Elite Travel Group has launched two booking systems to give members access to a wider choice of hotel and cruise product and wholesale rates.
Elite Cruise offers a cruise search system which allows members to view itineraries and cabin availability in an easy to read format. It features product supplied by US ground-handling agent Turico.
Elite Hotels offers more than 10,000 worldwide hotels.
The move follows the launch of Elite Airfares, which features product supplied by consolidator JTA Travel Group.
Chairman Wayne Darrock said: “We have been waiting for the right time to launch this opportunity to our members and, with both sectors in the industry growing rapidly, Elite Hotels and Elite Cruise give them something unique that will make them very competitive to their customers.”
He added: “This is not to detract from the work we do with our preferred partners, but to enhance the choice that our members have in this very difficult price-led industry.”
Meanwhile, booking is now open for the consortium’s annual conference on board Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas from June 2-5. The ship will sail from Southampton to Le Havre and back.
Prices for suppliers lead in at £279 per person plus tax for a shared cabin plus £250 registration fee which includes a workshop table at the Talk Zone event. The conference’s theme is ‘Raising the Standard’.
Darrock added: “Sailing from Southampton to Le Havre for Paris means that our members and industry partners will not need to book flights which is going to save both time and money.
“Elite are also offering a shared cabin facility to enable people to keep the cost down and numbers up, due to the limited number of cabins that are available.
“With the interest we have created, we have already seen demand from our members and suppliers, and expect to sell out again this year.”
For more details, email wendy@elitetravelgroup.co.uk