TORONTO — TRAVELSAVERS Canada is offering a highlight reel from the year to date, plus a look ahead at new initiatives just launched including a new customized AI solution and a new tech feature with Softvoyage.

Here’s a look at all the latest news from the retail travel group …

AI CONNECT

TRAVELSAVERS Canada’s proprietary AI tool, AI Connect, aims to help advisors effectively and efficiently ramp up their marketing efforts to clients and prospects.

With the program, advisors can access exclusive preferred partner offers for Canada or the U.S. 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.

SOFTVOYAGE

TRAVELSAVERS Canada has debuted a new feature on its Softvoyage platform for booking vacation packages, flights and hotels: a user-friendly dashboard. The dashboard helps travel professionals easily create and market custom group trips and packages. Softvoyage generates a unique code for use in marketing materials, allowing consumers to click directly into its booking engine.

Jane Clementino, Senior Vice President and General Manager of TRAVELSAVERS Canada, says the enhancement drives website traffic and improves search engine visibility, helping advisors stand out in a competitive market.

“We’re thrilled to introduce this innovative feature, giving our advisors a powerful new tool to drive their business forward,” said Clementino. “This new enhancement is all about giving them the cutting-edge technology they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

MORE TECH INNOVATIONS

This year TRAVELSAVERS Canada advanced its proprietary technology, including its

tripXpress booking platform, now with several new enhancements to improve performance and open additional inventory to advisors. TripXpress can now pull live information into passive bookings for real-time updates, plus it now offers 26 cruise lines, many direct connects providing real time inventory access and live ship assets.

And coming soon: a feature in the tripXpress booking engine unique to TRAVELSAVERS Canada. Advisors will be able to deep-link directly to tripXpress from their webpages, social media 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.

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, says the company. Plus, TRAVELSAVERS Canada is enhancing advisor extranets so advisors can find all the information they need to market and sell 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 & LEAD GENERATION

Clementino says TRAVELSAVERS Canada’s marketing programs – connecting with both travel advisors and consumers – expanded their reach in 2024 …

. 5.6 million emails sent to consumers, up 47% from last year

. 700,000 emails sent to advisors, up 4.4% from last year

. 72,000 monthly pageviews of advisor extranet sites, which provide an information hub for affiliated agencies – up 4.3% from last year

. 12,000 leads sent to advisors

Clementino notes that digital campaigns are a cornerstone of TRAVELSAVERS Canada’s lead generation strategy, with tens of thousands of consumers looking for travel expertise viewing the ads, then visiting 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 Canada and Affluent Traveler Collection consumer websites. Travellers 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 committed to continuous innovation because we know our advisors’ success relies on it,” said Clementino. “Advisors juggle countless tasks each day, and by introducing tools that streamline booking and marketing, we’re giving them the time and resources to focus on what matters most – delivering exceptional service to their clients.”

PARTNER ADDITIONS

TRAVELSAVERS Canada has brought on several new preferred suppliers …

. Club Med

. Sandals Resorts

. Just You

. Playa Hotels & Resorts

. Airnets International

. Uplift

. Project Expedition

. Le Passage to India

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. First, there’s the first-of-its-kind online Marketing Store. Preferred properties can visit

https://hotelprogram.travelsavers.com/ to browse, select and buy targeted advertising solutions that will boost their visibility.

Second, the marketing program, Extended Stays by TRAVELSAVERS, offers 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, says Clementino.

NEW KORE MARKETS

KORE launched in Canada this year, featuring modules developed specifically for the needs of the Canadian market. The KORE travel education program equips new consultants with the essential skills and knowledge to excel as both travel professionals and business owners.

Courses are co-created with in-country experts, addressing airline regulations, cruise sales and compliance and fraud protection in the country.

Clementino notes that 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.