“We don’t look in the rearview”

There’s no doubt that it’s competitive in the consortia space these days. But during a briefing in Toronto last week, senior executives from TL Network made it clear that it’s not something they spend too much time worrying about – if they worry about it at all. 

In fact, when asked about competition, John Lovell, CTC, president of Travel Leaders Group, responded: “We continue to evolve and innovate. We don’t look in the rearview. If they [the competition] want to imitate us, well that’s the highest form of flattery.”

Lovell added: “We’re leading edge. We don’t copy. We choose to lead. Competition is a good thing… it makes us better.” 

That confident tone may well be because Lovell and the senior executives of the group that joined him in Toronto at the beginning of February, have read the signs and what they’re telling TL Network’s leadership is that there’s never been a better time to be a travel advisor. 

Or, perhaps more to the point, there’s never been a better time to be a TL Network travel advisor. 

While Lovell admits that the past couple of years have “been awful” for travel, that’s in the past and the industry is ‘positioned for success’ going forward. 

In fact, Lovell told the Toronto briefing that travel advisors are more important today than they’ve ever been in history. 

During the pandemic, he said that advisors worked with their clients to solve all of the problems that they were encountering and consumers are now coming to them to validate their travel decisions. 

All about relationships 

In talking trends, Lovell raised the issue of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its possible impact on travel advisors, making it clear from the outset that machines are no match for human-powered travel. 

Lovell said that the services that a travel advisor provides “aren’t just about booking – they’re about developing relationships and helping clients plan – not just their latest trip – but their future travel plans.”

He added that unlike a ‘faceless algorithm,’ TL Network’s advisors are there to provide support to their clients at ‘any step along the way.’ 

As for what consumers think about advisor vs machine, TL Network worked with OnePoll on a recent survey that found that: 

• 70% of those surveyed trust people over tech
• 44% vs 35% want a real person to help them 
• 74% say over the last decade we have become too reliant on computers, bots and algorithms 

Besides, he said, an AI algorithm can’t tell the client what it’s like to sit on a beach or take a cruise or have any of the experiences that travel offers. 

And that’s why today, he said, travel advisors are the people that consumers go to, to find out how to spend their travel dollars.

Support, Support, Support 

As for why the TL Network is ‘stronger than ever’ when the industry as a whole lost locations during the pandemic, Roger Block, CTC, president, Travel Leaders Network, pointed to the strong support that the group provides to its members in a range of critical areas. 

He observed that: “we really do help owners retain clients and help advisors sell more products” through the group’s strong support network. 

Block cited a range of reasons for agencies joining the group that included:

• Strong support for members and unique business models
• Marketing and lead generation
• Intuitive and sophisticated technology
• Preferred supplier relationships with unique consumer offers
• Corporate programs 
• Education for both owners and advisors

Currently, Block said the group has 5,000 agencies and some 97,000 travel advisors. Here in Canada, TL Network has 650 member agencies and 4,216 travel advisors.

Christine James, vice president Canada, TL Network said that “while we were not quite back to normal in Canada in 2022, we did add new members and we had a 98% retention rate [of members]. And was quick to point out that ‘nobody left us to go to the competition.’

In fact, TL Network added 49 new members in 2022, representing total sales of $116 million and so far in 2023, the group has added three new members representing total sales of $1 million.

Overall, Block said that the TL Network welcomed 316 new members in 2022 for both the U.S. and Canada.  

Getting the message out 

TL Network has always had strong marketing over the years and going forward, Stephen McGillivray, CTC, chief marketing officer, Travel Leaders Group, said there will be an ‘energized focus’ on the importance of the travel advisors in all of its messages. 

As well, McGillivray said that group will be helping members to improve their social media skills, pointing out that if an advisor is not in social media, they will be left behind. 

He noted as well that the group’s lead generation program has been an ‘amazing success,’ particularly in Canada. 

Said McGillivray: “Our members are small businesses and acquiring a new customer is a big deal.”

 Coming soon… real soon 

Cory Voss, vice president, product and solutions, Travel Leaders Group talked about technology and the fact that in the next few weeks, a redesigned canadiantravelagents.ca will be launched.

Voss also revealed that the group was sunsetting CruisePro and through a partnership with Travelport a new cruise booking tool, called Cruise Complete, will be launched to the full network in the second quarter of 2023.

Final thoughts 

Confidence. That’s how John Lovell summed things up. 

“Consumers are confident and we’re not seeing worries about the economy or stock market affecting that mindset. Consumers are confident in their finances and being able to travel and suppliers are confident in their ability to fill ships, resorts, etc.”

Naturally, Lovell concluded, “travel advisors are well-positioned to help them [consumers] at any time and suppliers are confident in advisors being able to do the job.”

All in all, in Roger Block’s words: “It’s a great time to be a travel advisor.”