TORONTO — A group of 18 TPI Advisors experienced Cambodia recently with G Adventures, as part of TPI’s exclusive Specialized Travel Education Program (STEP).
The group was joined by Sean Russo, National Sales Manager, Canada for G Adventures and local CEO G Adventures guide Cheak Chuom.

TPI says STEP is an exclusive education initiative created to educate TPI advisors about a destination, tour, excursion or cruise ship product.

STEPs assist TPI Advisors to develop and improve their product knowledge and in turn provide clients with “exceptional service, and drive additional sales and revenue”.

The STEP trips are escorted by a TPI host along with the supplier host.

TPI says it has seen “tremendous positive feedback” about the STEP program, noting that year after year, advisors “are pleased with their experience and find it extremely beneficial to their business and an opportunity to interact with their TPI peers, learning and sharing in small like-minded groups.”

TPI Advisor Kathylynne Fenton, who took part in the trip, said: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience a G Adventures tour with TPI, as I now have a better understanding of the trip style and am excited to share the information with my clients! I am confident I will have no trouble selling this travel style in the future as a result of my first-hand experience on the Cambodia STEP fam.”
G Adventures’ Russo said the tour operator was happy to bring the TPI Advisors on its Cambodia Experience itinerary. “They entered this trip with an open mind and heart; each advisor gained a better understanding of our WHY and HOW and we strongly believe they are in a better position to showcase the power and difference of adventure travel and community tourism.”

He added: “Travel is about connections and understandings, and we believe the advisors have a better understanding of life and the culture of the people of Cambodia. We look forward to growing our working relationship between TPI, its Advisors and their newly minted group of storytellers.”

Published by TravelWeek

TORONTO — Travel Professional International (TPI) is showing its solidarity with the people of the Bahamas by donating $5 for every booking made today towards hurricane relief.

All donations will be made to the Sandals Foundation and will be used to help restore the lives of the locals most affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Northern Bahamas.

“During this difficult time, we want to extend our sincere condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives and wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” said Zeina Gedeon, CEO. “We send our customers to the beautiful and welcoming island of the Bahamas and want to give back in any way we can.”

The record-breaking storm devastated Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands when it made landfall last Sunday. It is now battering North Carolina as a Category 1 storm.

Published by TravelWeek

TORONTO — Travel Professionals International (TPI) is levelling up for its annual conference at Beaches Turks & Caicos, kicking off Nov. 13.

With 330 participants expected to attend, including 38 supplier partners, the host agency conference will include a series of sessions around the theme ‘Level Up’, which CEO Zeina Gedeon says is aimed at helping agents succeed.

“This year’s conference is all about encouraging advisors to ‘Level Up’ their business and take that next step to reach their goals. Once you connect all the dots for your business, there is only one place to go from there – to the next level,” she says.

During the conference, advisors will have access to interactive sales sessions and supplier one-on-one sessions, as well as learn valuable business skill strategies. They’ll also get the chance to connect with fellow advisors and preferred supplier partners. Keynote speakers include Julie Cole, co-founder of Mabel’s Labels, and Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts.

The conference marks the end of TPI’s celebrations for its 25th year, during which the company achieved record-breaking double-digit growth in sales, commission and memberships.

Published by TravelWeek

Published by OpenJaw

LAS VEGAS — Travel Professionals International (TPI) was awarded the coveted award for 2019 Top Air Year-Over-Year Percentage Growth – Member Agency at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas earlier this month.

According to Colton Chia, Director of Partnerships who accepted the award, the honour is especially significant as only a fraction of the network’s 20,000 advisors and 1,000-plus travel agency members are recognized at Virtuoso Travel Week.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Virtuoso for our advisors’ increase in air production,” said Chia. “Virtuoso Air is an important addition to our direct contracts, providing leading commission levels for growing markets.”

David Kolner, senior vice president, Global Member Partnerships at Virtuoso, added: “This network is always working to ensure the client experience is elevated to the next level, and Virtuoso members such as TPI deserve credit for their efforts in ensuring this happens.”

