January 9, 2025 • 34 mins
Happy New Year, and welcome to 2025!
A new year promises new opportunities, and today, Goway's Director of Sales, Renee, Director of Product, Reesa, US National Sales Manager, Ian, and Professor Goway will discuss the most popular destinations for 2025.
It's a challenging task, as Goway is on all 7 continents. Still, we will highlight what's hot now, what to look out for, and a few surprising destinations you or your clients must know about.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goay and welcome to the GoayPro Travel Talepodcast.
Happy New Year and welcome to 2025.
New Year brings with it new opportunities and today we, Renée, our Director of Sales,Risa, our Director of Product and myself, Professor Goay, we're going to discuss what we
(00:24):
know and what we predict will be most popular.
and trending for 2025.
Now, that's a tough call because Go8 is on all seven continents, but we'll spotlight whatis hot now, now being sort of in the last part of 2024.
And what we think will be the few unsuspecting destinations that you or your clientsshould know about as we move into 2025.
(00:56):
travel far and travel often.
So, Reece, let's just jump straight into it.
So what was popular in 24 in general terms?
And do you think that will continue to 25, the ones that were popular in 24 destinations?
Wow.
Two-part questions to start.
Thank you.
(01:17):
Well, you know what?
Definitely, mean, know, trends are really hard to capture, but numbers really don't lie.
So what we did see is, you know, some of our top destinations, Australia, New Zealand,were definitely on the top of the list.
know, GOA is known for their South Pacific destinations.
So that is definitely going to continue for 2025.
(01:41):
Europe was a huge, you know, boom in 23, 24, and it's going to continue in 2025.
We've seen huge numbers in Italy and Greece.
are the traditional destinations.
But we also see, and it's not surprising, France following the Paris Olympics.
(02:02):
There's more and more visitors interested in France.
And also some new destinations that are a little bit on the radar, but they're slowlycoming up like Portugal.
We've seen a lot of great numbers in Portugal.
And then in Asia,
Japan and Thailand.
Japan was pretty much dominated a few months of our year where it was actually hard to getavailability.
(02:29):
So Japan, think for everyone was a huge win.
And then in Latin America, although Peru struggled at the beginning of the year, it didpick up.
And so we're still seeing Peru and Costa Rica at the top of our list.
Good.
That heartens my heart.
So I used to look at it.
It's always, I always want to just let me in there somewhere in the mix.
(02:50):
So as recent mention, um, now that's all, uh, that's all tied to sales, but it's also, um,based on the inquiries we get.
Um, but as Reese said in the early introduction there, basically the numbers don't lie.
Now I'm going to pass a numbers question over to Renee, our director of sales, and sheloves her numbers, loves her spreadsheets.
(03:11):
So Renee.
Same question, but on a more specific note, what were our top 10 destinations for 2024based on sales?
And do think that will continue into 2025?
Absolutely, Don.
So as Risa alluded to earlier, Australia and New Zealand continue to top the charts.
We had a great 2024.
(03:32):
However, I'm pretty confident that we'll have an even better 2025.
We're seeing more lift to the South Pacific, especially from gateways in the USA.
More lift typically means cheaper seats.
And we also have a really strong Canadian dollar as well as a US dollar to the Australianand New Zealand dollar.
So it's a great time to travel.
So I think that that will be on the hot list for 25.
(03:54):
Italy and Greece continue to also be in our top 10.
They have been ever so popular post COVID and it really hasn't stopped.
As well as that we have Japan.
Japan we had a
booming year in 2024 and 2023.
I still think that we'll continue to see that in 2025, but we might see some more emergingdestinations such as South Korea and India.
(04:21):
I think that they might start to creep up and Vietnam as well.
then we do have South Africa.
Obviously, Africa is also very dear to our heart and South Africa continue to stay in ourtop 10.
Kenya and Tanzania.
Tanzania.
I also think it's going to come back in 25.
They're in our top 15.
(04:42):
But I do think that we're still going to have those people wanting those experientialtravel in Africa on safari.
So I think that that will also hit our list next year or this year, I should say.
Exactly this year, we're on 25.
I always find it interesting that Kenya and Tanzania are not always in top tens becausethey I kind of just sound the most iconic site sounds.
(05:05):
out there in the world.
I understand Italy, Greece being always popular, but it does interest me that Tanzania andKenya are not in the top 10, at least currently for us.
you mentioned India.
Risa, know we're starting to, like we do have product for India.
Anyone out there wants to travel to India with Goa, we can definitely help you.
(05:26):
But I know we're in a bit of a product push for India.
Is that correct?
Just to add to that popularity.
Yeah, we are.
And thank you for mentioning that, Renee, because I think definitely India is up andcoming.
What we did actually with our India product is we revamped it a little bit because rightnow India is still a very, you know, it's still a very affordable country.
(05:49):
think most Asian countries are very affordable when you're on the ground.
But what we did is we ended up revamping it by adding more private guided experiences,more immersive experiences.
And we just sort of upped the product line a little bit so it matches more so our otherproduct lines.
So this is definitely still within budget, but it's definitely not the cheap and cheerfulas what it was in the past before.
(06:18):
People are getting a lot better experiences and more, yeah, just more unique experiences.
So yes, look out for India.
Yeah, and even with the upgrade in product in regards to levels of, you know, yes, cheapand cheerful if you want.
But the thing about India is even when you get into luxury, it's still very, veryaffordable compared to a lot of other, other countries out there.
(06:41):
And for those who are part of the travel academy or want to be, because of the growingpopularity of India, there will be soon a LMS module on India.
I'm just currently working on Ireland at the moment.
So that'll be hitting the shelves very soon as well.
So
As we develop the product internally, we'll also develop the educational base for all ofour travel partners out there.
(07:02):
I'll leave, I'll throw this question at both of you.
Now we discussed our sort of top 10 and those out of the top 10.
Outside of those ones, which countries do you think might surprise us and maybe surprisepeople out there that you think will be popular for 25?
Let's go with Risa first.
Yeah, I'll take.
(07:25):
You know what, think Renee, you have mentioned it, or we had talked about it in the past,but I think Vietnam, you had mentioned as one of the destinations that are off the beaten
path.
We definitely see that one as growing.
In other areas, I know that this is one of the favorite destinations for our Asia productmanager is Bhutan, you know, in the Himalayas, Albania, part of the Balkan region, that
(07:49):
whole area in the Balkans region, Serbia.
Montenegro Albania is growing.
Namibia is also growing as well in it, or I think is sort of a hidden gem in South Africa.
Okay, Renee, you were going to jump in there and I cut you off.
do you concur with this?
(08:11):
Have you got a few more you want to throw in?
Absolutely.
Reese's spot on.
