SAVE THE DATES FOR 2014 HOLIDAY TRAVEL MARKETING

By: Ruthanne Terrero, CTC

 

Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20^th: this long weekend has proven to be strong for girlfriend getaways.

Mardi Gras, Tuesday, March 4^th: Carnival anyone? New Orleans starts the party early so officials suggest getting to town by March 1^st. Other hot places to celebrate in are Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago and Italy. Be sure to check exact Carnival celebration dates prior to planning.

Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14^th: Plan a long romantic weekend getaway to clients. President’s Day is the following Monday so you’ve got four days of bliss to pitch.

Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 17^th: this often precedes a week off of school, so start planning now.

St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17^th: why not suggest to your clients that they take it as a holiday. Ireland is the obvious option, but so is Savannah, GA, home of one of the largest parades. New Orleans, Boston, New York and Cleveland also celebrate heavily. Verify exact parade dates. Check to see if hotels offer packages and scout out the top Irish pubs for your clients to enjoy.

Passover starts the evening of April 14^th and runs seven days (Reform) or eight days (Orthodox and Conservative). Consider a family reunion for those who want to celebrate with kin from all over. They Hyatt Regency Minneapolis just opened a kosher kitchen and launched a special menu for kosher dinners; Loews Hotel in Santa Monica also has a kosher kitchen.

Easter Sunday, April 20^th: Again, consider getting a family reunion or a trip to Europe to scout out their roots and celebrate Easter as their ancestors did.

Mother’s Day, Sunday May 11^th: Need we say more?

Memorial Day, Monday, May 26^th: If you haven’t planned your clients’ summer vacations by now, you’re late!

Father’s Day, Sunday, June 15^th: How about celebrating with Dad off-site this year by attending a special event that piques his interest?

The Fourth of July: falls out on a Friday this year…three-day weekend! Consider a trip to Washington, DC, where parades and fireworks abound and most museums are open on the national holiday. Check out Washington.org.

Labor Day, Monday September 1^st: It’s a three-day weekend, but it also means that many kids across the country will go back to school on September 2^nd. Those last two weeks in August might be used for back-to-school shopping trips so work that family getaway in earlier than usual.

Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 27^th: To avoid skyrocket prices on air, ask months ahead if kids are flying home from college or if clients need to fly somewhere. Suggest as well that it’s a great four-day weekend for those who can fore go the turkey and family get-together.

Hanukkah starts Wednesday, December 17^th and continues for eight days.

Christmas, Thursday, December 25, and New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, December 31^st are just screaming for long weekends in 2014. Advise clients they may want to ask for January 2^nd off ahead of time since it will fall on a Friday.

Ruthanne, is the Vice President Content Editorial Director at www.TravelAgentCentral.com She did a great job in putting this together. I hope all you Home Based Travel Agents take advantage of all these GREAT Marketing Opportunity's.


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