TPI advisor Kelly Krill also took home 3rd place in the Virtuoso Travel Photo Contest for her image, ‘Wild Orangutan Getting Fruit’. Her photo was featured in the Virtuoso gallery at the Bellagio throughout the week.

The 31st annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas attracted some 3,000 attendees. Taking place from Aug. 10-16 at Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa, the event was hosted by Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch, Senior Vice President of Marketing Terrie Hansen, and Senior Vice President of Global Member Partnerships David Kolner.

Published by TravelWeek

TORONTO — Travel Professionals International’s cross-country Regional meetings, wrapping up this week, drew more than 275 TPI Advisors.

Also attending the meetings were TPI’s adventure travel and FIT specialist supplier partners. Advisors were given exclusive training to help them expand their business and reach new clients through different and unique product offerings. The events also featured key networking opportunities.

“Regional meetings are so important to our Advisors. The focused learning sessions allow unique advantages to learn from our preferred partners and being alongside their peers,” said Caroline Hay, National Director of Sales, TPI.

“These opportunities are a great way for Advisors to mingle with their fellow Advisors while gaining useful knowledge and experience to help build their own business. One of the struggles of an independent Advisor is not having the opportunity to network and meet other Advisors, we ensure that we provide a forum for this to happen on a continuous basis throughout the year.”

The exclusive training and networking opportunities are an essential part of TPI’s continuous support to their Advisors, added Hay.

“I enjoy being able to connect with my fellow Advisors, but I love being able to connect with the head office team. I appreciate them taking the time to come visit us,” said Joanne Laurie, TPI Advisor. “Having that face to face interaction is so very important. Not everyone can attend the conference or bigger city events, so we need regional meetings across the country to keep us all feeling part of the family.”

Tracy Hamilton, TPI Advisor, added: “TPI does an outstanding job of sharing information with advisors. There is something that can never compare to a face-to-face event. Being from a smaller centre, the Regional Meetings are a great chance to have more personal contact with the head office team. They are also a great opportunity to learn from other advisors in the region and to see more suppliers.”

Hay says that TPI already has more than 50 exclusive networking and training events on the schedule for 2020.

Published by TravelWeek on September, 26th, 2019

TORONTO — Travel Professionals International (TPI) marked its 25th anniversary last night by extending gratitude to its supplier partners for years of support. There was a lot to celebrate as TPI wrapped up what it says is the most successful year in its history.

“The trust we have in each other and the trust of our advisors and clients is very important to great supplier partnerships. You all play a crucial role in building this trust through the exceptional support and experiences you deliver our network of travel agents,” said Colton Chia, TPI’s Director of Partnerships.

He added that in 1994 TPI began to give travel agents the opportunity to be their own boss. TPI established itself as a host agency aimed at uniting agents so they could benefit from group buying power. TPI now has more than 900 agents in its network and over 35 staff, offering agents support in sales, marketing, technology and more.

“We’ve just wrapped up our 25th year which has been the most successful year in the company’s history in terms of sales growth, top-line revenue and recruitment,” continued Chia. “We want to extend a big thank you to all of our partners and agents alike.”

Looking ahead TPI plans to focus on more targeted sales, marketing and professional development efforts. Technology and data will continue to be important as they find ways to drive increased sales.

Also for 2020, early bookings will be important as they anticipate softened demand as a result of the U.S. election.

“On behalf of the entire TPI Team, thank you for everything that you do to support us and for taking the time to join us this evening. We look forward to a great year ahead together,” said Chia.

Published by TravelWeek on August 30, 2019

“Wild Orangutan Getting Fruit” by Kelly Krill

Travel Professionals International (TPI) Advisor, Kelly Krill was awarded 3rdplace for the 2019 Virtuoso Photo Contest at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. The contest recognizes unique travel photos submitted by their national community of travel advisors across North America.

“I’m honoured to have that photo place in the Virtuoso Travel Photo contest,” says Krill, independent owner of the TPI-affiliated KLK Travel, “and to be able to share my special moment with others as it hangs in the Bellagio gallery at Virtuoso Travel Week!”

