As the travel industry looks forward to a new year of adventure and innovation, Host Agency Reviews is set to kick off Host Week 2025, its fifth annual celebration dedicated to hosted travel agents. This much-anticipated event, slated to run each January, is a vibrant homage to the contributions of hosted advisors and an acknowledgment of the industry’s dynamic support system that propels them.

Travel agents are invited to join this week-long festivity, which promises an array of enriching experiences tailored specifically for industry professionals. Host Week’s agenda features:

• Networking Opportunities: Engage with prominent host agencies and consortia through exclusive meet-and-greet sessions. Forge lasting relationships that can catalyze your business growth.
• Exclusive Deals: Attendees will have access to specialized promotions, meticulously curated for Host Week participants, enabling agents to enhance their offerings and deliver exceptional value to their clients.
• Inspiring Keynotes: Be inspired by uplifting speeches from industry leaders. These thought-provoking sessions are designed to motivate travel agents, equipping them with fresh insights and strategies to thrive in the ever-evolving travel landscape.
• Educational Sessions: Dive into EduSpots led by some of the most passionate educators in the field. These sessions will not only broaden your knowledge base but also provide practical skills to implement in your agency.

The event boasts an exceptional lineup of presenters determined to prepare you for a successful 2025, helping you refine your agency’s operations and maximize its potential. Best of all, this premier industry event is completely free of charge, ensuring that all travel agents have the opportunity to partake in its manifold benefits.

Secure your spot at Host Week 2025 and get ready to elevate your agency’s game like never before.

For more information and to register, visit Host Agency Reviews’ official website.

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.

PRESS RELEASE FROM AMERICAN CRUISE LINES

GUILFORD, CT—January 7, 2025, American Cruise Lines is pleased to announce their biggest Alaska cruise season ever. The company will have 2 small ships in Alaska and 5 extraordinary itineraries, delivering once-in-a-lifetime experiences aboard sailings operating this May through September.

For 2025, American has repositioned small ship, American Constitution, to the West Coast for summer Alaska cruises and spring and fall Puget Sound cruises. Doubling capacity in the region, 170-passenger, American Constitution, joins sister ship Read the rest of this entry »

Expanding the increasingly popular Dry January theme into the new year, Princess Cruises is rolling out the Amore Princess Zero Alcohol Drinks collection, a “curated menu of premium non-alcoholic elixirs and spirits alternatives.” The curated alcohol-free drinks will be included in Princess Plus and Princess Premier Packages.

The first standalone non-alcoholic menu at a major cruise brand, it will feature 10–20 craft cocktails, developed in collaboration with the team behind Sips, Barcelona, as well as an exclusive selection of craft non-alcoholic beers and white, red, rosé, and sparkling wines. Offerings will include drinks like Blake’s Breeze, a blend of Betty Buzz Sparkling Grapefruit, a splash of soda, and a twist of citrus; Kylie Minogue’s Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Rosé; mocktails featuring Lyre’s No-Jito Royale, mojito made with Lyre’s White Cane Spirit, fresh mint, and lime; and the 24K Margarita, featuring Almave tequila by Lewis Hamilton.

The Amore Princess Zero Alcohol Collection will debut fleetwide by the end of March.

Travel advisors with whom TRO spoke were overwhelmingly positive about the new product.

”I think it’s awesome!!” said Gretchen Machnik Soares, owner of Gulls Way Travel in Old Lyme, CT.

“Yes I think it would make many guests happy as many people in Los Angeles don’t drink and you see this on many bar menus now,” said Melissa Curtin McDavitt at Fora Travel.

“I drink minimally, so I mostly stick to fruity drinks that mask the taste, or non-alcoholic drinks that actually taste good,” said Mollie Knowles Ward at Troubadour Travel in Austin. “I personally am HERE for this new menu option, as will be friends and family in recovery! Previously I got Princess Plus mostly for the WiFi and so my family could enjoy the benefits. This one is all for me!”

Most of my clients are non-drinkers, so I definitely think that this would be something that would interest them. I hope it catches on and eventually goes industry wide,” agreed Mary Barrett, an Outside Travel Agent at Cruise Brothers.

