Travel South Dakota's Global Travel & Trade team is dedicated in helping South Dakota suppliers connect with domestic and international travel trade professionals (Tour Operators, Travel Agents and Group Tour Leaders). On this page, you will find useful tools and information to enhance the way you approach the travel trade industry. If there’s any specific questions or topics that you’d like to learn more about, please contact Cole Irwin at [email protected].
GENERAL INFORMATION
INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
The Global Travel & Trade team targets seven different international markets. Learn more about the travelers from these countries so you can better understand their goals and expectations, especially when coming to our region.
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
All of the different terminology used when talking with and about Travel Professionals and the travel trade industry can get confusing. To help with this, we have developed a "cheat sheet" with the most commonly used terms and their definitions.
TRAINING VIDEOS/WEBINARS
Motorcoach 101
The motorcoach industry can be a huge benefit to your business. Learn the basics of accommodating a motorcoach tour at your attraction, community, experience, restaurant and hotel.
International Markets 101
Explore South Dakota’s international target markets of the United Kingdom, France, Benelux, Germany, Italy, Australia, Nordic, Canada, Japan, and China. Learn about each market’s vacation leave, economic spend, travel trends, visitor interest, and more.
Familiarization Tours
Familiarization (FAM) tours are one of the most immersive and effective forms of marketing outreach you can do. FAM tours are organized educational trips that ensure travel professionals are knowledgeable about and excited to sell your business. This webinar from Travel South Dakota's Travel & Trade team provides you an introduction to them, along with reasons why to host and pointers to make the most of them.
Explaining Travel Tradeshows
Travel tradeshows offer one of the best opportunities for your business to generate sales leads, educate yourself on the newest industry trends and increase your network of connections. This webinar will help you decide which travel tradeshow is right for you, how to prepare and how to properly conduct your follow-up following the show. If you have further questions or concerns always feel free to reach out to Travel South Dakota for information.
Contracting with International Travel Trade
Are you looking to attract more international visitors to your destination? Some advantages include: they book months in advance, they typically spend more time and money on vacations and they book during weekdays. Getting international visitors to your destination is easier than you might think. This webinar will help explain the sales channels, pricing structure and how to start working with receptive operators.
CONTACT US
International (Australia)
Cole Irwin
Global Travel & Trade Senior Director
[email protected]
Travel Agents — International (Europe and Canada) ? China, Japan, Scandinavia
Kyler Flock
Global Travel & Trade Representative
[email protected]
Group Tour — International (?)
Calley Geigle
Global Travel & Trade Representative
[email protected]