Staff News

RETAIL ROUND-UP: ACTA, TTAND-Avalon, Direct Travel, TTC Tour Brands

TTTAND agents at the ACTA river cruise summit: Beverley Edgar; Dave Angel; Melanie Murray; Linda DeRusha; Jennifer Jones; Jodi Simpson; Jackie Mann; Coleen Rogg; Sandra Romanuskas; Laura Tempan; Anna Mackay; Debbie Smith; Al Cindor; Jacqueline Darian; Judith Coates; Kryselle Langford; Larry Caniff; Sarah Berry; Sheri Knutson; Tanya Rabe; Tracy Comer

In this week’s round-up, ACTA wants to know what members think of NDC; TTAND travel advisors were river cruising with ACTA and Avalon Waterways; Direct Travel held its annual conference in Chicago; and TTC Tour Brands inaugurated its first advisors conference.

ACTA

ACTA has launched a comprehensive member consultation through a survey focused on New Distribution Capability (NDC) implementation and its impacts.

“This strategic initiative aims to gather valuable insights that will shape ACTA’s future advocacy efforts and educational programming related to NDC,” says ACTA President Wendy Paradis, adding, “Throughout the NDC transition period, ACTA has been actively representing member interests in discussions with suppliers while providing numerous educational resources and opportunities to support its membership.”

With NDC now achieving widespread adoption across the Canadian travel industry, ACTA believes it is an opportune moment to assess how members are adapting to and working with the new technology.

The consultation will specifically examine members’ current engagement levels with NDC, identify any challenges they are encountering in their day-to-day operations, and explore potential areas for improvement in NDC implementation.

The survey is accessible to all ACTA members and will remain open until Nov. 27. Members can participate in the survey by clicking HERE.

TTAND

Avalon Waterways recently hosted its second ACTA Summit on the Danube River, with over 100 travel advisors from across Canada. The custom, travel advisor-only cruise set sail in Budapest for the eight-day “Danube Dreams” itinerary, which also allowed advisors to take part in “Classic,” “Discovery” and “Active” choice excursions.

On the business side, participants took place in workshops and special events and had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with representatives from Manulife and Air Canada.

“We always want to support ACTA initiatives,” said Flemming Friisdahl, CEO of TTAND, which counted 22 advisors among the Summit participants. “We know that first-hand experience is always the best possible way to learn about products. We have been a supporter of Globus brands and Avalon for many years.”

“We are absolutely so excited and proud so see the investment and engagement we have seen from our agent partners,” said Denise Harper, Sr. Director, Business Development at Globus Family of Brands. “They have invested in their future and their education by supporting this event and we are incredibly grateful.”

TTC TOUR BRANDS

 TTC Tour Brands held its inaugural TTC Tour Brands Advisor Alliance in mid-October in partnership with Travel Alberta. During the invite-only business summit, 20 travel advisors (photo above) and TTC Tour Brands representatives spent a week sharing feedback, planning and networking to optimize their travel business. With Travel Alberta, advisors also explored Calgary, Banff National Park, Lake Louise and “hidden gem” Canmore.

“Travel advisors play a pivotal role in our success, and it’s essential that we continue to provide avenues for them to share their feedback and ideas, enabling us to better support their business,” says Melissa DaSilva, interim CEO of TTC Tour Brands. “At our inaugural summit this past week, advisors shared invaluable insights into our processes and a deeper understanding of the trends advisors have identified across the industry. Partnering with Travel Alberta not only enhanced the experience for advisors and team but also gave us a glimpse into the types of exceptional experiences we’re all striving to deliver for our guests. We are grateful for Travel Alberta’s support and look forward to expanding our collaboration in the future.”

Attendees who participated in the summit attended several interactive sessions led by members of TTC Tour Brands, which includes Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations, Contiki, Costsaver, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold.

Advisors also had the chance to provide feedback about their experience working with TTC Tour Brands to key members of TTC Tour Brands including Madhvi Buch, Global Head of Business Solutions, Ashley Woodring, VP of Sales, Priscilla Odoom, Partner Marketing Manager and more. They discussed opportunities to better work together, such as giving advisors the chance to provide feedback about new marketing before it is launched and TTC Tour Brands’ tech policies and benefits.

Direct Travel

Direct Travel recently held its annual conference, “Direct Access,” in Chicago with over 300 attendees including agency managers, advisors and I/Cs, and supplier partners from across North America.

Team building, new business development, a new commission management platform, and giving back were on the agenda, as well as over 3,000 matched appointments between advisors and partners focused on building business into 2025.

Professional Development sessions highlighted a showcase of Direct Travel’s latest technology release: Direct Tracker, a custom-built commission management platform.

The event kicked off with great fanfare as the “Blues Brothers” (aka Stephen Smith and Gerard Bellino) made their entrance at the welcome reception.

Meanwhile, the GEM Awards gala dinner recognized over 150 top performing advisors across North America who achieved Sapphire, Diamond or Ruby sales status with Direct Travel.

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