Executives of Travel Leaders Network (TLN) see significant interest among consumers in traveling and portrayed a fairly upbeat outlook for travel advisors at a virtual media briefing at the end of the first day of the organization’s Bridge to the Future virtual conference.

John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group , said there was a record-breaking attendance of nearly 4,000 at the conference, “which demonstrates a commitment to the industry.” He said the travel business is seeing “a light at the end of the tunnel.”

However, Roger Block, president of TLN, said that there is a critical need for an additional round of federal stimulus money. He said that without another stimulus, by the end of the year more and more agencies will have severe financial hardships. “We are not out of the woods yet,” he said.

Addressing the outlook for the resumption of international travel, Gloria Guevara, CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council, said advisor expertise is critically important at this point as the landscape for destinations is so complex as far where people can travel and what restrictions are. She said there is a need for coordination within the industry and that “a lot of work is being done” toward that end. She said WTTC is engaged with governments “at the highest level” on a path to reopening .

Once people do start traveling again, said Guevara, advisors will be even more important as they help clients navigate what will be a new way to travel.

Block said the conference has four general sessions, a keynote speaker, 100 exhibitors and a networking lounge. It also encompasses 24 educational workshops, 24 panelists of agency owners, independent contractors and frontline advisors, workshop handouts and legal presentations. The keynote speaker was Robyn Benincasa, a Guinness record holder for endurance events and a motivational speaker.

Since the beginning of March, said Block, TLN has conducted 36 webinars with the most popular seeing attendance of 800-1200. There have also been town hall meetings with Block and Lovell, updates from suppliers and reports on recent trips to Mexico from advisors.

Block said that there have been 152 new U.S. members in 2020 and 17 in Canada – more than in 2020. He said there have been losses but a large portion of those had been planning to retire, and losses were far less than anticipated.

For those who do want to get out of the business, said Block, there is an updated Agency Matchmaker site that can help advisors find buyers.

The best way for advisors to sell travel right now, said Block, is to travel themselves. As a result, TLN is organizing 18 “Insider” fam trips to seven destinations across Mexico and the Caribbean over the next 60 days – with a total of 150 advisors traveling and sharing first-hand experiences.

They will receive pre-travel training on capturing content and produce on-trip social media posts and live updates, in addition to posting recap reports, photos and videos after the trips. Block said the fam trip program will be replicated across other destinations and travel types as they reopen.

Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer for Travel Leaders Group, outlined a consumer sentiment survey done early in September with 3,000 surveys with 27 questions each successfully completed. He said 70 percent of respondents hope to take a vacation in 2021, but they are looking for promotional offers. Results indicated that 45 percent have already made plans or are starting to make finite plans for their next vacation. He said Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico are the top international destinations of interest.

Of greatest concern to travelers, said McGillivray, is the possibility of getting infected with COVID-19, getting stuck and unable to return home and being quarantined on a cruise ship or hotel room. A majority said they would be more comfortable if they were assured that masks were required, social distancing was in place and there was enhanced cleaning, temperature checks and access to sanitizing gel.

One sticking point, he said, was a resistance to the PCR test – which involves an invasive nasal swab. McGillivray said that as rapid and less intrusive testing emerges, that resistance will decrease.

Demand is returning, said McGillivray, with the number of leads on the travelleaders.com website growing after a couple of dips in April and after Memorial Day when the Sun Belt saw an increase in cases.

With a void in supplier marketing, said McGillivray, TLN stepped in with an Armchairs Explorer campaign that involves a series of consumer email blasts. The first was Dream Now, Travel Later, followed by Why We Vacation and currently What Travel is Like Now. He said the emails include video, virtual tours, interactive quizzes and more. “We look at this like a Netflix series and now we are in season 3.”

In an effort to reassure potential travelers, said McGillivray, a Book With Confidence program provides advisors with health and safety guidance. When advisors commit to the program, they can use a Book With Confidence stamp on their websites and collateral.

Block said that next year’s EDGE conference is scheduled to be held ”live” in May at Universal Studios in Orlando where there will be “more hugs, more high fives and more congratulations” than ever. “Hopefully,” he said, “none of us will ever have to do this (a virtual conference) again.”