2012 Sales Policies
Southwind Adventures, Inc. (SWA) will honor commissions to any IATAN or ARC appointed travel agency as indicated in the Commission Structures below for both individual travelers (FIT) or private groups booked on regularly scheduled or custom programs.
FIT BOOKINGS
These are individuals or small groups of travelers (less than 6) that the agency books on one of SWA's regularly scheduled departures.
A deposit of $1,000 per person, per trip (may be higher in the case of private or custom adventures) along with a signed and completed Trip Reservation Form will secure a reservation on the trip requested. Once a trip is guaranteed to operate, SWA's comprehensive pre-departure packet will be sent to the agency to be forward to clients. All other traveler's forms including a medical questionnaire, traveler's profile and insurance waiver are due with final payment.
The agency will be invoiced for the balance at the time the departure is guaranteed to operate. Final payment (balance less applicable commission) is due 90 days prior to the scheduled departure from the US. Trip balance for private trips, cruises or special departures may be due 120 days or more in advance. The exact due date will be indicated on the detailed itinerary and our invoice. Full payment is due at the time of booking for reservations made less than 90 days in advance (or in certain cases less than 120 days in advance).
Deposits and balance payments are payable by agency check or client credit card (MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express cards).
All other Terms & Conditions as shown on this website, Assumption of Risks and Release of Liability, or individual Trip Itineraries apply. SWA's promotional discounts such as Early Sign-up, Group, Child and Alumni discounts are applicable.
FIT BOOKINGS COMMISSION STRUCTURE10% Commission calculated on the Base Land Cost (BLC), or lowest published trip cost (i.e., largest group size, generally 10-12) for bookings on any of SWA's regularly scheduled departures. Single Supplement Fees, Small Group Surcharges, land cost for optional Trip Extensions, reduced land cost for a Trip Escort, any gear rental, accommodation upgrades, extra hotel nights for early arrival or late departure, and additional or partial services are non-commissionable. Airfare, if arranged by Southwind, is not commissionable.
PRIVATE GROUPS
A private group consists of a minimum of 4 participants traveling together on the
same itinerary. The itinerary may be one of Southwind's programs scheduled on private
dates or it can be a custom-designed trip. After a discussion of your client's
interests, needs and preferences, a Southwind travel specialist will send a brief outline
itinerary and estimated Land Cost for the customized tour. The next step is a proposal
and price quote for which there is a non-refundable $300 custom itinerary design fee (provides for a
maximum of 3 itineraries). The design fee counts towards your client's Land Cost and
is deducted on their invoice.
PRIVATE GROUP COMMISSION STRUCTUREBased on the number of full revenue participants in a group (excluding the Trip Escort) the travel agency will earn the following per person commission on the BLC of the trip. Commissions are subject to the same restrictions as FIT bookings (see above).
Group Size Commission 4-10 participants 10% Commission on BLC 11 + participants 12% Commission on BLC
TRIP ESCORT(S)
Trip Escorts who accompany a private group qualify for a Trip Escort Discount. Their participation is non-commissionable and they do not count toward the total number of participants in a group for pricing or commission purposes.
One Trip Escort Discount is deducted from the BLC and is based on the number of full revenue participants on a private group tour. Airfare, if arranged by SWA, does not qualify for a discount according to service contract. It is assumed that the Trip Escort will share accommodations unless advised otherwise (escorts occupying single accommodations either by choice or circumstance must pay the Single Supplement). Terms will be specified by agreement between SWA and the agency.
Group Size Discounts Less than 6 participants 20% Discount on BLC 6-10 participants 30% Discount on BLC 11-14 participants 50% Discount on BLC 15 + participants 100% Discount on BLC
TRAVEL AGENTS qualify for a 20% discount on BLC of any scheduled SWA tour, except for trips that include a cruise or travel during the end of year holidays. In those cases a 10% discount is honored.
