SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 5, 2011) - A new travel industry newsletter published by Tours.com and produced by veteran travel journalist Lark Ellen-Gould puts an engaging spin on travel industry reporting with news, views and clues on events that help sellers of travel optimize their sales in this fast shifting economic landscape.

Travel-Intel is sent bi-weekly to a vetted and permission-based database of 103,000 travel agents in the U.S. and Canada almost as a nutritional confection they can digest with the rest of their regular industry news.

"Travel-Intel works like a magazine in that it has hard-hitting news and amusing, informative features on matters affecting the travel industry and the products agents are selling to their clients," says Gould, who spent nearly two decades as a top editor at two leading travel industry publications. "It's almost as pleasant as perusing the morning paper with your coffee. But unlike a newspaper or magazine, it doesn't take up space, it's located on the screen where most work is done, and it's easily found when needed for research."

As a veteran reporter, Gould knows the travel industry and gives Travel-Intel the same analytic eye and depth of experience she would any other publication. Because it is digital, stories are up to date and easy for recipients to copy and file away. An esteemed writer and winner of several journalism awards, Gould is able to give Travel-Intel the benefit of voice, humor, perspective and writing skills that took her many years to perfect.

The Travel-Intel October 1-15 issue contains an eye-opening story on "Millennials," that segment of the Gen Y population poised to become the next big wave of buyers for the travel industry. The newsletter also focuses on South Africa as a travel destination, looking at two new high end "bush and beach" resorts by Molori Private Retreats; some very affordable tours to South Africa by Lion World Tours; and an interview with SATOUR head Sthu Zungu revealing what South Africa Tourism is doing to promote the destination after the success of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The newsletter also gives travel agents unusual marketing tips with each issue and this time it comes in the form of predictions for how travel will be sold in 2012, according to Google's travel czar Rob Torres.

Once emailed, Travel-Intel is posted on the popular travel directory site, Tours.com. The Tours.com website has been in operation since 1995 as a comprehensive and dynamic travel site consumers use to find specialized tours, specialized travel agents and specialized knowledge needed for traveling in an ever-changing world.