Luxury Is Driving Travel Leaders Network’s Growth, Executives Say
The consortium’s Luxury Leaders Alliance now includes nearly 300 advisors averaging more than $2 million in annual sales each.
Photo: Camille Chen / Unsplash
At Travel Leaders Network, luxury travel is no longer a niche business—it now makes up 33% of the consortium’s total sales volume.
Despite other consortia being more widely associated with luxury travel, Travel Leaders Network is the top-selling North American consortia for luxury sales. Leading the luxury charge? The just-under-300 travel advisors that comprise the consortia’s Luxury Leaders Alliance.
With an average of 20 years in the business and an average annual sales volume of more than $2 million, these advisors are among TLN’s most engaged members. (A few other averages of note: the average trip price for a Luxury Leaders Alliance booking is $32,000, with an average per diem of $2,500.)
“That is right in line with any luxury industry trend,” said Eva Damato, senior director of luxury lifestyle marketing for Travel Leaders Network at this year’s Luxury Forum, which precedes TLN’s annual EDGE conference every year. “When we look at the annual luxury sales of this curated group, we are on track to outperform our comp sets, and our preferred partner sales continue to increase year over year.”
“Luxury sales are driving the market,” added Lindsay Pearlman, president of Travel Leaders Network. “Our luxury sales are up around 33% year over year in an insane marketplace, so luxury is driving the overall volume.”
Trends in Luxury Bookings
Among the trends driving this year’s sales is a large-scale movement away from domestic and Caribbean destinations.
“Our luxury growth is now moving outside of the U.S. with 69% of the bookings heading into international destinations,” Damato said. “Last year, we observed a notable shift in our luxury segment with Europe actually overtaking the Caribbean as the leading destination… and our largest year-over-year growth was in Africa and the polar regions.”
As for the types of products Luxury Leaders Alliance members sell, they vary quite a bit by region.
In Europe, for instance, river cruises, luxury hotels, DMCs, and guided tours lead the way. In the Caribbean, bookings are driven by ocean cruises, but Damata added that there’s been a large increase in demand for luxury villas. In Asia and Africa, bookings are driven by guided tour experiences.
What Is Luxury Leaders Alliance?
Founded in 2023, TLN’s Luxury Leaders Alliance was created to bring together TLN advisors focused on selling luxury travel.
“One of the things that was missing was the opportunity in the luxury space within Travel Leaders to come together and really connect with suppliers that made sense for us and with other people that were selling the same thing,” said Mike Salvadore, owner of 58 Stars, a full-service agency specializing in luxury leisure travel and corporate travel.
Salvadore has been a member of Luxury Leaders Alliance since its inception and served on the Steering Committee for several years. He told Luxury Travel Report that being a member of the Alliance gives him immediate credibility when he reaches out to a supplier for the first time.
“When these suppliers know that you’re part of the Alliance, they know you’re hitting certain thresholds and so they know you’re going to be able to sell their product,” he said.
Amy Madson, owner of Madson & Associates, a Dream Vacations franchise, agreed. “LLA has provided me opportunities to make solid connections with suppliers that I might not have found on my own, and my fellow LLA advisors are engaged and willing to share ideas and best practices, making us all stronger,” Madson said. “In addition, being a part of the LLA gives me credibility with my clients who are seeking a higher level of travel experiences.”
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To join the Luxury Leaders Alliance, advisors must undergo a vetting process every few years and sell a minimum of $1 million in preferred luxury suppliers annually to qualify.
The Alliance focuses on providing events and training sessions where members can network with each other and with suppliers. And while supplier networking is an important part of what the LLA does, it’s the peer-to-peer support that Damato told LTR is at the heart of everything the LLA does.
“That is held as the most important piece of the puzzle,” she said. “The whole purpose of the Alliance is to hear from more of the members.”
With that in mind, this year’s Luxury Forum was extended to allow for roundtables, creating more opportunities for one-on-one time between advisors. It also gives the Steering Committee an opportunity to hear what members are thinking about.
“The advisors are the ones with their boots on the ground every day. We want to make sure that we stay on the same page as them.”
This year’s Luxury Forum brought in 136 advisors and 136 suppliers, up from last year’s 124 advisors and suppliers.
