Travel agents and tour operators play a vital role in driving tourism to destinations, but they often struggle to stay updated on the latest attractions, experiences, and travel trends. With the rapid evolution of the travel industry, traditional FAM (familiarization) trips are no longer the only way to educate travel planners about a destination.
Enter destination-focused webinars—a powerful, scalable, and cost-effective way to train travel professionals and increase bookings.
By hosting engaging and interactive webinars, destinations can:
✅ Provide travel agents and tour operators with up-to-date knowledge
✅ Showcase unique experiences and itineraries
✅ Answer questions in real-time
✅ Generate more bookings and higher customer satisfaction
In this guide, we’ll explore how DMOs (destination marketing organizations), hotels, attractions, and tourism boards can leverage webinars to train travel agents & tour operators effectively.
Historically, FAM trips were the go-to method for training travel agents. These in-person experiences allowed agents to visit and explore a destination firsthand. While effective, FAM trips have limitations:
❌ Expensive – Covering flights, accommodations, and activities can cost thousands per agent.
❌ Limited Reach – Only a small group of agents can participate at a time.
❌ Time-Consuming – Requires agents to leave their businesses for several days.
🌍 Cost-Effective – Train hundreds of agents at a fraction of the cost.
🚀 Scalable – Reach travel planners across multiple regions and time zones.
🎥 On-Demand Access – Webinars can be recorded and rewatched anytime.
📊 Data-Driven – Track engagement, collect feedback, and measure ROI.
💡 Pro Tip: Use webinars as a pre-FAM trip tool, allowing agents to qualify before attending in-person.
To ensure your webinar is valuable, it must provide practical, sales-driven insights that help agents sell your destination confidently. Here’s what to include:
💡 Pro Tip: Provide a “Sales Cheat Sheet” summarizing key takeaways for agents to reference later.
The biggest challenge with webinars? Keeping travel agents engaged. Here’s how to make your session dynamic and memorable:
🎥 Use High-Quality Visuals & Video – Show real footage of attractions, hotels, and experiences.
🗺 Live Virtual Tours – Take attendees on a real-time exploration of key attractions.
🎤 Guest Speakers & Local Experts – Feature hotel managers, tour guides, or past visitors.
📊 Polls & Interactive Q&A – Keep agents involved with live surveys & chat discussions.
🏆 Incentives for Engagement – Offer exclusive discounts, FAM trip invites, or prize giveaways.
💡 Pro Tip: Use Augmented Reality (AR) & 360-degree video for immersive virtual experiences.
A great webinar doesn’t end when the session closes. Follow-up is key to reinforcing the knowledge agents gained and keeping your destination top-of-mind.
Day 1: Thank You Email + Replay Link
Day 3: “Key Takeaways” PDF + Sales Cheat Sheet
Day 7: Special Offer or Booking Incentive
Day 14: Personalized Check-In (Invitation to another webinar or Q&A session)
💡 Pro Tip: Create a certification program where agents earn a "Destination Expert" badge upon completing multiple webinars.
Travel agents and tour operators drive bookings—but only if they have the right knowledge to sell your destination. Webinars provide a cost-effective, scalable, and engaging way to train travel professionals and boost sales.
✅ Webinars are a smarter alternative (or complement) to traditional FAM trips.
✅ Content must be sales-driven, covering itineraries, target audiences, and selling techniques.
✅ Engagement matters – use videos, live Q&As, and incentives.
✅ Follow-up is crucial – reinforce learning and build long-term partnerships.
📖 Want to make your tourism webinars a lead-generation powerhouse?
🔗 Check out our Ultimate Guide to Destination Webinars for more insights!
Learn Tourism is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the tourism industry through innovative educational practices and professional development initiatives. Our mission is to harness the power of science, business psychology, and adult education to build sustainable economies and enrich the tourism landscape.