CCRA Travel Commerce Network has launched a new resource for new travel advisors called the Travel Advisor Startup, with free in-person seminars across the United States as well as a free online course.People considering becoming a travel advisor can learn all about the business with four free seminars across the country.ADVERTISING— September 8: Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Philadelphia, PA— September 20: Doubletree by Hilton in Tampa, FL— December 1: Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, GA— December 7: The DoubleTree Resort by Hilton in Scottsdale, AZ The in-person seminars teach new advisors how to set up a travel business, the tools they’ll need, how they can earn money, how to build relationships with travel suppliers, avoiding fraud, learning about travel styles and niches, all while meeting and working with fellow new advisors. A trade show and round table sessions with suppliers round out the events.CCRA also offers an online training course for those who cannot attend one of the seminars in person. The self-guided course covers everything from tour operators to terminology, marketing and more. After the final test is passed, participants earn the Recognized Travel Advisor certification and will be able to learn CCRA’s CRM system.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Leading global luxury and experiential travel network Virtuoso concluded its 34th annual Virtuoso Travel Week with its signature Best of the Best Awards ceremony and gala on August 18th at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada.The winners were chosen by the network’s 20,000 travel advisors across fifty different countries. They will be featured in the September/October issue of the VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine.ADVERTISING Trending Now One of the most highly anticipated awards given during the award ceremony is the one for best hotel of the year. This year, The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland won the award for its nearly 100 years of exemplary service and community outreach. The sporting hotel is famous for its falconry, hunting, fishing, golf and other experiences, while also boasting an award-winning spa and Michelin-starred cuisine. The 2022 Best of the Best Awards winners are as follows.— Best Hotel: The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder, Scotland— Best New or Reimagined Hotel: Cheval Blanc Paris, Paris, France— Hotelier of the Year: Valentina de Santis, Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Passalacqua, Lake Como— Best Innovative Guest Experience by a Hotel: One & Only Gorilla’s Nest, Ruhengeri, Rwanda— Best On-site Guest Experience by a Hotel: Southern Crossings, Australia and New Zealand— Best Tour Partner: Abercrombie & Kent— Best Tourism Board: Los Cabos Tourism Board— Best Specialty, Insurance or Airline: Allianz PartnersFor the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) found that ARC-accredited travel agency air ticket sales totaled $6.8 billion in July 2022, an increase of 69 percent from July 2021.ARC’s data comes from over 10,500 agencies around the United States. The average round-trip air travel ticket price for domestic travel was $555 in July, an increase of 21 percent year-over-year, yet 8 percent cheaper than in June 2022, showing air prices are decreasing.ADVERTISINGYet even with decreasing prices, travelers are slowing down as we begin to enter the “shoulder season,” which generally begins when children begin going back to school. From June to July, total sales decreased 13 percent, passenger trips decreased 8 percent, domestic trips decreased 6 percent and international trips decreased 10 percent. Trending Now Compared with last year, international travel in July is up 50 percent, with total passenger trips at 19.9 million at an increase of 18 percent. Domestic trips in the U.S. increased 6 percent from July 2021.“We’re seeing the monthly average ticket price decline earlier in the year than usual,” said Steve Solomon, chief commercial officer at ARC. “Looking ahead to the remainder of the year, we expect to see a continued increase in business travel as the summer vacation season winds down.”In comparison with 2019, now considered a benchmark of pre-pandemic economic health, total sales in July 2022 is just $1.2 billion less than in July 2019. The month prior, however, saw the sales total exceed 2019’s level, at $7.9 billion as opposed to June 2019’s $7.8 billion in sales.While sales continue to close in on pre-pandemic levels, total passenger trips still lag somewhat, demonstrating that higher ticket prices are fueling an economic recovery even though travelers aren’t quite traveling at the same rates as they did pre-pandemic. Passenger trips totaled 19.9 million in July 2022; in 2019, they totaled 25 million.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

