VIDEO: Travel Leaders’ “Edge” kicks off in Vegas, Christine James “blown away” by 2026 sales

Christine James has a lot to smile about.

The vice-president for Canada at Travel Leaders Network (TLN) says that despite possible economic headwinds, and shifting travel behaviours brought on by U.S. tariffs, Canadians are still booking travel – rather ferociously, in fact.

“We’re seeing a lot of last-minute bookings, for obvious reasons, but when I look at future sales for 2026, I’m completely blown away,” James told PAX on Monday (June 9) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where the network’s “Edge” conference is currently taking place. “We’re up 25 per cent. People are clearly not holding back on travel.”

What’s more, a significant number of Canadian travel advisors remain committed to growing their businesses — even if it means travelling to the United States, which, in recent months, has experienced a decline in Canadian visits due to geopolitical tensions.

Of the more than 2,000 attendees registered at this year’s Edge conference, which kicked off yesterday, 154 from Canada.

“Which is a really good number,” James told PAX, noting that she was initially expecting around 200 Canadian advisors, but lost a few as people made the decision to avoid the U.S.

“The final count still exceeds our usual average of about 100,” she said.

Travel’s movers & shakers

It’s a telling sign of how invested Canadian travel advisors are in continuing their education and staying ahead in the industry.

This week’s gathering, on now until June 13, presents a jam-packed agenda of workshops (artificial intelligence, and how to leverage it, is one of many talking points), training sessions and valuable one-on-one opportunities for both travel advisors and suppliers.

The mega-event is designed to give attendees exclusive access to the industry’s movers, shakers and heavy hitters – and hear from influential voices.

At yesterday’s opening session, for example, the one and only Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group (inclusive of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Voyages and other enterprises) made a surprise appearance on the main stage.

Branson, who visited Toronto in April to mark the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s new non-stop London Heathrow-Toronto Pearson service, made a point of recognizing the buying power in the room – and the importance of travel advisors.

Influence, growth & expansion

The event comes as Travel Leaders enters a new era of influence, growth and expansion.  

John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Network, reviewed the numbers at a press conference yesterday, citing a Phocuswright study that shows the organization holding 50 per cent of the distribution channel in the consortia space.

“It’s great to be dominant, but our organization continues to grow. People see the value in what we’re doing,” Lovell told reporters.

He went on to share the latest revenue trends at Travel Leaders. The cruise and land, for one, is up 12 per cent over 2024.

Cruise on its own is up 14.5 per cent, while land is up 6.5 per cent – a segment that is “building quickly,” Lovell said, noting how land, last year, sat at 2.3 per cent growth.

Travel Leaders is better positioned than most publicly-traded cruise lines, Lovell said.

Last year, the network’s revenue performance was 15 per cent higher than the cruise industry at large.

“It tells me two things: we’re selling quality cabins and getting a bigger share of the market as more consumers, who may have previously gone direct, book with a Travel Leaders advisor,” he said.

On the cruise side, luxury cruise sales are up 20 per cent over 2024 at Travel Leaders. Similarly, premium cruise is up 16 per cent, contemporary cruise is up eight per cent and river cruise is up 29 per cent.

Meanwhile, FIT and touring segment is up 13 per cent; fun and sun is up 3.7 per cent and theme park sales (lifted by the recent opening of Universal Epic Universe in Orlando) are up 12 per cent.

Travel Leaders might be an organization that “not many people know about,” but it serves an important role in “being that bridge between advisors and suppliers,” Lovell said.

A connection, not a casualty

Speaking to PAX earlier in a one-on-one interview, Lovell said that “through all the choppiness and noise we've heard about the cross-border situation, everybody's doing very, very well.”

“Organizationally, we're up 13 to 14 per cent over last year. We're in a really good position. We still see 2025 finishing as a record year for us,” he said.

The tools and services available to TLN members have helped achieve this level of success.

This includes Agent Profiler, a lead generation solution, that Lovell said will generate more than 300,000 leads for its members this year.

The platform, which connects travellers with travel advisors by allowing advisors to create profiles highlighting their expertise and experience, has a 25 per cent close rate and generates sales that, on average, cost about $11,000, Lovell said.

