Northern agents enjoy a capital time

Eight travel agents from northern England have just returned from a flying visit to Washington DC organised by TravelCube and United Airlines. America’s capital is an increasingly popular destination which welcomed a 22% growth in international visitor arrivals in 2010 ¹. Thanks to United’s new daily direct flight from Manchester to Dulles International which started in May this year, clients in the region can enjoy even easier access to all the city’s delights.

Andrea Parkinson, TravelCube UK Regional Account Manager for the North took eight travel consultants – Trailfinders’ Andrew Davidson, Lewis Jones from Cruise 1^st, Samantha Mooney from Kanoo, TD Travel’s Samantha Frankish, Alison Chambers from Traveleads, Stephen Jones from Diversity, Kimberley Hirst from Sellers and Skylord’s Manjinder Seehra – for a taster of the historic destination.

After an Atlantic hop that gave them a chance to sample United’s new Business First full-flat seat, the group spent their time checking out hotels with some of the city’s most sought-after addresses – the Washington Hilton Connecticut Ave, the luxury JW Marriott on Pennsylvania and the mid-range Marriott at Metro Center – all within a couple of blocks of the White House. A meeting with Destination DC at local eaterie Carmine’s gave the group plenty of inspirational information about what to see and where to go during a visit.

An open top sightseeing tour also offered a perfect introduction to the city, taking in all the places that are synonymous with the nation’s capital and including The White House, U.S. Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery, Washington Monument, Jefferson, FDR and Lincoln Memorials. Another highlight was the chance to see a different side of some of Washington’s most historic sights thanks to dinner aboard the Spirit of Washington cruise on the Potomac River.

“Whether it’s a short stay or a longer trip, TravelCube can draw on years of experience in finding all kinds of accommodation, city tours and experiences in all parts of the world to inspire travel agents and consultants,” says Andrea Parkinson, TravelCube UK’s Regional Account Manager North. “I hope our guests got a taste of the TravelCube experience and saw that our suppliers offer the highest standards to make sure travellers will enjoy a hassle-free holiday, whatever their budget.”