Two years after the formation of Travel Leaders Network—the merging of Travel Leaders Associates, Vacation.com and Results! Travel—to form what is called the largest retail travel agency organization in North America, executives of Travel Leaders Network and parent company Travel Leaders Group said the company had a record-breaking year in 2018, with the outlook strong for 2019.Among the major developments in 2018, said John Lovell, president-leisure travel, supplier relations & networks for Travel Leaders Group, was the addition of World Travel Holdings as a network partner which, he said, “will pay dividends” for all the divisions of the company. Company executives shared the news at a “Media Update 2019” in New York on February 13.Lovell said that the positive outlook for 2019 is based on the renaissance of travel advisors, strong economic growth, increases in international travel, an “explosion” in cruising and an increase in river cruises (though growth is not as rapid as it has been). Lovell also pointed out to a “terrific Caribbean rebound.”MORE Travel Agent President Roger Block said the company sees major growth in artificial intelligence and mobile, combined with chat and biometrics. He said consumers continue to prefer the intersection of technology with personal interaction. “They want to speak with a knowledgeable agent at some point in the process,” he said. Block also saw a continued increase in corporate travel and in-person meetings as well as “bleisure,” the extension of business trips with leisure add-ons.Things to watch this year, according to Block, are the economy, including global trade and interest rates; fuel prices and increased air capacity; and developments in data protection, traveler safety and new distribution capability (NDC), which will change the way airlines and travel agencies communicate. NDC, Block said, is happening. “The NDC train has left the station but it remains to be seen where it is going and how long it will take to get there,” he said.Executives discussed changes on a number of fronts, among them:Technology: Agent Profiler, the online lead generation tool, saw a 12 percent year-over-year growth in leads channeled to participating travel advisors, resulting in 140,000 leads delivered. Advisors taking advantage of enhanced features now built into Agent Profiler 2.0 that enable the highlighting of specialties and certifications, along with consumer ratings and reviews, are receiving three times more leads than those using the previous generation of the tool.Additionally, organic search traffic driving consumers to TravelLeaders.com increased by 47 percent year-over-year.Also, Text & Go is a new technology feature that was rolled out to Travel Leaders Network agency members and their corporate clients during the past year. The SMS-based tool provides automated real-time alerts when flight delays or cancellations occur and features a text-based live chat option for immediate assistance 24 hours a day.A recently introduced WorldWatch duty of care platform provides global travel safety alerts and risk advisories, along with a mobile app so travelers can share their location and status. Travel advisors receive automated reports via email on travelers impacted by an event.Education and training: For 2019, Travel Leaders Network is introducing a new advisor education and training philosophy focused on “learning pathways” customized to an advisor’s personal achievement and career advancement goals.The company’s Learning Management System now includes 358 individual courses with nearly 11,000 new users joining the system in 2018. Popular specialist programs include Group Travel, Luxury Travel, Active and Adventure Travel, and Honeymoon and Destination Weddings. Nearly a dozen sales expos and regional events scheduled for 2019 will provide additional networking and learning opportunities.Marketing: The Distinctive Voyages program has grown to over 4,200 departures worldwide and 18 cruise line partners. Hosted voyages offered through the program, which include a private welcome reception, private upgraded shore event and a private car and driver on select sailings, now number more than 300. Some 119 voyages within the program’s Culinary Collection are being offered in 2019, as well.The organization’s marketing engagement program has grown to more than 65 partners and during the past year resulted in more than 350 direct mail and email campaigns and over 130 million partner funded pieces.American Express Partnership: A highlight of 2018 was the roll-out of Travel Leaders Network’s collaboration with American Express, which features The Travel Collection by Travel Leaders Group, a selection of travel offers and discounts off the lowest available price available at no additional cost to holders of select American Express cards.Hotel website: A new website for the company’s Select hotel program will feature enhanced filtering abilities so agents can find hotels that are eco-friendly, wellness-centric, etc. In addition, hotels will be matched with available in-country packagers as guidelines for possible trips. Agents, said Stephen McGillivray, CMO, Travel Leaders Group, have asked the company to show more experiences along with hotel information.National conference: The company’s national conference, EDGE (Educate/Discover/ Gather/Evolve) will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor in Washington D.C. June 7-10; 2,100 attendees are expected.