With Strong 2025 Sales, Travel Advisors Feel Optimistic About 2026

Overall, most travel advisors report that 2025 was a good year for sales, according to a new Need to Know survey from TravelAge West. 

More than half (58%) of the nearly 150 respondents say that sales were higher in 2025 compared to 2024, while 34% say they were slightly higher and 24% say sales were significantly higher. 

“Last year was a banner year for Harr Travel, with over 50% growth,” said Danny Genung, CEO of Harr Travel. “Ocean cruising was where we saw the most growth, with the suite products on contemporary lines and small-ship luxury products leading the way. The top end of the market is looking for extra value and with our ultra-informative videos and highly personalized service, we saw a rebooking rate beyond anything we could have hoped for.”

According to advisors, ocean cruising led the way, followed closely by family travel.  Sales in luxury travel, river cruising and group travel were also notable.

The top destination in 2025 was Europe, followed by the Caribbean. Domestic travel also scored well, although nearly two-thirds (64%) of advisors say that most of their sales involved international travel.

“The Caribbean was our top destination in 2025, as the added inventory was exactly what many of our guests were looking for,” Genung said. “Europe and Antarctica were next for us, as we have expanded our presence in small-ship luxury travel, top suites on contemporary lines and expedition markets.”

When asked about the effect of global or political events (including elections, armed conflicts, visa changes and the U.S. government shutdown) on bookings, most advisors (45%) say that these factors did negatively impact sales. Another third (33%) say they saw no noticeable impact.

“What was a negative to many led to greater success for our customer base,” Genung said. “The extra capacity in the Caribbean and departures from North America led to nearly 65% growth for us in these markets. We did see a slight dip in October with the government shutdown, but that was quick and led to November 2025 being our best month in business for new sales.”

The top method for generating sales came from client referrals, with every other channel — social media, supplier partnerships, consortia, trade shows and more — far behind.

Respondents say the biggest change they saw in client habits in 2025 was a tendency to book closer to departure. However, the next top trend was clients booking earlier, showing the range of tendencies of clients. Advisors also say clients are prioritizing safety and insurance more and spending more.

Looking ahead to 2026, advisors are largely optimistic — 51% say they are “cautiously optimistic” and 27% are “very optimistic.” Only 3% describe themselves as “pessimistic.”

“We are very optimistic for 2026, for 2027 and beyond, as we already have quite a bit more on the books than in 2025,” Genung said. “But more than that, we believe that the last five years has taught our guests to go out and live life to its fullest — especially families and multigenerational groups.”

According to the survey, the markets with the strongest potential in 2026 include family travel, river cruising, adventure travel and group travel.

“The family market has been key to our growth, and it’s a market we don’t see slowing down,” Genung said. “I took 14 cruises with my family in 2025, and with a 3-year-old and a nearly 10-year-old, there is no better way to enjoy the time together than cruising. Our designated family products are almost sold out for all of 2026, and we are getting ready to launch more for Q4 2026 and to double our offerings in 2027.”