Los Angeles, Calif. (October 22, 2008) -
Viking River Cruises®, which offers river cruises and cruisetours through Europe, Russia and China, will now be supporting its valued travel agent partners in a whole new way. Today the company launched a comprehensive online portal which presents everything travel agents need to successfully sell Viking River Cruises voyages through Europe, Russia and China in one convenient location right on their desktop.
Built specifically for travel agents, the site includes several content categories:
Why Sell Viking: An introduction to the river cruising category generally, and to the specific benefits to passengers of traveling with Viking River Cruises-plus extensive information on commissions, FAMs and other benefits to travel agents.
Destinations: Detailed descriptive content about the journeys Viking offers, currently presented on vikingrivercruises.com, is also made available here for agents' convenience.
Marketing Supplies: Downloadable versions of recent Viking sales and marketing pieces, as well as images of ships and destinations for use in travel agents' own marketing materials. This area also provides an electronic order form where agents may request printed brochures and DVDs.
Training: PowerPoint and video presentations, frequently asked questions and a schedule of both "webinars" for travel agents and trade events at which Viking will be making an appearance.
Groups: An area devoted to helping travel agents market Viking to groups of all sizes.
Pre-Trip Info: Information and handy forms about passports and visas, and about booking air travel through Viking. There are also travel tips specific to the various Viking destinations.
My Account: View and change contact information and preferences here.
"We have focused on creating a site that will be really useful for travel agents," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman and CEO of Viking River Cruises. "We enlisted the help of some of our travel agent partners in designing and testing the site's functionality, so we are optimistic that it will serve the travel agent community well. We encourage travel agents to give us feedback once they have had a chance to try it out, so we can incorporate their suggestions in future upgrades."
New Online Search and Booking Functions to Launch Shortly
Viking is putting the finishing touches on a handy search tool that will allow agents to view Viking itineraries filtered by destination, date, river and/or ship. There will also be an online booking engine exclusively for travel agent use, which will allow agents to check pricing and availability in real time and create an instant quote so their clients will have the information they need to make purchase decisions without having to wait. These added functions are scheduled to arrive later this year.
"Our travel agent partners are extremely important to us," continued Mr. Hagen. "With so much online activity in the travel industry these days, we felt Viking River Cruises partners should have the 'one-stop shopping' convenience offered by the internet. Now travel agents can get information quickly for themselves and their clients, find the perfect river cruising vacation to meet clients' needs, earn the highest possible commissions and know exactly where they stand with us at all times."
The travel agent portal can be found at www.vikingrivercruises.com/agents
About Viking River Cruises
Viking River Cruises, the world's largest river cruise company, offers quality service, gourmet cuisine and comfortable scenic cruising along the majestic rivers of Europe, Russia and China. The company has been honored multiple times as the top river cruise line on Condé Nast Traveler's "Gold List" and Travel + Leisure's "World's Best" Awards. Travel agents have also recognized Viking River Cruises in 2006 and 2007 as "Best Riverboat Cruise Line" by Travel Weekly, "Best River Cruise Line" by Recommend and Travel Agent magazines, and in 2006, 2007 and 2008 as "Best Overall Cruise Line for River Cruising" by TravelAge West. Since its 1997 inception, the company has grown to a fleet of 21 vessels, and provides unique, deluxe vacations to experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history. For additional information, contact Viking River Cruises at 1-877-668-4546 (1-877-66VIKING) toll-free or visit the company online at www.vikingrivercruises.com.