Direct Travel Kicks Off “Direct Access” in Toronto, Luxury Sales Surge

Direct Travel brought its annual Direct Access conference to Toronto’s waterfront Monday night (Oct. 5), kicking off three days of networking, professional development and strategic planning with a packed welcome reception at the Westin Harbour Castle hotel.

Sponsored by Tourism and Events Queensland, the opening reception, which was attended by Travel Market Report Canada, brought together a who’s who of travel advisors and supplier partners from across Direct Travel’s North American network, setting the stage for a conference that has drawn just shy of 400 attendees from Canada and the United States.

Direct Access was born four years ago and serves as an annual leisure conference for Direct Travel, explained Stephen Smith, executive vice president, leisure travel.

“The core concept of it is to connect our advisors with our partners. We have face-to-face meetings and we do matched appointments,” Smith told Travel Market Report Canada.

After two years in Chicago and one in Orlando, Direct Access, running until Oct. 7, makes its Toronto debut this year.

This year’s Canadian contingent has a particularly strong presence this year given Direct Travel’s sizable advisor base in southern Ontario.

Across Canada, Direct Travel has approximately 350 advisors, including employees and independent contractors, with a roughly comparable advisor count in the United States.

The new luxury is “space”

Direct Access arrives as Direct Travel heads toward the end of what Smith characterized as a strong year for leisure sales, with forward bookings also providing reasons for optimism.

“Overall, business is quite good for 2026,” Smith said. “2027 also looks quite good.”

Luxury travel, in particular, continues to outperform, he added.

Part of that resilience, he suggested, comes from affluent travellers being better positioned to withstand broader economic uncertainty.

“We understand there is some economic uncertainty out there, but I think the high net worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients are a bit resistant to economic challenges,” Smith said. “They keep travelling, they keep booking, and ultimately, that’s good for business.”

Expedition travel is one standout segment, reflecting a broader shift in what luxury travellers increasingly value.

“We continue to see expedition travel doing extremely well,” Smith said. “Luxury travellers want to go where other people are not going. The new luxury is space.”

Canadians are still travelling

Cruise sales, meanwhile, remain strong through 2026 and into 2027, he said.

That strength is continuing despite changing Canadian travel patterns, particularly a pullback in U.S.-bound travel.

“We do have some Canadians still going to Miami. Obviously, we see a significant decrease of Canadians going to the U.S. But what we see is that they are going elsewhere,” Smith said.

Europe is one beneficiary, particularly outside of the traditional summer peak, with travellers increasingly considering fall trips, winter river cruises and other off-season opportunities.

The important point for Direct Travel, Smith said, is that Canadians aren’t necessarily travelling less – they’re changing where they go.

“I’ve always believed that Canadians feel it’s their right to travel, even though it is a privilege,” he said. “If there’s a reason they don’t want to go somewhere, they’ll go somewhere else.”

“We’re not seeing a decrease in trips being booked out of Canada.”

Preparing advisors for disruption

Still, uncertainty remains a fact of life for the travel industry, and helping advisors navigate it is among the conversations unfolding at Direct Access this week.

“We’re always aware of what’s going on around the world. Unfortunately, that’s become a norm – for there to be some kind of big or small disruption,” Smith said.

“It’s a constant headwind right now. We can’t get away from that. We just have to be prepared and help our advisors talk to their clients about it.”

Fraud is also firmly on the agenda this week. A professional development session will focus specifically on identifying and managing fraud, an issue Smith said has become particularly prevalent in luxury leisure travel.

“We have a lawyer coming in to educate advisors on how to protect themselves,” he said. “We want [our advisors] to do a good job in running their business.”

The conference, which includes an awards gala Tuesday night, has also made community involvement an annual component.

This year, for its Give Back Day, Direct worked with Water First, a non-profit organization, and the Intrepid Foundation, supporting efforts related to safe water and education in Indigenous communities.

A more global Direct Travel

The conference comes as Direct Travel continues to broaden its global footprint following its acquisition of long-time strategic partner ATPI in 2025.

The transaction gave Direct Travel a larger international presence, including operations in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Germany — markets where Smith sees opportunities to further develop its leisure business.

“We’re looking to grow in those areas and have more of a global presence from a leisure standpoint,” he said.

That expansion is also supported by Direct Travel’s membership in Virtuoso, giving the company a combination of global reach and regional relevance.

More news is coming before Direct Access wraps up. The company is set to unveil a major announcement during Tuesday’s conference program, with details expected to be shared with media on Wednesday (Oct. 7).

Watch for updates here.