Gather and Go with Brian Jewell The Group Travel Leader Inc

Are you delivering what your customers really want from their travel experience? What about what they really need?







Travel has incredible potential to impact people and change lives. But according to recent research data, there's a gap between the significant experiences travelers are searching for and what the tourism industry often delivers. In this episode of the podcast, Gather and Go host Brian Jewell shares how tourism leaders can tap into the power of travel to create transformational moments for their customers.







His presentation, Untapped: Travel's Hidden Power to Solve People's Deepest Problems, was delivered March 21, 2024 at STS Domestic Showcase in Little Rock, Arkansas. We're sharing the entire talk in this episode. Don't forget to scroll down for links to the slide deck and key moments from the presentation.







































Download The Presentation Slides







Brian's talk included lots of helpful data. Here's a copy of the presentation slides with links to underlying research sources.







Click here to download presentation as a PDF































































Key Moments From This Episode







9:40 — What do people want from their travel experiences?







11:45 — Revisiting “The Case Against Travel”







16:14 — Travel’s untapped potential







19:53 — Solving travelers’ problems







27:51 — Solving destinations’ problems







30:53 — Solving society’s problems







41:53 — One question that will change your approach to travel























About the Podcast







Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a podcast that helps travel organizers and industry professionals plan, promote and lead better trips. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators and travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they work with, as well as destination marketers, museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes a featured conversation with a smart and influential travel leader. You'll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.







You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.







Have questions, comments or ideas for the show? Send them to us at podcast@grouptravelleader.com.







Thanks for listening!

What is the secret to the perfect culinary tour?







If anybody knows the answer, it's Theresa Nemetz. After founding Milwaukee Food Tours 17 years ago, she has gone on to build a culinary travel empire that takes people on delicious adventures throughout the United States and around the world. She joins this episode of the podcast to discuss how she uses food as a gateway to authentic and inspiring travel experiences.







Theresa shares how she builds relationships on the ground to uncover memorable culinary opportunities and the great lengths she goes to in search of fantastic tour guides. Plus, we have news about states mandating green practices for hotels; a road tip about the power of pocket itineraries; and a Hot Minute about the role governments should and shouldn't play in regulating travel businesses.































Insights from Theresa Nemetz







On what people really want from food tours:









"They didn’t want the history lesson — they wanted to know about the neighborhood. They wanted to know about the people behind the stories. We make the food the attraction, but we focus on the stories of the people behind that food…. Travelers want a super-authentic experience.”































On hiring top talent:







“The secret to the secret sauce has been to pay people really well. That has been our No. 1 motivator. And to pay people really well, we have to charge our clients a really appropriate price.... In the last couple years, I have realized that the tour guide is the star of the show. I need to be able to recruit and retain those individuals.”































On emerging tour companies:







“I’m seeing an increase in the number of people who were doing day trips and now they’re converting over and they’re offering multiday opportunities. Because as a next generation of tour operators, we’re all gaining experience, and we’re all growing and learning and taking it up a notch.







“It’s bringing something new to the industry. You’re seeing higher-priced trips and action-packed itineraries that are once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I see people building that into their itineraries. And I see that next-generation tour operator figuring it out. And we’re all lifting each other up, and we’re going to make the next generation of travel really a fun experience.”

































Resources Mentioned in This Episode







Learn more about Travel Deliciously at traveldeliciously.com.







Learn more about Milwaukee Food and City Tours at milwaukeefoodtours.com.







Learn more about Chicago Food and City Tours at chicagofoodtours.com.







Learn more about Great Lakes Shore Excursions at tourthegreatlakes.com.







Learn more about our OnSite familirization tours a href="https://grouptravelleader.

"The future of travel is now."







Danny Guerrero believes the ascendant multicultural majority in the United States will fundamentally change the travel landscape... and that the change has already begun. A tourism marketing expert, Danny joins this episode of the podcast with his research collaborator Esra Calvert to share results of an innovative new study showing what these new travelers want from their tourism partners.







Danny and Esra explain how multicultural travelers are claiming their place in the travel landscape and looking for trustworthy tourism brands that make them feel welcome. Plus, we have news about the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and a Road Tip about dealing with chronic complainers in your travel group.































