Expedia Group is celebrating Global Travel Advisor Day today (May 1) by hosting a number of events across the world, including Canada, to show appreciation for its Expedia TAAP (Travel Agent Affiliate Program) partners. Overall, Expedia Group will be hosting 16 events across three continents.

During the events, Expedia Group is launching and presenting new products to Expedia TAAP partners as well as expanding some existing services to new markets global booking platform that connects travel advisors to Expedia Group’s global portfolio of hotels, vacation rentals, flights, packages, car rentals, and activities offerings.

Among them:

• The company has rolled out deferred payments to the majority of markets across the globe, which gives Expedia TAAP partners more flexible payment options to effectively manage their cash flow.
• The Expedia TAAP Rewards program expands to Canada and Mexico, providing advisors more opportunities to be rewarded for their bookings.

Deferred payments

Deferred payments first launched in 2021 but has since scaled to 30 out of 32 Expedia TAAP markets across the globe, the most recent being Brazil and China. This product allows Expedia TAAP partners and agencies to pay later for lodging bookings. Over 16,000 agencies on the Expedia TAAP platform have already enabled deferred payments.

Expedia Group’s research has shown that the booking window for a travel agency booking is typically much longer than direct customer bookings, with an average six-month timeline. Most agencies take a small deposit from the traveller while paying the full amount owed to Expedia Group at the time of booking. Deferred payments enables agencies to better manage their cash flow by being able to pay Expedia Group closer to the check-in date and having more flexibility through the pay later option. This will enable travel partners of all sizes to better balance their budgets and serve more bookings.

Expanding the TAAP Rewards Program

 Following the success of the TAAP Rewards program in the US, this month Expedia Group will be expanding the travel advisor loyalty program to Canada and Mexico. The loyalty program rewards advisors for choosing to book with Expedia TAAP, offering them the opportunity to earn reward points on lodging bookings, which can be redeemed for gift cards from popular retailers.

Robin Lawther, VP of Expedia TAAP, said: “Global Travel Advisor Day presents the ideal opportunity for Expedia Group to show its appreciation for our travel advisors across all markets. Today’s announcement shows our commitment to support them in a variety of new ways – improving our service offering so they can continue to attract new customers and support existing ones through more personalized services that better respond to their needs, while also creating a product that allows them to more effectively manage their cash flow.”

Expedia says more TAAP program enhancements will be unveiled later this year.