Q: Pleasant won the 2006 WAVE Award for best tour operator Web
site for travel agents. How are you making the site even more
helpful to agents?
A:We’re investing heavily in the site, and we already have a great
base to work from. Next year we’re expanding our booking
capabilities to Asia and the Pacific. Agents can expect the site to
get faster, easier and more personal to use.
Q: Pleasant is practically synonymous with Hawaii travel. How are
you keeping its Hawaii program competitive?
A: We keep creating exclusive programs that give us a leg up on
the competition and add value to the product, like the Aloha Diners
Club that we introduced this year. We want to make sure we have
everything people want. For instance, we’ve added NCL to our
product line for 2007, and clients can book specific cabins and
tours.
Q: For Western travel agents sending clients to Hawaii, where do
you see particularly good opportunities for lucrative sales?
A: I think it’s a wise move to sell Hawaii to groups, because it
opens the door to a whole new wave of business. Agents can buy into
one of our group programs, like the Honolulu Marathon or the Pro
Bowl, and they can work with us to customize group trips like
weddings and honeymoons. If agents have the group, we have the
mechanism to make their trip happen.
Q: What’s unique about your position at Pleasant?
A: This is the first time that Pleasant has combined sales,
marketing and the Internet under the leadership of one person. By
doing so, we can really drive business to the agencies and satisfy
that segment to the utmost. Pleasant has focused on agents for
years, and we’ll increase our service level for them to reflect the
changing times.
Q:What’s your history with Hawaii?
A: I’ve been to the islands at least 50 times, and I feel
very close to the destination. It’s evolving, and yet some
things never change. Waikiki is a good example. It’s reinventing
itself and improving the visitor experience, but clients can still
have drinks by the ocean, listen to live Hawaiian music and feel
the timeless aloha spirit.
