Jack Ezon Looks Ahead
by Cheryl Rosen /Ezon. Photo: Facebook.
Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations, spoke with TMR before the Travel Summit about what agents should think about in looking ahead to 2017.
Hybrid – Digital and Disconnected
“People want the convenience of digital so they can order room service on an app, even as they want the option to disconnect from their devices. The same goes for travel agents. Products like Lola and our own Skylark combine digital features and live agents and that will be the future because it delivers convenience and curation. Even OTAs will move in that direction.”
Travel-Plus
Travel is becoming a cornerstone of lifestyle, said Ezon. “It’s not just about going on vacation but immersing yourself in a lifestyle which often means collaboration with other brands that might be music, art, food. Agents have to think beyond just destinations and about the entire lifestyle experience and how travel fits into that. At Ovation, we aim to be information navigators and matchmakers in a sea of information.”
The fear factor
It was big in 2016, because of terrorist acts, said Ezon, but “it is unpredictable. We do see Paris and Brussels coming back slowly.”
Artificial intelligence on the Air
Artificial intelligence will play a greater role in travel planning, said Ezon, to help travel advisors become more efficient. But AI is not enough on its own. “I liken it to giving a child a calculator without teaching him how to add. The future of successful AI is intelligent people becoming better, not uneducated people becoming intelligent.”