Travel agents participating in the Sandals program




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KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Travel advisor Amy Provance of Treadway Travel has been selected to participate in the Back to the Beach event held at Sandals Emerald Bay July 14-17.

Participants must meet strict qualifying criteria and demonstrate a commitment to offering their clients premium service in partnership with Sandals and Beaches Resorts in order to be selected, according to a written statement.

Less than 20 travel advisors and agency owners were selected to visit the resort, meet with resort personnel and learn more about the operations.

She will be sharing information in real time via live videos on social media.

“I am thrilled to immerse myself in the exceptional world of Sandals resorts, eager to personally witness the pinnacle of excellence they are renowned for,” Provance said. “My goal is to gain invaluable insights into the brand, cultivating a renewed approach to client bookings and attaining an unrivaled level of

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12 Family-Friendly Things to Do in Carolina Beach

Carolina Beach is a small beach town in southeastern North Carolina; the beach is popular but less crowded and warmer than the Outer Banks area to the north. Just outside of Wilmington, NC; Carolina Beach has a reputation for being laidback, popular with locals, and very walkable for both lodging and dining. It is well known for its vintage-style boardwalk and is considered to be very family-friendly! There are a few small hotels and many vacation rental homes to accommodate young kids – if you stay close to the boardwalk you can ditch your car for the entire trip without too much trouble.

There are several outfitters in the area from whom you can rent jetskis, paddleboards, kayaks, or bicycles to stay active during your stay. There has been a recent focus on public art, and you can take a quick drive around the mural trail to see beautiful paintings!

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Booking.com creates “AI Trip Planner” using ChatGPT

Booking.com has announced a new “AI Trip Planner,” which will launch in beta to a selection of US travelers in the company’s app on June 28.

Built upon the foundation of Booking.com’s existing machine learning models that recommend destination and accommodation options, the AI ​​Trip Planner is also partially powered by large language model (LLM) technology from OpenAI’s ChatGPT API to create a new conversational experience for people who are planning trips.

As outlined in a press release, travelers can ask the AI ​​Trip Planner general travel-related questions, as well as more specific queries to support any stage of their trip planning process, including scoping out potential destinations and accommodation options, providing travel inspiration, as well as creating itineraries for a particular city, country or region.

Travelers will be able to chat with the pilot AI Trip Planner to describe what they’re looking for in broad or specific terms, ask

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7 Things To Do In Sigiriya Sri Lanka

There are many things to do in Sigiriya Sri Lanka – this is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Most people travel here to visit the famous Rock of Sigiriya, but if you give it enough time you’ll discover a beautiful region, with lush nature and hidden gems that all deserve to be explored.

In this post, I highlight all the unmissable things to do in Sigiriya and share some practical information to organize your visit.

Sigiriya Rock

Taking in the fabulous views from Sigiriya Rock

7 Great Things To Do In Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Climb Sigiriya Rock

One of the top things to do in Sigiriya is climbing/hiking the giant Sigiriya Rock. Upon seeing it, you will completely understand why this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s simply unique! If you decide to see just one of all the ancient cities and holy sites, make it

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15 Fun Things to do with Toddlers in Las Vegas

As a mom, I know how challenging it can be to find things to do with young children while on vacation. Las Vegas may not be the first city that comes to mind when you think of a family-friendly destination, but there are actually lots of fantastic activities for toddlers and their parents to enjoy in this vibrant city. I should know because we lived in Vegas when Jonah was a toddler.

In this blog post, I’ll share some of my top recommendations for fun things to do with toddlers in Las Vegas. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, these activities are sure to delight your little ones and create lasting family memories. To plan your entire trip check out our 5 Day Las Vegas Itinerary for Families with Younger Kids. Also, make sure to read this before taking kids to Las Vegas: 9 Tips For Visiting Las Vegas

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Google’s AI to power virtual travel agents from Priceline

June 6 (Reuters) – Want a New York hotel near a Christmas market, a vegan restaurant, or another attraction?

Look no further than artificial intelligence from Google (GOOGL.O) at Priceline as early as this summer, the companies told Reuters.

The online travel agency, part of Booking Holdings (BKNG.O), aims to debut a more sophisticated chatbot for planning trips, as well as hotel suggestions that are like “a personal concierge” tailored to users, said Martin Brodbeck, Priceline’s chief technology officers.

“You can easily find out that in Bryant Park there’s a Christmas market that runs from early November all the way through the beginning of January when you’re actually booking your hotel,” he said.

New tools from Google’s cloud division give Priceline access to generative AI, like the technology behind ChatGPT that can draft text as if a human wrote it. The tools also extract information such as hotel prices from

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GTM’s high-speed networking: Travel Weekly

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — There were flamingos. There were globes and old-fashioned suitcases. There was candy, and even a sparkly stiletto flower display.

These colorful adornments dotted the tables at the Global Travel Marketplace at the Diplomat Beach Resort here in early June. The tables were staffed by 140 travel advisors, urged by the Northstar Travel Group events team to treat the tables like their home office for the next two days. (GTM is owned by Northstar Travel Group, Travel Weekly’s parent company.)

But flamingoes, candy and other accouterments were forgotten as suppliers and advisors leaned over the tables, passing business cards and networking furiously, while a giant digital clock counted down in two corners of the ballroom.

This is the annual scene at the Global Travel Marketplace, where advisors, handpicked by the GTM team, are matched for a series of six-minute appointments with reps from travel companies.

It’s not easy

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Is It Better To Use a Travel Agent or Plan Your Own Vacation?

Booking Yourself Saves on Service Fees

Anh Le, owner of the travel blog, Luxury under Budget, also finds that booking trips yourself is more likely to save you money if you have the time to put in. “Travel agents have access to the same rates and they don’t get commissions on flights, so they often add an extra booking fee.” Le recommends setting up Google flight alerts to snatch up deals on flights when prices go down. “I have always been able to get flight deals even on big holidays…with this tactic.”

Emily Cuneo, of the travel blog Emily Embarks, agrees that by cutting out the travel agent, “you completely omit the hundreds of dollars in service fees.”

She recommends looking up accommodations through providers such as Expedia, then booking directly with the hotel once you’ve made your selection. “Second, using Skyscanner or Google Flights is a great way to

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Local travel expert offers tips on planning a last-minute trip

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Summer travel season officially started last weekend, but it’s not too late to plan that beach trip or other getaway!

Alfred Willis Jr., the owner of StarGaze Vacations, Inc. in Huber Heights, said the best way to make any kind of travel plans is by working with a travel agent. Travel agents typically have access to last-minute deals and unlisted prices.

Willis said that it is common for travelers not to have a specific destination in mind, and travel agents can help.

“We get that question, or that statement, a lot, where they’re not sure where they want to go,” Willis said.

“A travel agent is a great resource for inspiration to new destinations or off the beaten path, or possibly even go to a destination you’ve traveled to before but in a new way with

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Take the hassle out of business travel with Uniglobe Direct’s corporate travel department – Think Local

Business travel.

Those two words together often send shudders down spines in offices across the globe, including the Okanagan. Traveling for work can be a drag when you consider there are early-morning flights, all work and no fun on the agenda, and big costs if you are the one having to pay for each journey.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Corporate travel management companies offer benefits such as saving time and money, providing travel support, emergency assistance and travel insights, and enhancing travel policy compliance. Kelowna’s Uniglobe Direct offers a corporate travel department that takes the worry out of your mind, keeps money in your pocket and can also serve as your connection to travel incentive plans that will get your employees motivated to deliver.

Managing business travel can be complicated. With an array of routes and fares, confidence in securing the best fare

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