Testing the Waters with Dori: The Relationships that Make Travel Great

“What’s small turned to a friendship, a friendship turned to a bond
And that bond will never be broken, the love will never get lost” – Wiz Khalifa

There are many truisms in the travel industry, but in my opinion, one reigns supreme above them all – relationships are paramount. Everything else: education, first-hand experience, marketing… they’re second to the relationships that drive the travel industry.

It’s something that’s so integral to our industry, we rarely think about it. (Kind of like living in New York City and being blind to the skyline at night until one night on the 7 train you look across the East River and the sparkling lights unexpectedly take your breath away. Not only because of how beautiful they are, but at how you could have forgotten that.)

Two events in New York City this month brought to mind just how important relationships are to the travel industry – and how much richer our lives are for those relationships.

An intimate dinner for the soon-to-relaunch Victory Cruise Line brought together several executives who had previously worked together at American Queen Steamboat Company and are now rebuilding Victory, including chairman and founder John Waggoner, vice president of sales Bob Salmon, vice president of marketing Kari Tarnowski, Mike Hicks, head of PR, and others.

There were financiers who had helped Waggoner buy American Queen back in the day, reporters he’s known for years, and new friends, like the executive director of the Great Lakes Historical Society.

It was a reunion full of hugs and laughter that brought Waggoner to the verge of tears at one point as he spoke about the shared passion behind reanimating Victory and the long years of friendship.

For Waggoner, rebuilding Victory Cruise Line isn’t just about bringing a cruise line back to life, it’s also about getting the band back together.

Two days later I attended a one-day conference for Outside Agents’ new luxury brand Opulence. The theme for the show was all about building relationships.

As Outside Agents’ vice president of luxury Andrea Wright told me before the day kicked off, advisors can find out anything about any brand by going online or watching a webinar.  What they need more is the ability to build relationships with the suppliers they want to sell.

With that in mind, the two panels of the day didn’t focus on products, they focused on the people themselves. What’s a word they’d use to describe themselves? Why do they love travel?

Who knows? she said. Maybe participants would find common ground beyond a collegial relationship. Because, while yes, advisors sell what they know and feel comfortable with, just as importantly, they sell for the people they like.

It’s really the same concept that drives referrals for advisors. When clients like their advisors, when they feel a connection to them, they want their advisors to be successful, and so they essentially sell them to their friends and family.

Within my own space in the travel industry, I can think of a dozen or so other consumer and trade travel writers, public relations people, and travel advisors I am always available to go out of my way for. Because I have real relationships with them. They’re friends, not just colleagues.

These relationships, these friendships, are what drive the travel industry at every level. For advisors they can be relationships with suppliers or clients, or even other advisors.

It’s the kind of thing that can’t be replicated by any technology, because they’re real.

And when you stop for a moment and take a step back to look at the power all of these relationships hold, it truly is breathtaking.

Do you agree? Have you ever recommended a supplier because you’re friends with the BDM? Are there clients that would bend over backwards to help your business because you’ve created a relationship with them? I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can e-mail me at dsaltzman@travelmarketreport.com.