Can you believe 2021 is almost over? It was quite the year, full of changes for us and we are glad to have you right there with us through it all. Unfortunately, some things did not change, nor do they appear to be changing anytime soon. This was going to be the year of the vaccine, of getting past the pandemic and returning to some semblance of normal life (and travel). Well, that did not happen, but I do remain optimistic for 2022.
You may be asking yourself what reason do we have to be optimistic? While it is true that travel has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, it is recovering. In addition, we made strategic adjustments to our business model, cutting the fat and going lean. Thanks to that and rebounding business, we are on solid financial footing. That’s no small feat considering the hit the entire industry took in 2020. Here are just some of the changes we implemented to better serve you:
- Left Dream Vacations franchise
- Opened a completely independent agency
- Joined the Travel Leaders Network consortia
- Abandoned direct marketing campaigns
- Ceased monthly email newsletter marketing
- Implemented a referral reward program
- Replaced birthday and holiday postcards with e-cards
- Began a birthday rewards program
Because of this our sales increased more than 8 fold over last year’s, which is more than 70% of 2019’s sales. (pre-pandemic cancellations). For the first time in two years we are heading into WAVE Season with the wind in our sails. This gives us the confidence to begin laying the foundations to scale up our business over the next five years and well into the future. Sure, Omicron gives us some reason for pause, but all signs currently indicate that it will not be as deadly as Delta so we remain optimistic that any travel disruptions will be limited in scope and short-term. With your continued support, we will be around to serve your travel needs when the dust settles on this pandemic and beyond.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all you have done for us. We wish the best this holiday season and for a healthy and happy year to come.