Krill’s photo was taken while on a Silversea Expedition cruise last September in Sumatra. Krill went on a 3 am trek along the mountain for 5km, until she rounded a corner and found a mother and baby orangutan hanging out in a tree. Two kilometres later, she saw a large male orangutan walk on a tree branch to collect fruit. This was the image captured and shared in the Virtuoso Photo Contest.

TPI says it’s proud to have one of their own advisors awarded for capturing the special moment, titled “Wild Orangutan Getting Fruit.”

Published  August 20th, 2019 on Open Jaw

LAS VEGAS — Virtuoso’s top members were honoured at its 31st annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, where over 3,000 of travel’s biggest names took part in week-long celebrations.

Taking place from Aug. 10-16 at Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa, the event was hosted by Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch, Senior Vice President of Marketing Terrie Hansen, and Senior Vice President of Global Member Partnerships David Kolner.

To determine this year’s winners, partners were asked to vote for agencies and advisors, after which travel agency members selected the victorious partners. Thousands of votes were cast, showing a high level of engagement.

“I’m always impressed and inspired by how our members and partners constantly innovate to deliver unforgettable travel experiences to their clients,” said Upchurch. “It’s appropriate that we honour our most remarkable Virtuosos on the final night of our annual ‘family reunion’, when we’ve celebrated an incredible week of forging human connections.”

Among this year’s winners is Travel Professionals International (TPI), which was awarded coveted 2019 Top Air Year-Over-Year Percentage Growth – Member Agency. According to Colton Chia, Director of Partnerships who accepted the award, the honour is especially significant as only a small fraction of the network’s 20,000 advisors and 1,000-plus travel agency members are recognized at Virtuoso Travel Week.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Virtuoso for our advisors’ increase in air production,” said Chia. “Virtuoso Air is an important addition to our direct contracts, providing leading commission levels for growing markets.”

David Kolner, senior vice president, Global Member Partnerships at Virtuoso, added: “This network is always working to ensure the client experience is elevated to the next level, and Virtuoso members such as TPI deserve credit for their efforts in ensuring this happens.”

TPI advisor Kelly Krill also took home 3rd place in the Virtuoso Travel Photo Contest for her image, ‘Wild Orangutan Getting Fruit’. Her photo was featured in the Virtuoso gallery at the Bellagio throughout the week.

Published on Travel Week News on August 16, 2019

Travel Professionals International (TPI) has recognized double-digit growth in sales, commission, and membership as they move into their 26^th year of business.

READ MORE: VIDEO: Behind the scenes with TPI for May’s PAX magazine

August 1 marked the new fiscal year for TPI, and the company reports a banner year as they wrap up their 25^th year in business.

“Twenty-five years ago, I started this journey to create a place for entrepreneur minded advisors to call home and provide them with the support and technology to help them become more successful,” said Morris Chia, executive chairman of TPI. “I am pleased to announce that we have experienced a record-breaking double-digit increase this past fiscal in various segments of our business with a particular growth emphasis on FIT bookings. All forward booking indicators also point towards another solid season ahead. I applaud all the efforts of our TPI Advisors and thank them for all their hard work and passion that they bring to their business. As we move into our twenty-sixth year in business, TPI will continue to focus on what is mostly relevant for our advisors – to be more efficient, and to increase their earnings.”

A new chapter

As TPI moves into their new fiscal year, they will continue to forge ahead with programs that allow their advisor’s business to thrive.

With the help of their skilled and dedicated head office team, they are confident that the year ahead will be even more successful than the last. Keep your eye on TPI this year, there will be some incredible opportunities for advisors ahead!

“2019 was a turn-around year for TPI, after 25 years in the business we needed to reinvent the company, to make sure we are fully supporting our advisors,” said Zeina Gedeon, CEO, TPI. “We will continue to keep our advisors at the forefront for everything we implement, all decisions are made by our advisors for our advisors. Each execution is carefully matched with the thought of how this would enrich our advisor’s business. To ensure we see continued growth, the key is to focus not only on innovation but synergy and communication with our advisors.”

Published in PAX News on August 7th, 2019