Emirates Desert Tourism ups the ante

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Emirates Desert Tourism has upped its commission payments to agents.

At a time when most airlines are slashing commission to zero, the Dubai-based wholesaler has increased agent payments from 7% to 9%.

"The reason we are doing this is simple - it's to gain market share," explained Emirates Desert Tourism managing partner Lindsay Benziger. "Everyone is talking about zero commission, so we are increasing it - I would say this is the most generous rate in the market compared to our competitors." But attractive remuneration is not the only plus for agents booking outbound travel with Emirates Desert Tourism.

"I am also trying my best to focus on availability," said Benziger. "We may not have the best rates in the market, but we certainly offer flexibility through all the contracting I have done."

Not only that, but Benziger, who himself started out as a travel agent more than 14 years ago, focuses on providing user-friendly material for front-line travel agents.

He produces a 572-page manual featuring all his products and tariffs, with material including suggested hotels, apartments, packages and recommended tours, making it easy for agents to sell destinations worldwide, even if they haven't had the chance to visit them and garner product knowledge for themselves.

"You can break a deal with the manager of an agency, but it doesn't mean the frontline staff will sell you, so I have come up with a tariff that is very user-friendly, as far as the frontline is concerned," he said. "We also produce supplements on specific destinations and we don't even brand them with our logo - we leave it blank so the agency can brand it themselves."

Emirates Desert Tourism also offers inbound services to the UAE and according to Benziger, many tours on offer are unique to his company.

"For example, we do our desert safaris at Fossil Rock near Sharjah - here the dunes are the second highest in the UAE," he said. The DMC's key source markets include Nigeria and India.

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