Goway seeks agent insights with new Travel Advisory Board
Goway Travel is seeking suggestions straight from the horse’s mouth when it comes to strengthening its ties with the travel agent community.
The Toronto-based tour operator hosted the inaugural meeting of its Travel Advisory Board in Toronto last week, a new initiative that’s part of the company’s 55th anniversary celebrations.
Goway says the creation of the board underscores its commitment to both innovation and empowering travel agents and their clients.
The board brings together what Goway is labelling “a select group of 10 industry experts representing the best of the travel trade, including leading travel advisors and consortia heads across the United States and Canada” : Dana Empey (BST Vacations); Cathy Evans (Vista Travel); Adolfo Granadillo (Cruise Planners); Jason Hendrick (Ci Azumano Travel); Leila Lavaee (TTAND: Travel Design by Leila); Peg Mellen (Dream Vacations); Suzanne Pitt (Cruise and Tours Unlimited); Sherry Riggs (WorldVia Travel); Terry Vanderlinden (AMA); and Sandra Wesson (TDC).
The Toronto gathering saw the agents and Goway staff cover a range of topics and identify ways to remove barriers for travel advisors, creating a frictionless experience for them and their clients. The board also identified emerging trends and travel insights, opportunities for product and technological development, and some of the core challenges of travel in a rapidly evolving world, Goway said.
“Obviously, we want industry insights,” said Renee Stanton-Defaria, Goway’s director of sales, told Travel Courier, adding “travel advisors have always been the backbone of our business.”
“At Goway, we believe that listening to our travel advisor partners is essential to the growth of our business and the health of the travel industry.”
The board “embodies our commitment to listening to and working with our partners to shape business strategies and deliver the most impact for our partners and their globetrotting clients,” Stanton-Defaria continued.
Goway decided upon the initiative last year.
Stanton-Defaria praised last week’s meeting between Goway and the agents as a productive exchange.
“Everyone had a voice at the table,” she said. “They [agents] really appreciate that we listen to them.”
Goway and the agents plan to meet twice yearly.
Meanwhile, Stanton-Defaria was upbeat about what’s in store for Goway, noting it’s been in business for over half a century.
“I look forward to the future and we’ll continue to be successful for the next 55 years,” she declared.
