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Are you a fan of March Madness? This year we decided to put our own spin on the excitement with our Time to Travel Tournament. Our bracket started with four vacation divisions: Cruises, Beach Breaks, Theme Parks, and Exotic Adventures. Just like the NCAA tournament, the teams included a mix of getaways—perennial powerhouses, hometown favorites, and scrappy underdogs. With the selections complete, it was time to start the showdown.

The results of our initial rounds were lots of fun to watch. Not surprisingly, some big-name teams like Walt Disney World Resort dominated right out of the gate. (Sorry, Hersheypark, but we still love you!) Other teams went down surprisingly easily. Riviera Maya, Mexico is one of our agency’s most popular vacation destinations, but earned only 28% of the votes in its matchup against Maui, Hawaii. A few contests went right down to the buzzer, including a nail-biter between the Galapagos Islands and New Zealand that busted a few of our team members’ brackets.

As the rounds continued, the choices got tougher. This was especially true once the division winners started facing off as our final four vacations. Just like actual travel planning, it became trickier to choose between completely different vacation styles and experiences. (That’s why every team needs an MVP—Most Valuable Planner!)

After dominating in the initial rounds, Walt Disney World was soundly defeated by African Safari. The matchup between European River Cruise and Maui was much closer, but Maui scored just enough votes to earn the second spot in our championship contest. While it wasn’t a blowout, Maui was the clear winner in our final round of voting and was crowned our Time to Travel Tournament Champion.

No sporting event is complete without some post-game analysis. What were Maui’s keys to success as a vacation champion? One of Maui’s strengths is the island’s wide variety of activities and lodging options, appealing to many different travel styles. Hawaii also offers visitors an exotic vacation experience without the challenges of unfamiliar language, currency, or driving laws—and no passport required!

From a social media perspective, the Time to Travel Tournament was a fun way to increase engagement, gain new followers, and promote the benefits of using a travel agent. Having a theme and a schedule is helpful for busy travel agents looking to improve their posting consistency. People love to offer their opinions and their choices offer valuable insight into the types of travel and destinations that are most appealing to your audience. We will continue creating this-or-that style graphics as social media marketing resources for our KHM Travel Agents.

We’re already thinking ahead to next year’s tournament. Do you have suggestions for divisions or vacations we should include? Add your ideas to the comments below!

Want to find out more about the marketing tools, education, and support offered by KHM Travel Group? Get our free information guide by filling out the form on the right, or chat with our team by calling 888.611.1220.