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Sorry for the late send on this week’s newsletter. This week’s newsletter talks about AI, a rise in luxury travel bookings, and 3 destinations to suggest to your clients.
Thanks to everyone who signed up. We're excited to bring you the industry insights, advisor tips, destination suggestions, resource suggestions, and more that matter most to your business.
🗞️ Industry News Roundup
1. AI Tools Supercharge Advisor Productivity
Travel advisors are rapidly adopting AI to streamline operations—from drafting proposals and itineraries to managing client communications. For example, Páme Travel reported a 40% increase in business after integrating AI into daily workflows, while advisors at Fora have tripled their booking capacity
Why It Matters:
AI dramatically increases efficiency and scalability, freeing advisors to focus on client relationships and business growth.
Still, the human touch—cultivating relationships with hotel managers, arranging surprise upgrades, and delivering bespoke experiences—remains indispensable.
Shoulder-season bookings surge amid shifting traveler behavior
Japan Records July Tourism High—Advisors Should Take Note
Travel advisors are confronting a “tale of two booking patterns”—dealing with a surge in last-minute requests while simultaneously addressing long-lead bookings. This split is creating complexity in operations and demand forecasting.
Why it matters:
This surge presents prime opportunities for crafting high-demand itineraries, particularly around Japan’s unique cultural events and peak travel seasons.
Advisors can leverage this trend by specializing in Japanese experiences—curating offerings around festivals, culinary highlights, and exclusive destination insights.
Luxury Travel Sales Climb Sharply for Virtuoso Advisors
Virtuoso-affiliated advisors have witnessed exceptional performance in the luxury segment—especially with hotel bookings. From January through June this year, year-over-year sales grew by an impressive 25.5%, far outpacing a nearly 10% increase in broader travel demand.
Why it matters:
Premium Market Momentum: There’s a clear appetite among clients for upscale, curated experiences—a strong signal for advisors to lean into high-end niches.
Revenue Growth Potential: Elevated bookings offer enhanced margins and opportunities for value-based service offerings and bespoke add-ons.
💡Advisor Spotlight: Vanesa Gaitán, Senior Travel Advisor
My Top Tip:
Connecting with a client’s emotions is one of the most powerful and effective ways to close a sale. When we truly understand their needs and show genuine empathy, the client feels it. That emotional connection builds trust, and trust is the key to a successful sale, for both the client and for us.
Vanesa’s Go-To Tools:
Google Maps – Essential for identifying lesser-known destinations, calculating distances, and verifying hotel locations.
ChatGPT – A helpful assistant for quick research, refining ideas, and ensuring professional, well-written communication.
Easy PNR – I rely on this tool to convert Sabre or Amadeus formats into clear, easy-to-read itineraries that clients can understand at a glance.
iLovePDF – A simple but powerful tool for managing documents, converting, editing, and organizing PDFs efficiently.
🌍Destination Trio: Three unique destinations to recommend
🏛️ Tirana, Albania
Tirana, the capital of Albania, is often overlooked as a travel destination in Europe and is often dismissed as just a transport hub - but it's so wrong! Albania is becoming a favorite among budget travelers with its affordable food, vibrant culture, scenic beauty, cheap flights, and stunning coastline with beaches that rival Greece, Italy, or Croatia. Perfect alternative to expensive Balkan destinations like Dubrovnik or Split.
Best time: April-June and September-October for pleasant weather and comfortable
🏞️ Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Europe's wealthiest capital and one of its smallest countries offers fairy-tale castles, UNESCO World Heritage old quarters, excellent museums, and serves as the perfect base for exploring Belgium, France, and Germany. Most travelers pass through but never explore this sophisticated financial center with remarkable history, beautiful valleys, and some of Europe's best restaurants - all easily accessible via Luxembourg Airport.
Best time: May-September for warmest weather and longest days
🌿 Spokane, Washington, USA
Spokane tops travel expert lists as one of the most underrated cities in the US for a vacation, with an abundance of nature and a historic downtown that ticks a lot of boxes for a fantastic destination. While everyone flocks to Seattle or Portland, Spokane offers incredible outdoor recreation, wine country access, affordability, and authentic Pacific Northwest culture without the crowds or costs.
Best time: May-September for outdoor activities and warm weather
Voyagr Update
The Voyagr CRM is LIVE! We launched the CRM part of our platform last week. It is in the beta stage, and we are continuing to make improvements. If you would like to join or know someone who might be interested, you can sign up here: https://beta.voyagr.travel/register
We are making progress on the booking engine part of the platform, but we do not have a launch date for that yet. We have partnered with Project Expedition to have all their products within our platform. So, when we launch the booking engine, you will be able to book hotels and anything that is on Project Expedition’s website.
Thanks for reading! Forward this to a colleague who could use these insights, and if you have tips to share with fellow advisors, reach out to be featured in an upcoming issue.
