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Presents answers to questions regarding the condition of the American car rental industry which impacts on travel agents. Rental rates; Relations between rental firms and agents; Access to bookings in CRSs; Safety issue.

Focuses on the National Car Rental. Putting more premium cars back in its fleet; Aim of reversing a trend to eliminate frequent-flyer tie-ins; Commitment to working with travel agents; Strength in the corporate market; President Larry Ramaekers's goals of restoring profitability and making the company an attractive buy because parent firm General Motors hopes to sell National by the end of 1994. INSET: Seeing green. (use of green color in advertising)..

Reports that the Alyeska Resort is putting the final touches on its $70 million expansion program with new restaurant facilities, expanded ski areas and a new 60-passenger tramway. Alaska Rilroad's weekend rail service to the resort; Train schedules; Fare rates; Alyeska's addition of 20 beginner ski trails; Ski packages available at Alyeska Ski School; Future plans.

Reports on Kenai Fjords Tours' sightseeing cruises in the waters of Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Schedule of departures; Prices; Features; Contact information.

Reports on car rental company Hertz's `Affordable Europe Early Booking' promotion program. Incentives added; Program's features; Program's rules; Contact information.

Repots on the growth of the rental-car market in Las Vegas, Nevada. Total metro population; Percentage growth of the market each year; Eight rental companies with offices at McCarran International Airport; Growth of the airline passenger traffic at McCarran.

Features scenic spots in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage as Alaska's commercial hub; Travel by car, motorcoach or rail; Mountain ranges and tidal inlets. INSET: Anchorage: See and do by car or on foot..

Reports on developments concerning the non-smoking regulation in the car rental industry in the United States. Budget Rent a Car's no-smoking bandwagon program; Trend to eliminate smoking on airline flights and hotel rooms; Implication of restaurants' implementation of wholesale or partial non-smoking policies since the 1970s.

Reports on AlaskaPass' addition of Regency Cruises to its program which allows customers to travel to several venues throughout Alaska and western Canada for just one price. Ticket price; Travel companies participating in the package; Benefits of cruise-inclusive tickets for travel agents who sell cruises; AlaskaPass' selling points; AlaskaPass Flexible program.

Reports on Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises' tour offerings for the 1995 tourist season in Alaska. Glacier Bay Lodge's extension of its business operations; Tour packages; Prices; Contact information.

Reports on Alamo Rent A Car's introduction of self-service kiosks at airport locations. Expansion of the company's cellular phone service; Kiosks' functions and features; Qualification for Alamo Express Plus program.

Introduces Gray Line's package tours to Prince William Sound in Alaska. Features of the `Prince William Sound Explorer' and the `Valdez Special'; Rates; Options; Gray Line's add-on tours to Alaska Resort and `Glacier Route' cruise.

Features the Denali Wilderness Lodge in the Wood River Valley of Alaska. Ambience; Transportation; Amenities; Activities for guests; Food; Prices; Contact information.

Reports on the availability of skiing-season promotions for travel agents and their customers from Hertz Corporation, Alamo Rent A Car Inc. and Budget Rent A Car. Features of the programs; Requirements; Prices; Participating ski resorts.

Focuses on outdoor adventures and flying to remote locations in Alaska. Princess and Holland America as tour operator; Appeal of recreational vacations to upper-income baby boomers; Record-setting seasons of Princess and Holland America; Cruise and tour revenues from Alaska and Sightseeing/Cruise West.

Discusses the services offered by Alaska Airlines. Tour packages to Alaska; Attractions of Alaska; Role of Alaska Airlines in developing tourist trade.

Discusses the increase in car rental tour packages in Australia. Reasons for increase; Components of tours; Prospects of success of tours with Australian travelers. INSET: Around Australia by auto..

Reports on the tourist industry in Alaska. Increase in winter tourists; Features of Anchorage that attracts winter tourists; Tour operators that offer winter packages in Alaska.

