The Insider Travel Report Podcast

Alex Pinelo, chief sales officer for AmaWaterways, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the ASTA River Cruise Expo on the newly christened AmaSofia. Pinelo reveals the river cruise company’s big plans for new ships, new itineraries and new destinations. He also details how AmaWaterways will continue to sell through travel advisors. For more information, visit www.amawaterways.com.

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Melissa Backus, vice president of supplier engagement at ALG Vacations, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about rising demand for culturally immersive, experiential travel, the growth of Indo-Pacific and emerging European destinations, and how ALGV equips advisors with tools, training, and support to confidently sell new markets. For more information, visit www.algvacations.com.  

Leila Krešić-Jurić, director of North America for the Croatian National Tourist Office, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report at Internova’s Focus on Destinations event about how film tourism is driving significant visitor demand and tourism spending, alongside new nonstop United Airlines service from Newark to Split and Dubrovnik. She also discusses Croatia’s strategy to attract higher-value travelers, expand itineraries b...

Katina Athanasiou, senior vice president-sales & service for Celebrity Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the ASTA River Cruise Expo about Celebrity River Cruises, the premium ocean line’s new river cruise brand. Celebrity was the title sponsor of this year’s expo and used the event to showcase its plans to build 20 river ships designed to sail the Rhine and Danube. With innovative design, carryin...

Peter Vlitas, executive vice president of partner relations at Internova Travel Group, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report at Internova’s recent Focus on Destinations event in Manhattan about current airline performance, rising airfare trends and how global conflicts, fuel costs and capacity constraints are impacting travel. He also discusses how airlines are working more closely with travel advisors, the growing role of ...

Stephen McGillivray, chief partner marketing officer at Internova Travel Group, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report at Internova’s Focus on Destinations event in Manhattan about how the company uses advisor-submitted customer data and advanced segmentation to deliver targeted marketing for suppliers. McGillivray explains how Internova markets directly to consumers on behalf of travel advisors, drives higher ROI through da...

Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about her luxury wholesaler’s new agreement with Preferred Hotels & Resorts to dramatically expand luxury hotel offerings in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Classic also has added Kempinski Hotels & Resorts to its portfolio and continues to feature dedicated sales to hotels in the Hilton chain and more. Krueger also desc...

In this exclusive interview, Bob Salmon, vice president of sales for Victory Cruise Lines, outlines how the enhanced Agent Resource Center, MyVictory Pro agent certification program, and brand-new TA Booking Portal are making it easier than ever for travel advisors to market, book and manage Victory voyages. For more information, visit agents.victorycruiselines.com. 

Carmen Roig, vice president of sales and trade marketing at Princess Cruises, speaks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about the launch of the Sphere Class ships, Princess’ eight‑ship Alaska deployment, and how expanded Caribbean offerings and onboard innovations are helping advisors personalize vacations and close more sales. For more information, visit www.PrincessPartners.com. 

Zane Kerby, president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about the fifth ASTA River Cruise Expo, held in Amsterdam last week. Kerby talks about what went into making the expo a success, with 1,600 advisors and suppliers,16 river ships, general sessions and advisor training sessions. For more information about the ASTA River Cruise Expo 2027 or to register...

Virginia March, owner of March Travel Group of Dream Vacations, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about receiving the Opal Award recognizing outstanding female travel advisors during Women’s History Month. She also discusses her transition from a 25-year career as a public library director into the travel industry, building a Dream Vacations franchise with her husband and mentoring advisors while supporting military fam...

Michelle Buttigieg, Malta Tourism Authority representative for North America, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about Delta Air Line’s new seasonal nonstop service from New York JFK to Malta starting June 7 and what that means for travel advisors and tour operators. She also discusses Malta’s growing appeal as archaeologists continue pushing the island’s history back beyond 8,000 years, meaning visitors can keep discove...

Amanda Frasier, president-standards and ratings for Forbes Travel Guide, talks with James Shillinglaw about what we missed at last month’s Forbes Summit in Monte Carlo. The Summit proved to be a combination think tank and star-rating awards celebration for top luxury suppliers, including hotels, resorts, cruise lines, spas and more. Frasier also details how Forbes decides on who gets how many stars and much more. For more informati...

Chuck Palmer, manager-Americas for Dream Yacht Worldwide, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his charter company offering yachts around the world where you can book your clients on their own private vacation and get commission. Palmer talks about the kinds of boats Dream Yacht offers in some of the poshest marinas in exotic islands and harbors. For more information, www.dreamyachtcharter.com. 

Ron Fenska, vice president and head of North America for RateHawk, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his B2B travel booking platform designed for travel advisors and tour operators. An online booking tool that aggregates hotel, flight, transfer, and car rental inventory from hundreds of suppliers worldwide, RateHawk can give travel professionals access to a wide range of travel products all in one place. A...

Natalya Leahy, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about her first year on the job, which resulted in record financial results, new products and itineraries, and the renewal of the company’s partnership with National Geographic. Leahy details where Lindblad, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary in business, will explore next and why expedition cruising and adventure tours have bec...

Eileen Ross, an InteleTravel ambassador advisor, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report at Quest, the InteleTravel national conference at the Hard Rock Resort in Punta Cana, about how she discovered the host agency and built her travel business over the past decade. She also discusses helping develop InteleTravel’s ambassador program, which trains and mentors new advisors, along with the company’s broader education programs ...

Jamie Tarr, owner of Jamie’s Vacation Experience and an InteleTravel ambassador advisor, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report at Quest, InteleTravel's national conference at the Hard Rock Resort in Punta Cana, about how she discovered the host agency during the pandemic and built up her travel business over the past five years. She also discusses InteleTravel’s training and advisor support and new opportunities from acquis...

Dana Lattouf, founder and CEO of Tickitto, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report the InteleTravel national conference in Punta Cana, about how her InteleTravel-owned global ticketing infrastructure platform connects travel advisors to more than 90,000 concerts, sports and entertainment events worldwide. She also discusses how Tickitto integrates event inventory directly into travel booking systems and how travel advisors ca...