Travel

The Sundance Vacations travel community is elated! The U.S. celebrated a major victory recently when President Obama signed into law the first-ever national travel promotion and communications program to attract more international travelers to the U.S. This is a major step in addressing America’s decline in attracting overseas visitors to the U.S. during the past decade.

According to the US Travel Association, “The Act is in response to worrisome evidence that the U.S. is losing ground to other countries in the global travel market. The U.S. welcomed 2.4 million fewer overseas visitors in 2009 than in 2000, and the failure to simply keep pace with the growth in international long-haul travel since 2000 has cost the U.S. economy an estimated $509 billion in total spending and $32 billion in direct tax receipts, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The Travel Promotion Act will counteract this trend by creating a campaign to promote the United States as a premier destination and explain changing travel security policies to foreign visitors.”

“By signing the Travel Promotion Act, President Obama has acted to support the power of travel to serve as an economic stimulant, job generator and diplomatic tool,” said Roger Dow, president & CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “This program will create tens of thousands of American jobs and help reverse negative perceptions about travel to the United States.” (US Travel Association Press)

Oxford Economics estimates that a successful national promotion will yield $4 billion in new spending annually, create 40,000 new jobs and generate $321 million in new tax revenue each year. The Congressional Budget Office reported that the Travel Promotion Act would reduce the federal deficit by $425 million over ten years!! For more information about the Travel Promotion Act, please visit www.poweroftravel.org or www.ustravel.org.

Sundance Vacations couldn’t be more excited! We welcome all international travelers to visit the plethora of Sundance Vacations properties located throughout the U.S, Mexico, and the Caribbean. What is your favorite Sundance Vacations property? www.sundancevacations.com

According to the U.S. Travel Association’s website (www.ustravel.org) the organization sent a letter late last week to Senate leaders with proposals to help put people back to work as part of its continued push to use travel as a means to create jobs and stimulate the economy. The recommendations include travel-related tax deductions, hiring of additional consular officers and creating a promotion program aimed at attracting more international travelers.

Travel is directly responsible for 7.7 million American jobs, and another 10 million jobs are indirectly related to travel, making it one of the largest employment sectors in the country. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the industry lost nearly 400,000 jobs the past two years, but current modest projected growth of two-to-three percent this year will create about 90,000 jobs.

For more information and to read the letter visit:  http://www.ustravel.org/news/press-releases/us-travel-delivers-job-creation-proposals-congress

Sundance Vacations certainly supports the U.S Travel Association’s proposal. What do you think? Does travel have the ability to stimulate the economy?

Do you love all of the snow that has recently hit Pennsylvania? If so, Sundance Vacations has a property in the Pocono’s, PA. The Woodfield Manor is a snow lover’s dream come true during the winter months. Just minutes away from some of the best ski slopes such as: Jack Frost Mountain, Alpine Mountain, and Camelback Ski Resort the Woodfield Manor is the place to stay during the cold winter months. Don’t like to be adventurous? Stay inside and eat beside the fireplace at the Chophouse restaurant right on site. Sundance Vacations guests have wonderful things to say about the Woodfield Manor. “We had a delightful time at the cottages on the property. They were very clean and cozy. The gas fireplace was such a great asset to keep the relaxed atmosphere. Dinner at the Chophouse was beyond words. Food was mouth wateringly delicious! Especially the dessert of the hour, peach cobbler. Everyone was so nice and kind. I have nothing bad to say! We will be coming back as soon as we can,” explained April K. of Allentown, PA. We know that many people have raved about the Woodfield Manor, but you know what they say, “you just have to see for yourself.” www.woodfieldmanor.com

Maybe you are sick of the snow and just want to go somewhere warm and sunny? One can dream right? Well, stop dreaming and make it a reality. Check out the numerous Sundance Vacations properties at www.planwithtan.com

Have you ever vacationed with Sundance Vacations? Did you stay at the Woodfield Manor? Let us know about your Sundance Vacations experience.

Although Sundance Vacations President John Dowd has been attending the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) meetings for the past 18 years, he recently joined the organization. ARDA is a Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA has approximately 1,000 corporate members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate.

ARDA promotes the growth and development of the timeshare/vacation ownership industry through a variety of capacities: Advocacy, Networking, Business Partnerships/Bridge Building, Outreach, Knowledge, and Support and Development.

Sundance Vacations wasn’t a member of ARDA in the past, simply because it was more focused on timeshares. The industry is constantly changing, and ARDA now fits the Sundance Vacations product better. ARDA is redefining leisure travel. According to ARDA, “With today’s evolving vacation home market, consumers have an increasingly diverse marketplace and options in leisure travel; the growing variety of vacation home options includes Timeshare/Vacation Ownership; Fractional Ownership/Private Residence Clubs; Destination Clubs; Condo Hotels; and Traditional Second Home Ownership.”  

For more information visit www.arda.org

Imagine waking up under a pile of rubble or in a hospital all alone without your family. That’s how many people started their day on January 12th after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, just outside the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The lives lost, people injured, and families displaced are colossal.

People from around the world including many celebrities have made it a point that Haiti is in dire need of help! Ryan Seacrest held a telethon on CNN with Larry King called Haiti: How You Can Help. The benefit raised $8,944,956 for UNICEF and the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Another telethon courtesy of Actor George Clooney will air on Friday, Jan. 22. Clooney will host the live telethon to benefit earthquake victims in Haiti. The telethon will air on all of the MTV channels worldwide, along with ABC, NBC, HBO, and CNN. The show will air 8-10 p.m. ET.  Be sure to tune in!

