The Shift Toward Personalization and Niche Expertise

Travelers are looking for personalization and niche experiences. Success for travel advisors hinges on a deep understanding of the audience and the ability to offer tailored experiences.

Meredith Calloway, Co-Founder of Gifted Travel Network, emphasizes finding one’s “brilliance.” She suggests defining a personal brand that aligns with natural strengths and the unique value provided to clients. Whether focusing on family travel, adventure trips, or luxury experiences, serving a specific niche helps connect with a targeted audience and deliver more impactful services.

Mary Charlson, president of Five Minute Marketing, highlights the need to concentrate on a few core marketing channels that work together to guide clients through the decision-making process. Advisors who target specific audiences with tailored content create deeper connections, leading to stronger client loyalty and higher-quality leads.

The Power of Community: Relationship Building for a Loyal Client Base

In an era where travelers can book trips with just a few clicks, personal relationships offer a competitive edge. Building trust and providing personalized advice set travel advisors apart from the faceless, transactional nature of online travel agencies (OTAs).

James Ferrara, founder of InteleTravel, explains that the cornerstone of their success is the relationship-driven sales model. InteleTravel teaches advisors to leverage trust-based relationships rather than rely solely on traditional advertising. In uncertain economic times, consumers are more likely to turn to trusted advisors, rather than make travel decisions through impersonal websites.

The rise of travel advisors as independent freelancers, many of whom operate from home, has transformed the industry. Today’s advisors aren’t just booking trips; they offer curated travel experiences supported by deep knowledge and personal connections. This focus on relationships enables advisors to differentiate themselves from OTAs and cultivate long-lasting client loyalty.

Navigating Challenges with Creativity and Community

Travel advisors who adapted during the pandemic are now reaping the rewards of their resilience. Many found ways to engage clients during downtime—through content creation, webinars, or virtual travel experiences—building stronger relationships that continue to pay off. Advisors who can think outside the box and find innovative ways to connect with clients will always be in a position to thrive.

Meredith Calloway’s Gifted Travel Network leaned heavily into community building during the pandemic. Her team provided support and education to their advisors, helping them stay engaged with clients through virtual events, travel-themed Zoom calls, and even wine tastings. These efforts not only kept advisors connected with clients but also fostered a sense of solidarity, leading to exponential growth as travel bounced back.

Technological Integration for the Travel Advisor

While personal relationships and expertise remain at the core of advisory services, technology enhances efficiency, responsiveness, and innovation.

The Rise of the Younger, Tech-Savvy Travel Advisor

While Baby Boomers have long been the dominant force in the travel industry, a shift is occurring. Younger generations are stepping up, and these tech-savvy, entrepreneurial individuals embrace the flexibility and independence of being a travel advisor, reshaping the industry in the process.

James Ferrara notes that the average age of InteleTravel’s advisors is now around 40, with a growing hotspot of advisors in their mid-20s to early 30s. These younger advisors are digital natives who understand how to leverage social media, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) to attract clients and streamline services. They’re highly entrepreneurial, driven by a desire for flexibility and the freedom to run their own businesses.

This new generation is reshaping how travel is sold and experienced. They’re not just travel advisors—they’re influencers, content creators, and trusted guides who curate personalized travel experiences with an understanding of what younger travelers want: authenticity, adventure, and connection.

Dipping your toes in AI? Join our workshop live on October 10 or watch the recording.

Leveraging Technology to Enhance Client Experiences

From using social media to staying connected with clients to using AI to streamline operations, technology empowers advisors to work smarter. Travel advisors who adopt these tools are better equipped to offer more personalized service and stay competitive in a digital-first world. James Ferrara shares that InteleTravel’s advisors benefit from sophisticated technology, allowing them to offer seamless services that rival even the largest agencies.

For travel advisors, technology is no longer just a back-end tool. It’s a front-facing advantage that allows for real-time solutions, anticipation of client needs, and the delivery of unforgettable experiences. Whether they’re using AI to help craft personalized itineraries or leveraging online communities for lead generation, tech-savvy advisors are leading the industry forward.

Thriving in an Evolving Industry

The industry is poised for growth as it adapts to new trends and continues delivering exceptional value to travelers worldwide. Embracing these changes ensures that travel advisors remain a vital and dynamic part of the travel ecosystem, ready to meet the demands of an ever-changing world. By focusing on personalized services, leveraging technology, and fostering community, today’s travel advisors are not only surviving but thriving.

