If you happened to be near YYZ on 12NOV, you may have heard a great deal of cheering, laughter and camaraderie coming from the Travelsavers Dine and Discover event.
The second annual event for consortium managers, host agencies, and advisors, the occasion saw some 100 GTA attendees along with 27 suppliers ranging from cruise lines and tourist boards to airlines and tour operators. The show was held at the View Clubhouse Event Space in Etobicoke.
“We now have 310 agencies in Canada and some 1,800 advisors,” Jane Clementino, the group’s Senior Vice President and General Manager for Canada told Open Jaw. Other Dine and Discover events are taking place in Vancouver, Montreal and Québec City (Travelsavers has over 100 agencies in the province of Québec).
And Clementino is looking to make the event even larger next year.
Reflecting on the changing marketplace, she commented that they are seeing an increase in “almost everything” (except wedding groups, which may be down as couples were less likely to connect during the isolation of Covid). “But multi-gen and cruise, for example, are up significantly, with the booking window back up to six months.”
In all, the consortium saw a growth of a whopping 93% year over year ’22 to ’23.
“We have the solution to all of your needs,” she told the group during the dinner presentation. “We are tech forward, innovative and have a huge portfolio, such as our hotel program with 60,000 hotels.”
Clementino is also bullish on the air side – even air only – telling Open Jaw that advisors were a little gun shy to sell air post Covid because of the overwhelming sked changes.
“But we are trying to get our advisors to provide end-to-end service.” Travelsavers which is 100% leisure-based, works with 3 air consolidators giving the advisors a huge range of choice (and built-in expertise and clout).
For ’25, the group will be focused on engagement, ensuring that advisors can hone their skills, such as working with AI (the group has its own proprietary tool). They are also working to establish a date for the group’s international Travel Market. Sadly this year, the event in Florida had to be cancelled partway through due to Hurricane Helene.
The evening ended with awards to recognize agencies’ support of Travelsavers. And by Jane wrapping up with a heartfelt, “I love you all!;” a sentiment no doubt returned by many in the room.
