Selling Travel 101: Destination Reports for Your Clients
by John Hawks

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No, we're not talking about expensive travel paperback guides by Fodor's, Frommers, and other publishers. Instead, these destination reports -- printed on standard paper or emailed ahead to clients -- offer a summary of specific recommendations for dining, entertainment, sightseeing, recreation, shopping, and other activities.

These destination reports can be customized with your agency's name, logo, and contact information. For many clients, they're a nice final touch before hitting the road on their next adventure. (And, they're a reminder about your services as a travel professional!)

Fortunately, both the company that pioneered destination reports for travel agencies (Intelliguide Professional, formerly Weissmann Travel Reports) and a new upstart competitor (Word Travels) belong to OSSN as allied supplier members. Here's a quick rundown of their services:

Intelliguide Professional

Arnie Weissmann (currently the editor in chief of Travel Weekly) forged this niche in the travel industry many years ago with his Weissmann Travel Reports. Several years ago, the parent company of Travel Weekly purchased Weissmann's company. Now called Intelliguide Professional, this service allows you to create customized reports -- with your own name and logo on them -- that you can email to clients or print out for them with their final travel documents. You can even add your own comments as part of the destination reports. Also, Intelliguide offers 500 e-postcards showcasing specific destinations that you can use as promotions or thank-you cards. Intelliguide offers OSSN members special rates as low as $33 per month. Call Drew Monroe at 800.776.0720 (ext. 2), or check out www.intelliguide.com.

Word Travels US

World Travels US offers many of the same functions as Intelliguide, including the ability to customize your reports with your own name and logo and to add your own comments to any destination. You can also link to your version of Word Travels US from your Web site, giving your clients full access to these travel guides without advertising around them. The standard fee is $115 per year for an office up to seven users, but you may qualify for special rates of $95 per year as an OSSN member. Call 423.404.3521 for details, or check www.wordtravelsus.com.