In a fitting consensus for the first Condé Nast Traveler Points of View summit to be held in-person since 2019, travel editors and specialists alike came away with a relieving, reinvigorating declaration: that we are so back. It’s a grand “we,” one that encompasses the travel industry at large—those in attendance in our offices and online as well as everyone in the wider industry is basking in the knowledge that business is booming. But that does not mean it is time to get complacent—there is always work to be done to improve, to implement thoughtful changes that will better not only travelers, but the places they visit.
The day kicked off with a few welcome remarks from Senior Features Editor Rebecca Misner, who danced a happy dance about the ability to convene together onsite before passing the microphone to Global Editorial Director Divia Thani. Thani gave a few hints as to where Condé Nast Traveler will be heading in the future—expect our round-up of Best Places to Go in 2024 soon, as well as a bevy of health and wellness content in the New Year. She also celebrated that our magazine, fittingly for a travel publication, is now up and running as a global network in seven markets—the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, India, China, and the newly-launched Middle East. Without further ado, Thani handed things off to the first of the day’s three panels—what follows is a recap of the conversations between editors and travel specialists that ensued.
The changing face of brand loyalty
The day’s first panel set out to look at brand loyalty, and what that means in 2023. Joining Senior Editor Megan Spurrell were: Brenna Abels, Director of Trade Management at Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Ariana Pernice, VP, Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and Visitors & Convention Bureau; Jacque Riley, VP Brand Marketing, Ennismore (responsible for brands such as Hoxton); and Henley Vazquez, co-founder of travel agency Fora.
Spurrell began by looking back at how the pandemic inexorably changed the ways in which we travel. After lockdowns and closed borders, people want epic and unforgettable experiences, enjoyed with the people they haven’t been able to see much of in the recent past, but they also desire calculated risk. “They want to know that the hotel they are making a long journey for is solid, or that the cruise line will have their back if things go belly up,” she said. “They want to know that their travel specialist really knows what they are talking about and can deliver.” In short, it’s not just business travelers racking up and cashing in points—it’s travelers in general knowing what they want and knowing they can get it from a particular brand. When fires erupt, who do you know for sure has a working extinguisher?