Travel With Shelly Eden owner Michelle Feit Eden noted that “people going alcohol free seems to be a new trend—not because of an alcohol problem but more because they don’t like how they feel and for their health. Many local bars/breweries/restaurants are expanding their offerings to this. I think it’s a great idea.”

At The Bee’s Knees Travel by Heather Bannon, Bannon sees the new option as a selling point for Princess. “Many clients are focusing on health and wellness. And the Millennial and Generation Z clients tend to drink a lot less than the previous generations,” she said. “This is a great offering from Princess and I can think of many clients that would be swayed with this option.”

“Clients often say, ‘my partner doesn’t drink, so we won’t need the Plus package.’ They still struggle with justifying the upgrade even after I explain all the benefits of the package to them,” says Julie Vowell-Ramirez, owner of Dream Vacations franchise Sunny Days Vacations. “This is a great idea!”

“I, personally, love my booze but I am glad to see this trend,” says Phillip Archer, Chief Experience Designer at Roaming Richly Travel. “So many of the younger generations prefer mocktails and this is a great way for Princess to reach a younger audience, which makes great sense for the future of the line.

And Kay Sanderford owner of A+ Cruises and Tours in Kerrville and Waco, TX, just plain likes it for herself. “This is fabulous!” she said. “Due to recent health concerns, I’ve had to mostly shelve the alcohol myself. I really miss an occasional martini especially, even though I’ve never been a heavy drinker. If some of these non-alcoholic drink options are also low or no-sugar, many of my clients and I will be super excited about this new direction. And hope many other cruise lines will follow this trend!”

PRESS RELEASE FROM COLLETTE

The 14-day tour adds value with unique transportation and lengthy stays

Pawtucket, RI (January 7, 2025) – Collette’s “African Safari: Kenya and Tanzania” small group Explorations tour lets travelers dive into wildlife in two countries. This journey takes travelers beyond the guidebook with unique transportation and stays.

“Collette’s ‘African Safari: Kenya and Tanzania’ gives travelers and authentic, intimate safari experience,” said Jaclyn Leibl-Cote Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year!

As I pen my 753rd and final column for Travel Research Online, I reflect on the incredible journey (and friendships) we’ve shared over the past 16 years. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. It’s been an honor to have worked with Richard and the team at TRO for nearly two decades! Over the years, I have been a columnist, editor, forum designer, and, for a good while, a forum-wrangler. I hope my insights into marketing and operating a travel practice in this ever-changing world resonated with you and helped you at some point.  If not, shhhh!

Our industry has witnessed Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve always loved the quieter side of travel – those moments when you can really connect with a place without the rush of peak-season crowds. So, when AmaWaterways invited us to sail its Best Of The Danube itinerary in February, we didn’t hesitate to say yes. This round trip journey from Budapest gives us a chance to experience the Danube at its most peaceful, with fewer tourists and a fresh perspective on some of our favorite destinations. Read the rest of this entry »

“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 »

You will undoubtedly be reading all sorts of advice for the New Year, so I will spare you the obvious and jump straight to my message. This may sound like a foolish question, but would you like to make more money in 2025?  Of course you would. The truth is that most so-called “travel professionals” do not want to make more money. I know this to be true because if they did, they would be making more money.

There is a popular phrase that reminds us that “talk is cheap.” Another cogent reminder suggests, “After all is said and done, more is said than done.”

Let’s cut to the chase Read the rest of this entry »

Twenty years ago there was concern in the travel industry that not enough young people were becoming travel retailers. If trends were to continue, as the older generation retired it might leave the field with a shortage of competent retailers.

That wasn’t long after another fear had gripped the industry, the fear that new technologies and airline disintermediation would render the whole profession of travel retailer obsolete. Read the rest of this entry »

Focusing on the highly successful travel advisor channel, Celebrity Cruises in February will launch a new—and gamified—version of its training program and add a position dedicated to serving the trade.

In an exclusive interview onboard Celebrity Ascent, Katina Athanasiou, Celebrity’s senior vice president of sales & services for The Americas, told TRO that the Celebrity Learning program is currently in drydock—but when it emerges in 2025 it “will offer amazing opportunities to learn much more about our ships and brand.” The site’s “facelift” will add content and functionality, gamification elements, and elevated awards when travel advisors finish the courses.

