ALTOUR Blog

Five spectacular overwater hut resorts

The room service arrived in a canoe and exotic fish frolicked just beneath the floor when Gary Leff spent his honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Life is good when you’re in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and even better when you’re staying in an overwater bungalow — that iconic, stilted, thatch-roofed symbol of a tropical paradise.

“It’s unique because there’s a million beachfront resorts in the world … but it’s much less common to have your room actually be [over] the water,” Leff said.

“There’s something neat to the story about climbing off your deck into the water, snorkeling right off your deck.”

You’ll probably have to travel far and open your wallet wide to stay at one of these exotic villas.

There are more than 90 overwater bungalow resorts in the world, but about two-thirds of them are in the Maldives, according to OverwaterBungalows.net, a website that tracks the properties.

The Caribbean has a few such resorts, but it doesn’t really lend itself to overwater construction because of hurricanes, said Terry McCabe, national director of leisure for Altour.

Read the full article, “Five spectacular overwater hut resorts“, over at CNN.

GBTA Seeks Member Feedback On Chapter Of Future Plan

By: Holly Leber

The Global Business Travel Association is seeking input from its members regarding their involvement with and benefits received from local chapters. The poll is part of the association’s work on the Chapter of the Future initiative, a program introduced last year and designed to govern GBTA’s relationships with individual chapters.

In light of push back from some chapters regarding cost and timing concerns, GBTA established a task force to propose modifications to the plan. More recently, to become better informed on member needs, the association hired Mariner Management and its research partner Whorton Marketing & Research to conduct the survey, which closes Feb. 7.

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New Zealand, Land of the Long White Cloud…

The North Islands most popular spots.

By: Ena Langford, An ALTOUR Specialist and an American Express Travel Insider in the Las Vegas office – Ena.Langford@Altour.com – www.AltourLV.com

The North Island is quite different from the South and mainly made up of volcanoes both active and dormant, this gives the north island its geothermal activity and mysterious aura. It’s not as mountainous and you will be amazed by the how many crops and fields you will see. Yes, the ever present sheep that outnumber people are everywhere. You will also see quite a few cattle farms. Milk is the largest export for this small country followed by lamb, wool and wine.

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Tips for creating perfect vacation

By Jennifer Willhite jwillhite@therepublic.com

Source Website

We’re barely more than halfway through January, and already many of us are longing for summer. If you’re
looking to escape to warmer temperatures, consider these tips offered by area travel agents for planning the
perfect winter getaway.

Think about the type of vacation experience you want to have and what locations fit the bill. Generally,
Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida top the list of most popular getaways when it’s cold, said Matt Lennon,
manager of The Travel Authority in Columbus.

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World cruise means prestige for lines, profitability for agents

Source: Travel Weekly (Secaucus,NJ)

By Tom Stieghorst

January is world cruise season, and this year a dozen ships are sailing on three- to four-month voyages around the world. It’s a time-honored tradition, especially for luxury lines.

So leave it to one of the industry’s iconoclasts to question whether the tradition makes sense.

“In my view, the world cruise is the itinerary of last resort,” said Frank Del Rio, chairman of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

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NEW YORK CITY BASED ALTOUR HONORED WITH AMERICAN EXPRESS VACATIONS’ ‘BEST OF THE BEST GLOBE AWARD’

NEW YORK, NY (Nov. 21, 2012) – ALTOUR (www.ALTOUR.com), in New York, NY has been recognized by American Express Vacations (www.americanexpressvacations.com) with a “Best of the Best Globe Award” – an honor bestowed on a limited number of agencies and consortia partners that are considered American Express Vacations’ top performers.

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ALTOUR remained fully operational on east coast

Although some of the offices were physically “closed,” ALTOUR remained operational throughout Hurricane Sandy’s impact and aftermath. This is a direct result of the dedication of the ALTOUR team and our structure which enables our virtual agents to be connected. We are operationally structured and able to re-direct and manage east coast clients in our mid-west and west coast locations. Our agents worked together and despite personal challenges, maintained service levels throughout this period. We are so proud of our team!

Location Mon – 10/29 Tue – 10/30 Wed – 10/31 Thu – 11/1 Fri – 11/2
NYC Closed at 12:30 Closed Open Open Open
Paramus Closed at 12:30 Closed Open Open Open
Purchase Open Closed Open Open Open
Old Bethpage Closed at 12:30 Closed Closed Closed Open
Woodbury Closed at 11:00 Closed Open Open Open
Broadway Closed Closed Closed Open Open
Garden City Closed at 12:30 Closed Closed Closed Open
Princeton Closed Closed Open Open Open
Boston Closed at 12:30 Open Open Open Open

Take a look at the October ALTOUR Index

Informed Travelers Are Booking Farther Away States ALTOUR Travel Index. Report sees 2nd consecutive increase in bookings of Sun/Surf/Sand Travel

(New York – October 30, 2012)ALTOUR’S October Travel Index is showing 2012 to be the year clients are venturing farther away thanks in part to doing a lot of their own research before booking with an ALTOUR agent.

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