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Artist rendering Dive into the luxury of a new adults-only hotel… TRS Yucatan Hotel Riviera Maya, Mexico Special Offer › Newly refurbished, December 2017 › 454 Royal Junior Suites UP › Five unique culinary restaurants SAVE TO › New infinity and exclusive salt-water pool * › 24-hour room service $ › Access to all facilities at the neighbouring Grand Palladium 500 For travel until April 30, 2018 Colonial Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa *Saving of up to $500 per couple is based on double occupancy, and Grand Palladium White Sand Resort & Spa in standard hotel room category and valid for Toronto departures, March 16 & 23, 2018. Savings is calculated before taxes and fees and reflected in system prices. Offer is subject to availability 43 flights a week to Cancun from 17 gateways! at time of booking and subject to change without prior notice. EARN AN EXTRA 2% COMMISSION ALL FEBRUARY Register now at gadventures.com/gnormous for an additional 2% commission on every booking! Don’t forget to quote promo code GNORMOUS. In your hands you’re holding the 38th issue of PAX This year, you’ll also find several important guides magazine, the very first issue of 2018. You’ll notice that will be indispensable for your work. We begin that the design has changed significantly. Indeed, on a strong note this month with a complete 2018 after more than three years, we thought that guide to ocean cruising, including a detailed list some adjustments were necessary. We hope that of all ships per company. At a total of 22 pages, you like it! it should prove a valuable resource for you to use as a reference. This month, don't miss our report on the winners of the most prestigious competition in the travel industry in Let’s not forget the subject of this month’s cover Canada, organized by LogiMonde media: the 2017 story, The Travel Agent Next Door’s founder Awards of Excellence, which is an in-house contest, Flemming Friisdahl. We sat down with the well- held without sponsors. This year, the competition was known personality and industry executive for an again a great success with a significant increase enlightening conversation about his career in in the number of nominees. Congratulations to all travel, his dedication to travel agents, and what the 2017 nominees and winners! lies ahead for the company. I’m sure you’ll be as intrigued by the interview as I was. In this issue, you'll also notice the addition of a new section: a MICE column, an important new feature I leave you to read your PAX of the magazine. The rise of digital media and its magazine. Don’t hesitate to growing significance are among the reasons that provide us with feedback – agencies need to rethink their business strategies, this helps us to improve! if they wish to maintain their revenues and remain relevant. Because of this, many businesses are See you again in March, seeing the value of adding group services - MICE. PAX stays on top of new trends, and that’s President why we’ve added a section to help travel professionals organize groups for different events including weddings, conferences, seminars, and more. 1 | PAX magazine | February 2018 ©2017 Crystal Cruises, LLC. Ships’ registry: The Bahamas and Malta. ALL EXCLUSI V E™ HELPS YOU PLAN THE PERFECT GETAWAY. By sea, river, land and air, we have redefined the way the world views luxury travel. Call 855-816-2476 or your travel professional. CrystalCruises.com OCEAN | RIVER | YACHT EXPEDITION | PRIVATE JET JOURNEYS | LUXURY RESIDENCES CRYSTAL CRYSTAL CRUISES CRUISES Publisher Uguette Chiasson Vice-President - Media Karine Lefebvre Associate Vice-President Nancy Benetton-Sampath Associate Editor Blake Wolfe Journalists Christine Hogg, Fergal McAlinden, Benoît Schmautz, Janice Strong, Marie-Eve Vallières Contributors Aurore Bonvalot, André Desiront, Frédéric Gonzalo, Cheryl Gregory Graphic Design Alexandre Foisy Web Developer Juan Carlos Lora Circulation Coordinator Nathalie Manouvrier Accounting and Administration Kathleen Chartray ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Nancy Benetton-Sampath, 416 581-1001, ext. 304, [email protected] Karine Lefebvre, 450 689-5060, ext. 226, [email protected] CIRCULATION INQUIRIES Nathalie Manouvrier, 450-689-5060 ext. 221, [email protected] Canada, 10 issues (one year): $49.50 (plus tax) Canada, 