The Insider Travel Report Podcast

Andrea Kruse, CEO and co-founder of Viva Cruises, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about the differences between Viva Cruises and its luxury Viva Boutique brand, including the culinary experiences, suites and personalized service aboard Viva Beyond. Kruse also discusses the upcoming Viva Unique in Italy, with itineraries exploring Venice and the Po River, plans for additional ships, and expanded support and familiarization trips for North American travel advisors. For more information, visit www.viva-cruises.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.

Janet Bava, chief commercial officer for Windstar Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about all the great news coming out of her small-ship cruise line. That includes a renewed focus on Tahiti, with two ships serving the destination; a complete revamp for Windstar’s “wind” ships, new sailings in the Med during the winter season, and a brand-new ship debuting in December, Star Explorer. Bava tells us about all that and more in this comprehensive interview. For more information, visit www.windstarcruises.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.

Mark Meader, executive vice president of ASTA, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at The Summit, held in Denver earlier this month, about ASTA’s growing focus on serving the needs of agencies specializing in corporate travel. The Summit featured special sessions addressing the issues faced by agencies in the business travel market. For more information, visit www.asta.org.

Andrés Díaz, regional manager for Latin America for the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), talks with Jennifer Lutz of Insider Travel Report about exploring northeastern Peru's Amazonas region without the crowds. Díaz discusses community-based tourism, cultural exchanges, accommodations ranging from homestays to luxury lodging, and activities including birdwatching and hiking that support local communities and conservation. For more information, visit www.adventuretravel.biz.

Jason Flesher, head of discovery operations for Scenic Group, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report onboard Scenic Eclipse about all the expeditions he plans, develops and oversees for Scenic and Emerald branded ocean ships. Flecher details what goes into an expedition cruise, how he builds the expedition team, and what new expeditions he’s planning in the polar regions and beyond. For more information, visit https://scenic.cruises

Neal Debono, general manager of ME by Melia Malta, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his new, 174-room hotel in the St. Julian’s neighborhood. Housed in a 20-story high-rise tower, the hotel is integrated into the Mercury Towers development. It features multiple restaurants and bars, outdoor pools and a superb spa. For more information, visit www.melia.com. 

Nicole Diebold, vice president of brand & creative strategy at Collette, sits down with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report to discuss the launch of Collette's 109th season of travel, exciting new tour offerings, and how the company continues to support travel advisors in growing their businesses.. For more information, visit Collette's Travel Advisor Portal at Gocollette.com.

Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how his island nation hosted all the top leaders of travel and tourism at the World Travel & Tourism Global Summit, held in Valletta, Malta earlier this month. It’s been quite a year for Malta tourism with the inauguration of a new direct flight from New York to Malta to the opening of a new tourism office in Manhattan. Micallef tells us why the WTTC meeting caps it all off, though there is much more to come. For more information, visit www.visitmalta.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.

James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report talks with Marilyn Cairo, vice president of sales and trade relations, and Robert Castro, vice president of marketing of Scenic Group U.S. & LATAM at Scenic’s Night of the Stars awards for top-selling travel advisors. Cairo and Castro tell us how you can sell and market the company’s diverse luxury river, ocean and expedition cruise offerings on Scenic and Emerald ships. The short answer is Scenic Group provides you with lots of options to suit your upscale clients. For more information, visit https://scenic.cruises or https://emerald.cruises

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.

Alex Pinelo, chief sales officer for Azamara Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about the Azamara Forward $80 million investment, trade tools expansion, mew deployment including the 2029 World Cruise, and Azamara's Travel Advisor Celebration with exclusive incentives. For more information, visit https://connect.azamara.com/home.