The only other destination that comes off the top of my head would be South Korea.
Obviously, we've saw so much popularity in Japan and I think that South Korea is going tobe that next one.
Great for culinary and K-pop.
We're finding that children are telling their parents they want to go to South Korea.
(08:33):
It happened a lot with Japan with anime and I think we're going to start to see that andthe whole gaming kind of travel, which is a really new interesting concept.
Yeah.
And also from a South Korea point of view, you've got, you got Squid Games 2 just cameout.
I was very late to the party.
I only watched Squid Games 1 over the Christmas break.
(08:55):
There you go, Reese.
That's one thing I did over Christmas.
I watched Squid Games.
So there's that popularity as well.
And to your point, did a, think it was a webinar with the Korean tourism board and K-popwas and is a very popular pool for people.
looking for a destination.
I'm going to throw in a Latin destination, which it probably won't gain popular, but it'sworth considering.
(09:18):
It's, it's Guiana.
And I've just finished a webinar, sorry, podcast with our grounds operator there, whichwill be coming out in about four or five weeks from this particular podcast.
And I knew a bit about it, but speaking to Tony, amazing destination as well for up andcomers in the Latin world.
(09:39):
So on that point, Risa,
What type of travel styles do you think will become or are becoming more popular?
Like we talked destinations.
Let's talk about ways to travel within any destination.
Yeah, you know, I think that again, is, know, Renee, you hit upon some of the some of thesort of trending areas like gaming is popular, popular culture like TV shows.
(10:05):
I also think multi-generational travel.
is now more than ever, I think post COVID especially, you you see a lot ofmulti-generational families traveling together, the grandparents, the parents,
grandchildren, great grandchildren, more and more we see this because we're gettingrequested for, you know, double rooms or connecting rooms or things like that.
(10:29):
So I think multi-generational travel is definitely on a trend that's gonna continue for2025.
One sort of trendy depth,
trendy sort of area is nocturism.
don't know if you guys have heard about that.
It's a unique nighttime travel, like stargazing.
(10:50):
Never heard of that term anyway.
Yeah, it's a new one that, I mean, I don't think it's going to blow us out of the water interms of sales, but it's it's trending similar to culinary travel or sports travel or
things like that.
So Renee, when you're at the travel shows and you do attend a of our shows in partnershipwith our account managers who are out and about continuously, are you being asked about
(11:18):
certain ways to travel?
You know, as in an agent company that says, can go away, do this type of travel, be it artand culture or, you know, experiential type of travel ideas.
Are you getting hit with those questions?
Absolutely.
I feel that it's almost taken over more so than people asking for destinations per se.
(11:39):
So they're coming to us with these different travel trends and asking, do we accommodatesingle solo women or multi-generational families?
A huge trend in 2024 was group travel as well, anything of 10 or more.
In fact, I think our groups department moved over six groups, which is huge in 2024.
(11:59):
And we're already seeing those numbers increase for 2025.
I do think it's very popular to come to go away with questions regarding trans wellness aswell.
People just wanting to stay longer in destination and feel more connected rather thangoing to those usual, you know, 10 countries in one week type situation that we've seen in
(12:22):
the past.
So I do think it's popular, Dawn.
And I think people really want to live their passions overseas.
They want to, if they're into photography or wildlife or whatever it may be, they want toincorporate
that into their trip and they're going to their travel advisors and saying, where can I dophotography overseas?
What destinations would you recommend?
(12:43):
Right now we will touch on wellness in a minute, but something that you brought up in ameeting the other day, Renee was a term like everyone got used to staycations due to COVID
and then also budgets will often push people to a staycation.
You mentioned the term workcation.
So can you expand on that?
Cause I've not heard that term either.
(13:05):
No problem or bleasure travel, whichever way you want to look at it.
Yeah, I mean, what we're seeing, a study was recently done in the US that 72 % ofrespondents were going to combine business travel with leisure travel, hence pleasure in
2025.
So I mean, we all travel, everyone does in the industry quite a bit.
(13:26):
So why not tap on some leisure travel to that business trip?
So I think it would be
remiss for anyone not to talk to their clients that are traveling for business as well tosee if there's an opportunity to incorporate some leisure travel onto that trip as well.
And I must admit, I do that.
have a, like we go to Mexico, my family and I annually at least, and I'll often do exactlythat.
(13:49):
You know, take a week of just sitting on the balcony, staring at the sun and the otherweek doing that, but while working.
yeah, that's a very good, again, I've not heard that term, workations, which makes perfectsense.
opposite of staycations.
on the wellness subject, now, Risa, this is something that you've been on behalf of thecompany spearheading for the last little bit in behind the scenes, pushing the wellness.
(14:14):
Now we've always had wellness, but we've never really had it at the top of our list, so tospeak.
But we have seen a desire for more wellness style travel.
So can you expand on that from the go away world?
Yeah.
And it's a, it's a great segue from Renee's Bledger.
because I've heard you say that Renee before, but in my mind I'm thinking, what is thisterm again?
(14:36):
So thank you for clarifying it.
you know, you know, business pleasure.
So I think wellness and you know, I'll talk a little bit about wellness and then go intosort of what Go Away is offering in terms of a wellness travel program.
But yeah, I think it's gaining traction.
The term itself is in our everyday language.
(14:57):
I don't know when they publish those dictionaries, but I'm sure if it's not there, it'sgonna be published soon.
But yeah, when we talk about wellness, it's just a balanced healthy lifestyle and thatincludes physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
And I think there are a lot of reasons why this is gaining popularity post-COVID.
(15:19):
you know, everybody was sort of confined to their small spaces.
And when you're confined to a small space and with not a lot of people around you, youhave a lot of time to think.
And I think people and companies now are really reorganizing their lives and theirbusinesses around, you know, the better health of employees and of individual people
(15:44):
themselves.
So yes, I mean, it's definitely up and coming.
And in terms of travel, we did dabble in it.
Again, it's such a moving term right now that it's really hard to define.
But we did dabble in it offering some long stay packages in more of the wellness sparetreats.
(16:06):
But now we have a few more packages we developed over the last year in the beginning.
Well, I mean, coming out of this year.
And yeah, they're a little bit more robust.
So they include, you know, different things, activities like cooking classes, yoga,Pilates, includes hiking, being in nature, learning new, you know, learning new
(16:29):
activities, know, hand weaving, coffee making.
So anything that really stimulates the mind and body and really get us out of our sort ofautomatic, you know, automatic drive that we're on.
24 seven.
So yeah, I mean, I'm really excited about this.
Yeah.
I think that's important.
(16:50):
on the definition of the word wellness, I think we were at, at a meeting or something, wewere talking about, you know, basically what the definition is.
