THE BRIEFING: THE BOSS’ MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Calig Airlines have slashed fares to stimulate business; hotels and cruise lines are following suit all hoping to revive a market that took a beating in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and the events of Nov. 12, when an American Airlines flight crashed in Queens, N.Y. But rate cuts and increased security at airports across the country can’t take away fears travelers have for their safety or their reluctance to fly. Travel agents, many already buckling under the competition from online travel portals and commission cuts, are feeling the pinch from these developments. To combat those challenges, said Marsha Calig, owner of Calig World Travel and Cruises Inc. in Woodland Hills, travel agents have to remember one thing: marketing is king. She told Business Journal reporter Jacqueline Fox she’s pushing domestic travel packages over European trips and remains optimistic that things will get better. “The industry is suffering badly because people are not thinking about going on with their lives. They are scared all over again with the latest crash and it’s come just when we thought we were going to get some movement. “So what I’m doing is promoting the USA. I’ve got my storefront windows decorated with “See the USA the Calig Way,” and offering my clients packages to some of the wonderful resorts we have here, and pushing travel to places like Australia and the South Pacific over Europe and Asia and Africa and the Middle East. “I’m a big marketer. You can’t sit at your desk and wait for so and so to come in the door. So we are using the Internet and sending out newsletters and really being proactive. We are also resuming our annual travel show on Jan. 27 at Warner Center. This has always been a very successful event because it gives the consumer an opportunity to talk to the cruise lines and destination representatives. “As for my staff, I’m a motivator. I am the leader of the pack. I believe that motivation is extremely important, and I have the tools to offer them. I tell them, ‘E-mail your clients, get on the phones, tell them that there are some fabulous opportunities out there locally and that they are practically being given away.’ “We anticipated the fee issue with the airlines. About 10 years ago we saw this coming. We knew they didn’t want to deal with travel agents, so we went from mostly selling commercial packages to largely resort packages.