New York -- AI was a dominant topic at a Travel Leaders
Network (TLN) media event at the headquarters of Internova Travel Group, the parent
company of the travel advisor network. Executives also pointed to a “strong”
2025 and encouraging signs for business in 2026.
Lindsay Pearlman, who became president of TLN last year,
said the outlook for travel is positive because the industry currently accounts
for about $5 trillion in revenue, with that figure expected to soar to $15
trillion by 2040. From a travel advisor's perspective, he said, "We are in
a great position to take advantage of that growth.”
TLN itself, he said, is emphasizing profitable growth, not
just scale. It wants to help members make more money on existing customer bases.
The network, he said, has two main areas of focus: increasing commissions and efficiency.
AI is “freaking a lot of people out,” said Pearlman, but he
asserted that “AI will never replace advisors," even though it can do many
things. "You will not lose business to AI," said Pearlman, "but you
will lose it to someone using AI properly." The technology, he said,
doesn't remove agents from the process.
Travelers are moving toward generative AI search, said Cory
Voss, CIO, and are being more descriptive in what they’re looking for because
that’s what AI search allows you to do. “And we are positioned to leverage
that,” he said.
Voss said TLN is modifying its search to ensure members get
more than their share of leads. The network is helping members improve the quality
of their Agent Profiler content to ensure success. Agent Profiler is TLN’s lead
generation platform.
TLN, said Voss, has many AI-related initiatives, both
delivered and in the pipeline. As a “powerhouse” in the industry, and with its
Internova affiliation, he said, “the network has lots of resources to deliver marketing
technology solutions.”
J.D. O’Hara, CEO of Internova, said the company does not see
AI as a threat, but as a way to enhance our human capital. We can do a lot more
with the same number of people. “
In 2025, according to executives, TLN added 300 new members,
bringing its total to about 1,000 over the last three years. The network now includes
more than 6,000 agencies representing 100,000 advisors, ranging from mega host
agencies to mom-and-pop operations.
O’Hara said the cruise and tour market remains "super
hot," with prices strong. There is, however, a trend toward shortened
booking windows. He said that, since many people think advisors are obsolete,
TLN must increase its exposure and recruit career switchers. He noted that many
advisors can earn over $1 million a year, adding, “It is definitely a career.”
One general trend, said O’Hara, is that travelers are going
to places they haven't been before and that are more far-flung. While Italy is
and will probably remain number one, less-traveled destinations are coming to
the fore. He said that while he might bring his four children to London and Paris,
it might be more interesting for them “to camp under the stars in Greenland.”
They’ll probably get to London and Paris on their own at some point, said
O’Hara.
In other news from the event, executives said:
- There has been an 83% year-over-year growth in
the adoption of SNAP, TLN's booking platform. More large host networks are
beginning to use the platform.
- Private island destinations are “reshaping the
Caribbean,” according to Pam Young, senior vice president, industry relations. Cruise,
in general, she said, is doing very well across categories.
- Executives expressed satisfaction with Norwegian
Cruise Line's end of non-commissionable fares (NCFs) and said they hoped other
lines would follow suit. Stephen McGilllivray, chief partner marketing officer,
said that an NCF could mean a $400-$500 difference in commission on a booking.
- TLN has already seen success with its recently
announced enhancements to its Super Agent program, which incentivize advisors
for creating high-quality content on their Agent Profiler sites. Those who most
productively close bookings on leads can now be designated as Gold or Diamond Super
Agents, depending on their productivity. In turn, this generates more leads for
them. There are now 21,500 profiles on Agent Profiler. Of those, 2,500 are
Super Agents, 440 have reached Gold Status and 171 Diamond status. The average
sale for a booking from Agent Profiler is $11,017.
- TLN is expanding its CRM reach by affiliating
with more CRM companies. McGillivray said there has been an “explosion” of CRM
providers in recent years, and they are vying for travel advisors. Advisors, in
turn, he said, need them. Vos said, “It’s not sexy to talk about CRM but the
payoff is massive.”
- The Leaders Edge website program has been relaunched,
offering members a turnkey website solution. The websites are continually
updated and maintained.
- Cruise Complete, a booking engine, saw bookings
increase by 23% last year, and 7 more suppliers are being added this year.
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