20 issues (two years): $79.00 (plus tax) U.S., 10 issues (one year): $110.00 (plus tax) International, 10 issues (one year): $195.00 (plus tax) OFFICES Toronto Montréal 2 Carlton Street, Suite 602 782 rue Principale Toronto, ON, M5B 1J3 Laval, QC, H7X 1E6 416 581-1001 450 689-5060 Printer: Impart Litho imprimeur Distribution: Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 42658017 Legal deposit: Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec & National Library of Canada Legal deposit number: ISSN 2367-9921 PAX magazine is published by Founder, Uguette Chiasson Corporate website: logimondemedia.com Travel industry news: PAXnews.com, PAXnewsWest.com, PAXnouvelles.com 416-581-1001 ext. 300 All rights reserved: Logimonde Media No part of this magazine may be printed or otherwise duplicated without permission from the publisher, Uguette Chiasson ([email protected]). The opinions, endorsements and all content in this magazine are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, editor, journalists and other contributors, and these parties shall not be responsible for any reliance theron. WESTJET AIRLINES: 22 AERIAL PLACE NE CALGARY, AB T2E 3J1 T. 403 444 2460 E. [email protected] FILE NAME WJ_14306_PAX PUBLICATION PAX Magazine DIMENSIONS 8.25” x 10.75” CLIENT Travel Trade - Brian CREATIVE Resize INSERTION DATE 01/05/2018 LIVE 8” x 10” ACCOUNT Lindsay/Tom STUDIO ARTIST Ashley DATE CREATED 01/04/2018 BLEED 8.75” x 11.5” PROOF # FINAL COLOUR 4C FOLDED N/A INFO National itting with The Travel Agent Next purview is of secondary importance to you’re going to have more chance of Door (TTAND) founder and president another crucial measure of success. being successful. Flemming Friisdahl in the plush, ornate surroundings of the Fairmont “We don’t want to be Canada’s largest “That’s why we say the word customer. Royal York Hotel, a stone’s throw from the home-based agency based on travel You look at a customer different than company offices in downtown Toronto, consultants,” he emphasizes. “We want you look at a family member… [if] you’re I wonder whether the well-known industry to be Canada’s largest home-based my customer, that means I’m going executive ever has a chance to sit back agency based on sales per agent. to be a little bit sharper. I’m going to and take stock after a whirlwind few years It’s a very different statistic.” be a little more attentive. It means since starting the business in May 2014. I’m going to make sure I get what you That strident focus on the welfare and need to make you successful. It means “I sometimes forget that we’re now 26 prosperity of its network is one of the I’m going to listen to what you want. staff in our company – and it’s a fair- main reasons Friisdahl prefers to describe Without my customer, I don’t have a sized company – but to me, we’re still TTAND’s agents as customers and business business. That’s how I look at it. that little guy trying to just go up the hill,” partners first, and family second. It’s not Friisdahl tells me. “We’ve actually grown that the company doesn’t value its close “I don’t want anybody to think that I consistently the same every year since relationship and camaraderie with its don’t understand my place,” he we’ve started.” agent network; rather, Friisdahl simply continues. “My place is to do feels that the word doesn’t accurately [everything] possible to help that agent It's been a steady rise for the company convey the depth of its commitment succeed. I have one job: get the best since opening its doors, with its roster to its Canada-wide team of travel agents. deals, the best marketing, the best tools of travel professionals growing to in the industry; and so, to me, our travel approximately 480 primary and “It isn’t about what I want, but what my agents are our business partners, associate agents; for Friisdahl, though, customer wants,” he comments. “If you and our customers. That’s very important the number of agents under TTAND’s always remember who your customer is, to me – we talk about it often.” Owning and operating a host agency national sales and marketing, provided a “We do our conference, and we don’t was an entirely natural progression first-hand insight into the valuable work have spouses along with that,” he notes. for the Danish-born Friisdahl, given and endeavour that agents brought to “Why? Because it’s not a vacation.