AMG announces AI tool to fuel travel agency sales

OYSTER BAY, NY – American Marketing Group (AMG) is introducing technology, including a customized AI solution, and marketing initiatives to continue driving sales growth for its affiliated advisors.

 AI Connect

AMG is launching a proprietary AI tool to help advisors market to clients and prospects in minutes instead of hours. AI Connect will help advisors develop polished marketing content while saving precious time.

With the program, advisors can access exclusive preferred partner offers for the US or Canada and generate social media captions, blog posts and landing pages. AI Connect also integrates with Canva to build graphics using royalty-free images, all while learning the unique tone and style of the advisor’s brand.

AI Connect offers advisors several advantages over other AI tools:

• It’s been trained specifically for them and their needs
• Their content will not be shared to train AI models
• They can easily access exclusive supplier offers
• It’s priced at a monthly rate far below what other travel-focused AI tools charge

“Generative AI is opening up a $28 billion-plus opportunity for the travel industry,” said Nicole Mazza, AMG Chief Marketing Officer. “We’re seizing that opportunity with AI Connect and giving our advisors the advantage they need to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. With AI Connect, they’ll be able to work smarter and faster to create professional marketing materials that will translate into sales.”

Technology Innovations

This year, AMG advanced its proprietary technology, in keeping with its five-decade-plus history of innovation to make selling travel easier for advisors. The industry-leading tripXpress booking platform has several new enhancements to improve performance and open additional inventory to advisors:

• It can now pull live information into passive bookings for real-time updates
• It now offers 26 cruise lines, many direct connects
• Improved consumer experience with a more intuitive layout and relevant updates

Coming soon: a tripXpress feature that will be unique to AMG. Advisors will be able to deep-link directly to tripXpress from their webpages or blog posts. They will be able to add a link to their communications that takes consumers directly into the booking process. The booking is automatically attributed to the advisor, making the connection seamless from inspiration to reservation.

Other technology innovations include:

• A custom-branded URL at the agency or advisor level that will stay the same for every marketing campaign. With a single link, advisors can easily drive consumers to promotions and offers.
• Enhancing advisor extranets so advisors can find all the information they need to market and sell successfully in one central place. The home page will be streamlined, displaying all marketing offers and campaigns prominently, with links to the most frequently visited extranet features.

Marketing and Lead Generation

Robust marketing programs to reach both travel advisors and consumers have expanded their reach in 2024:

• 5.6 million emails sent to consumers, up 47 percent from last year
• 700,000 emails sent to advisors, up 4.4 percent from last year
• 72,000 monthly pageviews of advisor extranet sites, which provide an information hub for affiliated agencies – up 4.3 percent from last year
• 12,000 leads sent to advisors

Digital campaigns are a cornerstone of AMG’s lead generation strategy, proving highly successful since their introduction last year. Tens of thousands of consumers looking for travel expertise view the ads, then visit network websites, generating high-quality leads for advisors. In the coming year, three campaigns will launch, focusing on new-to-cruise customers, Suite Life and romance travel.

Another initiative to drive more leads to travel advisors are enhanced profiles on the TRAVELSAVERS, NEST and Affluent Traveler Collection consumer websites. Travelers are now able to select the advisor that’s the best match for them based on location, specialties, destination expertise, languages spoken as well as accolades and certifications.

“We are driven to constantly innovate because the success of our advisors depends on it,” said Mazza. “Advisors don’t have enough hours in the day to manage all their responsibilities. Through our initiatives that help them book travel and market more efficiently, we’re giving them valuable time back to spend on client service.”

 Partner Additions

AMG has brought on preferred partners to broaden travel options for advisors and their clients:

• Project Expedition offers thousands of excursions, tours and attractions in destinations worldwide, from thrilling adventures and cultural immersion to relaxation and ecotourism
• Le Passage to India is a destination management company that arranges tailored experiences throughout the country in niches including wellness, adventure, culinary, culture and shopping
• Travel Industry Solutions provides agencies with tools and resources to mitigate risk, protect against chargebacks, maintain compliance, and stay informed of changing laws and regulations
• The number of airlines has now grown to 60, with the additions of Qantas, Turkish Airlines, BermudAir, Condor and LATAM Airlines.

TRAVELSAVERS Preferred Hotel Program

The TRAVELSAVERS Preferred Hotel Program offers advisors commissionable rates from more than 51,000 hotels, including over 6,100 extended stay hotel accommodations, and access to more than 1 million serviced apartments in over 9,000 cities and 190 countries. Through the program, agencies affiliated with AMG networks book more than 21 million room nights worth $3.9 billion in annual revenue.

In 2024, the TRAVELSAVERS Preferred Hotel Program launched two initiatives:

• A first-of-its-kind online Marketing Store.
• A marketing program, Extended Stays by TRAVELSAVERS, to offer more prominence for long-stay properties. As demand rises for extended stay accommodations, advisors can easily find a curated selection of properties that meet their clients’ needs.

New KORE Markets

The KORE travel education program equips new consultants with the essential skills and knowledge to excel as both travel professionals and business owners. The program offers learners a comprehensive, flexible, and self-paced online curriculum. KORE is the only travel advisor education program that offers mentorship with an agency owner or manager, as well as a placement service to connect candidates with top agencies that are hiring.

This year, KORE launched in Canada, featuring modules developed specifically for the needs of that market. Courses are co-created with in-country experts, addressing airline regulations, cruise sales and compliance and fraud protection in the country,

KORE is approaching diverse audiences who may be considering a travel advisor career, including military veterans and people consulting with recruitment agencies and workforce development programs.