MONTREAL — Signature Travel Group is subsidizing ASTA’s Verified Travel Advisor (VTA) certification for member agencies, Signature announced during its Owners’ Meeting here last week.
Signature president and CEO Alex Sharpe indicated that members said the program’s cost was an obstacle. Sharpe said he approached ASTA about offering a bulk deal for the program, and is also subsidizing some of the cost itself.
The course regularly costs $399 per person. If Signature members’ advisors complete it by the end of the year, it will only cost them $99. If they complete it after the end of the year, it will cost $149. Recertification was also reduced for Signature members, costing $49.
ASTA launched the advanced certification program in 2017 and stiffened the certification requirements this year.
Agencies can use TobyAI for free
Signature is offering members a chance to dabble in generative AI. The agency cooperative has purchased five-seat licenses to TobyAI for every member. TobyAI is an artificial intelligence engine designed for travel advisors.
Signature executive vice president of information technologies Karen Yeates said Signature is gradually infusing generative AI into its systems. TobyAI offers a foot in the door for advisors to get used to the technology and understand how it might help them work more efficiently. Signature will hold AI training sessions during its conference in November.
More is to come on AI.
“Our focus now will be to define a strategy around data,” Yeates said. “We want to be able to capitalize on AI, and we can’t fully capitalize on AI unless we have all of this data in one place.”
Launch of a new hotel booking engine
Signature will launch its new hotel booking engine, Hotel Connection, on Sept. 30.
In development since February with partner NaviTrip, the proprietary booking engine will make it easier for advisors to see hotel availability, said Yeates.
Yeates said that if advisors currently want to see availability, they have to click into each hotel to check.
