Luxury Travel Collection approaches its annual Luxury Product Showcase as a fashion house edits seasonal collections, positioning the vision, highlighting trends and focusing on the core customer. But the Luxury Product Showcase also offers something else: Exclusive access for advisors in the luxury travel space by design. Karryon reports from the main event.
Speaking with Luxury Travel Collection (LTC) General Manager Nikki Glading and Flight Centre Travel Group Global Managing Director Luxury & Independent Brands Danielle Galloway, you immediately grasp that everything about LTC is deeply considered and strategic.
There is a fierce ownership and protectiveness around the invite-only member portfolio, which has seen 21 per cent growth in new members and a remarkable 100 per cent membership retention.
LTC launched in January 2024 with six members and now numbers 24 agency groups across Australia and New Zealand, as well as The Club by LTC, a private membership club for independent luxury advisors and entrepreneurs.
Exclusive access is what differentiates LTC from other luxury member consortia, Galloway explains, such as access to exclusive products, partnerships beyond travel, such as AI, events and experience-led programs designed to give members a competitive edge.
LTC works with supplier partners on reward programs and in-destination immersion opportunities for advisors, leveraging their areas of expertise to enhance their knowledge within the like-minded travel community.
“We hold the community really dearly,” Glading said. “The opportunity for them to travel just with each other, learn with each other and evolve as advisors is probably the highlight of our immersion program.”
“Access to our industry-leading immersion program is really about igniting wanderlust in our advisors. When they are emotionally connected to something and have experienced it firsthand, they absolutely sell it beautifully.”
Luxury Travel Collection has just introduced Product Showroom, a member-only platform to access vetted products, offers and partners without having to search multiple channels and see client benefits and advisor commissions at a glance.
The platform will include the entire product portfolio and integrate AI-enhanced search and workflow functionality with continuous updates based on advisor feedback.
LTC is also making a play across the Tasman, launching as the first luxury membership group in the New Zealand market with Complex Travel Group and Travel Associates as existing members and the appointment of Kelly de Graaf as FCTG Head of Luxury NZ.
While the launch is still under wraps, Galloway said the New Zealand market is a natural expansion and response to the unique and growing demand for luxury in the region.
“We’re seeing consumers and advisors in New Zealand move in the direction of luxury, and to have a membership group on the ground to support that growth and really elevate that opportunity is such a huge opportunity for us,” she said.
Galloway said the USD$2 trillion luxury segment shows no signs of slowing down as aspirational travel levels up to ultra-luxury, singling out luxury cruise, luxury hotels and small-group touring as its three high-growth focus areas.
“The $2 trillion opportunity in luxury travel is significant and across all markets. There is a continued expansion upward and we are seeing significant growth in members as well as many more advisors really playing in this space to meet demand,” she said.
Luxury travel advisors have always attracted clients who prefer high-touch service and a frictionless experience, and Galloway notes that the Middle East conflict has highlighted the value of an experienced agent.
“This is our time to shine in an unfortunate situation – we see an increase in customers who shifted away and now realise the importance of booking with an advisor,” she said.
“All the research indicates that in times of uncertainty, luxury travel doesn’t stop – it just pivots. People in the luxury segment still want to travel; they will just change their plans.
“Our biggest priority is making sure we can get our luxury customers through to their dream destination.”
Glading added: “It’s constantly evolving to perfect the craft of creating dreams, which is my favourite part of the industry. Every day, we all come to work with the end goal of our customer having a once-in-a-lifetime experience – nothing’s better than that.”
Find out more at luxurytravelcollection.co