The 34th annual Virtuoso Travel Week was held August 13-19 across the Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino and the Vdara Hotel & Spa.The “Fashion Week” of the luxury travel industry brought together 5,000 industry professionals from 100 countries, with over 4,300 of those 5,000 having attended in person.ADVERTISINGOver 180,000 one-to-one networking appointments between advisors and travel companies took place, helping to fuel the great human connection that is the travel industry. Other highlights included the Under One Sky panel discussion on sustainability, the new Travel Tech Summit, and the Globetrotting sessions that allowed for a more in-depth look at specific brands in a variety of categories like cruising, adventure, wellness, and more.“We believe that the strength of the relationships between our advisors and all these amazing providers all over the world directly affect the travel of the of the travelers right, so the better the relationships the better the travel,” Matthew Upchurch, Chairman and CEO of Virtuoso told TravelPulse. Over 180,000 one-to-one networking appointments took place at the 34th annual Virtuoso Travel Week (photo by Eric Bowman) Saudi Tourism Authority’s CEO, Mr. Fahd Hamidaddin called the event “inspiring.”“There were many things that I did not expect, namely with the growth luxury travel has witnessed. [Also] the virtuoso network – outstanding performance. The new initiatives that the network announced and launched, and the commitment from the trade to go the extra mile to leverage the revenge travel they're witnessing, it's been very inspiring. I came thinking of recovery, now I'm thinking of exponential growth.”Some of those initiatives and announcements include the launch of Hospitable Me Training, which will allow members diversity and inclusion training, a redesign to email marketing campaigns for advisors to use, a renewed partnership with Virgin Galactic, and the first-ever global consumer-facing campaign for Virtuoso (exact launch date to be announced later).Lindsey Epperly, Founder and CEO of Jetset World Travel, noted how valuable it is to be able to reconnect with the industry.“Virtuoso Travel Week is such an important event for me and for my entire team,” Epperly said. “First of all, it's a great team-building opportunity, we love coming out here and getting to interact with our team. And then getting to see and re-interact with our favorite suppliers, especially coming out of what this industry has just gone through, I think it's really important to bring everything other in person.”To reveal the latest trends in luxury travel, Virtuoso, which generates an average of $25-$30 billion in annual sales, tapped into its vast network that includes 20,000 travel advisors from around the world – all of whom advise affluent and high-net-worth clients – as well as their preferred relationships with more than 2,200 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and top global destinations. Trending Now Luxury Market Fueling Travel's Recovery Outbound leisure travel sales have rebounded strongly for Virtuoso. The U.S. has already outperformed 2019 numbers for 2022 by 122 percent, Australia by 113 percent while Canada, at 80 percent, is still playing catch up. “Globally, we have surpassed 2019 for outbound travel booked January-July at 102%”, Virtuoso said.76 percent of travelers have accepted a “new normal” and only 12 percent say there is still too much uncertainty and volatility.Will this strong bounce back maintain?“Maybe this immediate pent-up demand will slow but I do think that the lifestyle of travel and the concept that we've all learned from the pandemic that we have one life to live, if you wanna take the trip, now is the time to take it – I think that is going to remain and I think that that's across generations,” said Beth Washington, Founder at Getaway Guild.“I think it's well documented particularly you know with the millennial generation and younger, travel is an important part of their lifestyle. It's something they're not willing to give up, it's something they're willing to spend money on before they spend money on other luxury goods or other lifestyle purchases, so I definitely think the high demand for travel is the normal.”20 percent of millionaire households in the United States belong to the millennials. Those who have the means to travel are willing to spend it.74 percent of all Virtuoso travelers who responded to the survey said creating a travel experience that best fits their expectations is more important than price. Virtuoso data shows their travelers have plans to increase their previous year’s spend of $20,700 per person by 34 percent to $27,800 in the next year.2023 looks to be “record-breaking good,” said David Kolner, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Virtuoso. Travel sales in 2023 are pacing 47 percent higher than 2019 for Virtuoso.Globally, the travel industry is not expected to fully recover until 2024, but luxury travel in key markets continues to push forward with big numbers.What’s Hot Now Across all countries, hotel and on-site leisure booking volume is at 157 percent of 2019 levels.Traveling with a spouse/significant other is the most popular form of travel, followed by traveling with friends in second and family trips with kids under 18 in third.