TPI Opens A New Chapter

A rapid, cross-country tour of Canada to visit travel agents under the Travel Professionals International banner has launched a push by the TPI head office in Winnipeg to start developing new market segments and selling priorities, reports western editor, Ted Davis in this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier.

After 20 years of establishing themselves as popular go-to retailers of ITC programs, TPI has determined that its agent business model is evolving to embrace products and programs that have higher commissions, higher margins and more service fees.

“We’ve achieved a 10% growth in sales over the past year to date, so that’s great,” said company vice-president Tim Morgan, indicating that TPI’s next fiscal year would start on Aug. 1. “But what about margins? We want to start focusing on those. Margin success is a big part of our message.”

One way the agent collective will achieve these new goals is with a more upscale, FIT outlook. This rethink was reflected in the supplier mix that attended the recent TPI series of trade shows and presentations that were staged in cities from Vancouver to St. John’s. The TPI events were also held in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. (TPI has no presence in Quebec)

For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Travel Courier by clicking here.