On Location: Canadian advisors show up strong as TRAVELSAVERS’ Travel Market opens in Orlando

Scattered rainclouds drifted across the Orlando skyline. But hey, at least there wasn’t a hurricane.

The topic of cooperative weather kicked off Travel Market 2025 on Wednesday (June 4) as scores of travel professionals from the United States and Canada filled the convention spaces of the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort in Central Florida.

As you may recall, The American Marketing Group’s global conference for advisors and preferred partners—affiliated with the TRAVELSAVERS, NEST, and The Affluent Traveller Collection brands—was disrupted last year in Marco Island, Florida, due to the arrival of Hurricane Helene.

For safety reasons, that September 2024 event was cut short and later rescheduled for June at the Grand Cypress in Orlando—which brings us to today.

But let’s be honest: a lot has changed since September 2024. Especially for Canadians and how they plan travel.

The elephant in the room, Donald Trump being elected for a second non-consecutive term as president of the United States and the tariff war his administration has initiated with Canada and the world.

As it has been well documented, international sentiment toward the U.S. has been undermined for several months now – and the downturn is particularly pronounced among travellers from Canada. 

Amid calls to support Canada amid Trump’s trade war, many Canadians are rethinking their U.S. travel plans and venturing elsewhere.

The persistently weak Canadian dollar, along with high-profile media coverage of U.S. border security incidents and updated travel warnings, haven’t helped.

But despite the doom and gloom, Travel Market is back and bolder than ever – with notable Canadian involvement, too.

This week, 108 Canadian travel advisors are on the ground in Orlando, undeterred by the recent wave of negative headlines, said Jane Clementino, senior vice-president and general manager of TRAVELSAVERS Canada, which is now in its 25th year. 

“Everybody showed up and wanted to learn right away,” Clementino told PAX last night, just as the conference’s welcome reception was getting underway following an afternoon of kickoff workshops.

TRAVELSAVERS Canada was initially expecting 140 Canadians, but with the current geopolitical climate, a drop-off was expected.

“The people that are here are investing in themselves and their business,” said Clementino.

Making the Connection

To “connect,” you could say, which is the theme of this year’s Travel Market event ("Connected," officially) which brings together about 1,000 attendees for three days of valuable training sessions, panel discussions, and one-on-one opportunities.

From now until June 7, travel advisors will receive expert-led instruction on how to enhance their marketing plans, grow group business, utilize artificial intelligence, protect themselves from fraud, recruit new talent, and much more.

The event’s general session unfolds this morning (June 5) with an “Advocacy and Impact” panel featuring Canada’s very own Wendy Paradis, president of the ACTA, and prominent business coach Geraldine Ree.

The fireside chat, which also features Zane Kerby, president and CEO and ASTA, will review the state of the industry and share best practices for elevating the role of travel professionals.

Attendees will have hands-on technology training. They’ll also learn how to incorporate TRAVELSAVERS’ KORE travel education program, which launched in Canada last year.

Later in the week, the organization’s success and achievements will be celebrated at a glam Gala Awards and Dinner.

From September 2024, to now, “the attitude of the travel advisor hasn't really changed,” Clementino said last night.

“They want to continue to absorb what they can absorb,” she said. “What I’m seeing is that people are going to sessions with a new view of how they can use skills differently to acquire new customers and upgrade what they sell. I think people are accepting that the world looks a little different and they’re figuring out how to adjust accordingly.”

Despite cancelling last year's event, TRAVELSAVERS has continued to engage with its Canadian members throughout the year with seasonal in-person events like “Dine and Discover,” a trade show and dinner that happens every fall and spring.

But nothing beats a full-scale conference. “People are so excited to see each other,” said Clementino.

Signings take a backseat

The event comes as TRAVELSAVERS Canada continues to grow.

As shared in a press release yesterday, the Canadian chapter of the consortium has so far welcomed seven agencies this year, contributing $18 million in preferred partner sales. The total number of TRAVELSAVERS-affiliated agencies in Canada is now 330.

In comparison, in 2024, TRAVELSAVERS Canada added 23 agencies with over $52 million in preferred partner sales, alongside more than 225 new independent contractors.

The vibe out there is that Canadian travel agencies, these days, are seeking partners that understand their business and supports, Clementino explained.

“I’ll tell you, we haven’t been as focused on sales,” she said. “We’ve had seven signings, but at this time last year, we had 14. The difference, [now], is that we're doubling down on our existing members to make sure that they're set up for success.”

The Canadian team, for example, is doing more business reviews in order to help its members maximize their sales – and time.

Canadians are travelling (visitation to the U.S. has dropped, but airports are busy, reports Statistics Canada). Still, overall consumer confidence is low, Clementino shared.

“What’s important, during this period of flux, is that as soon as somebody walks in, you have to make sure you secure that sale – because not as many people are walking in,” she said.

Meanwhile, the demand from travel agencies to bring on more ICs has never been higher. “People are realizing that brings in business and a new database,” Clementino said.

This is especially important considering the travel industry, in general, is still far from returning to its pre-pandemic advisor numbers from 2019.

“The marketplace lost about 35 per cent of its advisors [during COVID],” Clementino said. “Everybody’s trying to get that number back up.”

“People are still spending money”

Regardless of political and economic headwinds, travel intentions appear to be high. 

KMPG reports that 58 per cent of consumers plan to travel this summer, up from 55 per cent last year. Deloitte also says people will spend 13 per cent more on summer travel this year than last.

“Canadians are still saying they’re going to travel,” Clementino said. “Some within the country, but others will go elsewhere, such as Europe. For us, Europe is up 40 per cent this year. Asia has also doubled.”

This, even as tickets prices – and overall transaction values – continue to soar.  “People are still spending money,” Clementino said.

Overall sales at TRAVELSAVERS Canada are above last year for the first six months. The rest of 2025 could be a different story.

“The back half of the year makes me more nervous,” Clementino said. “Every day is a new day. Assuming things continue on the same trajectory, we’ll be fine. If things start to die because of different decisions, I think it will be a natural response.”

Newcomers on the scene

As for the makeup of this year’s Canadian contingent at Travel Market, Clementino says that 50 per cent of participants are new to TRAVELSAVERS, attending the event for the first time.

Her advice to the newbies?

“Be present, remove interruptions, and network yourself,” she said. “Take the opportunity to ask the questions that you want to ask – and there are no bad questions.”

She's urging attendees to understand how their business “can be transformed” by learning from others, and to keep an open mind when it comes to learning new technology.

“It’s a great time to have a conference right before summer, which is always light,” Clementino said. “Attendees will have the time to actually go through the motions so [new skillsets] become part of their DNA.”

To see more pictures from Travel Market 2025, visit and "like" PAX's Facebook page here. 

Travel Market 2025 in Orlando, Florida continues this week. Stay tuned for more of PAX’s on-the-ground coverage.

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