“We’re going to leverage it more to be a site for resources and webinars, where you can see all the previous trainings we’ve done, as well as learn about our systems and our new initiatives,” Athanasiou said. “I’m very excited – it’s a huge investment, but it will ultimately deliver better content and ability for our agents to engage more often with the brand.”

Over the past months, she noted, Celebrity has been “watching the growth in the home-based and IC communities, and we’re working to be very intentional in building a strategy and then a structure” to work with them. “Nearly two-thirds of advisors are either home-based or ICs, and many are new to the industry. How we partner with those advisors, how we engage, and how we train is a little different from pre-pandemic.”

Also on the agenda is more collaboration among the three Royal Caribbean sister brands—Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Silversea—and “a big media push on national TV,” including new markets like professional and college sports.

With the holiday season upon us, Tauck has announced a new 2025 river cruise celebrating the traditional Christmas markets and other holiday happenings along the River Seine in France.

The Seine: Holiday Magic begins in Paris, where guests will board Tauck’s ms Sapphire riverboat and enjoy three nights and two full days in the city.

Read the rest of this entry »

File under “One more thing for travel advisors to remind their clients about.”

Beginning January 8, travelers to the United Kingdom from non-European nations, including the United States and Canada, will need to take an extra step, as the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system rolls out.

Whether just passing through a UK airport or planning a stay of six months or less—for tourism, family visits, business meetings, conferences, or study abroad—visitors will have to fill out an online form (available here: How to apply – Apply for an ETA to come to the UK – GOV.UK) and pay a £10 fee (about $12.75). Then as you prepare to board a plane, gate agents will verify your ETA status via digital link to your passport.

The Home Office says the system, like all biometrics in the travel industry, is designed to speed up the process and increase security.

While applications might be approved in a few hours, the site suggests allowing at least three days for them to come through. But why wait? Applications already are being accepted.

Once issued, an ETA is valid for two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first.

On April 2, the requirement to have an ETA will roll out to EU nationals as well. Only citizens of the UK and Ireland, and those with valid UK visas, will be exempt.

Joyeux Noël from Tauck. With Christmas Market river cruises largely sold out for this year and much of next, interest has been growing in a new destination for holiday sailing and shopping: The River Seine. Jumping on the trend, Tauck this week announced its first-ever Christmas markets river cruise in France for 2025.

The five eight-day “The Seine: Holiday Magic” itineraries begin in Paris, on Tauck’s ms Sapphire riverboat, for three nights and two full days. On tap is hot mulled wine, along with roasted chestnuts, sausages, cheese and chocolate at the Tuileries Garden and other local Christmas markets.

From there Sapphire will sail to Rouen, Les Andelys and Vernon. Highlights include excursions to Gothic Sainte-Chapelle, home to Louis IX’s personal collection of holy relics; a cocktail party at the beautifully decorated Château de Bizy; a private lunch at Château Vaux-le-Vicomte; and a guided tour of Normandy’s D-Day beaches (all included in the price).

Prices range from $4,490 per person plus airfare, including all shore excursions, gratuities, all onboard beverages, meals, taxes and fees and airport transfers.

Onboard Sapphire, most cabins have French balconies, and all have flat-screen televisions, Molton Brown toiletries, cushy bathrobes and free Wi-Fi.

“The Seine: Holiday Magic” is Tauck’s fifth Christmas-market river cruise. It also offers two holiday cruises on the Danube (including a family-friendly Tauck Bridges journey, plus one on the Rhine and one on the waterways of Belgium and Holland.

Online passports have taken a step forward with the broad rollout of a Google Wallet application. Travelers now can upload a passport and just show their phones  as ID at TSA checkpoints across the United States.

Even Google cautions that the technology, which went into beta in September and rolled out on Friday, is still “in its early stages.” And there are a few caveats: Online passports are acceptable as ID at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel only, and do not replace paper passport books for international travel. For now, even Google advises carrying a paper passport book as backup just in case. And the Google wallet is available only on Android phones, not iPhones.

Still, though, it’s a step toward a digital future that finally will let us stop asking that last question as we get into our Ubers to the airport: “Does everyone have their passport?”

To try the new system, open the Google Wallet app on your Android phone and select the prompt that reads “create an ID pass with your US passport.” Then just scan the security chip in your passport and take a selfie video to verify your identity. In a few minutes, you’ll get a notice that your ID pass is ready.

