We’re proud to be North America’s largest travel agent group focused on destination weddings, honeymoons, and romance travel! But, here’s the big question you’re probably asking about us:
Why should I join DWHSA – what’s in it for me?
Here’s a short list of the many benefits and support services you’ll enjoy as a DWHSA member for building your romance travel business:
1. Our private, closed, secret Facebook group (for agents only!)
You’ll have immediate, around-the-clock access to this Facebook group that includes only the working travel agent members in Canada and the United States who’ve been vetted by DWHSA. (Suppliers and destinations are not permitted to join this group!)
You may post questions, tips, and stories about your DW/honeymoon clients and bookings – anything from finding a particular type of resort for your pickiest clients to requesting advice for handling a difficult bride or client – and the other agents in this Facebook group will post their replies and ideas to help you.
Our private FB group is the # 1 benefit we offer you as an agent working in the romance travel niche. It’s an extremely active – and supportive – network you can tap into now!
(We’ve also created a “Destination Weddings 101” Facebook group for DWHSA members who’re just getting started in romance travel, where you can post basic questions about DWs and honeymoons for quick replies from our more experienced members.)
2. Our online course on the secrets of selling romance travel
DWHSA’s Education Committee spent months developing this 55-video course – covering everything from finding romance travel clients and satisfying the expectations of Millennial brides and couples to marketing and promoting yourself as a DW/honeymoon specialist and solving common issues that crop up with these bookings!
Working from your office or home, you can take these lessons with streaming videos on your computer and complete the homework assignments as you go. This course is FREE to DWHSA members. (And, it’s the basis for DWHSA’s “Certified Destination Wedding, Honeymoon, and Romance Travel Specialist” designation!)
3. Weekly webinars
Serious agents in the romance travel niche know it’s almost impossible to stay updated on what’s happening with resorts, ships, and destinations – so, DWHSA puts a huge emphasis on ongoing training.
We offer two to three live webinars each week – usually, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays from 1 pm to 2 pm Eastern – featuring the industry’s top suppliers, destinations, agents, and experts as our speakers.
Our webinars focus on the latest news about the resorts and packages DWHSA agents offer their clients, as well as management and marketing topics for romance travel businesses (from using Instagram and Facebook to understanding the expectations and habits of Millennial clients).
4. The travel industry’s largest on-demand video library for romance travel
We’ve built the biggest streaming video library in the travel industry focused on destination weddings, honeymoons, and romance travel topics!
We record every webinar and post the videos (as well as the speakers’ handouts and slides) in a handy library inside our members-only web site. You can watch these webinars at any hour of any day on your desktop computer, your laptop, your table computer, or even your smartphone! We use a very advanced streaming video service that adapts automatically to the device you’re watching on – and, the video library is available 24/7/365, so you can watch whenever it’s convenient for you.
5. Weekday email newsletters
Feeling overwhelmed with trying to keep up with the constant barrage of travel industry news coming at you? What about trying to stay on top of what’s happening in the bridal and wedding industry, too?
To save you time and keep you constantly updated, DWHSA sends email newsletters every weekday:
- The Monday issues cover news from the bridal, wedding, and honeymoons sectors (e.g, headlines from BRIDES magazine and WeddingBells.ca).
- On Tuesday, the newsletter shares frequently asked questions (and answers) about the association and its programs and services for members.
- Every Wednesday, we profile DWHSA members who share their stories and their best advice for everyone.
- The Thursday issues review best practices and tips shared by members about promoting and managing their businesses.
- Then, on Friday, we cover the week’s travel news headlines.
6. Hands-on, practical, and affordable conferences, workshops, and “boot camps”
Too many conventions in the travel industry feature supplier-dominated panels, thinly disguised “commercials” presented as seminars, and keynote speakers who’ve never personally sold travel themselves.
Here’s our philosophy with DWHSA’s training events: They’re built around agents training and networking with other agents.
7. DWHSA’s members-only web site and online resource center
You’ll have complete access to DWHSAMembers.com – our association’s members-only site – to make it your “one stop” resource for anything you’ll need to run your romance travel business:
- Our webinar video library
- Our online course
- Supplier and destination directories
- The official DWHSA agent member directory
- A guide to the legal marriage requirements in various destinations
- Our online resource center for sample forms, checklists, and marketing tools you can customize and use in your own business
8. DWHSA’s familiarization trips and niche workshops
Ready to inspect hotels and tour destinations on a fam trip that’s not the usual “cookie cutter” agent tour thrown together by suppliers? Do you want to maximize your time on the next fam trip and travel with other agents who’re specializing in romance travel?
Then, join us on our next DWHSA fam trip! We work with leading suppliers and tourism office to customize fams and site inspections so they’re tailored specifically to your needs.
Also, we offer three-night workshops at all-inclusive resorts covering key subniches such as South Asian destination weddings, LGBT romance travel, and social media marketing.
9. Marketing and consumer outreach tools
We’re launching a new consumer web site – RomanceTravelSpecialists.com – with your own searchable profile page that brides and couples can find when they’re looking for help with their romantic getaways. Plus, we offer preformatted images you can use in your own social media posts, your web site, and your client emails (along with other marketing tools coming soon!).
10. The DWHSA members-only logo
Everyone’s jumping on the romance travel bandwagon these days – including hotel/resort companies and cruise lines selling directly to consumers and trade show organizers giving away “certifications” just for attending their events.
We want DWHSA members to stand apart from the crowd.
So, when you join our association, we’ll issue you an official DWHSA Member Logo that you can use to show your clients (and the rest of the travel industry) that you’re a truly dedicated professional focused on selling destination weddings, honeymoons, and romantic getaways of all types. This isn’t a hobby for you – it’s your business and your career!
You can use this logo on your web sites, your social media pages and accounts, on your business cards, and anywhere else you wish …