Avoya Travel Celebrates Innovation and Growth at 2021 Avoya Conference – Travel Professional NEWS®
Highly Successful Virtual Event Recaps Avoya’s Recent Accomplishments and Outlines
Roadmap for the Future
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – December 15, 2021 – Avoya Travel®, one of the travel industry’s most innovative companies, recently concluded the 2021 Avoya Conference, which took place virtually from December 6 – 10, 2021. The 2021 Avoya Conference was highlighted by presentations and panels featuring senior level executives from suppliers spanning the travel industry, including but not limited to Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, AmaWaterways, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Globus family of brands, and many more.
A central focus of the event was the recent announcement that Certares has partnered with Avoya to make a strategic growth investment in the Avoya platform, joining Jeff and Michael Anderson as shareholders of Avoya Travel. Much of the tone for the virtual conference was set by the confidence in the future of Avoya as it enters phase three of the Avoya 2025 plan to become the number one vacation platform, with the Certares investment accelerating the momentum. After celebrating the completion of over 300 key initiatives company-wide in 2020, Avoya announced that it has completed over 700 innovative technological and capability initiatives to date in 2021, with more to be completed before year’s end.
Some enhancements and developments announced at the 2021 Avoya Conference include:
“Avoya has remained a steadfast partner of Celebrity Cruises throughout the challenging times brought on by the pandemic and we were thrilled to be a sponsor of such a successful event,” said Dondra Ritzenthaler, Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support & Service, The Americas at Celebrity Cruises. “The Avoya Network was highly engaged and hungry to help lead the recovery of our great industry. We are excited to host the 2022 Avoya Conference onboard the beautiful Celebrity Beyond where we can once again get together in person to celebrate the Avoya Network’s resiliency and our mutual success.”
As an early preview to the anticipated success for Avoya moving into 2022 and beyond, Avoya shared some very powerful numbers regarding recent booking and departure trends, as well as Net Promoter Survey (NPS) scores. When compared to 2019 levels, Avoya’s strongest year to date, Avoya saw a 30% increase in Upper Premium and Luxury bookings from September 2021 through November 2021 as well as a 196% increase in World Cruise bookings during that same period. Land bookings were up 28% in November, and year-to-date, average booking value is up 30%. Avoya is also currently reporting bookings for departures in the second half of 2022 as well as bookings for all 2022 Europe departures are both up 30% compared to the same time in 2019. Bookings for 2022 river and luxury cruises, escorted tours, and resort departures are up 34% in addition to bookings for 2023 departures being up 144% year over year. NPS scores, a rating of Avoya and the Avoya Network by booked travelers, are at 92, a number dramatically above industry averages as well as the averages of major global corporations.
“The future of Avoya Travel couldn’t be brighter and it was fantastic to get together with the Avoya Network and our supplier partners at the 2021 Avoya Conference to celebrate the extraordinary outlook for Avoya’s opportunities and potential,” said Jeff Anderson, Co-CEO of Avoya Travel. “In collaboration with Certares and their strategic growth investment, our Avoya 2025 plan to become the number one vacation platform is stronger than ever and we were eager to share that positivity with the Avoya Network and our supplier partners. We’re confident that 2022 will be an incredible year for the Avoya platform and our Shared Success Model™.”
The 2021 Avoya Conference also featured a robust agenda of educational and networking opportunities including small group supplier roundtables, “speed-dating” with suppliers and Avoya staff, a virtual tradeshow, and multiple themed cocktail parties for attendees to interact in a more social setting, including the Farewell Cocktail Party celebrating the career of Van Anderson, who recently announced his retirement.
To learn more visit: www.AvoyaNetwork.com.
About Avoya Travel
Avoya Travel is redefining how vacations are booked by connecting travelers with independent travel advisors who deliver personalized service and value. Through its proprietary digital platform and vast demand channels, Avoya offers software and services to thousands of companies including cruise lines, resorts, tour companies, and independent travel agencies. Avoya has won numerous awards for its technology and innovation, including holding multiple patents, and serves travelers in North America and beyond. For more information, please visit AvoyaTravel.com.