Skift Take

World Travel Holdings has emerged as a powerhouse, particularly in the cruise sector. While strengthening its presence in other sectors, the company's top executives say that cruises will only get stronger as a revenue source for travel advisors.

Whether you are a home-based travel advisor or you work in a large office servicing high-profile accounts, the Travel Advisor Innovation Report will have you covered with the trends, news, and features you’ll need to stay on top of an ever-changing marketplace.

Ever since the collapse of airline commissions a couple of decades ago, cruises have become the revenue mainstay for many travel agencies. Will this hold true in the future? Executives at World Travel Holdings, which describes itself as the largest cruise travel agency in the United States, told Skift that there is every reason to believe that demand for cruises will only get stronger in the years to come.

They pointed to the expanding number of ships and types of cruises, which are encouraging more travelers to give cruising a try. At the same time, the growing complexity of cruise choices is making guidance from travel advisors essential.

Our conversation also looked into how World Travel Holdings continues to evolve as an offline and online leisure travel powerhouse. Its portfolio includes the travel agency franchises CriuseOne and Dream Vacations, along with brands such as Cruises.com, Villas of Distinction, and Resort for a Day. With its decision earlier this year to join the Travel Leaders Network, it further strengthened its position as both a retail travel seller and an industry supplier.

For more coverage of pertinent issues, click here.

Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].

— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

Featured Stories

Rest Easy, Travel Advisors — Cruises Are Recession Resistant: World Travel Holdings Co-CEO: Executives at World Travel Holdings, a major cruise distributor, are confident that cruises will only grow in importance to travel advisors, pointing to consumer trends and changing demographics. Given the value cruises provide, the executives also believe they are the most recession-proof form of travel.

Travel Leaders Group Aims to Accelerate UK Growth After Thomas Cook Collapse: With one of the biggest names in UK travel exiting the market, there’s space for other travel firms to pick up some of the travel demand. It’s not going to be easy with plenty of Brexit uncertainty in the market as well as lots of competition.

Online Travel Agency On the Beach Sees a Blessing and Curse From Thomas Cook’s Demise: On the Beach’s purchase of Classic Collection Holidays now looks like a strategic masterstroke in light of the collapse of Thomas Cook. Brick-and-mortar travel agents in the United Kingdom lost a holiday supplier, and the company has a ready-made alternative on offer.

Airlines

Sabre Stops Selling Most Finnair Tickets in Contract Spat: It’s rare for airline contract disputes with distribution companies to reach this outcome. Finnair will suffer financially until it cuts a deal. Sabre, for its part, risks embarrassment if it’s seen as bullying a midsize carrier. Nobody usually ends up winning in these classic games of chicken.

Lodgings

Selina Hotels Step Up Against WeWork in Latin America: WeWork’s co-working model may be fledgling, but hotels are putting a twist on the concept to connect locals and digital nomads.

Italy Revives Abandoned Villages as Experiential Travel Destinations: While every destination tries to offer authenticity, few really deliver. But in Italy, scores of local passion projects are serving up the real deal — while helping rural areas make a comeback in a sustainable way.

Hotels Experiment With Reducing Food Waste: Will All-You-Can-Eat Buffets Be History? Hotels are known for wanting to please their guests, and feeding them is one way of doing it. But food waste deteriorates the environment. Hotels are making an effort to cut down on it. So they are earning praise for trying, but they have a long way to go.

Tourism

Syria’s Tourism Industry Shows Signs of Life — But the Comeback Is Controversial: Is visiting a country an implicit endorsement of its leadership? Or can intrepid travelers frame it simply as a gesture of connection with its people? The situation in Syria raises these questions and more.

Events

Pitching Personalized Boutique Meeting Spaces Over Cavernous Convention Halls: As the boutique trend sweeps the events industry, a handful of venue providers are jostling for top spot. London’s Etc. Venues thinks its “laser focus” will allow it to stand out in the United States, but will it be able to compete with more established players like Convene?

Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

Sign up for the Free Skift Travel Advisor Newsletter

smartphone

The Daily Newsletter

Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: cruises, events, lodging, tourism

Photo credit: Royal Caribbean ships are shown in Cozumel. Woody Hibbard / Flickr

Up Next

Loading next stories