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are also on board to help Haiti victims.  With the help from President Obama, the duo agreed to lead a major fundraising effort for relief: the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. http://clintonbushhaitifund.org/index.php ONE HUNDRED percent of donations made to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, go directly to relief efforts. The website also gives three secure ways to donate.

Many employees from Sundance Vacations have helped the victims of Haiti. Sundance Vacations Marketing Manager Patty Barney donated to the American Red Cross, UNICEF, and YELE Haiti. “Giving money is the least I can do. I can only imagine waking up and having nothing, no food or water. It was my moral obligation to give what I could,” explained Barney. Administrative Assistant Natalie Cassarella also donated via text message. “I heard about donating and I thought what an easier way then directly from your cell phone,” said Cassarella.

Speaking of texting, there are plenty of ways. Including: Texting “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.  OR text the word “QUAKE” to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, also charged to your cell phone bill.

If you haven’t yet, it’s easy to help. Please use the outlets provided and remember ANYTHING helps! One dollar, or one hundred, whatever you can give will make a difference!

Sundance Vacations is, for the second year in a row, participating in the Tax Refund Program. The Tax Refund Program was created to help potential customers travel more during tough economic times.

The Tax Refund Program allows customers to use their tax refund toward a travel package and get an equal credit from the company. Customers have the opportunity to choose any portion of their tax refund and apply the whole amount or any smaller portion to a vacation package. The credit you receive from Sundance Vacations is equal to the portion you apply toward a travel package. The tax refund benefits the customer because Sundance Vacations is actually doubling their refund.

The tax credit does exceed the actual purchase price. The maximum credit is the total amount of the tax refund. The actual credit is the amount the customer chooses to apply toward the purchase of a Sundance Vacations package. Customers are not eligible for cash back. In order to receive the credit, customers are required to provide a copy of their official refund check. The Sundance Vacations Tax Refund Special started at the beginning of the tax season. The program ends April 30, 2010.         

Please visit a local Sundance Vacations sales office for more information.

Sundance Vacations is a finalist in THREE categories in the 4th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are crucial to business success.  The company became finalists in the following categories: Sales Director of the Year-Shane Lewis, Best Sales Team-Hospitality and Tourism, Best Contact Call Center-Sundance Event Marketing.

The awards are presented by the Stevie® Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious American Business Awards.

Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala banquet on Monday, February 22 at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Sundance Vacations representatives will be in attendance for support and to hopefully bring home a Stevie Award.

More than 500 entries were submitted to this year’s competition. There are 27 categories for customer service professionals and 41 categories for sales professionals.

Wish Sundance Vacations best of luck as they prepare to attend the February 22^nd Gala in Miami Beach.

Dreaming of the warm sunshine on your face, walking in the hot sand, or how about a cool margarita poolside? Forecasts for 2010 predict that more people will be traveling, but the numbers are still well below what they were before the recession. Still, if you can afford to get away, interesting events will be drawing visitors to destinations around the world, from Shanghai to South Africa to Orlando, FL. And here’s a surprise, Mexico is turning up on some top 10 lists for 2010, despite the swine flu epidemic and worries over drug violence.

According to the Associated Press and the US Travel Association Website: Several destinations will be in the tourism spotlight in 2010 thanks to headline-grabbing events, including the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Feb. 12-28; the FIFA World Cup soccer games in South Africa, for a month beginning June 11; and the Shanghai World Expo, May 1-Oct. 31, a 21st century world’s fair that organizers are hoping will attract as many as 70 million visitors.

Universal Orlando will open the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure this spring. The marquee attraction will be a high-tech ride called “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” that will take guests through scenes and rooms from the blockbuster Potter movies. EXCITING! Sundance Vacations offers many great properties in or near Orlando, Florida.

Universal Hollywood also has news for 2010. Its King Kong attraction, which burned down in 2008, is swinging back onto the Universal Studios Hollywood with a tram tour next summer. The new 3D attraction, King Kong 360, will transport visitors to Skull Island where they will witness “the eighth wonder of the world” tussling with dinosaurs and other critters. SCARY!

To get some deals on airfare, it’s key that you sign up for frequent flyer programs, e-mail alerts, and Airline Twitter feeds. The big trend with airlines happened in 2009, when many airlines used different marketing channels to go directly to consumers with promotion codes and offers.

Go Ahead-Get Away! Check out Sundance Vacations right now and go on your dream vacation.

Are you looking to book a vacation? Are you anxious to see the Excess Inventory list? Gosh, website redesign can be a pain in the neck! Our sister company Travel Advantage Network who currently fulfills all vacation requests and needs for Sundance Vacations is undergoing website redesign.

 The new site is going to be so much more beneficial to customers. The site will feature a new career area, property listings with better and more up-to-date photos, and customers will now be able to search by city, resort, region, and start date! The site is set to launch on January 8^th, 2009!

Until the TAN website is complete, please call 1-800-976-6968 to hear an automated listing of excess inventory and contact 1-800-223-0088 ext. #3 to speak to a reservationist.  The reservationist will be able to give information about the inventory, take requests, check availability, and book a location for you.

If you have any questions, you may call New Client Services at 1-800-264-3802, Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. or TAN at 1-800-223-0088 Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.