ALG Vacations’ Jacki Marks on MegaFAMs, New Luxe Collection, & Giving Advisors What They Want

ALG Vacations’ Global Head of Trade Brands Jacki Marks knows the importance of loyalty.

The travel industry veteran has been with the ALGV family for nearly 30 years. She started by applying to a job ad for FunJet Vacations, and over the decades worked her way up to a leadership position for one of North America’s largest, and most influential, tour operators.

Travel Market Report sat down with Marks for an exclusive interview to discuss the Travel Impressions brand, as well as the latest developments at ALGV.

“I’m very fortunate to have had a lot of great mentors through my career that really when I needed the guidance and the support,” said Marks. “Loyalty to a company is rare in today’s world. I have been because of the the great people I’ve worked with.”

The travel industry is a relationships industry. This is true for travel advisors attracting and retaining clients, but it’s also true for suppliers attracting and retaining travel advisors. Marks understands this deeply, and has made it her mission to support the trade.

“ALGV doesn’t exist without travel advisors, bottom line,” she told TMR. “Our purpose is we care for people so they can be their best. So we’re always going to lead and drive with heart and mind, with the travel advisors at the center of that.”

Travel Impressions: ALGV’s B2B Brand

Travel Impressions is the only brand within the ALGV family that is exclusively B2B; since its transformation in 1974 from travel agency to vacation packager, Travel Impressions’s foundation has been focused on travel advisors.  

“Travel Impressions was built to really only focus on advisor-client relationships,” Marks told TMR. “Focusing on the service needed, the kind of product, the kind of commission and ultimately what an advisor would need to be successful.”

Over the last 50 years, Travel Impressions has continued to grow and evolve to meet the industry’s opportunities and overcome challenges. The company saw tremendous growth in its first few decades—particularly in the ’90s—and by the time it was acquired by Apple Leisure Group in 2012, Travel Impressions was one of the nation’s largest tour operators.

The 2012 acquisition has proven to be mutually beneficial. While ALGV benefitted from Travel Impressions’ reputation within the trade and high level of service, the trade-focused tour operator gained improved technology and benefits like ALGV’s popular Exclusive-Nonstop Vacation Flights program. 

“It was definitely mutual learning that took the best of both worlds,” said Marks. “Travel Impressions had really set the bar very high for high-touch service and support. Those legacy Travel Impressions people really understood how to build frontend relationships with the travel advisor… We were able to take those best practices while creating efficiency and scalability.”

ALGV’s Fastest Growing Product Lines: Luxury and Cruise Extensions

Travel Impressions has another key distinguishing feature within the ALGV portfolio: not only is it trade-focused, but it’s also more elevated than some of the other tour operator brands. 

“Travel Impressions has always been a more high-end luxury brand,” noted Marks.”It has always had more of a luxury-focused brand, and that was built in by the original owners of Travel Impressions. Commission service support and unique product offering have always been at the foundation of a more luxury provider.”

Last summer, ALGV took this one step further by introducing a dedicated luxury collection: Luxe by ALG Vacations.

Luxe by ALG Vacations

The curated selection of more than 450 luxury properties aims to give advisors access to high-end accommodations, experiences, and transportation across ALGV’s six brands, including Luxe by Travel Impressions. These can be booked through ALGVacations.com/luxe and the VAX VacationAccess platform, and the collection includes a dedicated luxury concierge service.

“Back in the day, Travel Impressions used to contract unique value-add offers that were specific. We lost some of that during the acquisition of TI, and now we’ve brought that back,” she added.

Marks explained that these benefits give clients the feeling of exclusive access—perks they couldn’t get through booking direct or via an OTA. One such add-on is exclusive spa credits. Advisors can also use the collection to access perks like early check-in or beach beds.

The Luxe by ALG Vacations collection has been well received by the trade. According to Marks, the company tracks every concierge request they receive, and so far, there hasn’t been a single one that the team has had to turn down. 

Marks recalled a particularly challenging request the team received from a travel advisor over the past year: a client went to Europe wanting to propose to their partner but did not have a plan. With just 48 hours’ notice, the team found a rooftop engagement package and upgraded the client’s room upon return from the proposal. 

“That is the key to luxury,” explained the global head of brands. “The team is trained to only say yes and just figure out how to make it work. So while [travel advisors] love the curated product, what they love most is that the [concierge] team really does go above and beyond for these luxury clients.” 

Beyond the Port

More recently, ALGV has also added pre- and post-cruise product to the portfolio to meet demand.  Marks told TMR that the Beyond the Port line was created in response to advisor feedback.

“Advisors and clients were seeking a way to have a nice elevated land experience before or after the cruise,” said Marks. “Now we can fit within what the advisors need. We offer bulk airfares that give them lower air price, we have all of the port hotels, we have the DMCs, we have the excursions. So it takes the stress away from the advisor from having to go out and piece all of that together. Now they can just bundle it through us.”

Marks told TMR that Luxe by ALGV and the Beyond the Port pre- and post-cruise packages are the company’s two fastest-growing product lines, with Europe, Mexico, and Caribbean cruises seeing the most demand, with most travelers booking at least two nights.

“It’s gotten rave reviews,” said Marks.

MegaFAM, Ascend, & More: How ALGV Supports the Trade

ALG Vacations hosts a series of incredibly popular travel advisor events each year, including its MegaFAM program and the annual Ascend conference.

ALGV introduced MegaFAMs early in 2024. The new FAM model effectively combines the multiple smaller-sized trips into one large 150-advisor group, with the goal of professional development and networking opportunities.

The program launched with two escorted trips in 2024, at resorts in Cancun and Punta Cana. In 2025, ALGV is hosting three MegaFAMS: two of which have already happened (Cancun, June 23 to 27, and
Los Cabos, July 7 to 11,) and one set for the fall (Punta Cana: September 8 to 12).

The new FAM structure has proven to be a hit with the trade.

“I was just blown away by the positive things [advisors are] saying,” Marks told TMR.

The MegaFAM structure is based on three pillars: building camaraderie with other travel advisors, seeing hotels and destinations, and business-building education.

“We always say community over competition,” said Marks. “Advisors are stronger when they have allies and advocates for each other in the industry.”

ALGV’s flagship event, the Ascend conference, will be held from Oct. 15 to 18 in Cancun. The annual event serves as a gathering point for professional development, networking, in-depth workshops, keynote speakers, a supplier showcase, and ALGV training. 

“Ascend usually sells out in one week,” Marks told TMR. “We’ll have 1,000 attendees and we had about 2,800 apply in the first week.”

Marks recommends travel advisors who want to attend in 2026 connect with their BDM ahead of time since they are the ones going through the applications.

In addition to the events, ALGV supports the trade through tools and resources like the ALGV360 platform and training. Marks said that training on marketing and communications, especially for emerging tools like social media and ChatGPT, and small business owner topics are the most in-demand.

“When we talk about these types of sessions that we run, it’s not just about how to book ALGV,” said Marks. “And in fact, a lot of what we do isn’t even about ALGV because we really believe if we make [travel advisors] better business owners by nature, we’re going to win in that market share gain.”