A new international report asserts that the travel and tourism lags other consumer-facing industries in AI adoption and says the sector must act now to leverage the technology’s impact.

International tourism is set to reach 100% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO).

Flight Centre says it has already seen a surge in bookings and website visits as it seems Kiwis are trying to get over their post-holiday blues by booking their next one.

The New Zealand travel trade can expect to be as busy as last year as it heads into 2024 but the sector still needs to be careful about the way forward in the medium to long term, says John Willson, general manager retail at First Travel Group.

Generative AI technology has jumped to the top of airport and airline agendas, according to an updated Meet the Megatrends report just released by transport industry IT provider SITA.

The research shows that 97% of airlines are planning a programme to develop the technology.

Travel Associates is reporting an increase in clients’ average spending, with some outlaying six-figure-sums on dream holidays.

For August, average spending is up 47% year on year, with bookings made up of a combination of flights, tours and cruises.

With travel agents being valued by clients to a higher level than they have enjoyed for many years, the future for the industry looks bright, delegates at the weekend’s First Travel Conference heard from CEO Malcolm MacLeod.

Independent agents are the masters of their own destiny, FCTG NZ Independent GM Jason Buckley reminded delegates at the SOAR themed conference in Brisbane.

‘Our sovereignty and our culture is our independence.’

Airlines appear to be overselling flights and blaming travel agents when passengers are bumped, according to the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ).

The number of new to cruise agents is on the rise, including amongst those who have had years in the trade but not previously actively sold the category, says Jeff Leckey, general manager of HOT Cruise.

Shopping and exploring the world’s urban hot spots have made a comeback during this year’s northern summer, according to the latest report from analytics company ForwardKeys.

The research shows that while ‘sun and beach’ destinations recovered quickly from the Covid-19 downturn as travel routes gradually opened over the last couple of years, alternatives such as shopping destinations are the stars in 2023.

The Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME) has reiterated its need to attract more mentors for the programme.

TIME NZ chair Andrew Gay says the lack of mentors is now impacting on the number of mentees who can go through the programme. ‘It’s holding us back,’ he says.

Helloworld Travel Limited has agreed to acquire 100% of Express Travel Group brands in Australia and New Zealand from current owners Tom Manwaring and Sintack Pty Ltd.

These brands include First Travel Group, YOU Travel, and Lifestyle Holidays in New Zealand; Express Travel Group, Creative Cruising and Chung Pak Travel in Australia.

Wendy Wu Tours continues to increase departures on many of its tours, doubling dates for 2024 in popular destinations such as Japan, Korea, Egypt and Jordon.

Managing director Paul Dymond says there is also strong interest in Turkey while even places like Uzbekistan and wider central Asia are selling out.

Though it sounds counter-intuitive, younger consumers actually want more human support than their elders, according to a recent survey by Travelport.

The study looked at modern retailing in general and then examined how demands and trends in the sector related directly to travel agents and brokers.

An increasing desire of incentive programme clients to increase their time away with leisure excursions pre or post-event is one of the biggest trends in corporate group travel, according to both suppliers and trade buyers at an event in Auckland recently.

The Destination Marketing Services (DMS) re-Connect expo attracted some 50 incentive and high end leisure agents at the Maritime Room who took the opportunity to catch up with 18 destination management companies (DMCs) and other suppliers from around the globe.

Being alert to green-washing and carefully checking the practices of supply chain partners are among the ways travel sellers can ensure more sustainable travel practices as the industry rebounds from Covid shutdowns, product mangers and agents heard at a conference in Papeete last week.

Small and medium enterprise (SME) travel operator, Corporate Traveller (part of the Flight Centre Travel Group), says its latest figures show both Kiwi and Australian businesses can’t get enough of being face to face with each other.

Auckland is the number one international destination for Australian corporate travellers in 2022 and vice versa with Sydney topping New Zealand’s outbound business destination list.

Exotic Holidays marks its 13th anniversary tomorrow (18 January) and managing director Rahul Sharma says the company is looking build on trends experienced last year.

He says 2022 saw diverse business for Exotic – not only in terms of destinations booked but also the type of travel engaged in – from FIT and leisure groups, through to VFR plus corporate travel and incentives.

Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges says that despite some challenges he is feeling optimistic about the immediate future of the city.

Speaking at a Skal Auckland lunch at the Rydges Auckland’s rooftop yesterday, he notes that finding staff and staying profitable amidst surging inflation remained as major issues.

A Sydney-based cruise executive who offered to help Kiwi regional tourism offices and local operators spread a positive message around their communities is likely to get a few calls in coming weeks.

The need to dispel negative perceptions of cruise in some of the public was a much touched on topic during the New Zealand Cruise Association conference in Auckland last week.

The Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) is noting some positive movement in terms of increasing staff numbers on the front line, despite human resources still being a major challenge for the industry.

Chief executive Greg Hamilton says he is hearing from a number of members who have done well at attracting people back and employing new staff.

A ‘charter’ or template around the protection of consumer funds and a ‘plain English’ list of frequently asked questions and answers are both possible outcomes of the second Travel Partners Forum involving The Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) and suppliers to the industry.

Greg Hamilton, chief executive officer of TAANZ, noted that at the first such meeting early this year, participants were concerned about consumer confidence around getting back on planes and travelling again.

Qualifying clients right from the start and charging a fee at the front end are taking on added significance as travel continues to ramp up across leisure, corporate, groups and events, says high profile Christchurch based retailer David Williams.

The managing director of House of Travel Christchurch City, Williams says in 10 weeks of this year the company has done the same turnover as the whole of 2021 and a third of what it achieved in 2019.

Expedia TAAP is expecting to see a full return to business by the end of this year ‘at the latest’ says Stu Udy, director travel agent distribution.

However, he does add a caveat – the recovery could be constrained by airline capacity.