New Deal Europe Weekly Update on Tourism to the Balkan Region, Week 34
News from the markets: United States
This week we talk with Michael Small, Director of Business Operations at AHI Travel in the USA and Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Trvlpage, about the successful roll out of the vaccine in the USA, and what this means for the restart of tourism and the future of travel. Michael is well placed to comment as AHI is the market leader in the field of alumni travel. It is recognised around the world for the design and operation of its deluxe international cultural programs with a focus on life-long learning through international group travel. A key element of Michael’s role is product management and, when not doing his day job, he is building a travel-based social media app and website named Trvlpage which helps subscribers reflect on their travel experiences, and connect with like-minded travellers.
NDE: Michael, welcome to NDE’s weekly blog post. Let’s start with an overview of what do you do, and what your various roles are in the travel world?
MS: Thank you for having me! I’m excited to share a bit about AHI Travel and myself. My roles in the travel world are two-fold… First and foremost, I work as the Director of Business Operations at AHI Travel, an educational and cultural tour operator based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. AHI serves top university alumni associations, museums and other affinity associations by providing their constituents with opportunities for life-long learning through international group travel. I spend most of my time with the incredible Product Team at AHI, managing certain programmes of ours from ideation up to a little while before the point of operation. I also work on special projects looking to build value for AHI, our association clients, and our mutual travellers. Secondly in my free time I am an entrepreneur, working as the Co-founder of a travel-based social media app called Trvlpage.
NDE: Can you tell us more about the alumni market as it’s not a concept we have in the UK where I am from. What does the alumni market comprise, and what are the main destinations?
MS: The strength of the alumni market comes in part from the strong brands that universities and colleges have in the US and Canada. Travellers trust these brands and trust that they have vetted suppliers like AHI Travel. Also, travelling with other alumni helps eliminate a fear that many have about group travel… that they won’t be with like-minded people. There is always that shared experience of university and a connection about the importance of higher learning. These travellers are generally retired doctors, lawyers, engineers and other professionals who want to see the world, but also learn about the culture, customs, and more along the way. The majority of our programmes are based in Europe with Italy, France and Spain being among our most popular destinations, but we also operate on nearly every continent. For example, one of our most popular programmes is our ‘Journey to Southern Africa’ which includes overnights on the famous Rovos Rail.
NDE: I know that AHI Travel has a longstanding tradition of upmarket and educational tours. Can I say it is also a trendsetter within your segment of travel?
MS: AHI has been in operation since 1962 and it was a pioneer in the alumni and affinity group travel market. It was founded by my grandfather and grandmother, Richard and Arlene Small, so I am the third generation of “Smalls” to work in the business. This is something I’m incredibly proud of. From the very beginning AHI has held itself to extremely high standards and aims to be an industry leader year in and year out. This long tradition, along with our incredibly experienced team who are all a part of the AHI ‘family’, absolutely sets us apart.
The strength of the alumni market comes in part from the strong brands that universities and colleges have in the US and Canada. Travellers trust these brands … travelling with other alumni helps eliminate a fear that many have about group travel… that they won’t be with like-minded people.
NDE: What is the competition in this field?
MS: Since AHI’s inception, others have obviously entered the market and have helped make it what it is today. While it could be considered as competition, I prefer to see the others that serve our market as colleagues who simply push AHI to become better every day and encourage a healthy industry.
NDE: As you said earlier, besides working for a strong American tour operator brand, you are also an entrepreneur. Can you tell us a bit more about your other venture, Trvlpage, a travel based social media website and app?
MS: I’d love to! While AHI gets most of my time and energy, I’m always looking to learn and grow and I’ve been able to find that through entrepreneurship. To be honest, the Covid situation has actually helped me balance the two better. Trvlpage was really started by my Co-founder Gabi Klapman, who’s a talented developer and business mind in the Chicago area. We met last summer and connected over the shared idea that there is currently a lack of relevancy and trust in the travel review world. Our solution is Trvlpage; with Trvlpage, you can log and review your past travel experiences, connect with your network and other like-minded travellers, and share your trip recommendations to help plan better travels in the future. We want to end the seemingly endless scrolling on TripAdvisor looking through reviews from random people and the endless Googling about “best things to do in Barcelona”, for example. It’s been a wild ride so far and I’ve learned so much about building a business from the ground up.
Working with Trvlpage has … just generally allowed me to get comfortable being uncomfortable as a business leader.
NDE: It sounds very exciting. Does working on both projects have its benefits? Are there areas where you can implement knowledge from one position to the other one?
MS: Thanks! We’re excited about it also. There are absolutely benefits to working in both roles and so many lessons to take from one and use on the other. For example I’ve taken my product management skills from AHI and applied them to Trvlpage, taking a customer, or traveller, centric approach, constantly improving through learnings and iterations, and understanding the need to collaborate and align with other departments. At the same time, working with Trvlpage has given me a fresh perspective on AHI, driven me into deeper and more advanced data analysis, and just generally allowed me to get comfortable being uncomfortable as a business leader.
NDE: Let’s talk for a moment about the worldwide pandemic and the situation in the States. We have seen that the USA is one of the world leaders in vaccine rollout with over 50 million vaccinated in the first 37 days, and on target for 100 million in 100 days. Has this led to a demand for trips and are you seeing the green shoots of recovery?
