Amtrak Vacations

[GG-1]

Aloha

Does anyone know if Amtrak Vacations will return? Did the colaps of the contrack cost so much that there is no hope.

For myself the packages some times made a trip affordable, other times the Hawaii exclusion worked against me.

Would be nice If an agency would arange Rail travel packages again, possiblu using sleeper's as Hotes in certain cities.

Mahalo

 

[haolerider]

There has been an RFP sent out to the major tour operators and some of them are interested in taking over the Amtrak Vacations product. Time will tell who gets selected. In the meantime, there is an effort to create "regional tour operators" to sell leisure packages with Amtrak components.

 

[lepearso]

Whomever rises to the occassion and agrees to take over Amtrak vacations needs to try a fresher approach. The entity needs to work more carefully with chambers of commerce and other regional organizations to carve niches where Amtrak can get a stronger position. The mid-week travel promotion, for example, that Amtrak developed with the State of Illinois should be a springboard for other great ideas.

Another area where Amtrak needs to focus more carefully is on getting staff support in vacation-oriented areas. Too many of these places have no ticket office for miles and miles. Gulfport, MS is one of those.

 

[haolerider]

You may not understand the role of a tour wholesaler, in that they do not go out and establish relationships with Chambers of Commerce or Convention & Visitors Bureaus. Their role is to contract with hotels and attractions to develop packages that can be coupled with Amtrak ground transportation to provide more leisure offerings to the rail passengers. Amtrak Vacaitons then works through travel agents, group leaders, etc to sell the product and book the rail portion.

Amtrak works with local Chambers and CVBs already to develop promotional opportunities, work on conventions and drive business to areas. Amtrak however is not able to do the packaging of hotels and other elements of an Amtrak Vacation, since they are not equipped to negotiate hotel rates, etc.

Gulport, MS is an inbound destination and rail passengers going to Gulfport would have their ticketing done elsewhere - round trip, so there is really no need for a staffed station in that location.

 

[lepearso]

Gulport, MS is an inbound destination and rail passengers going to Gulfport would have their ticketing done elsewhere - round trip, so there is really no need for a staffed station in that location.

I don't agree. Inbound destinations need customer support because, at some point, those travelers are going outbound. Not only that, we tend to overlook the population base in places like Gulfport that Amtrak seems to miss. From a public relations standpoint as well as a business standpoint it is important for Amtrak to strategically place agents where they can play a pivotal role in customer relations and marketing.

Case in point, Gulfport: I visited with 6 travel agencies in the Biloxi/Gulfport area and chatted with the caretaker at the station. They all seemed to agree that it would be most helpful to have a ticket office somewhere in the region. I fully understood the reasoning for closing the ticket office in Mobile, but I think that they should have relocated it to Gulfport where there is a higher concentration of tourists and where the train calls at more reasonable times. Having a ticket agent in Gulfport would encourage travel agencies to refer more clients to Amtrak and would give existing Amtrak customers an easier way to deal with late trains, ticket exchanges, refunds, and other issues. In addition, a ticket agent in a place like Gulfport would be a source of support for Amtrak passengers in Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Bay St. Louis.

I am a hotel owner, so I understand how the wholesalers work. In fact, have a contract relationship with two of them. My suggestion is for Amtrak to pursue a different and more interactive option that is more responsive to the needs and desires of Amtrak's marketing base.

 

[haolerider]

Thanks for the comments.

Given the three day a week schedule (and the erratic on time performance)for Gulfport/Biloxi, the amount of traffic does not warrant a staffed station. If there were daily service, as has been suggested between New Orleans and Orlando, then the critical mass would be there to justify staffing, in fact it would justify packages, however that is not likely to happen any time soon.

As a hotel owner, you know that you would not locate a property in an area that did not have adaquate ground or air transportation to service your investment. Amtrak has to make the same decisions.

I am sure Amtrak would like to be more proactive in a lot of regions, but the reality is that there are only so many positions allocated to marketing and sales and they are spending time, energy and money in those areas that have a higher concentration of trains and travelers.

 

[lepearso]

Very true. I can see why, at this present time, such an investment is not warranted. Should Amtrak ever be in a position to increase service in the area, I hope they'll consider the possibility.

If we can ever get Amtrak's financial future more clearly determined, we could spend a great deal more time and energy on issues like these - growing Amtrak, as opposed to merely preserving it.

 

[haolerider]

Agreed...........fiscal starvation is not good for anyone, and that is exactly what Amtrak has had for most of its existence.