And people brought up that, well, wellness for me isn't a spa treatment.
Wellness for me is doing a trick through the forest or something like that.
So to your point, it's cleansing or easing, whatever word you want to use there.
(17:11):
the mind and that can be anything from a spa treatment or a yoga session through to maybetrekking or even riding a bike somewhere through the, uh, through the countryside.
Now on that, that's also a nice sort of segue to, um, something, a term that we use hereat Go Way, um, as it's becoming more and more popular back to, think, um, I think Renee
(17:32):
mentioned it when she was talking about locations, um, is the linger longer, take a bitmore time in a area and or country versus trying to cram.
too much into a short space of time.
So do you both agree that we're seeing a much higher trend and requests for that type oftravel style?
It's more of a base of the way the itinerary is constructed linger longer.
(17:55):
Absolutely Don on average our clients travel 14.2 days, not 14 but 14.2 days.
itself just shows you because typically a North American does only travel for five daysbut with Go Away it's 14.2 so it is showing that they are traveling for longer for sure
and then when we actually break it down by itinerary we are finding that when they go tosay Europe they might only focus on one country but really go into the regional parts of
(18:23):
that country as well and actually get to experience it.
mean one night in one destination you don't truly get to experience it do you?
We are definitely seeing that trend from our side.
the back of that, Risa, something I mentioned in our LMS training modules about gettingaround and seeing any country in the world and something I've been lucky enough to do on a
(18:44):
continuous basis.
think both, both you and Renee have experienced it as well as private guiding.
Now, what I do say in the training programs, it is generally more expensive than grouptouring, et cetera.
But to Renee's point of experiencing something in depth,
and having that extra time, to speak.
Private guiding is the way to do it because you have naturally a private guide, vehicle,itineraries and sites and sounds can be built to exactly what the client wants.
(19:14):
And there's flexibility within that itinerary because you can stop and start as youplease.
this is an obvious question for you, but do you support and encourage people to look atprivate guiding as a style of travel?
definitely.
And, you know, we've seen it over the last couple of years where we've increased ourrequests and bookings for private guided experiences.
(19:38):
You know, again, it's, you know, post pandemic and, you know, people want to have thatflexibility.
They want to have that autonomy to decide, you know, how and where and when they want togo.
Now, you bring up a good point about costs, but I always say to our destinationspecialists when we're training, I mean, when you are, you know, three plus or more
people,
(19:58):
You know what, consider the cost because you'll probably have a much richer experience.
You'll engage a lot more in the destination.
You'll have your own private expert guide who you can, you know, just sort of ask all yourquestions.
It's just going to be a much more immersive experience.
And yeah, I mean, I think this whole conversation, what we're talking about is that uniqueexperience that GoAE can offer.
(20:26):
Yeah, I agree.
It's that immersive side of it that you might realise.
I remember we did a river cruise in Eastern Europe, which was a large group and it wasfantastic, don't get me wrong.
But then we took a private transfer, I can't remember where from though, from the port tothe airport.
(20:47):
It was about a two hour drive and we had a private driver and guide and that
That two hour transfer was like a tour unto itself because he was a local.
He spoke to me about everything from politics to because the war in Ukraine had justbroken out.
It was a neighboring country.
It was amazing transfer of all things.
I never, never would say I'd have an amazing transfer, but it was simply because of theprivate aspect and the guide was so proud as well, discussing culture, history, everything
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else.
So I can't, I can't recommend it high, highly enough.
And to your point, Reza, I think if you have a
larger group, three, four, five, six, then the costs actually can benefit, like not beexpensive shared amongst the group.
It's a very, very affordable way of doing things.
Now that is one unique way that Go Way puts its itineraries together.
(21:36):
Risa or, and Renee for that matter, are there any other aspects of our itineraries, GoWay's itineraries that make us different?
Now it's a hard one to answer.
I know that, but I'm going to, I'm going to throw it at you.
I could say it's the product.
that's Reese's team, but it honestly guys are constantly out there in destination talkingto tourism boards and really researching what it is that the consumer wants.
(22:01):
And I think that we are a very nimble company in that we are constantly evolving ourproduct.
And a lot of our partners always say how amazing our website is and the breadth and depthof the products that we can offer.
The fact we have over a thousand suggested itineraries on our website, I think is atestament to
and her team and what an incredible job they do.
(22:23):
I have to give that shout out to Risa and her team.
I do think they're constantly looking at new trends and we truly customize.
Nothing goes out the door the same at Go Away.
Every single client, we really want to make sure that we've customized something uniqueand special for them.
also want to add, you know, like the destination specialists themselves, you know, they,you know,
(22:48):
They take the requests and customization of all the itineraries.
We actually provide one fam trip per year for all staff that are eligible.
So this is really hands-on experience.
So getting staff in the destination, because we know that, know, firsthand experience isamazing.
(23:11):
can add that.
Yeah.
yeah.
And it's key as well, because I think...
Exactly.
Like, you know, in all honesty, if someone's, I'm to use, you know, my area of expertise,Latin America, someone wants to go and see Peru, they're going to do, you know, with us or
with anyone else, they're going to do the big, the big sites.
And that's pretty much the same with everyone, but it's, it's the little attention todetail that the girls have just mentioned.
(23:36):
and that local knowledge where it, it changes it a little bit, you know, in that we knowthe best or a really cool restaurant because we've just been there and seen it or our, or
our local offices.
you know, introducing a new product.
so it's that ongoing training and firsthand experience at our destination specialist andthe company as a whole engage in on an ongoing basis, which gives us, think that little
(24:01):
one up, when people come to us, particularly as Renee mentioned, 90%, 95 % of what we dois customized particularly to that particular booking.
now I just did an interview
talking to our partners in Bavaria.
And one of my questions was, is Bavaria in summertime less crowded than some of the otherbig cities of Europe?
(24:26):
The answer was generally not really because it's as popular as anywhere else.
But I have noticed when I've been speaking to people and I'm sure you have as well, Renee,when you've been out the travel shows, that people are wanting to get away from the crowds
now.
And Risa, you brought it up earlier that Europe is busy, busy, So Risa.
What are some of the old school experiences, I guess, so off the beaten track, lesscrowds, a little bit more remote that you would suggest people go on or that are becoming
(24:58):
popular as we move into 25?
So I guess in terms of destinations, mean, there's, you know, how I look at things,
It really is, you know, how you go into the destination.
I can go into Italy and have, you know, an immersive experience full of crowds and,definitely in the, in the middle of Rome.
(25:21):
But I think in every country, there are areas where you can find, you know, you can getaway from the crowds.
but some of the bigger destinations, I think that, you know, to avoid the crowds or, or,you know, you can also combine this with emerging destinations.
