Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), enhancing services for upscale clients and increasing visibility for travel advisors were among the issues addressed during the recent Elevate Connections conference hosted by Global Travel Collection (GTC) in New York City.
GTC, the premium and luxury travel division of Internova Travel Group, staged the event at Chelsea Piers in New York City on Sept. 19, bringing together dozens of member advisors and suppliers for a day of education and networking.
Speakers highlighted several recent initiatives, including a recently launched partnership with Ten Lifestyle Group, a concierge service that will support GTC advisors and their clients, and the debut of Social Society, a platform dedicated to sharpening advisors’ social media strategies.
The potential for AI to help travel advisors, meanwhile, was a recurring theme at the event. GTC is now working with Atlas AI, for example, on a beta version of its platform that member advisors can access for the next six months. In addition, GTC has announced an expanded relationship with Nicer, a travel technology company, to create a new agency AI platform that will initially be used by advisors affiliated with In the Know Experiences, GTC’s boutique luxury travel agency. Plans call for the partnership to expand to other GTC divisions in the future.
Angie Licea, president of Global Travel Collection, said the two organizations are an ideal match.
“We’re experts in travel; they’re experts in technology,” she said. “We can use their technology to bring new people into the industry very quickly and teach them how to be travel advisors.
Licea said this latest foray into AI showcases her company’s proactive approach to technology — which she says is a sharp contrast from other travel agencies, especially when AI first entered the scene.
AI is a tool. It’s a tool that can be used by consumers and it can be used by advisors. But it is never replacing advisors.
“I think some agencies were pulling back, saying ‘we don’t want to talk about it because our advisors are going to get scared,’ and we had people outside the industry saying, ‘this is the end of travel advisors,’” she said. “I took a position very strongly on AI as a tool that enables our advisors. That’s how [GTC and Nicely] ended up connecting, because we both shared that same philosophy: AI is a tool. It’s a tool that can be used by consumers and it can be used by advisors. But it is never replacing advisors.”
RELATED: Most Travelers Are Wary of Generative AI’s Impact on Travel
The new AI platform will offer multiple benefits, according to Licea.
“This is a game changer,” she said. “I keep saying, time is money for advisors. We have to increase their productivity, so this is a game changer for them to get answers quickly on things that they need information about. They should be able to get the information, move on and not waste time — to make themselves available to do what they do so well: selling.”
Ragan Stone, co-founder and CEO at Nicer, also shared her vision of the expanded partnership’s potential.
“What’s really exciting is how much quicker [advisors] can scale and grow their business,” she said. “They can bring in additional people for their team and the training time is significantly reduced, so that’s a huge plus for advisors — and then, in general, being able to work a lot quicker.”
What’s really exciting is how much quicker [advisors] can scale and grow their business.
Carlos Garcia, Nicer board member and advisor, and founder and general partner of Trip Ventures, a travel technology investment company, told TravelAge West that the best is yet to come.
“Nicer is all about supercharging travel advisors, delivering on that promise of high touch and high tech together,” he said. “It’s only going to get better. Every day, we’re doing things that are going to make the platform better for advisors, and everything that is better for the advisors is also better for the traveler. I think there’s going to be a lot more people using travel advisors because of this, and that’s very good news for the industry.”
GTC Advisors as TV Stars
Attendees at Elevate Connections were also treated to a preview of the second season of “1st Look Presents: Extra Mile Club,” a reality competition show that airs nationwide on NBC beginning on Sept. 28.
It’s an investment in increasing visibility for the profession and demonstrating that travel advisors are indispensable.
The fast-paced program highlights the expertise of travel advisors as they compete to design unique itineraries for upscale clients. In this season, the clients are Emma Hernan and Chelsea Lazkani of the Netflix show, “Selling Sunset.” The first two episodes of the new season were filmed in Maui.
The show also stars GTC travel advisors Leslie Tillem, an executive corporate and luxury travel advisor at Tzell Travel Group in Delray Beach, Florida, and Curtis Parris, an entertainment, luxury and corporate travel advisor at the Parris Group, an affiliate of Protravel International in Fairfield, New Jersey.
According to Licea, the show is an invaluable opportunity to raise awareness about the vital role that travel advisors play.
“We want the public to know the value advisors bring,” she said. “It’s an investment in increasing visibility for the profession and demonstrating that travel advisors are indispensable.”
The next Elevate Connections event is slated for May 19-22, 2025, at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.
