Trafalgar and Collette Bet on the Advisor, Not the Itinerary

Trafalgar has launched Trailblazers, an advocacy track that gives select agents early access to its Small Group Tours program before it reaches the wider trade, plus a route into fully hosted FAM trips. The anchor offering is a Best of China with Yangtze Cruise FAM running October 24–30, with international flights included — a meaningful cost saving for participating advisors. The catch is timing: applications close July 31, leaving only about a week to apply. For agents who sell TTC product, first-hand China experience is a durable selling asset, since China itineraries remain a recurring fixture of Trafalgar's Asia lineup. Early access to Small Group Tours also means Trailblazers participants will have product knowledge before competitors see the same launches. Advisors who want in should apply immediately rather than wait — this reads as an ongoing advocacy tier, but the FAM seat itself is a hard, near-term deadline.

Collette has introduced Collette University 201, a training module aimed squarely at revenue growth rather than product knowledge. It walks advisors through selling pre- and post-tour hotel stays, destination extensions, the Travel Protection Plan, and Transportation Packages — all explicitly flagged by Collette as commissionable. The move, confirmed across TravelPulse, TravelPulse Canada, and PAXnews, signals a push to grow per-booking revenue through attachment on existing itineraries rather than through new tour launches. The practical takeaway for advisors already selling Collette: completing 201 arms them with concrete talking points for upsells on trips already in the pipeline, not just future bookings. It's a low-effort way to lift commission per passenger without additional prospecting, and it fits a broader pattern of operators treating advisor training itself as a commercial lever.