We do have quite a few of them.
I did take a small list here that I'll read off.
(25:43):
Europe, I have Slovenia.
If some of you don't know where Slovenia is, it's just north of Croatia, just east ofItaly.
It's a very tiny country that's full of nature and culinary.
There's other areas that I mentioned before, like Bhutan and the Himalayas.
(26:05):
Laos is a...
great combination so you can combine like perhaps a busy Vietnam trip with Laos and Laosand Cambodia.
So you can get that mix of, you know, avoiding the crowds without, you know, feeling thatyou're, you know, you're, completely, you're missing out.
(26:25):
and I'll, I'll throw in that shoe that I recently learned is, in Nicaragua, in, in centralAmerica.
In the colonial city of Granada, learned there's like these little islands that are justoff the coast that, you know, little boats go to.
So, you know, there's a lot of exciting destinations, you know, even what we consider busydestinations where we can find, you know, less tourists.
(26:49):
Right.
So I guess the point there would be, yes, there are countries which will take you awayfrom crowds, but there's again, as Reese said, don't, don't, don't shy away from the big
and the famous, but when you're there, get off.
or get away from the Rome's and the Paris's, which you would do obviously, particularly ona first time trip, because there's so much more to France or Italy, et cetera, et cetera.
(27:11):
And again, back to our destination specialist knowledge.
They know where to get you to, to have an amazing, authentic immersive experience, butmaybe getting away from some of the bigger crowds and the hustle and bustles.
So on that emerging destination question, Risa, are there any brand new countries?
that GoAE is looking at introducing in 25 or the near future?
(27:33):
Yeah, there's a few destinations that we have our eye on.
Of course, I won't give it all away.
We have to leave some surprises.
in the last two years, we launched a new product line, North America.
So that's been steadily growing.
One of the big things in United States, there are road trips.
And so we've revamped our of road trip.
(27:54):
actually all over in all of our destinations, but in particular in North America roadtrips, think 50 % of our itineraries are road trips.
It's very easy to get around and we've made them more inclusive.
So, you know, more premium accommodations, inclusions of excursions, exciting excursions,you know, going from, you know, Arizona, Colorado, California, you know, the
(28:21):
the desert route 66.
So we have a huge amount of product that's just launched there.
Then we have Greenland.
So an exciting new destination.
it's actually part, it's situated geographically in North America, but it is part ofEurope or considered part of Europe, actually part of the kingdom of Denmark.
So that's a new destination.
(28:42):
I think it's a unique destination that we're going to be excited about.
Samoa, we're
We had a small program, I think, before where we're vamping it.
Tenerife.
So I recently visited Tenerife last year, which is a mix of, you know, European Spain andthe Caribbean.
So it's an interesting destination, very popular for Europeans.
(29:06):
But now with the new flights, it's coming for North America.
And yeah, I mean, I think that there's some more to come, but maybe we'll wait for thenext podcast.
Okay, so there you go.
So we have some existing, which are getting more of a spotlight happening on NorthAmerica, which is a great product line and obviously very, very easy for the US and
(29:30):
Canadian clients out there to jump on.
It's just basically sitting there waiting for them, Kara Vreese and her team putting itall together for us.
Samoa, which is an interesting one as well.
Again, I think that will probably take up most of the Pacific islands.
There's only a few that we wouldn't do after we had Samoa into it.
(29:51):
Now, if you have any questions about any travel trends, destinations or anything else likethat, we have account managers all over the US and Canada.
And Renee, if agents need to reach out to them in person or otherwise, how can they dothat?
Certainly, Don.
So if you go to www.wacp.com, which is our dedicated travel advisor website, you'll haveMeet the Team being one the headlines and that's where
(30:17):
have all the accountages contact details there.
We also attend roughly about 175 shows a year.
So you may very well see them out and about with a big conference, a trade show.
We are also hosting our own road shows in 2025.
So you will see a collection of them in spring in Canada and coming to the US in the fall.
(30:42):
So stay tuned for information about that because I will be there.
And I think Don will be joining us.
I will be for most of them.
we just had a of a technical issue there with Renee's voice chopping it a little bit.
just in case it didn't come through, she said they're out there all over the place, about175 shows they attend per year and they're always available virtually.
(31:04):
we are, this is a question I'm going to finish off with Renee, is we are celebrating our55th anniversary this year.
And as such, we are having some road shows in Canada.
up in the March period and then some in the US later on the year.
As Renee said, stay in touch with us because all that will be announced very, very soon.
So on that note, Renee, what is happening for our 55th year in business in regards to ourcelebrations?
(31:31):
Sure, I can't give you away.
However, what I can tell you is we do have those road shows in the spring and the fall.
There'll be nine in Canada and four in the USA.
So stay tuned for that.
We also have our five fan
that we will be hosting that's in collaboration with our passport to a free fam winners.
That will be announced very soon.
(31:51):
So that's a very exciting thing that we're doing this year.
We also have a new VIP club that we're launching.
Now I'm not gonna give any more than that, but that will be coming as well.
But I think this whole 55th year that we're having, the marketing team has some incredibleinitiatives that we'll be doing.
(32:12):
So I can't give that away because that's Mitchell's base.
But it is going to be an exciting year for Go Away.
So I think most of that came through.
But just quick in summary, we have five fans happening.
We have our road shows that were mentioned and we have a new VIP club coming into playvery, very shortly.
And as Renee mentioned, all this will be announced through our marketing channels very,very soon.
(32:33):
It's going to be very, very exciting year.
I'd like to thank Renee and Risa for joining us today.
Excuse our little technical issues there that we had near the end.
I think we're overloading the internet with all our information.
But again, if you have any questions about any of our destinations, be it established ornew, please reach out to either your account manager who can assist you.
(32:55):
Again, as Renee mentioned on goapro.com, you can see meet the team and you'll see wherethey're all their base.
They are account-based, i.e.
they work with certain consortium agencies, but it doesn't mean you can't reach out to anyof them if you're not unsure.
Please do that.
Our destination specialists are always there willing to help regardless of whatdestination you're looking at.
and or travel style.
(33:15):
You've got the two ladies I've introduced you today.
You have Renee, our director of sales working in the background with our accountmanagement team, making sure all our travel partners out there are well looked after.
Any questions or concern, you can reach out to her directly or again, ideally your accountmanager and Reese and her product team in the background, making everything we discussed a
(33:36):
real thing, a happening thing, something that you and your clients can book on and have anamazing time.
an established destination, an emerging destination, a really funky, unique travel style,or if you have a group, we have a groups department all there willing to help you.
So again, I'd to thank Renee.
Thank you for having me.
(33:57):
Our pleasure.
And Risa also, thank you for your time this afternoon.
