Group Travel Is Focus at Envoyage Spotlight Event in Mexico

Group travel is a growing segment of the travel industry that travel advisors need to be taking advantage of. This was the main message at Envoyage’s Spotlight on Destination Weddings & Social Groups mini-conference held at the Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya last weekend.

“The moment in time we have here right now in January is perfect timing for you to be investing in your education around group travel,” said Christina Pedroni, executive vice president and general manager of Envoyage Group. “The average group is booking and departing between 12 and 18 months. It’s January 2025, right now people are planning their groups for 2026… This is a long game segment of travel but if the work is done well now, your next year can be amazing. It can be the best year you’ve ever had in the industry just by bringing two or three more groups into your client portfolio.”

The two-day event, which was attended by 68 advisors and supplier partners, included product and supplier presentations, a panel of group experts, a lively tradeshow, site inspections, and a full mock wedding, and focused primarily on two of the three major components of group travel: weddings/romance and social/affinity groups.

Speaking of the former, Pedroni noted that in 2024 destination weddings saw 32% global growth.

“It’s already a $37 billion global industry,” she said. “If that growth rate keeps up, which they are predicting it will, it will be on track to reach $100 billion by the end of this decade… it’s a trend that is not slowing down.”

Within the overall group market, Pedroni also spoke about the growing need for customization.

“People wanting an experience that is tailored for them is now also a huge trend in the leisure group industry as well,” she said, adding that groups are no longer satisfied with a one-size fits all, cookie-cutter experience.

“Partnering with suppliers that are recognizing this and have customization available for groups will help you thrive as this trend continues.”

New in 2025

In response to the massive opportunity that groups present for advisors, Envoyage announced a few improvements to its group offerings in 2025, starting with an increase in long-haul destinations available through the network’s wholesale Group Center Team. New destinations are available in Europe, Dubai, the Maldives and the South Pacific.

New destinations throughout the U.S. including in Las Vegas, New York City, and Hawaii will also soon be available via the Group Center Team. And, for the first time, advisors will be able to manage cruise groups through Envoyage’s proprietary SoftTrip technology.

Also new for 2025 will be a new invitation-only Group Specialist program. It will be open to select advisors within the Envoyage network only and will include cooperative marketing, group travel-focused FAM trips, and educational assets. The program is expected to launch in February, with details of how to qualify coming soon.

Envoyage Group Trends

To help advisors understand the value of group business and what the possibilities are, Alicia Onello, director of network operations offered trends specific to Envoyage’s group business.  

A few of the highlights were:

• 77% of the Envoyage network is already booking groups – of these 47% said they had their strongest annual sales in 2024.
• The average commission per group among Envoyage advisors is between $6,000 and $10,000. (The average commission for advisors using Envoyage’s Group Center Team for their contracts is $13,000.)
• Land-only groups account for the largest percentage of group business (30%), followed closely by cruise (27%). Not too far behind are land-and-air packages (23%), while only 14% are doing escorted tour and/or river cruise groups.
• 68% of advisors who book groups are booking affinity groups, which includes weddings, reunions, milestone birthdays, and themes travel (wellness, pickleball, etc.). Nearly a quarter (24%) are booking speculative groups, which they lead themselves and fill with a mix of current and new clients.
• Looking specifically at affinity groups, 38% are traveling for a destination wedding, 28% are family or friends reunions, 18% are milestone birthday groups, and 8% are other wedding-related trips, such as bachelor or bachelorette parties. Another 8% are social/recreational groups traveling together.
• The Caribbean accounts for 43% of all group destinations, followed by Mexico at 34%.

Selling Yourself as a Group Specialist

While understanding the value that groups can bring to advisors is important, so too, is being able to explain to clients the value that advisors bring when it comes to planning groups.

Pedroni offered four key messages advisors should be incorporating into their group travel elevator pitches:

Expert Coordination: Group travel is complicated. Keeping track of room inventory without dipping below contract levels, making sure amenities have been ordered, ensuring transfers are in place. All of this takes time and energy – and not just a little expertise. Travel advisors who specialize in group travel understand logistics and deadlines and can ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Real-Time Support & Problem Solving: When an advisor does the planning and has the contacts (often on a personal level) with the property or cruise line or packaged tour company in play, that advisor is able to step in to help when something goes wrong. Advisors act as advocates for their clients, ensuring they get what they paid for.

Access to Better Pricing & Payment Options: Through the networks they belong to, advisors often have lower group pricing than what clients can find on their own. They may also have access to payment plans that make it easier for clients to pay.

Access to Customized Itineraries & Experiences: Again, with contacts to a variety of suppliers at their fingertips that clients don’t normally have access to, advisors can customize the experiences that groups have so that they’re not having the same cookie cutter experience everyone else is having.