THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504110162
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
A GROWING POPULATION attracts new business, and that's why CI Travel is about to set up shop in Smithfield.
A division of Norfolk-based Cruise International, CI Travel is scheduled to open Monday at 1702 S. Church St., says Tina Manrique, manager of Smithfield's newest travel agency.
``Business is already booming here,'' Manrique said late last week. ``Although we don't even open until next week, the phone has been ringing off the hook since the sign went up last month.''
CI Travel already was serving a large number of Isle of Wight clients through its Hampton office, she said. That, combined with the county's rapid growth over the last five years, was the catalyst that spurred the opening of CI's Smithfield office.
CI Travel will be the county's third travel agency, said Lynn Harris, director of economic development. She believes there are enough people in the county to support CI and the other two firms, Travelink in Smithfield and GHO Cruises in Carrollton.
``Our population is up to 27,000 now, and as we get more residential growth, more people are going to want a convenient travel agent,'' Harris said. ``The existing agencies have built up a loyal clientele.''
GHO Cruises owner Bill Heriford says he doubts his business will be hurt by the new, closer competition from CI Travel.
``We really do two different things. I specialize in cruises . . . and I create vacations for people. Before I sell a client a package, I sit down with him and ask questions to find out exactly what his needs and expectations are for the vacation. Then I build a package based on these individual needs.''
As for CI's Manrique, she expects to help a lot of kids meet Mickey Mouse this summer.
``Disney World is by far the most popular family vacation,'' she said. ``But we are equipped to book all sorts of different vacations . . . from ones as simple as family vacations at Disney World to ones as adventurous as bicycling through Europe,'' Manrique says. ``We have an in-depth, up-to-date knowledge of places that make it easy for people to make travel plans.''
Among their services, travel agencies can design tour packages that let a customer pay a single fee covering meals, lodging, transportation, admission fees and even car rentals. The agencies do not charge customers for their services.
Manrique, who lives in Gatling Pointe with her husband, Ricardo, and two children, is a travel consultant certified by the International Association of Travel Agents. She also has passed courses offered by the Massachusetts-based organization that make her a destination specialist for the South Pacific, the Caribbean and Western Europe. ILLUSTRATION: Tina Manrique
Manager of CI Travel in Smithfield
by CNB