Focuses on the commissions of car-rental agents in the United States. Timeliness of commission payments; Dealing with missing rental customers; Causes for complaint from retailers; Construction of reservations networks; Cancellation or rebooking maneuver; Procedure in tracing no-shows for agents.

Reports on several activities sponsored by car rental companies at the 1994 ASTA World Congress in Lisbon Convention Center in Portugal. Alamo Rent A Car and Delta Air Lines' sponsorship of Frank Valli and the Four Seasons concert; Dollar Rent A Car's co-sponsorship of the ASTA Travel and Tourism Awards Ceremony; Budget Rent a Car's educational seminar series on `Profitability Through Technology.'

Features the Klondike Express from Phillips' Cruises and Tours. Design and features; Route of the glacier cruise; Sea life in Alaska; Background on the Harriman expedition; Opportunity of the passengers to witness calving; Price of the cruise; Features of the Anchorage-to-Whittier route; Features of the Phillips' Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise. INSET: Prince William's wild denizens..

Reports on General Motors Corp.'s letter of intent to sell National Car Rental/Interrent to an investment group led by Vestar Equity Partners Incorporated. Information on National; Provisions of sale agreement; Reason for GM's sale; Issue of Alamo rent A Car's interest in buying National.

Discusses the importance of input and support from retailers to Value Rent-A-Car's sales strategy. Value's relationship with travel agents; Value's Very Important Partners (VIP) program for agents; Dan McNamara as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Value; Total revenues in 1993; Expansion goals of Value.

Reports on Princess Tours' consideration of Talkeetna in Alaska as the site for its fourth hotel in the state. Cordova as original choice; Location and features of the three Princess hotels in the state.

Reports that fall is shaping up as a good season for the car rental industry. Advance bookings; Vacationers; Business activities of different car rental companies; Comparison with the state of the industry in the same period of 1993; Increase in cost of cars. INSETS: Promotion season.;Value's Miami moves..

Features the Shelterd Seas cruise ship by Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West (AS/CW). Itineraries; Onboard amenities and features; Contact information.

Focuses on the luxury car rental companies in New York and Los Angeles. Includes Luxuryline Rent A Car in L.A.; Vogel's Eurocars; Exotic Auto Rentals; VIP Systems; Beverly Hills Car Collection.

Reports on the opening of the Alyeska Prince Hotel, the first class hotel facility of the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska. Opening rate; Introductory package; Interior and exterior design; Suites and guest rooms; Dining options; Amenities; Marketing and booking information.

Reports on Avis' launching of its Avi$aver Weekend Escapes, a series of land package programs. Marketing of the program; Target market; Coverage; Destinations offered.

Reports on the financial state of the car rental industry in the United States. Industry pricing; Trends in price hikes; Comments from industry analysts.

Discusses the need for travellers to understand car rental contract before renting cars. Responsibility of rental customers for the vehicle chosen; Rental rates; Tips on how to interpret charges that are included in the contract.

Reports on the efforts of car rental companies to ensure safe driving and renting for customers. Safety features of rental cars; Plans to phase out specially designated plates; Clear and concise directions to renters' destination; Testing of computerized tracking systems to be installed in rental cars; Installation of daytime running lights (DRL).

Reports on the growth of car rental firm Auto Europe under the leadership of Imad Khalidi. Growth factors; Agency consortiums and network with preferred supplier relationship with Auto Europe; Khalidi's views on the role of agents in the company's growth.

Reports on the establishment of a new parking ramp/enclosed car facility at Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport in Michigan for travelers. Economic growth of car rental market in Minneapolis, Michigan; Percentage of all rentals in 1993; Booking patterns; Expansion of car-rental business through tour packaging; Lakeside vacation cabins in the area. INSET: Minneapolis-St. Paul..

Features Alamo Rent A Car Incorporated. Attainment of number three spot in car rental industry; Growth and expansion; Plans for overseas expansion; Partnership with travel agents; Shift to on-airport locations; Other means of expansion. INSET: Going beyond rentals..

