Recommend recently sat in on Avoya Travel’s Future Briefing, giving us a peek into what its leadership describes not just as a new chapter but a new era for the company. The event highlighted Avoya’s commitment to innovation, growth and maintaining a strong culture that supports its independent advisors (IAs), supplier partners and employees.
Avoya’s Vision
Marc Kazlauskas, Avoya’s CEO, opened by emphasizing the company’s solid foundation built over 60 years in the travel industry. “We have a proven track record of being a host agency for most of that,” he noted, underscoring Avoya’s legacy of launching thousands of small businesses and introducing over 10,000 new careers to the travel sector. Kazlauskas outlined three pillars that will guide Avoya’s future: culture, technology and growth. “Culture is how we treat each other… no fake smiles, no spin. It’s just respect, transparency, and candid, consistent communication,” he said, emphasizing the company’s goal to be “the best place to work for, but also the best place to work with.”
Technology remains central to Avoya’s strategy. Kazlauskas described the company’s intent to “double down” on building smarter systems with faster automation and clean design, driven by feedback from the independent advisor council. “We want tech that does, doesn’t just make our IAs work faster, but makes them feel like the future’s on their side every day,” he added. This focus on innovation was further detailed by Karl Treier, Avoya’s new Chief Technology Officer, who brings four decades of IT and enterprise application experience. Treier highlighted plans to integrate AI into Avoya’s Agent Power platform and customer-facing systems to enhance itinerary building and user experience. “Industry as a whole is pivoting to the use of AI to drive new interactive experiences for customers,” he said, noting the company’s commitment to safe and smart AI integration.
Phil Cappelli, Chief Sales Officer, reflected on Avoya’s recent record-breaking 2025 Avoya Travel Annual Conference aboard MSC Cruises’ World America, which saw over 600 attendees and more than 50 suppliers. He praised the company’s unique position in the host agency space, stating, “When you think about Avoya in our 60 plus years… we’re almost like a startup with all the support, training, and constant events we provide.” Cappelli also highlighted impressive sales growth, including a 92 percent increase in river cruise sales and a 110 percent increase in air sales through the Snap program and the partnership with Travel Leaders.
The briefing also showcased Avoya’s commitment to social responsibility, with the network raising over $24,000 for the MSC Foundation to support environmental initiatives on its private island. Cappelli noted, “Half of that money was raised by the network and then we matched it dollar for dollar.”
Product expansion remains a priority, with Avoya focusing on diversifying beyond cruises and tours to include air, hotel, transfers, and luxury travel. Sam McCully, Senior VP of Market Expansion, emphasized, “You’re gonna continue to see Avoya forge some new ground, not just in expanding the portfolio product, but also in moving up that value chain and that value ladder into luxury, in ways that we haven’t before.” He also mentioned plans to explore partnerships beyond travel, targeting lifestyle, fitness, and luxury brands to reach new customer pools.
The briefing featured insights from Avoya’s independent advisors, who praised the company’s leadership and vision. Nichole Patrick, owner of Traverse the Earth Travel and recipient of Avoya’s prestigious Flowerly Award, described the event as “exciting” with “tangible excitement from the executive team to the staff, to the network of the agents.” Ryan Warshaw, owner of Epic Jaunts, highlighted the brand’s evolution, saying, “There’s a noticeable excitement in the room… the executive team really starting to lay the groundwork for what that evolution looks like.” Dave Levine, also of Epic Jaunts, called it “a recipe for success” fueled by strategic investments and strong supplier relationships.
The advisors underscored the value of Avoya’s community and mentorship programs. Patrick likened the events to “a big family reunion,” while Levine emphasized the importance of face-to-face connections for skill-building and networking. Kazlauskas echoed this sentiment, noting the unique camaraderie within Avoya’s network: “The way the Avoya IAs work together, collaborate together, share is something that’s very unique in this industry.”
Addressing the role of AI, Cappelli stressed that while AI tools will enhance efficiency, “it’s never gonna know empathy and it’s never gonna know how to work with people on a direct level,” reinforcing the irreplaceable value of human advisors. Treier added that AI represents an opportunity to source leads differently, “starting an interactive conversation with a large language model that then drives them to an interaction with an agent.”
In closing, the leadership reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the advisor network and the broader travel industry. Kazlauskas thanked the attendees and media for their ongoing engagement and promised continued innovation and partnership.
For more information, visit avoyatravel.com.