Thank you very much.
was a pleasure.
Excellent.
And everyone out there, thanks for listening.
And again, we really appreciate your time and we will talk to you soon.
Thanks.
Hey there everyone, I'm Don, Professor Goay and welcome to the GoayPro Travel Talepodcast.
Happy New Year and welcome to 2025.
New Year brings with it new opportunities and today we, Renée, our Director of Sales,Risa, our Director of Product and myself, Professor Goay, we're going to discuss what we
(00:24):
know and what we predict will be most popular.
and trending for 2025.
Now, that's a tough call because Go8 is on all seven continents, but we'll spotlight whatis hot now, now being sort of in the last part of 2024.
And what we think will be the few unsuspecting destinations that you or your clientsshould know about as we move into 2025.
(00:56):
travel far and travel often.
So, Reece, let's just jump straight into it.
So what was popular in 24 in general terms?
And do you think that will continue to 25, the ones that were popular in 24 destinations?
Wow.
Two-part questions to start.
Thank you.
(01:17):
Well, you know what?
Definitely, mean, know, trends are really hard to capture, but numbers really don't lie.
So what we did see is, you know, some of our top destinations, Australia, New Zealand,were definitely on the top of the list.
know, GOA is known for their South Pacific destinations.
So that is definitely going to continue for 2025.
(01:41):
Europe was a huge, you know, boom in 23, 24, and it's going to continue in 2025.
We've seen huge numbers in Italy and Greece.
are the traditional destinations.
But we also see, and it's not surprising, France following the Paris Olympics.
(02:02):
There's more and more visitors interested in France.
And also some new destinations that are a little bit on the radar, but they're slowlycoming up like Portugal.
We've seen a lot of great numbers in Portugal.
And then in Asia,
Japan and Thailand.
Japan was pretty much dominated a few months of our year where it was actually hard to getavailability.
(02:29):
So Japan, think for everyone was a huge win.
And then in Latin America, although Peru struggled at the beginning of the year, it didpick up.
And so we're still seeing Peru and Costa Rica at the top of our list.
Good.
That heartens my heart.
So I used to look at it.
It's always, I always want to just let me in there somewhere in the mix.
(02:50):
So as recent mention, um, now that's all, uh, that's all tied to sales, but it's also, um,based on the inquiries we get.
Um, but as Reese said in the early introduction there, basically the numbers don't lie.
Now I'm going to pass a numbers question over to Renee, our director of sales, and sheloves her numbers, loves her spreadsheets.
(03:11):
So Renee.
Same question, but on a more specific note, what were our top 10 destinations for 2024based on sales?
And do think that will continue into 2025?
Absolutely, Don.
So as Risa alluded to earlier, Australia and New Zealand continue to top the charts.
We had a great 2024.
(03:32):
However, I'm pretty confident that we'll have an even better 2025.
We're seeing more lift to the South Pacific, especially from gateways in the USA.
More lift typically means cheaper seats.
And we also have a really strong Canadian dollar as well as a US dollar to the Australianand New Zealand dollar.
So it's a great time to travel.
So I think that that will be on the hot list for 25.
(03:54):
Italy and Greece continue to also be in our top 10.
They have been ever so popular post COVID and it really hasn't stopped.
As well as that we have Japan.
Japan we had a
booming year in 2024 and 2023.
I still think that we'll continue to see that in 2025, but we might see some more emergingdestinations such as South Korea and India.
(04:21):
I think that they might start to creep up and Vietnam as well.
then we do have South Africa.
Obviously, Africa is also very dear to our heart and South Africa continue to stay in ourtop 10.
Kenya and Tanzania.
Tanzania.
I also think it's going to come back in 25.
They're in our top 15.
(04:42):
But I do think that we're still going to have those people wanting those experientialtravel in Africa on safari.
So I think that that will also hit our list next year or this year, I should say.
Exactly this year, we're on 25.
I always find it interesting that Kenya and Tanzania are not always in top tens becausethey I kind of just sound the most iconic site sounds.
(05:05):
out there in the world.
I understand Italy, Greece being always popular, but it does interest me that Tanzania andKenya are not in the top 10, at least currently for us.
you mentioned India.
Risa, know we're starting to, like we do have product for India.
Anyone out there wants to travel to India with Goa, we can definitely help you.
(05:26):
But I know we're in a bit of a product push for India.
Is that correct?
Just to add to that popularity.
Yeah, we are.
And thank you for mentioning that, Renee, because I think definitely India is up andcoming.
What we did actually with our India product is we revamped it a little bit because rightnow India is still a very, you know, it's still a very affordable country.
(05:49):
think most Asian countries are very affordable when you're on the ground.
But what we did is we ended up revamping it by adding more private guided experiences,more immersive experiences.
And we just sort of upped the product line a little bit so it matches more so our otherproduct lines.
So this is definitely still within budget, but it's definitely not the cheap and cheerfulas what it was in the past before.
(06:18):
People are getting a lot better experiences and more, yeah, just more unique experiences.
So yes, look out for India.
Yeah, and even with the upgrade in product in regards to levels of, you know, yes, cheapand cheerful if you want.
But the thing about India is even when you get into luxury, it's still very, veryaffordable compared to a lot of other, other countries out there.
(06:41):
And for those who are part of the travel academy or want to be, because of the growingpopularity of India, there will be soon a LMS module on India.
I'm just currently working on Ireland at the moment.
So that'll be hitting the shelves very soon as well.
So
As we develop the product internally, we'll also develop the educational base for all ofour travel partners out there.
(07:02):
I'll leave, I'll throw this question at both of you.
Now we discussed our sort of top 10 and those out of the top 10.
Outside of those ones, which countries do you think might surprise us and maybe surprisepeople out there that you think will be popular for 25?
Let's go with Risa first.
Yeah, I'll take.
(07:25):
You know what, think Renee, you have mentioned it, or we had talked about it in the past,but I think Vietnam, you had mentioned as one of the destinations that are off the beaten
path.
We definitely see that one as growing.
In other areas, I know that this is one of the favorite destinations for our Asia productmanager is Bhutan, you know, in the Himalayas, Albania, part of the Balkan region, that
(07:49):
whole area in the Balkans region, Serbia.
Montenegro Albania is growing.
Namibia is also growing as well in it, or I think is sort of a hidden gem in South Africa.
Okay, Renee, you were going to jump in there and I cut you off.
do you concur with this?
(08:11):
Have you got a few more you want to throw in?
Absolutely.
Reese's spot on.
The only other destination that comes off the top of my head would be South Korea.
Obviously, we've saw so much popularity in Japan and I think that South Korea is going tobe that next one.
Great for culinary and K-pop.
