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(07 April 2005)

The Travel Weekly Academy is going from strength to strength, with six new training programmes coming online in the next two months.

Thomas Cook Signature is the latest operator to sign up to the Travel Weekly Academy, with modules covering short breaks, long-haul and upmarket product. To help agents study the programme, the Thomas Cook Signature training includes fictitious travel agency staff who guide students through each module and test them on what they’ve learned.

In order to answer the questions and work through each section, agents will need to refer to the current Thomas Cook Signature brochures, as well as the operator’s website.

Agents who complete the course receive a certificate and the chance to win a place on a Thomas Cook Signature educational. The programme is divided into four sections:

Getting to know us
This section gives an overview of the Thomas Cook Signature brand, its portfolio and history. Once they have completed the section, agents are tested on their brand knowledge.

There is a separate section on Thomas Cook Signature Online, introducing the site and showing how to use it in the most effective way to maximise service and sales. This section teaches agents how bookings are cancelled, what to do with booking queries and how to retrieve bookings or print information off for customers.

Two tests round up the module, one on making a booking and another on retrieving and viewing information.

Short breaks
This section is divided into two areas: Disneyland Resort Paris and Cities with Style. The Disneyland section teaches students everything from how to get to Disneyland, the different hotels available and the ‘magical extras’ offered.

Academy students learn what shows are available, which ones can be pre-booked, which hotels are furthest from the resort and which have Disney characters appearing at breakfast.

The section also covers the types of passes and packages offered and the programmes available for kids.

Meanwhile, the Cities with Style section covers more than 50 destinations available through Thomas Cook Signature. It looks at multi-centre trips available, excursions, hotels, transfers and bookings. Did you know bookings made to European cities at least 90 days before travel are eligible for a 10% discount? Testing is divided into four areas: France, Italy, Spain, and long-haul short breaks.

Long haul
Do you know the wettest and the driest months in Egypt? Can you recommend the best time of year for a family with young children to visit Dubai? Or help those who want an adventure holiday, and want to see a grisly bear?

Working through the sections in the long-haul module will help agents discover the answers to all the above questions.

Students also learn everything from the airlines that offer free stopovers to the best beaches in the Caribbean. This module consists of nine parts with a test on each: Caribbean; Walt Disney World and Orlando; Dubai; Egypt; Canada; Southern Africa; the Indian Ocean; Far East; and America.

The module covers how to get there, where to stay, what to do, and what to see in each of the different areas. It also gives tips, such as offering customers the chance to buy theme park tickets before going to Walt Disney World, which saves them time and trouble, and boosts your sales.

A Touch of Class
This section covers the more luxurious services available through Thomas Cook, and is divided into four sections: Latitude; Eastern tailor-made; Thomas Cook Tours; and Weddings.

Do you have a customer looking to splash out on a luxury holiday of a lifetime? The Latitude section shows you how to use the dedicated website so you can find the finest hotels in the best locations.

If you have a client who wants a more individual holiday, then the Eastern tailor-made section allows you to take all their requests into account, and combine a number of destinations in the itinerary.

Did you know extensions were available on Thomas Cook tours? Or that there is an exclusive 150th anniversary tour available this year? Meanwhile, the Weddings section will help you to plan someone’s special day from flights to excursions.

The Travel Weekly Academy is proving increasingly popular with more than 7,000 agents registered.

New academies coming online within the next two months are Germany, Fiji, Hawaii, BWIA and North Carolina. Travel Weekly sales director Julie McInally said: “We are encouraged by the high level of support from the trade for the Academy. It is an effective use of everyone’s time and effort. “Agents can study in their own time, and for companies that have signed up it’s an easy way to get their training message out to the masses.”

If you want Travel Weekly to design a training programme for your organisation, contact Julie McInally on: 020-8652 8211.