NASSAU, Bahamas -- Ensemble Travel Group reported a third
consecutive year of record growth at its 2018 conference at the Grand Hyatt
Baha Mar.
Ensemble co-president Libbie Rice noted that 2018 sales are "tracking
ahead year on year."
"Our financial performance has been off the charts,"
added fellow co-president Lindsay Pearlman. "The last three years have
been the best on record for the organization."
The consortium, which was established in 1968, is celebrating
its 50th anniversary.
In addition to solid sales growth, Rice and Pearlman touted
Ensemble's continued progress on the technology front, with the group's
Navigate and Aviate cruise- and air-booking platforms both receiving recent
updates.
"Additional resources have been added to Navigate,"
said Rice. "In Canada, the insurance beta test is underway, and members
can now purchase Manulife insurance via Navigate as part of the cruise booking
process. And what's more, it will soon become available as a standalone product
in our system. We believe this will make it even easier to sell this
high-margin product to clients." Ensemble plans to add its U.S. insurance
partners to the mix in 2019.
Meanwhile, Aviate "continues to evolve," said Rice,
with the system recently unveiling a more user-friendly design, which promises
to be more intuitive and help guide members through the booking process.
Ensemble unveiled Aviate in 2015.
"We're on course to expand our air program, and we have
added more key focus to this area," explained Pearlman. "This
includes the ability for members to add their own air contracts. And for those
also using Navigate, members will soon be offered flight options when you book
a cruise that align with the client's sailing dates."
Concurrently, Ensemble has added 15 new preferred suppliers
to its network. These include Goway Travel, American Excursionist/Canadian
Excursionist, Beyond Times Square, Family Twist, Imperial Travel Vienna,
Leonidas Travel, Revealed America, Reykjavik Excursions, Sahara Experience,
Shore Excursions Group, Morocco National Tourist Office, American Queen
Steamboat Company, Hurtigruten, Le Boat and Victory Cruise Lines.
The Ensemble Hotel & Resort Collection announced that
close to 120 additional properties have joined, including the Aria and Bellagio
in Las Vegas, Banyan Tree Cabo Marques in Acapulco, Fairmont Royal Palm in
Marrakech and Oberoi Mumbai and Oberoi New Delhi, among others.