Talk about a distribution channel. Thanks to 300,000 leads that came into the Travel Leaders Network website, the consortium’s Agent Profiler system delivered three-quarters of a billion dollars’ worth of new revenue—68,750 bookings at an average of about $10,000, for a total of $733 million—to its 6,000 travel agency members in 2024, at a close rate of almost 1:4.

That was the best of several great numbers Travel Leaders president John Lovell shared at the group’s annual press conference at the Ritz Carlton Nomad in New York last week. A few more: 2024 was its best year ever, with revenue up 17% over 2023 and overall sales up more than $1 billion. Land sales grew 9.7% from 2023 to 2024 and cruise sales by a whopping 25.1%, 66% more than the cruise industry as a whole, proving “the consumer is coming back in droves to the travel advisor distribution channel. It’s the golden age of travel advisors that we talked about last year,” Lovell said. “And where it stops, nobody knows.” Read the rest of this entry »

Greenland is the hot new expedition destination—and if you are not selling it and other expedition destinations, you are missing an opportunity to grow both your customer base and your commissions.

That’s the takeaway from the Expedition Travel Panel at the NY Travel & Adventure Show in Manhattan, where Connoisseur Travel Ltd.’s Brandi McBride brought together four of her favorite expedition suppliers on a panel for travel advisor attendees. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite some concerns about overtourism in the river cruise market, just a week after Celebrity announced its entry into the small-ship river cruising (Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Brand Roars into River Cruising | Travel Research Online, it’s fair to say response across the industry—from the consortia to the travel advisors to even competitors—ranges from the positive to the jumping for joy.

Virtuoso Board Member (and former CEO of Azamara, Seadream and Cunard) Larry Pimentel said, “As one of the world’s leading sellers of river cruise vacations, Virtuosos global network welcomes Celebrity Cruises entry into the river cruise market in 2027. As a key premium ocean-going cruise line, Celebrity’s expansion into river cruising marks a significant milestone for both the brand and the industry. Read the rest of this entry »

In the end, “sales is a numbers game. You keep filling your hopper. And they keep coming back,” says Carol Nunnery of Nunnery Travels & Assocs.

Nunnery is one of several top-selling Dream Vacations franchise owners who took the time during their annual conference to share ideas on how to grow your travel business. It’s a question that’s been on her mind as she launches a push to expand beyond land sales, where she is the top franchise in the network, into a new niche. One good place to start a growth spurt, she knows, always is with a group.

So she is hosting her first cruise group with the Ivas John Band, a local blues group she admires whose customer base is primarily middle-income “hippies and educators.” Read the rest of this entry »

“We don’t think for a minute that any of these resorts doesn’t want to work with us,” says John Hawks, president of the Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA). “No one meant to cause trouble. But since Covid, they have made little changes here and there that have become a thicket for agents planning groups.”

Hawks offered up that gentlemanly and conciliatory introduction at a webinar he hosted last week to discuss the ongoing—and apparently growing number of—issues between his group’s members and the resort industry with whom they work.

Like so many travel advisors, Mitch Krayton has been working hard for years as a travel advisor—and especially so since Covid. But this year, he swears, he’s going to take a little time for himself. “I’m focusing on small groups, under 15,” he says. “I’m going to the places on my personal bucket list—to Patagonia and Greece—and saying, ‘Hey, come along with me.’  I’m not the tour leader, I’m just there to be with my friends, and have my bucket list checked off when I get back.”

He is surely not alone. Across the industry—but especially among those who have been in the business for a long time—the travel bug is biting Read the rest of this entry »

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot. The beach is empty and beautiful and free of seaweed. The signature bougainvillea is coming into fiery bloom against the poinsettia and the Christmas tree. And the food is nothing like you would expect at an all-inclusive in Mexico.

In short, there’s no better time to be in Puerto Vallarta in general, and at a Grand Velas resort in particular, than the weeks after Thanksgiving and before the Christmas rush. At just about 30% capacity and perfect 82-degree temperatures, the three properties here are friendlier than ever, their surf more inviting, their pricing more reasonable.

“Out of successful partnerships come wonderful friendships,” says AmaWaterways EVP Kristin Karst—and many travel advisors would agree that their relationships with her go a step beyond just business. So when I sat down to chat with Karst about how travel advisors might build relationships with her and the river cruise company she co-founded, neither of us was surprised when Mara Hargarther stopped by to give her a hug. Soon she joined us in a three-way conversation about how travel advisors and suppliers can best work together. Read the rest of this entry »

It was a travel writer’s dream: sailing with 800 Dream Vacations franchisees and a slew of top travel executives. And while I have lots of great stories to tell about the travel advisors, I’m going to first share some advice on selling travel from four amazing women who spent the week with us: our hostess, Celebrity’s Katina Athanasiou; Vicki Freed, of sister company Royal Caribbean; Princess’s Carmen Roig, who will host the conference next year; and Debbie Fiorino of Dream Vacation/Dream Vacations parent World Travel Holdings

Rather than waste space and your time, I’ll just share some of what each one told me.

We in the travel industry know better than anyone that storm clouds often bring happy endings—and this year is full of them. From ships large and small, mega and charter, to all-inclusive resorts and ultra-luxury destinations of every ilk, at home and abroad and in places customers never before ventured, 2024 really has been that year we all dreamed of during The Long Pause. And indeed, at the annual conferences of Signature Travel Network in Las Vegas and Dream Vacations/Cruise One on Celebrity Ascent, I heard story after story of how that break gave travel advisors and suppliers a little respite that many used to improve their knowledge base, to plan for the future, and to build a foundation that served them well when the industry finally caught the ball and ran with it. (More on those stories in a future column.)

