Goway’s GROUPSOnly Special Events team is once again proud to be named the official North American travel company to the inaugural 2010 Winter Masters Games taking place in Bled, Slovenia in the heart of the European Alps.

The World Winter Masters Games will be held for the first time in history from January 25-31, 2010 in Bled, Slovenia. It will see competitors from around the world take part in 6 sports: ice hockey, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, ski jumping, biathlon and indoor football (or Futsal), which will be a demonstration sport.

The World Winter Masters Games are for all athletes older then 25 years. “Masters” is simply an age designation; it does not denote a level of proficiency or a particular achievement.  To compete, all you need to do is to satisfy the age criteria for your sport. The Winter World Masters Games will be a fantastic opportunity to meet people from around the world and forge new and lasting friendships.

Situated on the crossroads of four European landscapes – the Alps, the Pannonian Plain, the Dinaric Mountains and the Mediterranean, — Slovenia is one of the smallest and also one of the youngest European countries joining the European Union in May 2004. To the north lies Austria, to the east Hungary, Croatia lies to the south and Italy to the west.  The landscapes range from snow-covered alpine peaks, glacial lakes and emerald rivers, to the rounded Pannonian hills overgrown with vines, to the mysterious Karstic caves and white salt pan fields all of which combine to give the country its incredible diversity. Your gateway to Slovenia and the Winter Games is through its capital city, Ljubljana. With over 300,000 inhabitants, the city’s blend of medieval, baroque, art nouveau and modern buildings is home to a number of museums, theatres, churches, and quaint shops.

With its beautiful natural surroundings, Bled is a jewel among the European alpine resorts and is widely known for its mild curative climate and the thermal lake water. With over 1000 years of history, not only does Bled have stunning natural surroundings, it is also rich in culture, tradition and heritage. From the ancient Bled Castle to museum and art galleries, Bled is the perfect destination for the 2010 inaugural Winter Masters Games.

To find out more about the 2010 Winter World Masters Games registration, visit the main Games website: www.2010mastersgames.com. To book travel arrangements including pre and post games touring, contact Special Events by Goway Travel:
TEL: 866 913 6918
EMAIL: events@goway.com
WEB: http://www.goway.com/specialevents/wmg_winter/index.html

Goway Travel is the oldest and largest travel company in North America specializing in long-haul group travel to the South Pacific, Asia (including China and India), to all parts of Africa and to our newest destinations in Central and South America including Antarctica. The company’s exclusive GROUPSOnly division specializes in both affinity and special interest group travel as well as business travel including meetings/conferences and incentives. Goway’s GROUPSOnly are also very successful in handling large passenger movements for major world events and are currently handling all North American bookings for such diverse events as the World Police and Fire Games in Adelaide in March 2007, the International Dragonboat Competition in Sydney in September 2007 and the Breast Cancer Survivor Dragonboat Competition in Caloundra in September 2007. Goway’s GROUPSOnly will also be handling bookings for World Youth Day in Sydney in July 2008.

Goway has been in business for 36 years! They belong to U.S.T.O.A. in the United States, providing a million dollar protection for any group’s funds. In Canada, they are licensed and contribute to the Travel Industry Compensation Fund for a group’s protection. The GROUPSOnly division also provides competitive pricing, innovative itineraries, assistance with promotions and advertising, assistance with designing flyers and presentation folders, comprehensive documentation and Group Information Kits.

Barbara Norton is the General Manager of GROUPSOnly and runs a dedicated team of 12 who are all experienced, travel planning experts that have travelled extensively to all of Goway’s destinations. Each year, senior Group Coordinators attend the important trade shows in the South Pacific, Asia and South Africa to keep updated on new product and new destinations. The GROUPSOnly team works closely with agents to ensure that from the initial planning stages to the group’s return their GROUPSOnly experience is stress free and profitable!

All Goway GROUPSOnly proposals include a detailed itinerary and competitive land and air quotes in net CAD or US dollars, and, depending on the size of the group, tour directors can travel free. Sample group movements by Goway’s GROUPSOnly over the past 6 months include pre/post cruise groups in Asia and the South Pacific, Dragonboat teams to Singapore, cultural interest groups to China, a general interest group to Vietnam, college study groups to Australia, African safari groups, a walking club to New Zealand and a business conference in Malaysia.

“One of the best ways for an agency to enhance its income is to sell groups. Just a couple of groups a year can make a significant contribution to an agency’s bottom line”, claims Barbara Norton, General Manager of the GroupsOnly division of Goway Travel. She runs a dedicated team of 10 experts who specialize only in planning itineraries and organizing travel arrangements for groups.

“Although we can do most destinations we are really good at organizing groups to Downunder, Africa and Asia, where we have excellent buying power with the airlines, hotels and ground suppliers” continued Norton.

To help agents tap into the lucrative groups market, Barbara is personally conducting “How to Sell Groups” seminars in Toronto on September 12th and Vancouver on September 9th, in the company’s respective boardrooms. Also in attendance will be Kerry Bryant, the Groups and Incentives Manager from Goway’s Australia and New Zealand inbound office in Sydney.

Travel Counsellors and Managers wanting to expand into group travel or grow their existing group business should call 1-800-838-0618 for more details and a registration form.