Fifty agents from the UK joined tour operator Latin Routes in Rio de Janeiro for its first ever training academy.
The academy, held over four days in Brazil last week, consisted of a fam trip in the city and destination training covering the continent of South America.
Agents also met with suppliers from across Latin America, including cruise lines and hotels, as part of a workshop.
“We are very aware that the UK trade is not as familiar with Latin America as many other destinations,” said Jess Dennison, co-founder of Latin Routes.
“The majority of agents have never travelled first hand to the destination, which makes it harder to sell.”
The agent training therefore consisted of learning about the different countries and cities within Latin America and what activities and destinations will be best for certain clients.
“A lot of the training has been focused on looking at existing clients they might have and what previous destinations they’ve travelled to, whether it’s Canada or New Zealand or Africa and then what area or what destination within Latin America that might suit,” said Dennison.
In order to gain a place in the training academy, agents had to apply stating why it would be beneficial for them to participate. The number of applications reached 600.
Dennison said hosting this academy will now be an annual event for Latin Routes and is setting her sights on a new destination next year.
“We want to enable as many agents in the UK to get to Latin America as they can, as it’s the best training we can possibly give,” she said.