Insights from Danny Guerrero and Esra Calvert







On the ascendant multicultural majority:









"100% of the growth in the last 10 years was all multicultural. As marketers, we’re looking at who is the traveling audience and who is going to be the future of travel.







“The future of travel is now. In the past five years, there has been an amazing awaking in multicultural groups to the power of travel. They’re no longer seeing travel as something they can’t do. And there’s an amazing amount of affinity groups taking to travel as a means of empowerment. They see travel as a way to explore themselves, to grow out of any limitations they may have. And it’s really a badge of honor." — Danny Guerrero















On why travelers seek trust:







"75% of the stories included sadness. [People are looking for] personal, psychological safety. How do we create that so that consumers feel more welcome?







“Consumers know we don’t live in a perfect world. But they’re looking to brands to find solutions and bring context to it.” — Esra Calvert















On how tour operators can make people feel welcome:









“Tour operators need to know that the consumer is changing a bit. Generationally, you see in a lot of millennials a need to frequent brands and places that promote diversity and authenticity, and support local communities.... Don’t be afraid to lean into the margins when telling the story of a place. Not everything has to be hyper-luxury and hand-held. That notion is a thing of the past, where you’ve guarded travelers so much to give a travel experience that was a little bit polished and a little bit sterile. People are ready to hear the stories of marginalized folks. They want to travel and see authentic stories." — Danny Guerrero































Resources Mentioned in This Episode







Download the Future of Travel report at sharemorestories.com/fot23.







Contact Danny Guerrero at danny@culturistgroup.com.







Contact Esra Calvert at esra@esracalvert.com.























Key Moments From This Episode







1:22 — Travel News: Notre Dame Cathedral reopening plan







2:40 — Road Tip: Dealing with chronic complainers







12:24 — How Danny Guerrero and Esra Calvert became tourism analytics experts







13:50 — The importance of understanding multicultural backg...

Can tourism growth and climate action can peacefully coexist?







Jeremy Sampson believes they can. As tourism veteran and the CEO of the Travel Foundation, he is focused on helping the travel industry find ways to become both more sustainable and more profitable. He joins this episode of the podcast to share his organization's vision for how the tourism industry can take practical steps toward a more climate-friendly future.







Jeremy explains how empathy and understanding have been largely absent from conversations about travel and sustainability and gives practical ideas about how small tourism organizations can take meaningful steps forward on environmental issues. Plus, we have news about U.S. airlines resuming service to Israel and a Road Tip about managing trash that accumulates on a motorcoach.































Insights from Jeremy Sampson







On discussing sustainability in travel:









"A bit of empathy is required — understanding where people might be coming from. We need to understand each other. And where organizations haven’t quite succeeded in the past in moving this message along is not necessarily understanding the day-to-day motivations, incentive and behavior of industry professionals. Because it’s not that people don’t care — it’s that the don’t necessarily know how. We need to be able to find the common points in our agendas.”































On how smaller companies can contribute to sustainability:







“I believe everyone should play a role, and I believe it’s unfair to pin a significant chunk of the responsibility on small suppliers. But I think it’s important to recognize that we not hold everyone to the same standard.







“Businesses can be a part of behavior change. They’re the ones closest to the ground…. When you give them opportunities to play a role in designing unsustainable options right out of the system… there are thousands of things companies can do to encourage more sustainable choice.”























On navigating political divisions:









“I believe at the end of the day there’s actually a real shared agenda for change, and it’s the terminology that trips people up. When it comes to transitioning the tourism economy in a climate change paradigm, what are some of the solutions? Mostly, it’s to make the industry much more local, less dependent on big supply chains — more investment in local opportunities and local infrastructure. It also means creating new product and new ways for the industry to promote itself.”































Resources Mentioned in This Episode







Follow Jeremy Sampson on LinkedIn.







Follow The Travel Foundation on LinkedIn.







Access The Travel Foundation's Envision 2030 report here.







Learn more about the UNWTO's Glasgow Declaration hera href="https://www.unwto.org/the-glasgow-declaration-on-climate-action-in-...

If you think travelers have been different since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, you're not alone. Dan Christian thinks so too.







