On Location: “Trust is the most valuable currency”: Ensemble kicks off Horizons 2026 in Las Vegas

“We know what it means to be told the odds are against us,” said Ensemble president Michael Johnson.

“To be told our industry is outdated, to be told technology will replace us, to be told nobody needs a travel advisor anymore. And then the world changes – geopolitical instability, conflict, climate, inflation – and once again, we demonstrate our value.” 

Ensemble Horizons 2026 opened Monday (May 4) at Resorts World Las Vegas with a main stage session centred on “golden opportunity” momentum and growth for the advisor channel.

PAX is on location at the three-day conference this week, where nearly 1,000 members and partners are gathered for executive updates, supplier presentations, partner meetings and education sessions focused on running and growing a travel business.

The opening session featured updates from Ensemble, a keynote from Skift, presentations from Delta Air Lines and AmaWaterways, a panel with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd brands and a moving presentation from Make-A-Wish.

Johnson set the tone early, telling advisors the industry’s volatility has only made their role more essential.

Johnson pointed to Phocuswright data showing agencies growing at six per cent, while Ensemble is tracking at 11 per cent growth year over year.

Johnson said the numbers indicate a broader resurgence for the agency channel, with Ensemble outpacing even that momentum. 

He tied that strength to the trust advisors have built with clients. 

“Your clients are with you because they trust you, and in uncertain times, trust is the most valuable currency there is.”

Advisors are gaining ground

Johnson urged advisors to focus on the full value they bring to clients. 

“We are not just the people clients call when something goes wrong – that framing diminishes everything you do,” he said.

Instead, he said advisors bring a combination of expertise, empathy, access and support that continues to drive their relevance. 

“It’s that 360 degree approach that makes advisors irreplaceable.”

Skift head of research Seth Borko widened the lens, pointing to travel’s continued resilience even as affordability pressures weigh on consumers. 

“Travel is the most meaningful purchase in the world,” Borko said.

Luxury and experiential travel are helping drive that demand, with travellers increasingly building trips around concerts, sporting events, culture, wellness and personal identity.

Borko also addressed AI, saying its use in trip planning is growing quickly, especially among higher-income travellers. 

But rather than replacing advisors, he said the rise of AI makes human curation more important.

“Travellers don’t need more information,” he said. “They need someone to help cut through it.”

Growth will require strategy

Daniel Finkel, Ensemble’s SVP of partner relations, said Ensemble’s expanded partner network gives advisors more ways to build higher-value, more customized itineraries. 

“Clients expect more personalization, more expertise and more seamless experiences,” Finkel said.

Since last year’s Horizons, Ensemble has added more than 70 preferred partners. 

River cruise and luxury were highlighted as major opportunities, alongside destination management companies that can help advisors build more customized, experience-led itineraries.

“The golden opportunity here is thinking strategically about where and how you place your business,” Finkel said.

Shahla Lalani, Ensemble’s SVP of marketing and events, focused on how advisors can use Ensemble’s marketing tools to stay visible, reconnect with past clients and turn interest into bookings. 

“That's the golden opportunity – connecting the right traveller with the expertise you already have,” she said. 

Ensemble SVP of operations Kristina Boyce brought the focus back to execution, highlighting the tools, training and member resources designed to help advisors turn opportunity into business.

Suppliers point to experience and cruise momentum

Mauricio Parise, VP of brand experience design at Delta Air Lines, said experience is what drives long-term loyalty.

While airlines continue to invest in premium cabins and onboard features, he said the biggest differentiator remains the human side of the travel experience, particularly when things don’t go as planned.

He said delays and cancellations are inevitable, but how companies respond can define the entire experience.

“Our job in those moments is to lower anxiety,” Parise said.

Clear, frequent communication, even when there are no updates, can significantly improve how travellers perceive a disrupted trip, he added.

Cruise also emerged as a major growth story. 

Johnson cited CLIA projections of nearly 38 million cruise passengers in 2025, rising to nearly 42 million by 2028. 

He also noted that the average cruiser is 46 years old, calling cruise “a growth engine fuelled by younger, more adventurous travellers.”

In a panel discussion, executives from Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises pointed to new ships, strong demand and expanded trade support.

Nathan Hickman, chief sales officer, Oceania Cruises, also used the panel to announce Oceania will be eliminating non-commissionable fares.

Community takes centre stage

Horizons also highlighted Ensemble’s partnership with Make-A-Wish.

Building on a campaign launched at Ensemble’s October Summit, the network has raised one third of its $150,000 goal, with more funds being generated during Horizons through a sweepstakes supported by Silversea and other partners. 

Ensemble’s parent company has committed to matching the full goal dollar-for-dollar.

Attendees heard from former wish kid and singer-songwriter Andrew Marshall, who was diagnosed with leukemia at 16 and later became a quarter-finalist on Season 20 of The Voice. 

For Johnson, the business takeaway remained tied to the human value of travel.

“The craft of the advisor has never been more important,” he said. 

“In a world of algorithms and automation, you are the person your clients trust most with their meaningful experiences.”

As the three-day conference gets underway, Johnson positioned the current market as a moment to act. 

“A growing industry is a golden opportunity,” he said.

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