“What’s trending in luxury travel for our agency is probably what we're seeing across the board right, like so much Europe this summer [and] traditionally for our agency we book a lot of Caribbean, but also just the type of travel,” Epperly said. “We're seeing our travelers still slowing down just a bit compared to 2019 in terms of like how fast their pacing is on their trips – they're still very much American travelers and ‘go go go’ is normal, but we're seeing multi-gen as well. I think families really wanna come together and be together, that's a big trend.”Solo travel is also on the rise, with the highest level of interest coming from the 65+ age group. 78 percent of travelers say they’re ready to travel now. For 87 percent of those polled, the dollar’s parity with the Euro plays a factor, and only 35 percent say that this summer’s air travel complications have caused them to cancel or postpone plans.Virtuoso also revealed where their travelers were going the most. The top summer destinations are the United States first, Italy second, France third, Canada fourth, and Greece in fifth. The United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, Ireland, and Switzerland round out the top 10. Virtuoso's Top Summer Destinations Looking Ahead to the Fall and Holiday Seasons Booking trends through July show a strong Fall season with volume above 2019 levels, Virtuoso said.Hotel bookings for fall and festive travel (September 1 to January 15) made through July of this year are at 173 percent of where they were at the same point in 2019.The U.S., Italy, France, Mexico, and Canada are among the top international destinations for September-December 2022.This holiday season, 71 percent of Virtuoso travelers will travel for vacation, while 21 percent will travel to see family and friends.Islands and beaches top travelers’ lists for holiday travel, followed by trips with a wellness component, an ocean cruise, and cities outside the U.S. Of those surveyed, 62 percent will travel to multiple destinations with 38 percent saying they will travel to just one single destination. Also, wellness-focused trips were the only category to see a year-over-year increase from 13 percent in 2021 to 24 percent in 2022.“If you're not planning it, you better plan now,” Upchurch said. “It's almost too late. I mean, that's one of my main messages is [to] plan ahead. A lot of our best travelers have started something that's only picked up, which is they're thinking longer in advance. A lot of our more sophisticated travelers, what they’re doing is that they're thinking about their big milestone trips right, two to three years in advance or more. We're finding that the travelers that have a more conscious plan are actually able to have better overall experiences and take advantage of last-minute stuff because it's in the context of a larger plan.”For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Amadeus announced a new partnership with Aimendo to automate various forms of written communication through artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing.Aimend’s natural language automation is integrated into the Amadeus ecosystem through Amadeus Web Services, as well as the agency’s current system to execute specific actions to help improve business travel agents’ efficiency.ADVERTISING Trending Now In addition to automating everything from emails to chat and short messages, more complicated requests may be automatically forwarded to the correct person, queue or department.Travel agencies retain full control over what to automate based on their specific configuration, even as Aimendo’s extracting, routing and processing requests average a 90-92 percent success rate.“Aimendo’s mission is to transform organizations through smart technology,” Aimendo co-founder Vic Pynn said. “We’re proud to be partnering with a leading technology company like Amadeus, that is driving innovation in the travel sector. Working together, we’re going to make a real impact in the future of travel.”“Our alliance with Aimendo is aligned with Amadeus’ unwavering strategy to expand the integration of valuable technology that brings innovation for greater efficiencies and productivity to our customers,” Amadeus Head of Travel Sellers, North America, Robert Buckman said.Customer service is a travel agency’s most significant differentiator in a crowded marketplace. With this enhanced level of automation at their fingertips, advisors can serve travelers more efficiently while increasing focus on the human side of the business.With staffing shortages and budget constraints adding pressure to do more with less to meet business demand, automating tasks is an effective way to enable agents to focus on building relationships with their customers and solving more complex problems.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here. Adblock test (Why?)

