DMCs help bring the ‘wow’

Dinner with Andrea Bocelli’s family before a concert by the legendary tenor. VIP seats at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland. A cooking class with an Italian grandmother in her home. A soccer game with local kids. 

A “wow” experience in travel means different things to different people. Providing it requires in-depth local knowledge and the resources to pull it off. And to do that for their clients, travel advisors are increasingly partnering with destination management companies (DMCs) for their regional connections and on-the-ground client support.

As agency demand grows for that customized, highly experiential travel, consortia are bolstering their DMC programs. They are funneling resources into finding and vetting potential partners, building relationships with them and positioning them as preferred suppliers in front of member agencies. 

“Travel has changed a lot,” said Mina Agnos, founder and group president of Travelive, a collection of DMCs operating in Europe and North Africa. “Travelers want every trip to tell their own story. They are seeking experiences that delve deeper, feel more immersive and help them connect with the communities they visit. That is precisely where a DMC shines — no templates, no cookie-cutter itineraries. Our insider knowledge and local connections are what make those trips possible.”

BUILDING PREFERREDS

Darlene Santos, senior director of partner relations for Ensemble, said the consortium’s DMC program has “grown really substantially” in the past three years. 

Santos vets DMCs around the world with the goal of having partners in any destination where clients want to travel. “We think about, are you going to Sicily? Or are you going to Lake Como, or Southern Italy?” she said. “And we have local experts that are preferred with us in all of those regions.”

The vetting process Santos uses is “very stringent,” said Shahla Lalani, Ensemble’s senior vice president of marketing. Advisors need to know not only that a provider will be reliable and deliver a high standard of service but that they’ll bring another key ingredient to the table: access. Three DMCs that helped Ensemble organize a top-producers event this year in Italy fit that bill: The event included a private dinner with members of the Bocelli family before the tenor’s concert marking the 20th anniversary of his annual series of performances at the Teatro del Silenzio in his hometown of Lajatico.

In 2023 American Marketing Group (AMG) relaunched its DMC program, OnLocation, expanding to 33 DMCs, triple the number AMG had worked with previously. It has since grown to 49 partners, and this year, OnLocation sales are projected to finish 15% to 20% higher than in 2024.

Nicole Mazza, AMG’s chief marketing officer, said members of its various agency networks (Travelsavers, NEST and the Affluent Traveler Collection) wanted more customization options, whether they were planning something as minor as a transfer or as major as an entire itinerary. 

AMG also considered changing consumer habits and behaviors. Many want to avoid crowds or visit somewhere others haven’t for an “Instagrammable moment,” Mazza said. There has also been an increase in multigenerational trips with family members of different abilities traveling together, requiring a specialist’s hand.

A DMC “really understands the market, has boots on the ground, has offices in the market,” Mazza said. “They can assist with everything from a restaurant recommendation to handling some things that might be pretty spectacular.”

Mazza, for example, recently enjoyed the Tattoo military procession in Edinburgh from “spectacular seats” and with behind-the-scenes experiences, put together by Brendan Vacations’ DMC services.

Internova Travel Group (No. 10 on Travel Weekly’s Power List) “doubled down” on its DMC program in 2022, said Haisley Smith, senior vice president of program development. This involved increasing staff, reviewing each partner to ensure they were up to snuff and solidifying coverage around the globe. As a result, bookings have grown 200%. 

“What has traditionally been a space for five-star luxury and ultraluxe has now really expanded and grown,” Smith said. She added that, unlike previously, travelers in the four-star space now have the benefits of a DMC “in terms of customizing their dates and the experience that they have and to their interests but without that five-star or ultraluxe price tag.”

PICK YOUR PARTNER

With so many DMCs in the marketplace, advisors typically have a choice of partner depending on the location.

Bowden Sarrett, a Brownell advisor in Mobile, Ala., recommends advisors look for vetted DMCs first. Brownell has its own preferred partners and a Slack channel where fellow advisors provide recommendations.

The number of DMCs out there can be overwhelming, said Amanda Bisack, owner of Travelista Travels in New York. “I’m getting contacted by DMCs almost every single day from all over the place,” she said.

Bisack leans on personal connections she’s made with DMCs at industry events. She and her team also test DMCs personally to ensure their service levels meet expectations. Like Sarrett, she finds it useful to lean on AMG-vetted DMCs that are part of the expanded On-Location program (Travelista Travels is affiliated with Travelsavers and the Affluent Traveler Collection).

BAD ACTORS

Vetting is all the more important because as invaluable as a DMC can be for an advisor, a bad DMC can do a lot of damage. 

Internova’s Smith has noticed a troubling trend: “One thing that should be a concern of every agency and advisor is the number of new DMCs,” Smith said. “They are popping out of the ground virtually overnight, especially in very popular areas in Europe. Without proper vetting, this is a very dangerous proposition.”

It’s a trend that David Black, vice president of sales for Island Routes, a DMC owned by Sandals Resorts International, has also noticed.

“Far be it from anyone to take business away from anyone else, but you really have to look at the affiliations and the credibility behind these companies,” he said. 

Product quality and reliability can be issues, he said, and it would be hard to recoup money already paid if a provider disappears. Black encourages advisors working with unknown DMCs to be sure they have the right insurance in case things go wrong.

Outside of consortium or host agency affiliation, another sign that indicates a DMC is legitimate is if they work with tour operators to develop experiences. For instance, Kensington Tours works with Island Routes to execute excursions.

Leigh Ann Arnholt, owner of Carson Travel in Lexington, Ohio, leans on the DMCs vetted by her consortium, Ensemble. But she also keeps an eye out for signs a DMC might not be the right fit.

“If they’re not responding to emails for quotes or something like that, then they’re out,” she said. “You know, if you can’t even respond to that, then you’re a little worried about what they would do with a client.”

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS FOR ‘WOW’

Andrea Grisdale, CEO and founder of the DMC IC Bellagio in Italy, believes DMC use is on the uptick because advisors are become more aware of what they can do. 

Advisors who work with DMCs tend to be loyal. When Brownell’s Sarrett had a visit in Mobile from her IC Bellagio representative, with whom she’s worked for years, she brought her on a food tour of the city, giving her an experience like the one the DMC offers her clients. 

“Looking for the right DMC that you can have a relationship with, I think, is first and foremost,” Sarrett said. “Our job is not necessarily knowing the destination but knowing the client and being able to speak to the client’s needs.”

And those needs must to be communicated out of the gate, she said, ensuring the DMC can craft an experience the client will enjoy.

Grisdale agreed.

“You get out of things what you put into them,” she said, adding that DMCs can’t do a stellar job if an advisor doesn’t take the time to give them a full picture of their clients. She said it “drives me nuts” when people ask what is the biggest “wow experience” she can offer that nobody else can. “That’s a ridiculous question, because what is ‘wow’ to you is not ‘wow’ to me.”

It comes down to good communication and partnership, she said. Then comes the “wow,” individualized to each client.

DMCs bring another important thing to the table: in-destination traveler support, especially if something goes wrong. They are in the same time zone, speak the language and can usually problem-solve quickly and effectively.

“Working with us, we’re on the ground,” said Island Routes’ Black, with a 60-person call center in Jamaica and offices in all nine destinations where it operates. “We’re able to make it right and fix it on the spot.”