On this week’s episode of Luxury Unpacked podcast, host Fiona Dalton talks to Jo Kennedy of Kennedy & Turner Travel Associates about how the industry has changed and how AI will never compare to the human touch in travel.
Travel Associates’ Top Advisor 2025 for Australia/New Zealand, Jo Kennedy of Kennedy & Turner Travel Associates has more than three decades in the travel industry, and says there has been no change more evident in the industry than the value of personalisation.
“In 1990, we were just booking takers. We rang airlines and went through what were these big booklets of flights were, and we flew by the seat of our pants.
“Now it’s such a different world. The power of the advisor is so important to our clients.
“In so many places around the world, Virtuoso has opened connections for us. It’s this very esteemed group of suppliers and consultants working together to create and form amazing bonds, so when I need a hotel, it’s not just a booking, it’s enhancing and elevating the client’s experience.”
Kennedy, who is also on Karryon’s Travel Advisor Board, says the key to success in the industry now comes down to one thing: relationships.
“I like to make sure there’s definitely one or two moments that money can’t buy that surprise and delight. I know it’s clichéd, but gosh, it means a lot when [a client] comes home and says, ‘I never knew you were going to do that, Jo, you’ve really blown my mind, we had the most amazing experience’.”
The travel advisor touch
Kennedy says she has many examples of the importance of the value of relationships in the industry, but one stood out, and it was when a family lost two passports on a flight.
“They hop off the flight and are at the immigration counter, two adults and two children, with only two passports, and the first person they call is me. So I immediately tried to get someone back on the plane to have a look, but sadly, it was in Indonesia, and it didn’t happen, so they had to be held in an airport hotel.
“So the next day, I was able to get someone I knew in Australia who has high standing in the airline, and they managed to get someone on the plane, and we found the passports. Otherwise, the client would have been sent back to Australia and would have had to get new passports.
“They were very lucky, and that is all about connection and our little black book.”
But she says it’s not just about being able to help during a crisis, it’s also invaluable to add experiences money can’t buy, like she did for a client recently who was celebrating her 60th birthday in Ireland.
“Her husband said I don’t know what to do, I want to surprise her, and I said, ‘Tell me what she likes?’ and he said I think she really likes singing, so I organised for them to go to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and spoke with the verger, who said to them, ‘I have a surprise for you,’ and we had the boys’ choir arrive, and they walked in and sang, and she had tears in her eyes.”
The challenges of AI
Kennedy says she’s enjoying the process of using AI, but it obviously has its challenges.
“If I said, ‘What it’s like to jump on a polar plunge at 90 degrees north’, there’s no way AI can explain that to you.
“If you ask what the perfect holiday in southern India is… someone did that and sent it to me, and it was not the correct itinerary. We changed it totally around and [it suggested] staying in a place I would never have chosen, so it gives you an idea, but you need that human touch and personal relationship.
“And when you put experience and knowledge and access with it, that’s when it’s powerful.”
Listen to the full interview here:
For more information, partnership opportunities, or to be a guest on the show, contact Karryon’s Partnership Manager Carolyn Nightingale at carolyn@karryon.com.au.