MS: First I have to say that I don’t think any of us could have imagined a year ago that we would be in the situation we are now. The pandemic has been devastating and AHI stands with everyone in the travel industry from tour operators and hotels to guides and restaurants, but the bounce-back in the USA with the vaccine rollout is very promising. We are seeing the ‘green shoots’ of a recovery. That’s a good way to put it. I would say we’re encouraged by some of the trends we’re seeing in terms of bookings. We tested the waters with a limited amount of brochure and catalogue mailing at the beginning of the year and have been pleasantly surprised with the number of reservations coming in for late Q3 and Q4 of this year. We also have quite a few travellers holding vouchers that we hope will feel comfortable travelling soon, but after the year we just went through we’re remaining cautiously optimistic.
NDE: How do you think the restart will progress in the USA, and will it be different in the Alumni segment? Will anything be different about travel in the future?
MS: Those are some loaded questions! I’m hopeful that the restart will go smoothly, but for international group travel, including the alumni segment, it will obviously take a lot of coordination between people, governments and businesses. I’m encouraged by what I’ve heard from some of the top levels in the travel-sphere. For the overall recovery, it’s hard to make predictions. I think there will be a slow build at the beginning while travellers with different risk tolerances and health risks test the waters… and eventually there will be a turning point where the pent-up demand is unleashed. There’s just so much uncertainty still about when that will be and how exactly it will happen. As far as what may be different about travel, it’s difficult to say. In the near term, there will certainly be a different look and feel with increased health expectations and regulations. Beyond that, AHI has moved towards smaller groups for our land programs, we are putting an emphasis on sustainability as travel comes back, and we are continuously exploring new second and third cities to highlight as bases for our programmes. The usual popular destinations will no doubt remain popular, but we are interested in watching whether there will be some dilution towards less-explored locations.
The bounce-back in the USA with the vaccine rollout is very promising. We are seeing the ‘green shoots’ of a recovery… We also have quite a few travellers holding vouchers that we hope will feel comfortable traveling soon.
NDE: You mentioned that you are putting an emphasis on sustainability. New Deal Europe is, as you know, very dedicated to sustainability and responsibility in travel. Some of our destinations are pioneers of sustainable travel, while others are still developing their sustainability pledges and programmes. What do you think a tour operator like AHI Travel could do to contribute to the sustainable development of a destination and how can you educate people who book with you about this aspect of tourism?
MS: I’m so glad that you brought this up. Sustainability is still a top priority at AHI and we continue to have a team dedicated to it internally. We haven’t forgotten how important it was becoming before the pandemic and believe it will reclaim its place in time. As a company we want to make sure our operations are sustainable not just in terms of being eco-friendly, but also by supporting the local economies of the destinations we visit, helping preserve local culture, and generally having a positive impact anywhere that we go. By making it a priority at AHI and building it into our DNA, our hope is that it will spill over and inspire our partners, clients and travellers.
NDE: AHI Travel is an active member of The United States Tour Operators’ Association (USTOA). Does being under the umbrella of an association like this help in these times?
MS: Yes, we’re proud to be a member of USTOA. USTOA has been a great resource throughout these difficult times, not only providing a community to lean-on, but also with their virtual events and educational efforts.
I always hope to leave these events with a new idea, a new contact, and a nugget of travel wisdom I didn’t have before.
NDE: You were one of the buyers at the first New Deal Europe event in 2020 and thank you for your trust and for being a returning buyer. How do you see events like this and what are your expectations for this year’s event?
MS: Thank you for hosting it. I see NDE as an opportunity to connect with suppliers and potential new suppliers in a targeted area of the world. Some of the companies we work with, or may work with, don’t attend the larger shows, so it’s a chance to see them. Being on the product team, besides seeing our current suppliers I always hope to leave these events with a new idea, a new contact, and a nugget of travel wisdom I didn’t have before.
NDE: How should the suppliers prepare for the meetings to maximise their time and expectations at the event?
MS: Great question! I would say there’s no one best way to come at it… but one tidbit that I can give is that I’m often coming into these events with a certain agenda and certain goals already, so listening to those goals and adjusting the conversation around them, rather than giving a cookie-cutter pitch is a solid approach.
After the year we just went through we’re remaining cautiously optimistic.
NDE: Let’s finish off by returning to the Balkans. Please tell us what is your favourite part of the Balkan and South Eastern Europe region which you cover in your programmes, and why you have chosen this?
MS: This is a tough question. I would have to say Slovenia because of all the work Tine has done with them! But in all seriousness, it does have to be Slovenia for me. AHI put together an incredible 7-night ‘ACA’ program based in Ljubljana and I was lucky enough to do a lot of the development work on it. We explored out from Ljubljana to Lake Bled, Predjama Castle & Postojna Cave, Piran, Zlati Grič and more… and I was really taken by the natural landscapes and friendly people. I hope to explore more of the region once travel opens up again!
Questions by Tine Murn and Robert Dee, founders of New Deal Europe, the only travel market platform dedicated to generating business to the Greater Balkan region of Europe. Apply to New Deal Europe Marketplace and Forum 2021 at www.newdealeurope.com.
