aid in this effort Travel2 has completely relaxed our cancellation policy. Furthermore we are working lockstep with our amazing air and land suppliers to negotiate case-by-case flexibility when needed, if clients do insist on canceling outright.
To further encourage postponements, Travel2 is offering a two-tiered approach to help benefit the cash flow of our travel advisors and to provide a new ‘hook’ to encourage the clients to postpone. For bookings scheduled to depart April 1 – June 30, 2020 and decide to rebook:Current full payment will be applied to future booking$300 per booking discount on new bookings with land value of $5000 or more*Travel advisors will receive their full commission on the value of the deferred trip ahead of time. In practice if a booking is cancelled for April travel and deferred to October (for example), Travel2 will pay commission in the month of April upon the issuance of a letter of credit for the value of the booking, to be applied on a future vacation.*We understand it may not ‘feel’ right to think about traveling right now, but demand will come back and strong. Consumers will again remember the thrill of planning their dream trip. In the meantime we hope this two-tiered incentive to encourage postponements, will help. The long supply chain of hoteliers, airlines and tour operators, many small and owner operated who make up so much of the South Pacific tourism industry, will need our business on the other side.
For those who read my messages to travel advisors, you’ll know I wax lyrical about my stellar team who have been on deck around the clock. We just ask for patience in a time where clients will be handled on a priority date order, with passengers out of country trying to get home at the top of the list. We continue to be “on deck” albeit on reduced hours (10am – 5pm Monday to Friday) and with a skeleton staff for the next 8 weeks, all working remotely. 24hr after-hours service remains at your disposal. Let us know how we can help.
Remember we also have Travel2 Online allowing you to access your itineraries online and shop/build new bookings with a complete range of itemized rates on hotel and touring product.
We realize that in the weeks and months to come we are all charting uncertain waters. Yet we will endure. Travel2 is fortunate to have a solid backing by a blue chip, public-listed company in Australia with solid cash reserves to help us all weather this storm. Confidence in a trusted vendor for the future being critical, we will be here for you now, tomorrow, and in the future.
Kia Kaha (stay strong).
For the latest information regarding COVID-19, please visit www.travel2-us.com/coronavirus-hub.
Warmest regards,
Stephen Marshall
President | Travel2
stephen.marshall@travel2-us.com
+1 (310) 266-2267
*Terms and Conditions: $300 per booking discount on postponed bookings with land value of $5000 or more. When a booking is cancelled and deferred Travel2 will pay the commission upon the issuance of a letter of credit for the future trip. This offer applies to bookings that are postponed as of March 25, 2020 and is not applicable retroactively. Current full payment made on original booking will be applied to a future booking and cannot be refunded even if the new booking value is lower.
