Jacqueline Dobson, president of the Vacation Group, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report in a post-Internova PLUS meeting interview to find out just what this rebranded business-to-consumer leisure division of Internova Travel Group is and what it hopes to be in the future. Vacation Group unites several travel brands serving leisure consumers directly, including Cruise Specialists, CruCon Cruise Outlet and Travel Leaders Vacation Center. Dobson also oversees Internova's specialty products businesses, Roadtrips and Bonotel Exclusive Travel. She also answers the question: Whatever became of Vacation.com? For more information, visit www.internova.com or www.vacation.com. 

All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and available on our Youtube channel (youtube.com/insidertravelreport), and as podcasts with the same title on: Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Listen Notes, Podchaser, TuneIn + Alexa, Podbean,  iHeartRadio,  Google, Amazon Music/Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict, and iTunes Apple Podcasts, which supports Overcast, Pocket Cast, Castro and Castbox.

There’s a new kind of cruise emerging known as the exploration cruise, where guests visit remote islands, out of the way countries, off-the-beaten path destinations. This panel examines the non-polar cruises available in the market today and how to sell them. Moderated by Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report, this panel includes Tanally Gonzalez, reservations manager at Australis, and Tiffanie Kilgast, regional sales director at Hurtigruten.

Top adventure travel operators keep coming up with new ways to explore exotic destinations. This panel examines the products in the market today and how you can sell them to an increasingly diverse customer base. Moderated by Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report, this panel includes Margot Windenburg, senior sales manager-North America for ATT Kings; Ryan Grissett, regional director-sales for Collette; and Tamara Mallon, director of sales for Frontiers North Adventures.

Jerome Luciani, general manager of Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how his property is adding The Westerly, a new boutique hotel within a hotel. Luciani also details how Hilton Aruba has been completely refurbished to make it the perfect resort on the best beach in Aruba. For more information, visit www.hiltonaruba.com. 

Niurka Garcia Linton, director of sales for Riu Hotels & Resorts in Jamaica, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about the company’s seven properties in Montego Bay, Negril and Ocho Rios, including adults-only and family resorts. She also discusses how Riu reopened all seven hotels quickly after Hurricane Melissa, extended complimentary stays to stranded guests before reopening, and demonstrated strong leadership and staff resilience during recovery. For more information, visit www.ALGVacations.com  and www.algvacations.com/OneLoveJamaica. 

Alison Metcalf, executive vice president -North America, Australia & New Zealand tor Tourism Ireland, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about Ireland’s marketing plans for tourism in 2026. Metcalf details the latest tourism numbers to the country, the new marketing campaign and theme “Visit the island that goes beyond,” the importance of the U.S. market, and how Ireland hopes to grow tourism revenues from more than $7 billion in 2025 to more than $11.8 billion euros in 2031. For more information, visit www.ireland.com  or www.tourismireland.com. 

Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the newly renovated Sofitel New York about her complete restoration the Sofitel hotel brand. Bailly highlights the new color schemes, décor, staff uniforms, standards and more that will be duplicated across Sofitel’s more than 120 hotels around the world, with many more to come. Sofitel-parent Accor also held a party to celebrate the brand transformation last week at the Sofitel New York. For more information, visit www.sofitel.com, www.all.com or www.accor.com. 

Syreeta Grose, owner of Grose Travel Services Meetings & Events; McKenzie Kellogg, marketing and IC manager at 417 Travel; and Jessica Church, owner of Sands & Skylines Travel Co., talk with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about their participation in ALG Vacations’ voluntourism event in Jamaica, supporting local schools, charities and community organizations following the hurricane. They also discuss resort site inspections across multiple properties, high occupancy levels, strong service and why they can confidently book Jamaica as the destination continues its recovery. For more information, visit www.algvacations.com. 

Henry Gilroy, executive vice president-strategic development for Internova Travel Group, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s Internova PLUS conference at Gleneagles in Scotland about the strategy behind Internova’s move to increase luxury sales across the board. Gilroy says Internova has integrated the luxury hotel and cruise programs for advisors in all its units and is making major investments to bring the business together. For more information, visit www.internova.com. 

Aziz Ahmed, owner of Nu Ethiopia Tour And Travel and a wildlife photographer, talks with Michaela Guzy of Insider Travel Report about immersive travel across Ethiopia, including the Omo Valley’s tribal cultures, wildlife encounters and dramatic landscapes. He also discusses seasonality, lodge and camping accommodations, and how travel advisors can build multi-week itineraries that reflect Ethiopia’s cultural and natural diversity. For more information, email [email protected] or visit nuethiopia.travel on Instagram.