Digital IDs increasingly are being used on the state level; more than half of all states (27 states and Puerto Rico, with New Mexico joining the list this month), and airports including JFK International Airport in New York, Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International, currently accept digital IDs in Google Wallet and/or Apple Wallet. And in September, the State Department rolled out online passport application processing.

Facing strong pushback from the travel industry in general, and the cruise lines in particular, Mexico has postponed a new $42 tourist tax on cruise passengers by six months, from January to July 1.

Mexico has long taxed hotel guests but exempted cruise passengers, who sleep on their ship. But a new bill that passed the Mexican Congress in December calls for a $42 tax on every cruise ship passenger entering Mexican waters, whether they disembark or not.

According to a statement issued by The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, which represents 23 cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian, Mexican officials have agreed to delay the new Federal Law of Rights tax on cruise passengers from January 1 until July 1, 2025. Among other things, the cruise lines had argued that just a 15% drop in calls to Mexico would result in a financial impact that would offset any gains from the tax.

In a statement, FCCA CEO Michele Paige emphasized that the temporary delay is helpful, but does not go far enough. “We thank the Mexican government for listening to our concerns and proposing a delay in the implementation of the tax that will fall mainly on American citizens. However, the removal of the in-transit tax exemption – which was provided to our industry over a decade ago for valid reasons that still apply today – was done without our prior input and after the legislation was passed. It is ironic that until this law was abruptly announced the industry was looking to grow business in Mexico, and now the opposite will occur.”

Designed to address Mexico’s enormous debt—and, some argue, to support its military rather than its tourism infrastructure—the tax will affect the more than 10 million passengers on 3,300 ships arriving in the ports of Cozumel—one of the world’s busiest ports, with 4 million visitors—as well as Costa Maya and Cabo San Lucas.

The cruise industry had strongly lobbied against it. The FCCA said in December that it was “completely caught off guard with last week’s unilateral decision to eliminate the long-standing in-transit exemption and efforts to fast-track this policy change without any dialogue with the industry.”

The group noted that the tax was a “staggering more than 213% increase over the average cost of a Caribbean port” that “could also jeopardize the cruise industry’s investments in the country, including billions in planned developments and other projects”—a serious threat given such planned projects as Royal Caribbean’s new private beach club in Cozumel and Perfect Day Mexico, for example.

PRESS RELEASE FROM COLLETTE

PAWTUCKET, December 7, 2024 – Collette announces that it is extending its popular “Holiday Shopping on Us” initiative through January 2, 2025, offering gift cards to advisors for every booking they make.

Once qualified (make 2 deposited bookings), advisors will earn a $100 gift card for every booking they make through January 2, 2025. Bookings made during Collette’s Black Friday Sale will count toward qualification, with the full incentive window running November 18, 2024 to January 2, 2025.

“We loved seeing the impact this initiative had with our advisor community,” said Christian Leibl-Cote, Collette’s Executive Vice President of Global Sales. “Extending this initiative through the end of the year is a way of celebrating and supporting advisors who are closing the year out strong.” Read the rest of this entry »

Although all my posts are important, this one may very well be more importanter than all the others combined. Yes, I know I said, “more importanter.” Do I have your attention?

For those of you pressed for time, I will cut to the chase. Get this and get it good: If you want to succeed in this business or any other business, it is more important than ever to “use” your friends. “Two heads (set of eyes) are better than one.”

By “friends” I mean mentor, coach, reliable source or any other name you choose to use. I was reminded of this on two occasions just last week. Read the rest of this entry »

Every cruise ship passenger entering Mexican waters soon may be charged a $42 tax, whether they disembark or not.

Mexico has long taxed hotel guests but exempted cruise passengers, who sleep on their ship. But a bill working its way through the Mexican Congress now would target cruise ships beginning in 2026.

Designed to address Mexico’s enormous debt, the tax would affect more than 10 million passengers on 3,300 ships arriving in the ports of Cozumel—one of the world’s busiest ports, with 4 million visitors—as well as Costa Maya and Cabo San Lucas.

