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Sorry for the delayed newsletter, I know I am 2 days late. It has been a crazy few weeks here at Voyagr, and I lost track of time. But, better late than never, right? 🙂
🗞️ Industry News Roundup
1. Travel Experts Advisors Forecast Flat Winter
A survey of “Travel Experts Advisors” reveals that while booking momentum is healthy for fall 2025, expectations for the core winter season are subdued. Many advisors anticipate essentially flat reservations for the upcoming winter months.
Why It Matters:
Suggests a possible seasonal slowdown, signaling that advisors should plan carefully for cash flow, staffing, and promotional strategies.
Could indicate shifting traveler behavior (e.g., postponing travel, preferring off-peak dates) that may affect demand patterns.
Reinforces the importance of diversifying products (e.g., spring/summer, alternative destinations) to offset weak winter sales.
Serves as a warning to not overcommit marketing spend or inventory without contingency plans.
2. What We Learned at ASTA’s 2025 Travel Industry Forecast
ASTA’s 2025 industry forecast event revealed that outbound travel is growing strongly, though challenges remain. Many speaker sessions touched on supply chain friction, labor constraints, capacity management, and evolving traveler expectations.
Why it matters:
Provides visibility into big-picture trends and the direction of the travel landscape, helping advisors orient their strategy.
Highlights supplier-level constraints (inventory, staffing, logistics) that could impact advisor operations and margins.
Offers insights into where ASTA is focusing advocacy, networking, and trade support — knowledge that advisors can leverage.
Helps advisors benchmark their assumptions (e.g., growth projections, risk factors) against trade-wide consensus.
3. These Are the Celebratory Trips Travel Advisors Are Planning for 2026
This piece explores how travel advisors are crafting “celebratory” or milestone-based itineraries for 2026 (birthdays, anniversaries, bucket list trips) — a trend showing clients willing to invest more in meaningful, high-touch travel.
Why it matters:
Signals a demand segment with higher willingness to spend, offering a potential margin “tailwind” for advisors.
Reinforces the value of emotional storytelling and deep personalization in selling travel — not just routes and logistics.
Suggests the importance of positioning around life events and creating marketing around those triggers.
Encourages advisors to build (or deepen) partnerships with high-end suppliers (luxury resorts, experiences, private guides) suitable for celebratory travel.
🌍Destination Trio: Three unique destinations to recommend
Georgia
This Caucasus gem, nestled between Europe and Asia, offers incredible wine regions, dramatic mountain scenery, ancient monasteries, and authentic Caucasian culture at an exceptional value. From Tbilisi's cobblestone streets to Kazbegi's snow-covered peaks, Georgia blends rich history with legendary hospitality and warm, welcoming locals.
Best Time to Visit: May - October for warm weather and clear mountain views
Palawan, Philippines
This Philippine island paradise offers untouched natural beauty with crystal-clear waters, hidden lagoons, and dramatic limestone cliffs. From El Nido's world-famous lagoon experiences to Puerto Princesa's underground river, Palawan delivers exceptional diving, pristine beaches, and authentic Filipino culture at outstanding value.
Best Time to Visit: November - May for dry weather and calm seas
Glasgow, Scotland
Scotland's vibrant industrial city offers world-class museums, a thriving arts scene, excellent restaurants, and authentic urban Scottish culture. Often overlooked for Edinburgh, Glasgow delivers genuine local experiences, an emerging craft beer scene, innovative galleries, and the charm of a city reinventing itself as a cultural powerhouse.
Best Time to Visit: May - September for warmest weather and longest daylight
Voyagr Update
Voyagr is hosting a webinar on Monday, October 20th, 2025, at 3:00 PM EST. During this webinar, we will give a demo of our hotel booking system that launches next week, we will answer any questions, and we will give a sneak peek into what is coming next in the Voyagr Platform.
Since we are launching the booking engine next week, if you would like to start your verification process, please CLICK HERE and fill out the form.
With the release of the hotel booking engine, we will also be releasing a chatbot and improvements to the UI.
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.
