The “Golden Age of travel advisors is alive and well,” said John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Network (TLN). At a trade media event in New York City this week, Lovell and other TLN executives shared updates on the network, including strong growth, new tech and marketing programs, and beyond.
Notably, Travel Leaders Network reported a 9.7 percent increase in land sales from 2023 to 2024 and a 25.1 percent increase in cruise sales. In all cruise segments as well as FIT and touring sales were up from 2023. Those numbers become even more impressive when you consider “last year was the best year on record for us,” according to Lovell.
Looking at the start to 2025, river and luxury cruises (up 33 percent and 26 percent year-to-date versus the same time last year, respectively) are leading the way. Still performing well are premium (+16 percent year-over-year) and contemporary (+12 percent year-over-year). On the land side, FIT and touring is up 23 percent versus the same time last year.
On the air side, TLN execs said its SNAP platform (a white-labeled version of Sabre Red Launchpad) has been implemented by over 13,000 of its advisors, helping them cut through the chaos and removing the burdens associated with booking air.
“We’re just trying to get these people to really provide the end-to-end booking experience for their clients,” said Lovell. Why is this so important? “If you provide a full-service experience to your customer, the cancellation rate drops by 39 percent,” explained Travel Leaders Network COO Lindsay Pearlman.
In other industry tech news, Vacation Planners, a new travel advisor franchise company, has announced its partnership with Travel Biz Boss to provide workflow and automation tools for travel advisors. The programs will help advisors create custom templates, itineraries and emails and organize trips; it will also provide editing tools as well as IT support.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts this week launched its new Travel Advisor Portal. With its user-friendly interface and advanced features, the portal offers priority access to a collection of more than 600 luxury independent hotels, resorts and residences worldwide—complete with an integrated experience for making and managing reservations, preparing rate quotes, submitting commission claims, and more—all in one place. The platform also allows for personalized confirmations, room rate details and included guest amenities based on agency affiliation.
As always, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is advocating for its members. This week, the association officially kicked off its VeriVacation marketing. The program is designed to connect travelers with Verified Travel Advisors, and the two new 30-second ads will be running on digital platforms, highlighting the importance of verifying the professional credentials of anyone claiming to be a travel advisor. Plans call for future commercials that feature real-life travel advisors and their clients.
Looking to learn more about sustainable travel experiences? Tourism Cares, a non-profit dedicated to advancing sustainability within the tourism industry, is hitting the road in 2025 by launching a new travel event series. The "Meaningful Travel Roadshow" is a multi-city program designed to broaden the industry’s understanding of sustainable tourism and generate positive impact for local communities. Its host cities include Miami, Pittsburgh and Galveston.
Big News in the Hotel Space
The biggest news this week was Hyatt’s announced acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts, a key player in the all-inclusive space. The $2.6 billion takeover means Hyatt—which already has a 9.4 percent stake in Playa—will further expand its all-inclusive resort network in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Hyatt plans on maintaining its asset-light strategy for real estate—becoming operators rather than owners of the properties—and expects to find buyers for Playa’s owned real estate.
Hilton, for its part, reported record growth in the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) markets in 2024, with an equally strong pipeline of hotels set to open in the coming years. In 2024, Hilton added the greatest number of hotels in the company’s history in CALA, adding 64 new properties. In particular, the company expanded its luxury portfolio, highlighted by a partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, as well as new openings under the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad umbrellas.
Hilton’s CALA pipeline includes over 130 hotels, with more than half already under construction.
News From the High Seas
Norwegian coastal cruise line Hurtigruten and global expedition cruise line HX have officially become separate companies as each has finalized its acquisition by a consortium of investors.
The acquisition will not affect Hurtigruten’s or HX’s bookings, employment terms, business partners or day-to-day operations. It does, however, inject new capital into each company. At transaction completion, Hurtigruten will benefit from an investment of approximately €400 million, enabling it “to continue to deliver the best guest experience as Norway’s leading coastal cruise line with 131 years of legacy, and explore future growth and development opportunities.” HX, on the other hand, receives roughly €140 million of new junior funding “to support new growth and destination opportunities.”
Back in the U.S., Carnival Cruise Line is bringing more fun to Norfolk, VA, by launching year-round cruising with Carnival Sunshine. The new year-round deployment transforms Norfolk’s Half Moone Cruise Center from a seasonal port to a permanent cruise hub that will sail 150,000 guests annually—the highest volume in the city’s history.
Norwegian Cruise Line this week named Derek Lloyd vice president of strategic and national accounts, succeeding Brennan Quesnele, who will become senior vice president of sales at Oceania Cruises effective February 24. Lloyd will be responsible for driving national account sales with various travel partners and accounts in the U.S. and Canada. He most recently served as vice president of field sales for North America, where he was responsible for the company’s sales strategy and cultivation of key partner relationships.
Tour Operator Tips
Considering an Italy trip this year? Eurobound has crafted a new eight-night independent package for travelers celebrating Italy’s 2025 Jubilee Year, which the Catholic Church observes every 25 years. The new package includes three nights each in Rome and Florence, plus two nights in Bologna, along with a mix of guided and independent touring.
Lastly, Intrepid Travel is kicking off Q1 with the “Intrepid In to Win” incentive program, running now until the end of March. Every booking brings exclusive perks for travel advisor clients and rewards for the advisors, including a guaranteed FAM spot, B Corp giveaways and even a free Intrepid trip worth up to $3,500. For every Intrepid small group adventure (SGA) booking between February and March, clients receive one of three exclusive value-adds, while travel advisors unlock a rotating monthly incentive.
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