The cruise industry, of course, is opposed to the new tax. Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association president Michelle Paige said in a statement that they “were completely caught off guard with last week’s unilateral decision to eliminate the long-standing in-transit exemption and efforts to fast-track this policy change without any dialogue with the industry. This gives us and our partners virtually no time to prepare and creates confusion and uncertainty for our guests because the majority of our cruises have already been sold for 2025.”

A public letter from the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which represents 23 major cruise lines, said it would make Mexico more than double the price of the average Caribbean port and “could also jeopardize the cruise industry’s investments in the country, including billions in planned developments and other projects.” The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents said in a statement that “if this measure is implemented, it would make Mexican ports of call among the most expensive in the world, severely affecting their competitiveness with other Caribbean destinations”—a serious threat given Royal Caribbean’s plan to open a private beach club in Cozumel in 2026 and Perfect Day Mexico in 2027.

It started with an article in Queens Jewish Link with the incendiary title Cruise Company To Kosher Travelers: Stay Off (queensjewishlink.com) and quickly spread across the tight-knit religious Jewish community.

Here are the facts as we know them.

The article asserted that a group of 140 Jewish cruisers on the Costa Toscana had been canceled just days before departure because “the ship’s crew refused to cooperate with the provision of kosher food” and refused to allow the use of kosher china, pots, frying pans, etc.”

No recourse was possible, the article quoted Costa as saying. “We simply will not do this,” tour operator Yossi Zablocki was told, even though he already had purchased $22,000 worth of kosher food, bought tickets to Europe for his staff, and had a history of running more than 40 high-end kosher cruises in the past, many of them with Costa Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Cruise Line.

“I thought the days of ‘No Jews and dogs allowed’ were over,” the article quoted Zablocki as saying. “I don’t think they realize what they have walked into. I will keep fighting until the world understands what they have done. The Jewish People have faced enough discrimination.”

Costa responded that it is “very familiar with Kosher meal requirements, and we have successfully supported Kosher meal requests onboard Costa ships multiple times per year for decades and will continue to do so in the future. Unfortunately, last July, Destination 631 Tours failed to reach the minimum cabin booking thresholds (50 cabins) necessary for us to provide Kosher meal service. Costa was fully transparent with the tour operator, communicating with them well in advance of departure that if the tour did not meet the required minimum cabin reservations, it would be impossible for us to provide Kosher meals.”

But Zablocki insisted the group had 140 attendees and anti-Semitism was the real issue.

Costa Replies to TRO

Approached by a travel advisor after the original story broke, TRO reached out to Costa Cruises for a comment. They replied,

“We regret that the facts of this situation have been misrepresented by Mr. Yosef Zablocki, who we have ceased doing business with as a result of his breach of our business terms and unprofessional business behavior. Each year Costa welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests from all different religions, backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures, and with proper notice and coordination, we happily accommodate a variety of special requests, including dietary requirements. We are very familiar with Kosher meal requirements and successfully support Kosher service requests onboard Costa ships multiple times per year.

“Unfortunately, for two July sailings, Destination 613 Tours and Mr. Zablocki failed to reach the minimum cabin booking thresholds required for us to provide Kosher meal service at the strict levels specified for this tour. These requirements ensure we have the adequate operational set-up to fulfill the special meal requests, as we will do this summer for two other Kosher groups organized by other long-standing reputable tour operators, who met the necessary terms without issue.

”Costa was fully transparent with the tour operator, communicating with them well in advance of departure that if the tours did not meet the required minimum cabin reservations, the full Kosher service could not be provided.

“The business decision to terminate our business relationship with Mr. Zablocki and Destination 613 says nothing of the company’s dedication to and proud service of our many Jewish guests across all our cruise lines, and to our many Jewish travel partners and employees.”

Correction: The original version of this story mistakenly stated that it was retracted by the author, Jeffrey Helmreich. This was incorrect; we inadvertently mistook him for someone else in the story. We sincerely apologize for any embarrassment this has caused Mr. Helmreich and/or The Jewish Link.

AAT Kings, the century-old operator of tours down under, has made some important upgrades in the ways it conducts business with travel retailers, making it easier to access their tours, information, training, and special offers.

The enhancements of AAT Kings’ business practices are designed to make it easier for travel advisors to work with the company and to easily and efficiently get what they need for their clients seeking to travel in Australia and New Zealand. That’s AAT Kings’ home territory and its only area of operations. Read the rest of this entry »