Amtrak Vacations(SM) Goes Digital

2009-2010 Brochure Includes Tour Packages to More Than 40 Destinations

WASHINGTON & BEVERLY, Mass. - Amtrak Vacations, Amtrak’s vacation planning service, recently released its 2009-2010 Rail Travel brochure, featuring more than 40 destinations in the United States and Canada. Available as a brochure as in years past, this year’s Rail Travel brochure is also available online.

In an effort to distribute more product information, go green, and fill a need for the travel agent community, Amtrak Vacations, in cooperation with Nxtbook Media, has released a digital version of the 44-page vacation brochure on AmtrakVacations.com/Agent. The digital brochure features web links to all featured destinations as well as the Amtrak System Map. The brochure also features videos of the Grand Canyon and Glacier National Park and a 3D tour of Amtrak’s Superliner and Viewliner sleeping cars. A tutorial on Nxtbook Media is also available to aid users in navigating the online brochure.

For travel agents using the online brochure, the Nxtbook Media interface provides users with the option to link, e-mail, or print pages allowing agents the ability to forward product pages with their own message and call to action. The online brochure is formatted without Amtrak Vacations’ call center information so that agents may include their own contact information.

“We are releasing a tool that will give both consumers and travel agents a great head start on planning their rail vacation, and if we can save a few trees along the way, then we will be happy with that as well” notes Steven Grasso, Vice President of Product and Marketing for Amtrak Vacations. “We will utilize the tool internally by our call center agents to quickly send product information to clients and agents while on the phone. We hope this initiative will help shrink the time from inquiry to booking, plus cut print and postage costs over the next two years.”

Amtrak Vacations offers complete tour packages to over 40 destinations in the U.S. and Canada including nine comprehensive multi-day rail journeys. Packages offer travel on Amtrak, car rentals, hotel accommodations, plus sightseeing excursions. The Rail Travel brochure includes helpful hints travelers need to plan a vacation including maps highlighting available destinations, discounts available on rail fares, onboard accommodations and dining options, and train and destination images.

To view the 2009-2010 Amtrak Vacations Rail Travel brochure, please visit AmtrakVacations.com/Agent. For additional information and reservations, travel agents should call 1-866-3-AMTRAK (1-866-326-8725) or log onto AmtrakVacations.com