Dec 16, 2025
The final Wednesday Webinar of our Fall 2025 series featured a practical introduction to the travel trade and how destinations and tourism businesses can use B2B partnerships to drive long-term, reliable visitation. Presented by Hayley Coriaty of Alon Tourism Solutions, this session outlines practical strategies you can use to build trade-ready products, expand global partnerships, and access professional development opportunities.
What the Travel Trade Is
Hayley explained that the travel trade refers to B2B relationships with tour operators, receptive operators, travel agents, and resellers who package and sell destinations and experiences to travelers. Unlike direct-to-consumer marketing, this approach focuses on building long-term partnerships that generate repeat business and expanded global reach.
B2B vs. Direct-to-Consumer
Direct marketing can be costly and transactional, with limited insight into return on investment. In contrast, travel trade partnerships are relationship-based and often result in repeat visitation. Operators book months—sometimes years—in advance, offering predictability, prepaid bookings, and lower cancellation rates.
How Travel Trade Visitors Travel
Three core travel segments were outlined:
-
FIT (Foreign Independent Travelers): Individuals or small groups, often fly-drive, prepaid, and flexible
-
Group Travel: Ten or more visitors traveling on set itineraries, often by motor coach
-
MICE: Meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions—high-touch, high-spend experiences
Why It Matters for New York
International and travel trade visitors tend to stay longer, spend more, and travel year-round. By working with receptive operators—many based in major U.S. gateways like New York City—destinations can reach global markets without taking on the cost of overseas marketing themselves.
Getting Started
Hayley emphasized the importance of having “sellable” products, strong communication, and simple B2B tools like one-pagers and net rates. She encouraged destinations not to be intimidated by the process, noting that travel trade partnerships should complement—not replace—existing marketing efforts.
Looking Ahead
Alon Tourism Solutions offers a self-paced Travel Trade 101 online course, developed with the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA). NYSTIA members can receive 30% off the course through December 31, providing an accessible way to begin or strengthen travel trade engagement.
Huge thank you again to Hayley for sharing her time, as well as everyone who attended! You can view the recording above, and access the slide deck here.
Thank you for joining us for the NYSTIA Wednesday Webinar Fall 2025 series! Here you'll find the links to the recaps for all past webinars of this series. Each recap includes a bullet-point summary, slide decks, and a video recording.