Jamie Biesiada
Envoyage, Flight Centre's recently rebranded network of agencies, just wrapped its first Worldwide 2024 event, held in Santiago, Chile, from May 1-4.
The event drew 300 travel professionals from the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. And among leisure agencies, one topic was particularly top of mind: AI.
"There was definitely an element of, how do we use AI to help make agencies more productive?" said Christina Pedroni, Envoyage USA's executive vice president and general manager. "That was a theme that permeated no matter who was talking."
It makes sense, Pedroni said. Many advisors and agencies are busier than ever today, and they are turning toward tools like AI to help. For agencies, that help could look like anything from putting an itinerary together to using one of the AI assistant tools available today.
Envoyage's advisors want to give their customers great experiences, she said, but also be able to handle all their clients. AI can help with that.
For those advisors who haven't started using AI in any of its forms, generative or otherwise, Pedroni offered some advice: "Don't be scared of it."
"In the travel industry, we have been a bit scared of or worried about AI coming in and being able to replace the travel advisor," she said. "It seems reminiscent of 20 years ago with the internet. I think the relationship travel advisors have with their customers are always going to be paramount, but they need to use new tools."
Generative AI, in particular, is a good tool for "shortcuts" for the everyday, she said. For instance, it can help summarize something written to sound more succinct or more creative, Pedroni said.
That's a good starting place for any advisor, she said. But there are even deeper uses, like building a "knowledge library" for an agency to detail recommended destinations.
She encouraged advisors to at least start using the generative AI tools that are out there. Many are free. Some experimentation will give advisors a leg up in understanding the power of AI.
Global networking for Envoyage advisors
Envoyage's Worldwide 2024 marked the first time the global network met in person. It was also the first time some members saw the Envoyage brand on display, Pedroni said.
In addition to learning and celebrating, attendees had plenty of networking time to meet their peers from around the world, a highlight for Pedroni.
"I think that's a really unique thing," she said. "If you have someone that is booking a trip to New Zealand, you can call you friend in New Zealand and say, 'Hey, we met at the conference. I have someone wanting to travel there. What kind of tips do you have?'"