Global Travel Collection Bets on Scale, AI, and Advisor Visibility at Arrive 2026
At the opening session of Arrive in Austin, GTC executives outlined a strategy centered on scale, technology investment, advisor marketing, and the growth of larger travel businesses.
Photo: Courtesy of Global Travel Collection
Global Travel Collection used the opening session of its Arrive conference to deliver a clear message to advisors and supplier partners: in today’s luxury travel market, scale matters.
Speaking before roughly 650 attendees at the Fairmont Austin on Monday, GTC president Angie Licea framed the organization’s $2.4 billion luxury travel business as a competitive advantage that increasingly influences supplier relationships, client outcomes, and advisor growth opportunities.
“Scale is not for the sake of scale,” Licea said during her keynote. “Scale today creates leverage, and leverage is needed for us to do what we need to do.”
The comments came as Global Travel Collection continues its evolution following the unification of multiple agency brands under a single GTC identity. Throughout the opening session, executives repeatedly returned to themes of scale, specialization, and advisor productivity.
RELATED: What the Best Advisors in the Business Do Differently
According to Licea, GTC’s year-to-date average daily hotel rate now exceeds $1,500, while advisors generated more than 1,000 bookings valued above $100,000 over the past year. Those figures, she argued, translate into influence with suppliers and greater access for clients.
“When partners recognize the caliber of the advisor behind the booking and the strength of the organization standing behind those advisors, conversations change, priorities change and outcomes change,” she said.
The focus on scale was echoed by Internova Travel Group CEO JD O’Hara, who joined Licea for an onstage conversation later in the session. O’Hara noted that Global Travel Collection’s $2.4 billion in sales sits within Internova’s broader $28 billion travel portfolio, a figure he said gives the company significant leverage with suppliers. “Luxury is an access business,” O’Hara said. “Access requires influence.”
Beyond size, executives spent considerable time discussing technology and advisor productivity. Simon Brooks, GTC’s senior vice president of advisor success, highlighted several ongoing initiatives, including GTC One, a centralized advisor platform; expanded AI capabilities; and the continued rollout of GTC Direct, the company’s direct-booking platform.
Licea stressed that technology should support advisors rather than replace them. “We do not believe technology can or will replace an advisor,” she said. “Technology is merely a tool to help you focus on the advisor human activities that only you can provide.”
O’Hara took a similar view, arguing that artificial intelligence will automate administrative work while allowing advisors to spend more time on client relationships and sales.
RELATED: ‘Extra Mile Club,’ the Luxury Travel Advisor Competition, Returns to Brussels
Another major theme was advisor development. Ragan Stone, senior vice president of In the Know Experiences, announced a new “New to Industry” program scheduled to launch in November. The six-month initiative will focus on mentorship, accountability, and professional training for aspiring luxury travel advisors. “We have to make sure we’re intentional about the people that we let in who are going to carry that legacy forward,” Stone said.
Marketing was also a prominent part of the conversation. Vanessa McGovern, senior vice president of partner product, marketing, and events, outlined GTC’s expanded visibility efforts, including trade-media advertising campaigns, social media initiatives, and the company’s investment in NBC’s Extra Mile Club television series. (According to McGovern, the show reached more than 1.2 million viewers through its linear television run and generated nearly 5 million social media impressions.)
The session concluded with recognition of top-producing advisors and a discussion about the future of advisor businesses. O’Hara predicted continued consolidation across the luxury travel sector, with larger advisor enterprises becoming increasingly common.
“I see a future in which we have more of those,” he said, referring to multimillion-dollar advisor businesses. “Perhaps even fewer advisors, but bigger advisors.”
The opening session made it clear that GTC sees its future in helping advisors build larger, more specialized businesses by leveraging scale, technology, and supplier relationships to strengthen their competitive position.