TLN's SuperAgent program highlights the most engaged members, increasing their visibility on TravelLeaders.com. With the addition of Gold and Diamond tiers, advisors who fully use the platform and consistently follow up with leads gain access to more opportunities, such as being featured more prominently in search results. Active participants now report an average booking value of $10,655 through the site.

TLN’s “Leaders Alliances,” meanwhile, continue to thrive. These are communities for top-producing agents that operate in categories such as luxury, honeymoon and destination weddings and independent advisor networks.

Prior to Edge starting, TLN’s Luxury Leaders Alliance – for members who achieve the highest level of luxury supplier sales – held its Luxury Forum on Sunday (June 8), where the latest trends and strategies for serving high-net-worth clients were reviewed. Stay tuned for PAX’s coverage from that event.

As for the geopolitical conflict between Canada and the U.S., Lovell was optimistic, saying that he was happy to see that Canadians, regardless of the trade war, are still travelling.

“We still love our Canadian neighbours to the north and I think they still love us, but people are going to be people, and they're going to make their own decisions,” he said.

He emphasized that travel should be viewed as a connection, not a casualty.

“Travel is not going to be the casualty of what's going on politically,” he said. “It's going to connect Canadians and [Americans] to other people. When this dies down, that connection will come back.”

Cruise space expansion 

Travel Leaders Network is also expanding its cruise space programs to over 8,000 sailings through 2027 in response to rising cruise demand across all segments.

The programs help travel advisors attract and retain clients by offering high-value, exclusive experiences not available through direct booking.

There are three programs: Distinctive Voyages, which feature an onboard host, exclusive shore event and an invitation to a private welcome reception, and special amenities like a private car and driver; Amenity Departure Dates: voyages with perks like shipboard credits, specialty dining and prepaid gratuities, enhancing the overall cruise experience; and the Culinary Collection: unique food and wine-focused experiences, both onboard and ashore.

Member advisors can also stack programs with the cruise lines’ national offers, adding more value for clients and opportunities for advisors to close sales.

The Canadian connection

On the Canada front, Christine James spoke about the success of TLN’s Canada-wide mixer events, which bring together TLN travel advisors and suppliers.

TLN has so far hosted 11 events this year, in Western and Eastern Canada, and attendance is up 36 per cent over last year, attracting a total of 834 advisors and 192 suppliers, James said.

“Those are huge numbers for our local events,” she said. “We couldn’t be more pleased with the response.”

Eleven more mixers are planned for this fall, in addition to TLN’s “Peak” Regional Events in Vancouver (Oct. 21), Edmonton (Oct. 23) and Toronto (Oct. 30).

SNAP to it

The big news for Canada, this week, relates to SNAP, TLN’s user-friendly booking tool that helps travel advisors efficiently book flights, hotels, and car rentals for their clients.

Launched in April 2024, the tool provides an accessible option for independent contractors who may not have GDS experience.

For Canadian members, SNAP started with hotel and access – and it now includes air.

“We have over 1,500 users registered and the feedback we’re getting from our beta testers has been positive,” James said, adding that there’s 106 airlines loaded in the system.

Many of the airlines are offering commissions. “The feedback I’m hearing from some of our early users is that, ‘I’m earning commission on tickets I’ve never earned commission on before,’” James said.

Social Share Pro, a tool that helps TLN members develop and enhance their travel agency’s social media presence, is also now available in Canada.

As for James' long-term outlook on Canadian sales, “We’re still seeing growth,” she said.

“There’s clearly been a shift. Clients are not comfortable going to the U.S., at least this year. But they’re not cancelling. They’re shifting,” she said.

TLN Canada’s European business is seeing double-digit growth, James said. River cruises, Mexico and the Caribbean are also benefitting from the U.S. downturn, she said.

“At this point, we’re not seeing a loss in revenue,” said James. “Business is up 14 to 15 per cent, and I couldn’t believe the 2026 reports, which are hovering between 25 to 35 per cent growth. I had to call my suppliers and ask if it was correct.”

“Everyone is nervous about 2026, but the future looks bright.”

What is the vibe at this year’s Edge conference? What is Travel Leaders’ strategy for Canada?

Watch PAX’s one-on-one interview with Christine James, vice-president for Canada at Travel Leaders Network, at Edge in Las Vegas!

Stay tuned for more of PAX's coverage from Edge in Las Vegas. 

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