“When travel advisors get on ships, they sell ships,” says Gregory Luciani, president and CEO of TravelSolely.
In journey commerce circles, it’s no secret that firsthand expertise is without doubt one of the only methods to change into an professional in cruise journey – a market phase that, over the previous 12 months, has confirmed no indicators of slowing down.
So much can occur when a journey advisor boards a cruise ship and shares his or her expertise with the world. For purchasers watching from afar, it’s a place to begin that may lock in future bookings (at beneficial charges), encourage teams and even be a magnet for travellers who’ve by no means cruised earlier than.
Cruise is a seeing-is-believing business, and subsequent week, an esteemed group of journey execs will expertise the true take care of Norwegian Cruise Line at Symposium at Sea, TravelSolely’s annual convention that turns cruise ships into school rooms.
The cruise-centric occasion from Oct. 22-29, which PAX is overlaying solely on location, will sail from the skyscrapers of New York City to the pink sands of Bermuda, and again, on board the Norwegian Escape, a Breakaway Plus-class ship, constructed for 4,266 passengers, that debuted in 2015 and was refurbished in 2022.
It’s a superb time to fulfill and strategize, mentioned the pinnacle of TravelSolely as cruise gross sales proceed to make waves. Big waves.
“Our cruise numbers are off the charts,” Gregory Luciani advised PAX in a phone interview forward of the symposium. “These are exciting times. The cruise market in Canada is ripe and people are ready to get back on ships. We want to make sure we’re at the forefront.”
At this 12 months’s Symposium, some 50 attendees are registered – a mixture of new and skilled TravelSolely advisors, their visitors, in addition to all-star suppliers who is not going to solely current, however will even make themselves available to brokers in customized, one-on-one settings.
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Cruise journey, for a number of years now, has been a precedence at TravelSolely, a family-owned-and-operated firm that hosts associates throughout Canada.
In 2017, the host company launched “Cruise TravelOnly,” a distinct segment model that helps brokers increase their capability to promote and earn increased fee on cruise merchandise.
Associates that join can model themselves as cruise specialists and, in flip, position themselves as a trusted supply within the market.
Cruise TravelSolely might have slowed through the pandemic years, however with journey’s rebound in full swing, and as shoppers return to ships, “we have more cruise specialists than ever before,” Luciani shared.
“The cruise market is the fastest growing market for us, offering the highest profit margin,” he mentioned.
Cruise journey deep dive
Symposium at Sea will provide a deep dive into gross sales methods, cowl the latest cruise (and land) traits, and join TravelSolely associates with suppliers (and with one another) to share concepts and spur future development.
Group bookings and leveraging business within the seniors’ market shall be one explicit focus, Luciani advised PAX.
There will even be an emphasis on promoting unique cruises, similar to voyages in French Polynesia, and blocking area out “as far as we can.”
The Symposium will discover different area of interest segments, too, similar to vacation spot weddings on ships, and the MICE market, the place Luciani sees “major opportunities” because the demand for company and incentive-driven journey returns.
In addition to the coaching periods, team-building actions and provider dinners that shall be held on board Norwegian Escape, excursions into Bermuda – a British island territory within the North Atlantic – will even take place.
Attendees will get to go to native sights, similar to Bermuda’s Crystal Caves and Aquarium, style the native fare, and tour some glam inns, from the St. Regis to the Rosewood.
All eyes on AI
Symposium at Sea unfolds simply as TravelSolely makes waves on this planet of synthetic intelligence.
Luciani, for one, is wanting ahead to showcasing TravelSolely’s recently-unveiled AI Assistant tool, which the corporate says will “redefine the way travel advisors approach their business.”
Modelled after the pure language chatbot ChatGPT, the instrument is a “content creator and itinerary builder that can create blog posts, social media feeds, and marketing plans with rich imagery and point-and-click prompts,” Luciani defined, noting that TravelSolely is the primary host company in Canada to launch know-how fairly like this.
Symposium attendees will get a crash course in how TravelSolely’s AI Assistant works.
“It’s very user friendly,” Luciani mentioned. “It will save agents so much time.”
The CEO harassed that AI, which has been a subject of debate in recent months, isn’t meant to interchange the journey advisor. (Our associates “are still the brains of the operation,” he mentioned).
Artificial intelligence, quite, about working smarter, not tougher, he mentioned.
“If you’re not using AI, you will be behind in a year from now, and then further and further,” Luciani mentioned.
Symposium at Sea, which lists Norwegian Cruise Line as a platinum sponsor, will even cowl the latest in accounting processes, cyber safety and social media advertising, similar to YouTube.
Bold-faced names from Manulife, Viking, Goway Travel, AmaWaterways (gold sponsors) will even be on board, as will acquainted faces from silver sponsors, which incorporates WestJet Vacations, Transat, Celestyal Cruises, Exoticca, Carnival, TravelManufacturers, and Riviera Boutique River Cruises.
“Growing from all sides”
TravelSolely, between inside hires and new expertise becoming a member of the journey trade, has been “growing from all sides” over the previous 12 months, Luciani advised PAX.
“We’re recruiting at a higher rate than last year, which is very exciting,” Luciani mentioned. “These are people who weren’t in the travel industry before, and they’re bringing new ideas and clients.”
Some of the area of interest markets which have emerged from this development embrace pet journey, Luciani mentioned, in addition to group bookings curated by skilled wedding ceremony and occasion planners.
The latter “already know how to do groups,” Luciani mentioned. “We just teach them how to sell travel and utilize their existing contacts.”
Thanks to a recently-redeveloped onboarding program, “We feel like we’ve reached a place where we can train virtually anybody,” Luciani added.
It’s a “sweet spot” the place success is measured by gross sales numbers and efficiency.
“Agents are booking faster than in previously years,” Luciani mentioned. “The conversation from joining to selling is insanely different. People are making money sooner, which makes them happier.”
“Suppliers need our support”
The dialog, nonetheless, nonetheless consists of suppliers, and their capability to correctly assist journey advisors in a post-COVID world.
Luciani says service ranges – wait instances, particularly – are nonetheless a ache level as some suppliers grapple with achievement points, particularly in the case of serving to brokers guide teams.
“There’s still so much frustration,” he mentioned, stressing how essential it’s for suppliers to attend conferences, like Symposium at Sea, to make sure the “ongoing success of our industry and ecosystem.”
“The retail agent is, by far, the most stable and constant channel,” Luciani mentioned. “Think about how long an agent works on file….it can be countless hours. Suppliers need our support.”
Luciani famous that TravelSolely is ready to have “another record-breaking year.”
“And with that, we want suppliers to recognize how important it is to keep supporting the trade, versus going direct to consumer, because they don’t have the infrastructure to support it,” he mentioned.
Advisors serving to advisors
As for the advisors attending this 12 months’s Symposium at Sea, Luciani’s expectation is that each one contributors block group area with the companions on board, and work again from 2026 to place advertising plans in place to make sure their teams are full.
There shall be some prime TravelSolely expertise on board to assist make it occur.
TravelSolely has a mentorship program that connects skilled and profitable brokers with new and rising stars inside its community.
Several mentors shall be at Symposium, helping with coaching, and sharing processes that, in some circumstances, “have taken a decade to develop,” Luciani mentioned.
For trade newcomers, it is going to be invaluable info.
“Once you have a process in place, your world becomes more familiar,” Luciani mentioned. “It builds confidence.”
Stay tuned for PAX’s unique on-location protection from TravelSolely’s 2023 Symposium at Sea aboard Norwegian Escape!
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