Check-in Podcast by TMR

So many talk about the travel industry because of its ability to improve lives. Travel broadens horizons, exposing individuals to diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives, fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for what else is out here, and giving families and friends the time and experiences they need but it can also change the lives of others. 

Last month, as part of TMR’s Travel Market Place conference in Toronto, editor-in-chief and vice president Daniel McCarthy was joined onstage by Max and Viktoriia Shkurupii and Cathy Scott of British Colombia’s Departures Travel, to talk about a story of how the industry can change lives. 

Hear their story, about an escape from war-torn Ukraine and new lives in Canada, on this episode of Check-In.

There’s been a lot of talk about the launch of NDC by United and American Airlines this month, two moves that mark a turning point for travel agencies that ticket inside GDSs. NDC stands for New Distribution Capability, which is a travel industry-supported program that allows airlines to provide richer and more personalized content to travel agents and consumers. While the moves are both seen as steps towards the future of ticketing, they both come with a lot of baggage, and concern, from travel agencies.

In this episode, TMR vice president and editor-in-chief Daniel McCarthy speaks with Paige Blunt, the Senior Manager of Direct Connect and ONE Order at the Airlines Reporting Corp on the impact of NDC on travel advisors and the future of retail ticketing inside GDSs. The talk includes ARC’s role in the move to the NDC, and advice on how agencies should approach it.

From the valleys of COVID, to now what feels like an endless ascent, travel advisors have come a long way. Business is strong across the board, with advisors reporting more clients booking more travel at a higher price than ever before. No one has a crystal ball. But how long can it really last? 

In this episode, Joshua Bush of Ave Two Travel joins TMR to talk about what he’s seeing the industry right now when it comes to that demand, what luxury clients want right now, and what destinations are trending. In the conversation, Bush also talks about his roots in travel—his parents built Ave Two, formerly Park Ave Travel, because of their love of travel and eventually convinced him to leave his career in consumer finance to join them, a decision form which he has never looked back. 

Join TMR's Daniel McCarthy as he talk with Hedda Felin, the CEO of Hurtigruten, for an inspiring conversation about sustainability and leadership in the cruise industry. As a first-time cruise executive and one of the few female CEOs in the industry, Felin shares her unique perspective on how Hurtigruten is leading the way in sustainable cruising.

Discover the challenges and opportunities that come with promoting sustainable tourism, learn how Hurtigruten is now targeting the North American market, and hear how the ringing in its 130th year in operation.

From innovative ship designs to partnerships with local communities, Felin and Hurtigruten are setting a new standard for sustainability in the cruise industry. Don't miss this insightful conversation on the future of responsible tourism and what it takes to be a leader in the industry. Tune in now to the latest episode of Check-In.

Los Cabos is booming. According to the Los Cabos Tourism Board, the destination, which has long been one of the premier Mexico resort cities, is having its best year ever, with a 20% growth in arrivals over 2019. Over the past few years, Los Cabos has accelerated through the post-COVID boom that carried a lot of Caribbean and Mexican sun destinations and has succeeded by attracting a younger, more affluent consumer. 

It has also succeeded in building a sustainable travel ecosystem and maintaining a balance between that tourism growth and attention to the lush, intricate environment that plays host to some of Mexico’s best hotels and resorts. 

Rodrigo Esponda, the managing director at the Los Cabos Tourism Board, joined TMR’s Dan McCarthy on this episode of Check-in to talk about how his team, along with the stakeholders within the destination, have been able to work together to not only uplift Los Cabos as a premier travel destination but also work to make sure sustainability is part of all those conversations.

For people both inside and outside of the travel industry, the past few years have been marked by a lot of looking ahead instead of looking around. Despite the hurdles and gloom that have come with a once-in-a-century pandemic, looking ahead robs us of our most precious finite resource, and that is time.

In this episode, TMR’s Dan McCarthy talks with Holland America Line’s Vice President of North America Sales Michelle Sutter about how she used her time during the pandemic and how she learned to let go of things out of her control.

Sutter, a career travel industry veteran, initially landed in travel after career plans changed from working at a Swiss charter school to living and working onboard a cruise ship. She reflects on that change in this episode and also talks about what she sees as the biggest challenge for the industry going forward.

Melinda Fortunato, who recently took home the Travel Advisor of the Year Award at ASTA’s latest Global Convention in San Francisco, has had a lot of wins throughout her career. Recognizing those wins has served her well through her decade-long travel industry. 

In this episode, Melinda joins TMR Editor Dan McCarthy to talk about her career in travel, including how her background growing up in a military family led to her place as a travel advisor today. 

Growing up in Sao Paulo, and experiencing one of the world's most diverse cities, helped Meire Ramos, the Sr. Global Director of Sales Intermediary, Retail and Leisure at Marriott International, choose to spend her life in hospitality. But choosing a favorite hotel is a tougher task. In this episode, Ramos, from her home on San Marco Island, talks to TMR about growing up in one of the world's premier melting-pots, getting her start in hospitality in Miami, learning how to play Sr. Global Director of Sales Intermediary, Retail and Leisure at Marriott International -ball, and discovering just how important travel advisors are to the industry at large.

Serena Cook, the founder of Deliciously Sorted, a concierge company based out of Ibiza, has spent years making sure ultra-high-net-worth travelers get what they want out of a sojourn to Ibiza. 

But knowing the ins and outs, and having connections to the best places to eat and party, of Ibiza, isn’t all that’s required of that job task. One of the most important things Serena has mastered in her years in business is how to communicate with, and exceed expectations of, her high-net-worth clients. 

In this episode, Serena talks to TMR about her company including how she started by partnering the travel advisors, how Ibiza has changed throughout the years, and how best to talk to clients who are interested in not only spending a lot of money on a vacation, but also having a distinct, unique, far-from-ordinary vacation. 

Disc Relationship Strategies: https://medium.com/@kylegillette83/which-disc-personalities-work-the-best-together-4f452c2ce277

Deliciously Sorted: https://www.deliciouslysortedibiza.com/ 

According to the New York Times: “The number of people to travel to space in recent years has increased, and the pace is expected to only accelerate as a market for private spaceflight missions with wealthy tourists takes shape. The tally includes brief suborbital flights, such as the Blue Origin launch in July that carried Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and its former chief executive, to the edge of space with three other passengers.” 

One of those companies is Space Perspective, a company that touts itself as the world’s first luxury spaceflight experience company.

In this episode, TMR checks-in with Jane Poynter, the CEO of Space Perspective, to talk about her background in discovery, and her new company, which is expected to launch their first official, tourist space flights in 2024. 

While there are a lot of companies pursuing tourist spaceflight, Space Perspective is different in the way it gets its guests to space (via a balloon) and the way it wants to treats its customers (a luxury experience). It's also different in its costs (starting at $125,000 per person). 

Poynter talks about not only what makes Space Perspective different, but also her expectations for the future of tourist spaceflight, and what impact the democratization of space travel could have on the world. 

Space Perspective: https://spaceperspective.com/

Jane Poynter’s Human Experience https://archive.org/details/humanexperimentt00poyn

link for Jane's bio: https://spaceperspective.com/the-crew