WHY IT RATES: In a time when prices are increasing, 360 Coverage Pros is making coverage more affordable. --Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing EditorTravel Professionals Errors & Omissions Insurance from 360 Coverage Pros, a leading professional liability Program for travel agents, agencies and tour operators, announced premium reductions for travel professionals enrolling in their best-in-class errors and omissions (E&O) insurance Program.Effective August 2, 2022, the E&O program introduced rates starting at just $25.67 per month for travel agents (independent contractors, sole proprietors or employees) and $33.17 per month for travel agencies (corporations or incorporated individuals). In addition to reduced rates, 360 policyholders also receive a suite of specialized insurance coverages including bodily injury and property damage, hired and non-owned auto coverage, host liquor liability and more. “Travel advisors and organizations have had a rough couple of years without the chance to catch a break. Potential clients were traveling less and less, stakes were at an all-time high and the world was stranded in a period of uncertainty,” states Chris Buseman, Program Manager for 360 Coverage Pros. “As an organization, prioritizing the interests of travel professionals via insurance coverage comes first – but it is also our time to give back, that much is owed.”Jason Rogers, EVP, 360 Coverage Pros, added, “as an insured of 360 Coverage Pros, not only do you enjoy the security of top-rated, industry-leading E&O coverage for yourself and your employees, but you also have access to additional program value-adds. For example, our Risk Management Hotline, which has been extremely popular amongst insureds. The hotline serves as a means to gain access to an attorney in the event you find yourself in a situation which needs course correction in the form of legal advice or assistance.” SOURCE: 360 Coverage Pros press release. Adblock test (Why?)

Everybody wants to make more money in their business.And what better way to learn how to take the next step than by hearing from industry peers about how they achieved their elite status?At the 2022 Global Travel Marketplace (GTM), we caught up with several top-tier travel advisors to hear their thoughts on how their fellow advisors can reach their level.In order to be eligible to attend GTM, advisors must have annual individual sales of at least $1 million or be an owner of a multi-million dollar agency.Check out the video to hear what these high-quality advisors had to say about reaching the million-dollar sales mark.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

African Travel, Inc. is offering travel advisors with groups of 10-plus traveling together $500 for bookings made and deposited between July 1-Dec. 15, 2022.Travel advisors will also receive their standard commission.ADVERTISINGThe incentive will be paid after receipt of 20 percent per person deposits. Trending Now Due to increased demand, the operator added additional departure dates to its small-group portfolio of tours, enabling travel advisors to book trips for their clients for this year by Sept. 30, 2022, before rates increase in 2023.“Current travel trends are indicating that safaris are a top bucket list item since clients are seeking immersive experiences and we see pent-up demand including an increase in last-minute safari bookings,” said African Travel, Inc. President Sherwin Banda.African Travel, Inc., which is a unit of the Travel Corporation, offers customized safaris to such destinations as South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.The company features multigenerational trips to South and East Africa, heritage and cultural tours to South Africa, and friends’ getaways to a variety of destinations.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

The adventure booking platform TourRadar will hold its second annual “Adventure Together” event as a hybrid conference in Vienna, Austria, Oct. 18-19, 2022.Travel advisors who register can begin earning points for a chance to win prizes, including two roundtrip Air Canada flights to the October event.ADVERTISING Trending Now TourRadar is also offering travel advisors new to the platform 1 percent commission bonuses on its partner portal for all booking made before Sept. 1, 2022. “‘Adventure Together’ gathers multi-day travel industry leaders together for a lively discussion around the trends, opportunities, and challenges of organized adventures and group travel in today’s complicated landscape,” said Travis Pittman, TourRadar’s CEO and co-founder.TourRadar provides booking capabilities for more than 50,000 multi-day tours in upwards of 160 countries.Travel advisors can search for the right tour matches for their clients by using a variety of TourRadar filters, including trip duration, price, age range and more.“Travel advisors are an important customer group of ours,” Pittman said.“When consumers work with a trusted advisor we typically see the average order value is 41 percent higher than our online marketplace.“The pandemic revealed to us a big need for travel advisors around the world to get better access to quality and niche operators and therefore, we decided to build a platform specifically for advisors to book organized adventures through us.”For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter. Adblock test (Why?)

Margaritaville at Sea is extending its double commission offer on all group bookings through the end of August. Trending Now ADVERTISINGThere are no restrictions, no blackout dates and travel advisors can even combine the offer with the cruise line's buy one, get one consumer offer. These two-for-one guest fares are valid for any sailing through December 16, 2022. A newcomer in the cruise sector, Margaritaville at Sea sails short voyages to and from the Bahamas and recently removed its pre-embarkation COVID-19 test requirement for all vaccinated guests on the heels of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) elimination of its COVID-19 Program for cruise ships.Travel advisors can click here to learn more and email [email protected] to request group space now.For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here. Adblock test (Why?)