A strong showing of 108 Canadian travel advisors are on location in Orlando this week for TRAVELSAVERS and TRAVELSAVERS Canada’s Travel Market conference.

The event was originally set to take place on Marco Island back in September, but got postponed due to Hurricane Helene, with MC Cameron Matthews joking that no hurricanes were invited to crash the party this time around.

During a lunch solely for the Canadian contingency, in partnership with Sandals & Beaches Resorts and Air Canada Vacations, Jane Clementino, senior vice-president and general manager of TRAVELSAVERS Canada, acknowledged that the Canadians on location, “had to make some decisions about crossing the border and coming into Florida.”

While the number of Canadians in attendance is down slightly compared to the 140 advisors that were expected to participate, Clementino shared how much the team appreciated how many advisors still decided to attend the conference despite ongoing trade tensions and a weak loonie.

Under the theme Connected, over 900 people are in attendance for Travel Market at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Orlando.

Notably, TRAVELSAVERS is marking 55 years in business this year and TRAVELSAVERS Canada is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Across the US and Canada, the consortia has more than 3,000 independently owned agencies with over 25,000 advisors and represents US$20 billion in annual sales.

So far this year, TRAVELSAVERS Canada has welcomed seven agencies, contributing $18 million in preferred partner sales, bringing the total number of Canadian agencies to 330.

Meanwhile, in 2024, TRAVELSAVERS Canada added 23 agencies with over $52 million in preferred partner sales, alongside more than 225 new independent contractors.

Highlighting AI Connect Powered by Toby, the agency’s all-in-one marketing portal, Nicole Mazza, the chief marketing officer for parent company American Marketing Group, pointed out that AI could save agents four to eight hours a week.

“AI is nothing to be frightened about,” she shared during the opening session for Travel Market. “I promise you, you will save time.”

By the numbers, Mazza shared that 2024 was “a spectacular year” with growth across the US and Canadian market in cruise vacations, sun vacations, FIT holidays, guided vacations and river cruises.

While 2025 started out equally strong, there was then a bit of a drop during the first quarter of the year.

“We had some headlines that were disrupting some of our consumer confidence happening in the market, but I can tell you as quick as we went into it, as quick as we came out of it,” she noted. “The last month, business is back and business is soaring. I’m extremely bullish.”

Mazza also provided an overview of some of the biggest travel industry trends including solo travel (“Google is seeing a 300 per cent increase in solo travel searches”), multi-generational travel, skip-gen travel (a vacation trend where grandparents travel with their grandchildren but without the parents), set jetting (think Thailand for White Lotus fans and France for Emily in Paris viewers), and JOMO trips (the opposite of FOMO, the joy of missing out trips for those who want to disconnect and unplug from technology and social media).

Mazza noted that Ireland, Iceland and Italy are always hot for North American travellers and that bookings for France, Greece, Croatia, Spain and Portugal are also booming.

In the sun market, Cancun remains a top seller, followed by the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Meanwhile, for cruises, there’s been an explosion of Antarctica and Arctic bookings. When it comes to FIT, Japan, Vietnam, Colombia and Africa are doing well.

Of note, Mazza revealed that the next Travel Market will take place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa from Sept. 24-27, 2026.

During Travel Market so far, travel advisors had the opportunity to connect with suppliers during a trade show, as well as take part in a number of workshops and panel discussions aimed at equipping agents with the latest tools, insights and tips to sell travel.

“Our commitment has always been to empower advisors with the tools and support they need to succeed,” said Jane Clementino, senior vice president and general manager of TRAVELSAVERS Canada. “We continue to invest in forward-thinking technology and innovative programs that help advisors sell smarter, operate more efficiently, and stay competitive in an ever-changing marketplace.”

Last night, Manulife and WestJet Vacations sponsored an exclusive cocktail reception for Canadians featuring red mood lighting and props from Canadian flags to patriotic hats and headbands, while tonight will feature an awards gala dinner and reception following another day of panels and workshops.

Worse than the pandemic?

While discussing some of the biggest challenges currently facing Canadian advisors and agencies, Wendy Paradis, president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies and Travel Advisors, outlined the potential impact of the current US tariffs.

“Should they [the current tariffs] stay in place, the impact on Ontario and Quebec, which are the largest travel industry provinces in Canada, is much worse than the pandemic,” she announced during a panel discussion.

As a silver lining, however, she shared that Baby Boomers, who currently represent the largest demographic in Canada, wouldn’t be as impacted as they have disposable income and have some financial security from having no mortgages with their houses already paid off for the most part.

Although Paradis still suggests that travel advisors specialize in a niche, she shared that she’s changed her top tip for career success.

“I think it’s really important to specialize, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” she noted. “We saw that five years ago [during the pandemic] and we are seeing that in Canada right now. Unfortunately, we’ve seen that our travel advisors who specialize in let’s say theme parks only in the U.S. are really struggling right now. So I think it’s really important to be resilient. Specialize, not be all things to all people, but make sure you’ve got two or three baskets.”

With Paradis set to retire after nine years at the helm of the national travel agency association, Clementino came on stage to acknowledge her efforts and contributions and surprise her with a large bouquet of flowers.

Stay tuned for more coverage!