The post How Travel Advisors Thrive in a Changing Industry appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

We abbreviate words or phrases to save time, effort or space. This is great, but if you don’t know what the acronym or abbreviation stands for, it may feel like people are speaking a different language. For those of us in the tourism industry, like many others, we use a wide array of abbreviations and/or acronyms. Below are 21 travel and tourism terms used frequently.

Jump to a section:
A-D
F-G
I-N
M-T

Travel and Tourism Terms

A-D

Accessible: Usable by all people. Whether a hotel, restaurant, or attraction can by enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities, regardless of physical or other limitations.

Assets: The attractions, hotels and restaurants within a given region. Assets are what that area has to offer guests who visit.

Buyers: Travel Trade professionals who sell to consumers. They are tour operators, receptive operators, travel agents and OTAs (online travel agents). They look for destinations and attractions to package and sell to their customers.

CVB: Convention and Visitors Bureau. Primarily the same thing as a DMO or TPA (see below).

DMO: Destination Marketing Organization. A destination marketing organization is an entity that promotes a town, city, region, or country to increase visitation. It promotes the development and marketing of a destination, focusing on convention sales, tourism marketing, and services. The primary goals of a DMO are to create and implement strategic marketing plans around tourism, to bring local tourism businesses together and to help them work collectively. This transforms a set of attractions, activities and services into a cohesive and compelling travel experience. For example, Break the Ice Media works with several DMOs, including Cayuga County Office of Tourism, Genesee County Office of Tourism and Visit Syracuse.

Implement strategic marketing plans

F-G

FAM: Familiarization Tour. FAMs are marketing initiatives, inviting either media or travel trade professionals to tour a region or destination. Experiencing it helps them write about it or sell it as a product to their customers. The activities on a FAM are typically shorter than what the actual visitor experiences. They provide a sampling of what is offered.

FIT: Foreign Independent Traveler. An international family or small group travelling to the USA. They arrive by airplane and usually rent cars for transportation.

Fly drive: A vacation package that includes air transportation and a rental car. Many international tourists (FITs) prefer to buy these types of packages to explore a destination.

Front-line staff: People who interact with and give service to customers, guests and visitors. For example, front desk staff at a hotel or a cashier at an attraction.

Group Leader: The person who accompanies and/or leads the people on a group tour. They work for the Group Tour Operator who sells the tour.

Group Tour Operator: A person who puts together vacation packages for groups. They sell these packages as products to consumers. They also fit into the category of Buyers.

Tourism generated by visitors from foreign countries

I-N

Inbound operators: Agencies that specialize in providing tour packages to international travelers visiting the United States. Also known as Receptive Operators. Travel agents from foreign countries will work with an inbound receptive operator to find a travel package that suits their customers. A couple of examples are TourMappers and ATI, who we’ve worked with.

Inbound Tourism: Tourism generated by visitors from foreign countries. This does not include domestic travel like visitors from drive markets and in-state visitors.

Itinerary: The planned route for a trip. This is what travel trade professionals sell to their customers. It’s a pre-planned experience with where to go, when, and what to expect when you get there.

Motorcoach: Large passenger bus. This is the vehicle most often used for people travelling with group travel tours.

Net Rate: Hotel room inventory sold via a third-party distributor at prices subject to commission. The Net Rate is the price for a hotel room without the commission of the third-party distributor. These distributors could be a travel agent, receptive operator or online travel agent. (See also, Rack Rate)

Create Itineraries for Foreign Independent Travelers

P-T

Partners: The people who own or manage the assets of a region. These partners work closely with their region’s DMO and benefit from tourism dollars spent at their establishments.

Rack Rate: Standard daily rate established for hotel rooms. This rate is typically public, printed on hotel brochures and listed on websites.

Suppliers: Tourism or Travel professionals who sell to businesses aka Buyers. They sell B2B (that means business to business). They work with tourism companies to promote their attraction or destination.

TPA: Tourism Promotion Agency. This is basically the same thing as a DMO. A government agency that promotes tourism in a specific county or region within a state.

Travel Advisor: Someone who assists consumers in booking trips. Previously called travel agents, travel advisors do more than book travel for people. The term agent switched to advisor to demonstrate how these professionals coordinate trips and help groups, families or individuals plan and book their travel.

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