We're finding that children are telling their parents they want to go to South Korea.
(08:33):
It happened a lot with Japan with anime and I think we're going to start to see that andthe whole gaming kind of travel, which is a really new interesting concept.
Yeah.
And also from a South Korea point of view, you've got, you got Squid Games 2 just cameout.
I was very late to the party.
I only watched Squid Games 1 over the Christmas break.
(08:55):
There you go, Reese.
That's one thing I did over Christmas.
I watched Squid Games.
So there's that popularity as well.
And to your point, did a, think it was a webinar with the Korean tourism board and K-popwas and is a very popular pool for people.
looking for a destination.
I'm going to throw in a Latin destination, which it probably won't gain popular, but it'sworth considering.
(09:18):
It's, it's Guiana.
And I've just finished a webinar, sorry, podcast with our grounds operator there, whichwill be coming out in about four or five weeks from this particular podcast.
And I knew a bit about it, but speaking to Tony, amazing destination as well for up andcomers in the Latin world.
(09:39):
So on that point, Risa,
What type of travel styles do you think will become or are becoming more popular?
Like we talked destinations.
Let's talk about ways to travel within any destination.
Yeah, you know, I think that again, is, know, Renee, you hit upon some of the some of thesort of trending areas like gaming is popular, popular culture like TV shows.
(10:05):
I also think multi-generational travel.
is now more than ever, I think post COVID especially, you you see a lot ofmulti-generational families traveling together, the grandparents, the parents,
grandchildren, great grandchildren, more and more we see this because we're gettingrequested for, you know, double rooms or connecting rooms or things like that.
(10:29):
So I think multi-generational travel is definitely on a trend that's gonna continue for2025.
One sort of trendy depth,
trendy sort of area is nocturism.
don't know if you guys have heard about that.
It's a unique nighttime travel, like stargazing.
(10:50):
Never heard of that term anyway.
Yeah, it's a new one that, I mean, I don't think it's going to blow us out of the water interms of sales, but it's it's trending similar to culinary travel or sports travel or
things like that.
So Renee, when you're at the travel shows and you do attend a of our shows in partnershipwith our account managers who are out and about continuously, are you being asked about
(11:18):
certain ways to travel?
You know, as in an agent company that says, can go away, do this type of travel, be it artand culture or, you know, experiential type of travel ideas.
Are you getting hit with those questions?
Absolutely.
I feel that it's almost taken over more so than people asking for destinations per se.
(11:39):
So they're coming to us with these different travel trends and asking, do we accommodatesingle solo women or multi-generational families?
A huge trend in 2024 was group travel as well, anything of 10 or more.
In fact, I think our groups department moved over six groups, which is huge in 2024.
(11:59):
And we're already seeing those numbers increase for 2025.
I do think it's very popular to come to go away with questions regarding trans wellness aswell.
People just wanting to stay longer in destination and feel more connected rather thangoing to those usual, you know, 10 countries in one week type situation that we've seen in
(12:22):
the past.
So I do think it's popular, Dawn.
And I think people really want to live their passions overseas.
They want to, if they're into photography or wildlife or whatever it may be, they want toincorporate
that into their trip and they're going to their travel advisors and saying, where can I dophotography overseas?
What destinations would you recommend?
(12:43):
Right now we will touch on wellness in a minute, but something that you brought up in ameeting the other day, Renee was a term like everyone got used to staycations due to COVID
and then also budgets will often push people to a staycation.
You mentioned the term workcation.
So can you expand on that?
Cause I've not heard that term either.
(13:05):
No problem or bleasure travel, whichever way you want to look at it.
Yeah, I mean, what we're seeing, a study was recently done in the US that 72 % ofrespondents were going to combine business travel with leisure travel, hence pleasure in
2025.
So I mean, we all travel, everyone does in the industry quite a bit.
(13:26):
So why not tap on some leisure travel to that business trip?
So I think it would be
remiss for anyone not to talk to their clients that are traveling for business as well tosee if there's an opportunity to incorporate some leisure travel onto that trip as well.
And I must admit, I do that.
have a, like we go to Mexico, my family and I annually at least, and I'll often do exactlythat.
(13:49):
You know, take a week of just sitting on the balcony, staring at the sun and the otherweek doing that, but while working.
yeah, that's a very good, again, I've not heard that term, workations, which makes perfectsense.
opposite of staycations.
on the wellness subject, now, Risa, this is something that you've been on behalf of thecompany spearheading for the last little bit in behind the scenes, pushing the wellness.
(14:14):
Now we've always had wellness, but we've never really had it at the top of our list, so tospeak.
But we have seen a desire for more wellness style travel.
So can you expand on that from the go away world?
Yeah.
And it's a, it's a great segue from Renee's Bledger.
because I've heard you say that Renee before, but in my mind I'm thinking, what is thisterm again?
(14:36):
So thank you for clarifying it.
you know, you know, business pleasure.
So I think wellness and you know, I'll talk a little bit about wellness and then go intosort of what Go Away is offering in terms of a wellness travel program.
But yeah, I think it's gaining traction.
The term itself is in our everyday language.
(14:57):
I don't know when they publish those dictionaries, but I'm sure if it's not there, it'sgonna be published soon.
But yeah, when we talk about wellness, it's just a balanced healthy lifestyle and thatincludes physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
And I think there are a lot of reasons why this is gaining popularity post-COVID.
(15:19):
you know, everybody was sort of confined to their small spaces.
And when you're confined to a small space and with not a lot of people around you, youhave a lot of time to think.
And I think people and companies now are really reorganizing their lives and theirbusinesses around, you know, the better health of employees and of individual people
(15:44):
themselves.
So yes, I mean, it's definitely up and coming.
And in terms of travel, we did dabble in it.
Again, it's such a moving term right now that it's really hard to define.
But we did dabble in it offering some long stay packages in more of the wellness sparetreats.
(16:06):
But now we have a few more packages we developed over the last year in the beginning.
Well, I mean, coming out of this year.
And yeah, they're a little bit more robust.
So they include, you know, different things, activities like cooking classes, yoga,Pilates, includes hiking, being in nature, learning new, you know, learning new
(16:29):
activities, know, hand weaving, coffee making.
So anything that really stimulates the mind and body and really get us out of our sort ofautomatic, you know, automatic drive that we're on.
24 seven.
So yeah, I mean, I'm really excited about this.
Yeah.
I think that's important.
(16:50):
on the definition of the word wellness, I think we were at, at a meeting or something, wewere talking about, you know, basically what the definition is.
And people brought up that, well, wellness for me isn't a spa treatment.
Wellness for me is doing a trick through the forest or something like that.
So to your point, it's cleansing or easing, whatever word you want to use there.