I am bumping the column I had written for this week because I just can’t wait to share this one.

I was just about to upload an interesting one, I think, about the Dream Vacations/CruiseOne annual conference held on Celebrity Ascent the week before Thanksgiving. It’s all ready to go, and I’m on deadline today. But just as I was about to enter it into the TRO system, I listened to a noon webinar by Kha Ly, the AI guru who caused such a stir at the Signature conference in Las Vegas just the week before Dream Vacations.

And I had to write that up and file it right this minute. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always loved learning something new. So for me, the best part of my job is attending different annual conferences, hearing many different smart executives and interesting guest speakers, and chatting with travel advisors who are following their passion with an amazing assortment of unique business models. This month, with back-to-back Signature Travel Network at the Venetian in Vegas and Dream Vacations/Cruise One on Celebrity Ascent in the Caribbean, I have so many stories to tell that I honestly don’t know where to start.

There’s no better gift than the gift of travel; give me a ticket to anywhere and I’m in. But if your budget doesn’t quite stretch that far, here are a few suggestions for holiday gifts that incorporate a vision of faraway places.

I love a good idea for growing your travel business—and this week I came across two. I was doing what I like to do best, talking to smart travel advisors, this time at the Signature annual conference in Las Vegas. I’m working on a story about what advisors are planning to do differently in 2025, so I’ve been asking attendees here what they’re up to.

I’ll include a few of those stories in a future column. But the one I heard from Amy Westerman and Dave Hoffman, of The Curated Travel Collection, was so good it deserves a story all its own. And the tips on growing your Facebook ranking made me want to marry AI guru Kha Ly so I could have his tech support 24 x 7.

Like all the best stories, Amy and Dave’s begins in a bar, where Amy got to chatting and “swapping stories” with another customer, as travel advisors are wont to do Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never met a cruise I didn’t like. On a yacht that holds 35 or a megaship with 6,000, shaking across the Drake to Antarctica or drifting through the Caribbean, I’m happy to eat chicken and salad if the pickings are slim, or sit by the pool with a book if there’s nothing to do. As long as there’s sea air, a balcony and a cup of coffee, I’m in.

I was fine with ignoring the mixed reviews I’ve heard and read about MSC, which range from five-star raves to absolute pans, from both travel advisors I trust and posts on social media. I wanted to give MSC a try and see for myself. So we booked a quick five-night Caribbean trip out of Port Canaveral and brought along a couple of friends for a long weekend in the sun.

(Of course, we know there are two sides to every story. This is the “con” side. For the many reasons some travel advisors do choose to sell air, see “Earning an Extra $50K: Travel Advisors Who Sell Air Say It’s Worth the Effort | Travel Research Online.”)

Liability issues. Time wasted. Late night calls. And the new DOT ruling about refunds that takes effect this week just adds one more reason to the litany of why many travel advisors hate to sell airline tickets.

“Selling air? Don’t.” That’s the succinct advice from Rich Greenway, owner of Greenway Travel Group-Dream Vacations. And he is not alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Even in an AI world, competition for really smart, knowledgeable and experienced travel advisors is stiffer than ever—not just among high-end customers but apparently among host agencies as well. At its annual conference last week, Avoya Travel Network announced upgrades to the commissions it will be paying its independent advisors (IAs)—and a $5,000 sign-on bonus to newcomers bringing in a book of business of their own.

Avoya traditionally has paid its advisors 30% of the commission on bookings obtained through its Avoya Live lead program, or 80% on bookings of their personal customers. Last year, it began testing an Elite 100 program that raised commissions with preferred suppliers to 100% on bookings of personal clients. Read the rest of this entry »

Fall is the best season for travel writers, filled with events featuring travel advisors and suppliers offering up great ideas for the new year. I’ve been to a few in the past couple of weeks, in person and online, at beautiful resorts and high-end Manhattan restaurants, with hurricanes blowing or bright fall colors shining in the sunshine. Here’s some of what I learned.

The simplest to attend was Rita Perez’s insightful “Prep for Wave Week” podcast, offering up insider tips on running a travel business. I listened to two.

Be they husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, or sisters and brothers, more and more travel advisors are finding there’s no better new hire than a member of your very own family. When you need a helping hand or a travel buddy—and when you consider a succession plan—many say home is the best place to start looking.

(Heads up: Of course we know there are two sides to every story. This is the “pro” side. Stay tuned next week for the “con.”)

When your niche is entertainment travel and your clients are ultra-high-net-worth, there’s no option but to sell air, says Ted Bradpiece. And he doesn’t really mind. It’s just another call or two a month he has to take late at night or on the weekend—and it pays as much as many travel advisors earn in a year.

Smart travel advisors know which questions to ask, and who to ask them to. But even smarter ones, it seems, attend the kinds of events that teach you answers to questions you didn’t even know you should be asking.

That’s just the kind of conference that Nexion Travel Network hosted this month in New Orleans. It’s possible that the hurricane winds outside brought people closer together but, honestly, I think it’s just the Nexion ethos that had so many smart travel advisors offering so many great tips at CoNexion 2024. Read the rest of this entry »