"In addition to our regular 10-16% commissions for agencies, we are offering a $100 Indigo gift certificate for individual agents who book new travellers between March 15 to April 15 of this year" says Markus Schale, Horizon's President. "We appreciate the hard work that the individual agents do on our behalf in selling Horizon trips, and we wanted to offer them a small token of our appreciation."

In addition to this latest initiative to the travel professional community, Horizon is continuing to promote membership in its Direct Mail Marketing Club." We are finding that the travel professional community is very receptive to ideas that help them grow their businesses," says Schale, "and this innovative program has a direct effect on an agency's bottom line."

"The other program that is generating a fantastic response is our April agency presentation strategy" says Schale. "We are planning an extensive presentation swing though Southern Ontario to see our own travellers in any event, and we have offered to provide similar presentations at agency-hosted client evenings or afternoons". The concept is simple Horizon provides the guides, slide show and snacks, and the agency invites their best prospects for Horizon trips and provides a venue for the event. "In our experience," says Schale, the passion of our guides and the compelling visuals of our presentation always get the audience fired up and eager to travel. It's a terrific way for us to sell more trips through travel professionals, and the agencies are able to nurture their relationships and provide significant added value to their preferred clients.

In addition to running trips throughout Canada and the rest of the world, Horizon has recently added a series of three exceptional North American voyages aboard the Orion, the brand new 106-guest expedition cruise ship. See our website at www.horizon-co.com for more details.

For more information, contact Evan Johnsen, Horizon's Director of Business Development, at 1-800-678-1147 or ejohnsen@horizon-holidays.com