(17:11):
the mind and that can be anything from a spa treatment or a yoga session through to maybetrekking or even riding a bike somewhere through the, uh, through the countryside.
Now on that, that's also a nice sort of segue to, um, something, a term that we use hereat Go Way, um, as it's becoming more and more popular back to, think, um, I think Renee
(17:32):
mentioned it when she was talking about locations, um, is the linger longer, take a bitmore time in a area and or country versus trying to cram.
too much into a short space of time.
So do you both agree that we're seeing a much higher trend and requests for that type oftravel style?
It's more of a base of the way the itinerary is constructed linger longer.
(17:55):
Absolutely Don on average our clients travel 14.2 days, not 14 but 14.2 days.
itself just shows you because typically a North American does only travel for five daysbut with Go Away it's 14.2 so it is showing that they are traveling for longer for sure
and then when we actually break it down by itinerary we are finding that when they go tosay Europe they might only focus on one country but really go into the regional parts of
(18:23):
that country as well and actually get to experience it.
mean one night in one destination you don't truly get to experience it do you?
We are definitely seeing that trend from our side.
the back of that, Risa, something I mentioned in our LMS training modules about gettingaround and seeing any country in the world and something I've been lucky enough to do on a
(18:44):
continuous basis.
think both, both you and Renee have experienced it as well as private guiding.
Now, what I do say in the training programs, it is generally more expensive than grouptouring, et cetera.
But to Renee's point of experiencing something in depth,
and having that extra time, to speak.
Private guiding is the way to do it because you have naturally a private guide, vehicle,itineraries and sites and sounds can be built to exactly what the client wants.
(19:14):
And there's flexibility within that itinerary because you can stop and start as youplease.
this is an obvious question for you, but do you support and encourage people to look atprivate guiding as a style of travel?
definitely.
And, you know, we've seen it over the last couple of years where we've increased ourrequests and bookings for private guided experiences.
(19:38):
You know, again, it's, you know, post pandemic and, you know, people want to have thatflexibility.
They want to have that autonomy to decide, you know, how and where and when they want togo.
Now, you bring up a good point about costs, but I always say to our destinationspecialists when we're training, I mean, when you are, you know, three plus or more
people,
(19:58):
You know what, consider the cost because you'll probably have a much richer experience.
You'll engage a lot more in the destination.
You'll have your own private expert guide who you can, you know, just sort of ask all yourquestions.
It's just going to be a much more immersive experience.
And yeah, I mean, I think this whole conversation, what we're talking about is that uniqueexperience that GoAE can offer.
(20:26):
Yeah, I agree.
It's that immersive side of it that you might realise.
I remember we did a river cruise in Eastern Europe, which was a large group and it wasfantastic, don't get me wrong.
But then we took a private transfer, I can't remember where from though, from the port tothe airport.
(20:47):
It was about a two hour drive and we had a private driver and guide and that
That two hour transfer was like a tour unto itself because he was a local.
He spoke to me about everything from politics to because the war in Ukraine had justbroken out.
It was a neighboring country.
It was amazing transfer of all things.
I never, never would say I'd have an amazing transfer, but it was simply because of theprivate aspect and the guide was so proud as well, discussing culture, history, everything
(21:16):
else.
So I can't, I can't recommend it high, highly enough.
And to your point, Reza, I think if you have a
larger group, three, four, five, six, then the costs actually can benefit, like not beexpensive shared amongst the group.
It's a very, very affordable way of doing things.
Now that is one unique way that Go Way puts its itineraries together.
(21:36):
Risa or, and Renee for that matter, are there any other aspects of our itineraries, GoWay's itineraries that make us different?
Now it's a hard one to answer.
I know that, but I'm going to, I'm going to throw it at you.
I could say it's the product.
that's Reese's team, but it honestly guys are constantly out there in destination talkingto tourism boards and really researching what it is that the consumer wants.
(22:01):
And I think that we are a very nimble company in that we are constantly evolving ourproduct.
And a lot of our partners always say how amazing our website is and the breadth and depthof the products that we can offer.
The fact we have over a thousand suggested itineraries on our website, I think is atestament to
and her team and what an incredible job they do.
(22:23):
I have to give that shout out to Risa and her team.
I do think they're constantly looking at new trends and we truly customize.
Nothing goes out the door the same at Go Away.
Every single client, we really want to make sure that we've customized something uniqueand special for them.
also want to add, you know, like the destination specialists themselves, you know, they,you know,
(22:48):
They take the requests and customization of all the itineraries.
We actually provide one fam trip per year for all staff that are eligible.
So this is really hands-on experience.
So getting staff in the destination, because we know that, know, firsthand experience isamazing.
(23:11):
can add that.
Yeah.
yeah.
And it's key as well, because I think...
Exactly.
Like, you know, in all honesty, if someone's, I'm to use, you know, my area of expertise,Latin America, someone wants to go and see Peru, they're going to do, you know, with us or
with anyone else, they're going to do the big, the big sites.
And that's pretty much the same with everyone, but it's, it's the little attention todetail that the girls have just mentioned.
(23:36):
and that local knowledge where it, it changes it a little bit, you know, in that we knowthe best or a really cool restaurant because we've just been there and seen it or our, or
our local offices.
you know, introducing a new product.
so it's that ongoing training and firsthand experience at our destination specialist andthe company as a whole engage in on an ongoing basis, which gives us, think that little
(24:01):
one up, when people come to us, particularly as Renee mentioned, 90%, 95 % of what we dois customized particularly to that particular booking.
now I just did an interview
talking to our partners in Bavaria.
And one of my questions was, is Bavaria in summertime less crowded than some of the otherbig cities of Europe?
(24:26):
The answer was generally not really because it's as popular as anywhere else.
But I have noticed when I've been speaking to people and I'm sure you have as well, Renee,when you've been out the travel shows, that people are wanting to get away from the crowds
now.
And Risa, you brought it up earlier that Europe is busy, busy, So Risa.
What are some of the old school experiences, I guess, so off the beaten track, lesscrowds, a little bit more remote that you would suggest people go on or that are becoming
(24:58):
popular as we move into 25?
So I guess in terms of destinations, mean, there's, you know, how I look at things,
It really is, you know, how you go into the destination.
I can go into Italy and have, you know, an immersive experience full of crowds and,definitely in the, in the middle of Rome.
(25:21):
But I think in every country, there are areas where you can find, you know, you can getaway from the crowds.
but some of the bigger destinations, I think that, you know, to avoid the crowds or, or,you know, you can also combine this with emerging destinations.
We do have quite a few of them.
I did take a small list here that I'll read off.
(25:43):
Europe, I have Slovenia.
If some of you don't know where Slovenia is, it's just north of Croatia, just east ofItaly.