Presents a panel discussion on the car rental industry, partcipated in by four industry leaders during the 1994 American Car Rental Association (ACRA) convention. Issues facing the industry in the next five years; Impact of increasing state and local taxes on the industry; Factors diminishing profit; Global expansion; Future of airport/near-airport markets; Travel-industry partners; Training of employees; Challenges.

Forecasts the performance of car rental companies in Europe for the summer of 1994. Growth in European economy; Good exchange rates; Long-term growth in car rental industry in Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Rim; Marketing strategies of various companies. INSET: Summer deals in Europe...

Reports on Ford Motor Co.'s buyout of car rental company Hertz Corporation. Reactions from car rental industry; Possibility of merger between Hertz Corp. and Budget Rent A Car; Hertz chairman and chief executive officer Frank Olson's comments; General Motors Corp.'s sale of National Car Rental; Other developments in car rental industry.

Focuses on the tourist trade of Alaska, the link between the frontier of Russia's easternmost region to the last frontier of the United States. Siberia Alaska Trading Co.'s cooperative work with special interest tour operators interested in creating programs for the region; Description of the area as unspoiled, unusual and a real photographer's delight; Tour itineraries; Difficulty in selling the Russian Far East. INSET: Arctic circle tour...

Reports on the team up between Avis and Nynex to give Avis customers at New York's La Guardia Airport a safety feature blending cellular phone, digital mapping and satellite technology. Equipment of 60 rental Avis cars at La Guardia with cellular phones; Nynex's integration of its Global Positioning System with digital mapping, database information and cellular communications for half of the cars in the project.

Reports on 1994 winter increase in car rental companies' rates. Reasons for the success of price increase; Variation of rate increases; Corporate rentals; Car rental executives' alarm over depression of rental rates; Alliance with travel agents; Competitiveness about who first raised rates; Assessment of impact of rates.

Features American Hawaii Cruises' ship Constitution. History; Target passengers; Cabins and public rooms; Ambience; Room for improvement; Strongest selling points; Passenger comments.

Features the Denali West Lodge in Lake Minchumina, Alaska and its special workshops for summer travelers. Haven for nature lovers; Construction by owners Jack and Sherri Hayden; Family-style meals; Guests from membership of Nature Conservancy organization; Workshop topics and dates; Lodging rates; Contact information.

Focuses on trends in car rental firms. Frequent renter programs; Tie-in to airline frequent flyer programs; Exclusion of agents in free travel awards; Awards procedure; Shortcomings of car rental mileage awards. INSET: Untitled (winners in Alamo Rent A Car's game)..

Reports on the preparations for the Mayfest '94 by the communities along the Inside Passage in Alaska. Focus on the local culture, history, and the region's natural surroundings; Welcoming the start of summer travel and cruise season; Different activities and attractions offered; Inclusion of contact address and numbers for travel information.

Reports on the number of summer bookings and cruise-tour vacations to Alaska. Individual travel itineraries; Denali National Park; Juneau as a popular destination; Increase in bookings in 1993.

Reports on the features and services offered by competing car rental companies in Florida. Frequent-renter programs; Frequent-flyer tie-ins; Time-pressed business travelers; Express check-in/check-out; Alamo Express Plus; Database information for each corporate rental customer; More.

Features the 1994 version of Budget Rent a Car's travel agent sales and education marketing program Book Smart. Popularity with travel agents; Core components; Road Scholar; Commitment to satisfaction; Consumer values; Masters of Business Acquisition (MBA); Contact information. INSET: Budget revamps..

Describes the tourism industry in Alaska. One million visitors mark; Highlights from the report the `Alaska Visitors Statistics Program III,' conducted by the McDowell Group; Statistics on conventions and meetings for 1992 and 1993; Tourism sales.

Introduces car models for car rental customers. Chrysler Motors' Dodge Neon compact at Dollar and Thrifty; Requirement for a credit card deposit to hold a reservation fopr a specialty vehicle by companies; Chart on models for the ten national car rental companies.