A longtime marketer who has worked with some of the world's largest and most innovative tour companies, Dan watched firsthand as travelers re-evaluated their lives and reshuffled their travel priorities as a result of the pandemic disruption. He joins this episode of the podcast to help us understand how travelers' thinking has changed in the past four years and how smart travel marketers can better reach them.







Dan explains which pandemic-era trends are still affecting travel and where travelers are looking for travel inspiration these days. Plus, we talk about how small business owners can leverage communications channels to reach travelers and how travel organizations can make the most of artificial intelligence tools.































Insights from Dan Christian







On how people are choosing travel experiences:









“People reevaluated the importance of travel in their lives and the type of traveling they want to do, which is more about ‘why’ than it is about ‘where.’ That’s a very important long-term trend. Most of our travel experiences were about sightseeing. The reality is that, as travelers move forward, although they still want to see major sites, there’s another reason for why they travel. People are asking themselves 'What do I want to get out of this experience?' People used to start with where and when, and most businesses in our industry still succumb to this. But people are getting travel inspiration off of Instagram and TikTok. People want to go and do what they’ve seen. People are asking 'why' and finding many new reasons.”































On messaging for today's travelers:







“It comes down to understanding consumer interests and trying to tap into them. Then get as close to the source of inspiration. Try to find the place they’re being inspired to book and get as close to it as possible. That means social channels.







“Rather than spending on paid media, there’s a lot small operators can do with their own channels to make their content more compelling. It really comes down to great storytelling. What is your unique selling proposition that’s going to connect with the consumer and convince them to take that action?”























On the role of artificial intelligence in travel:









“I think it’s going to be bigger than the internet and bigger than mobile.... I think everyone needs to be looking at AI and how they can leverage it to make their business more successful. The companies that are embracing AI are going to get so far out ahead of the companies that don’t simply by virtue of the way the technology works.







“There are specific AI models that have been created for you to make your business more efficient and manage your time more efficiently. I don’t think whether AI is going to make your business obsolete is the first question to be asking.”







































Resources Mentioned in This Episode







Listen to the Travel Trends podcast at traveltrendspodcast.com.







Learn more about Acceleration Team at accelerationteam.co.







Find content from the Acceleration Team's AI Summit on their a h...

Is traveling outside your comfort zone the key to thriving in adulthood?







Kelsey Perri believes it is. A travel industry veteran and public relation director at Road Scholar, she's on a mission to help older adults discover the benefits of educational travel. She joins this episode of the podcast to share how education-based trips help travelers broaden their horizons, keep their minds sharp and create inter-generational memories.







Kelsey explains how Road Scholar combines education and fun on the road and helps unpack the trend of married women traveling without their husbands. Plus, we have news about a proposed "green fee" in Hawaii; a Road Tip about handy items to keep in your carry-on; and a Hot Minute about the dangers of government-imposed travel fees.































Insights from Kelsey Perri







On women traveling alone:









“Seventy percent of our travelers are women, and 30% go solo every year. We have a lot of solo female travelers who come with us. And at least 60% of those are married people who leave their spouses at home to come travel.”







“The number one reason is that their spouse just isn’t interested in traveling. I guess women are just a little more adventurous and willing to push themselves out of their comfort zone.”































On multigenerational travel:







“These are hands-on, interactive programs with lots of activities. They’re wonderful opportunities for grandparents to pass on their love of learning, their love of travel, and really make memories they’re going to have forever.







“The grandparents do some stretching of their minds and their abilities to learn more about themselves too.”























On the value of getting out of your comfort zone:









“When you’re aging, learning and putting yourself out of your comfort zone is so important to keep yourself sharp, to age healthily and keep yourself vital and engaged as you get older. That’s what Baby Boomers are interested in doing.”































Resources Mentioned in This Episode







Visit Road Scholar online at roadscholar.org.







Learn more about Road Scholar's group program at roadscholar.org/groups







Contact the Road Scholar groups department by emailing groups@roadscholar.org.







Follow Road Scholar on Facebook or join the Women of Road Scholar group.







Learn more about STS Domestic showcase at southeasttourism.org.























Key Moments From This Episode







1:12 — Travel News: Hawaii is considering a new “green fee”