Rail Europe on track with ‘new’ agent site
GREG COATES
(Photo above: Pictured at a Rail Europe Toronto event last week are (l-r) Tuesday-Ann Castle, Eurostar; Sylvette Natiez, SNCF; Cecille Morel, TGV Lyria; Thisal Dewundara, SNCF; Lina Wang, Thalys; and Rares Dumitru, regional sales director for Rail Europe in Canada.)
Rail Europe and partners hosted approximately 80 agents in Toronto last week as part of a two-city Canadian road show and took the opportunity to relaunch its newly enhanced travel agent web site – www.agent.raileurope.com – which went live during the event.
The dinner event was organized in partnership with Eurostar, Thalys, TGV Lyria and SNCF.
Rares Dumitru, regional sales director for Rail Europe in Canada, told Travel Courier that the new site is agent-friendly and features a lot more information, from booking train tickets and passes to videos and information on train stations.
He said it’s going to be a great year for Europe this year and train travel is the way to go.
“Agents should take advantage of what trains have to offer, it’s hassle-free travel,” said Dumitru. “And, in my mind, city centre to city centre travel is really where it’s at.”
Rail Europe’s extensive product and service offerings include:
Rail Passes: national, two-country, and multi-country rail passes available, most of which come with special bonuses and discounts.
Train Tickets: available for regional and high-speed trains.
E-tickets: available for many high-speed trains.
Reservations: seat reservations for day trains and sleeping accommodations for overnight trains.
Airport transfers: train tickets between airports and city centres.
Expert advice: helping travellers make the most of their journey and assistance on classes of service, destinations, trains and discounts.
Group Travel Specialists: Discounted pricing and personalized service for groups of 10 or more travelling together. A dedicated Group Travel Consultant helps secure space months in advance and provides helpful information and individualized booking services. They can also organize train charters, exclusive carriages, luggage handling, and more.
News from Eurostar includes the addition of London-Amsterdam service beginning April 4. The high-speed trip will take under four hours.
Following Toronto, the road show continued to Montreal.