It's a very tiny country that's full of nature and culinary.
There's other areas that I mentioned before, like Bhutan and the Himalayas.
(26:05):
Laos is a...
great combination so you can combine like perhaps a busy Vietnam trip with Laos and Laosand Cambodia.
So you can get that mix of, you know, avoiding the crowds without, you know, feeling thatyou're, you know, you're, completely, you're missing out.
(26:25):
and I'll, I'll throw in that shoe that I recently learned is, in Nicaragua, in, in centralAmerica.
In the colonial city of Granada, learned there's like these little islands that are justoff the coast that, you know, little boats go to.
So, you know, there's a lot of exciting destinations, you know, even what we consider busydestinations where we can find, you know, less tourists.
(26:49):
Right.
So I guess the point there would be, yes, there are countries which will take you awayfrom crowds, but there's again, as Reese said, don't, don't, don't shy away from the big
and the famous, but when you're there, get off.
or get away from the Rome's and the Paris's, which you would do obviously, particularly ona first time trip, because there's so much more to France or Italy, et cetera, et cetera.
(27:11):
And again, back to our destination specialist knowledge.
They know where to get you to, to have an amazing, authentic immersive experience, butmaybe getting away from some of the bigger crowds and the hustle and bustles.
So on that emerging destination question, Risa, are there any brand new countries?
that GoAE is looking at introducing in 25 or the near future?
(27:33):
Yeah, there's a few destinations that we have our eye on.
Of course, I won't give it all away.
We have to leave some surprises.
in the last two years, we launched a new product line, North America.
So that's been steadily growing.
One of the big things in United States, there are road trips.
And so we've revamped our of road trip.
(27:54):
actually all over in all of our destinations, but in particular in North America roadtrips, think 50 % of our itineraries are road trips.
It's very easy to get around and we've made them more inclusive.
So, you know, more premium accommodations, inclusions of excursions, exciting excursions,you know, going from, you know, Arizona, Colorado, California, you know, the
(28:21):
the desert route 66.
So we have a huge amount of product that's just launched there.
Then we have Greenland.
So an exciting new destination.
it's actually part, it's situated geographically in North America, but it is part ofEurope or considered part of Europe, actually part of the kingdom of Denmark.
So that's a new destination.
(28:42):
I think it's a unique destination that we're going to be excited about.
Samoa, we're
We had a small program, I think, before where we're vamping it.
Tenerife.
So I recently visited Tenerife last year, which is a mix of, you know, European Spain andthe Caribbean.
So it's an interesting destination, very popular for Europeans.
(29:06):
But now with the new flights, it's coming for North America.
And yeah, I mean, I think that there's some more to come, but maybe we'll wait for thenext podcast.
Okay, so there you go.
So we have some existing, which are getting more of a spotlight happening on NorthAmerica, which is a great product line and obviously very, very easy for the US and
(29:30):
Canadian clients out there to jump on.
It's just basically sitting there waiting for them, Kara Vreese and her team putting itall together for us.
Samoa, which is an interesting one as well.
Again, I think that will probably take up most of the Pacific islands.
There's only a few that we wouldn't do after we had Samoa into it.
(29:51):
Now, if you have any questions about any travel trends, destinations or anything else likethat, we have account managers all over the US and Canada.
And Renee, if agents need to reach out to them in person or otherwise, how can they dothat?
Certainly, Don.
So if you go to www.wacp.com, which is our dedicated travel advisor website, you'll haveMeet the Team being one the headlines and that's where
(30:17):
have all the accountages contact details there.
We also attend roughly about 175 shows a year.
So you may very well see them out and about with a big conference, a trade show.
We are also hosting our own road shows in 2025.
So you will see a collection of them in spring in Canada and coming to the US in the fall.
(30:42):
So stay tuned for information about that because I will be there.
And I think Don will be joining us.
I will be for most of them.
we just had a of a technical issue there with Renee's voice chopping it a little bit.
just in case it didn't come through, she said they're out there all over the place, about175 shows they attend per year and they're always available virtually.
(31:04):
we are, this is a question I'm going to finish off with Renee, is we are celebrating our55th anniversary this year.
And as such, we are having some road shows in Canada.
up in the March period and then some in the US later on the year.
As Renee said, stay in touch with us because all that will be announced very, very soon.
So on that note, Renee, what is happening for our 55th year in business in regards to ourcelebrations?
(31:31):
Sure, I can't give you away.
However, what I can tell you is we do have those road shows in the spring and the fall.
There'll be nine in Canada and four in the USA.
So stay tuned for that.
We also have our five fan
that we will be hosting that's in collaboration with our passport to a free fam winners.
That will be announced very soon.
(31:51):
So that's a very exciting thing that we're doing this year.
We also have a new VIP club that we're launching.
Now I'm not gonna give any more than that, but that will be coming as well.
But I think this whole 55th year that we're having, the marketing team has some incredibleinitiatives that we'll be doing.
(32:12):
So I can't give that away because that's Mitchell's base.
But it is going to be an exciting year for Go Away.
So I think most of that came through.
But just quick in summary, we have five fans happening.
We have our road shows that were mentioned and we have a new VIP club coming into playvery, very shortly.
And as Renee mentioned, all this will be announced through our marketing channels very,very soon.
(32:33):
It's going to be very, very exciting year.
I'd like to thank Renee and Risa for joining us today.
Excuse our little technical issues there that we had near the end.
I think we're overloading the internet with all our information.
But again, if you have any questions about any of our destinations, be it established ornew, please reach out to either your account manager who can assist you.
(32:55):
Again, as Renee mentioned on goapro.com, you can see meet the team and you'll see wherethey're all their base.
They are account-based, i.e.
they work with certain consortium agencies, but it doesn't mean you can't reach out to anyof them if you're not unsure.
Please do that.
Our destination specialists are always there willing to help regardless of whatdestination you're looking at.
and or travel style.
(33:15):
You've got the two ladies I've introduced you today.
You have Renee, our director of sales working in the background with our accountmanagement team, making sure all our travel partners out there are well looked after.
Any questions or concern, you can reach out to her directly or again, ideally your accountmanager and Reese and her product team in the background, making everything we discussed a
(33:36):
real thing, a happening thing, something that you and your clients can book on and have anamazing time.
an established destination, an emerging destination, a really funky, unique travel style,or if you have a group, we have a groups department all there willing to help you.
So again, I'd to thank Renee.
Thank you for having me.
(33:57):
Our pleasure.
And Risa also, thank you for your time this afternoon.
Thank you very much.
was a pleasure.
Excellent.
And everyone out there, thanks for listening.
And again, we really appreciate your time and we will talk to you soon.
Thanks.
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