Travel Alliance Partners expressed its satisfaction for the success of the inaugural Guaranteed Departure Program and Brochure which ran during calendar year 2006. TAP partners offered a total of 64 tours in their 2006 brochure and were the first to track each customer and each departure for census and profit data. Over $3.2 Million dollars worth of tours were sold during this promotion with over 2100 travelers. Data was collected during the first quarter of 2007.

“It is a very innovative concept in the travel industry and it has seemed to catch on and be profitable” says San Jose, CA based tour operator Serge Talbot, President of TAP. Each of the 32 TAP partners offered tours that ranged from unique fishing trips in northern Canada to group departures on historic trains in the southwest. “We offered various destinations throughout the world and our partners responded by booking each other’s tours,” said Kate Scopetti, VP – Marketing for TAP and owner of Mid Atlantic Receptive Services in Arlington, VA.

“It has made a real impact in the industry. Our customers were happier that their trips were not going to be cancelled due to lack of participation and our travel industry suppliers were thrilled that they did not have to cancel important space at their venues,” said Scopetti.

This project also marks the first time that a domestic travel organization has tracked the Return on Investment (ROI) on their trips as TAP stated. TAP will be sharing the results of these successful trips with their preferred partners at their conference, TAP DANCE, in June. “We need to share our success stories and numbers with our vendors so that they know which tour operators actually produce for their clients. Financially, this is a very important gauge for both tour operator and supplier,” said Richard Durgan of Durgan Tours, Stoneham, MA and Vice President of Legal Affairs for TAP.

Early Indications are that the 2007 tour sales are also going very well. “Due to the early success of the 2006 brochure and website, we were able to increase the 2007 offerings to 92 departures. With the proper network of tour operators, bus companies, and travel agents working together, there is no telling where this program will go,” said James J. Palmeri, Executive Director of TAP. The 2008 Brochure is being prepared and will be available in June.