Pink Couch Podcast: Behind the Scenes of the Travel Industry

After founding Intrepid in 2008, Steven Larkin is back as senior VP global sales and partnerships. Larkin tells Nina Slawek that once the current headwinds pass, “demand is going to outpace availability.”

Ian Patterson takes a spin on the Pink Couch with an MSC update on everything from home-porting in the Caribbean to private island escapes. His primary message: “Travel advisors are in the business of making money. And cruising provides that opportunity.”

TTAND advisor Judith Coates tackles a number of sticky issues on the Pink Couch Podcast. On the topic of commissions protection: “Even if the commission has been paid out, some suppliers will recall it. And that's really hard to take when we've counted on that revenue for a few years.”

Jakki Prince tells Nina that the global travel industry has a responsibility towards sustainability, as well as travellers. “Not every trip has to be a volunteer trip where you're planting trees. You can have great, sometimes incredibly ultra-luxury vacations that have sustainable elements.”

Jalisco Tourism Secretary Michelle Fridman, accompanied by Dave Cecco, takes a spin on the Pink Couch to advise all is “calm and peaceful” in Puerto Vallarta. A cartel-linked shut down in February led to widespread travel disruption and miscommunication. “After 48 hours, we were completely normal in Puerto Vallarta,” says Fridman.

On moving from the role of BDM to Director of Sales, Erminia Gallina says: “I learned there’s power in saying no. But I also tell you why, which makes all the difference.” Ultimately, Gallina says, “the reason why women are succeeding in leadership is because we do relationships extremely well.”

When Open Jaw launched 25 years ago, supporting women was central to its mission. Nina says the hot pink colour and cheeky personality was focussed on creating a relatable brand. “Everything we did — how we spoke to advisors, our approach, launching a charity initiative — we spent a lot of time thinking, ‘What can we do to support women?’”

When Lesley Paull was starting out, she says travel was “sort of a men's club.” Thirty years on, she tells Nina that the industry is slowly changing. “I had a lot of people at that time tell me as a female, there would be no way I would survive.”

Travelsavers’ Jane Clementino recalls being the only woman in the boardroom other than the coffee lady. Times have changed. And yet, she says women still underestimate their value. “They believe that the male in front of them is ready for the job — that they've earned the right. And I feel like women still need to prove it.”

Tameka Wharton reflects on her years leading the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Board, sharing how strong role models (including her mom!) helped shape her leadership journey. “We have to go at every task being thorough and understanding that we always end up with either a solid outcome of success or a great opportunity to learn,” she says.

Stephen Smith, Exec VP Leisure, at Direct Travel - “generally known as a large corporate travel management company” - says the launch of the Altitude brand is intended to highlight its “very significant host agency and leisure operation.”

To mark its 30th anniversary, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer John Weatherill sat down with Nina Slawek for a wide-ranging talk on the carrier’s beginnings at a time when many failed. On proposals to open Canada’s domestic market: “Very detrimental.” On air pricing: “It costs half as much to travel domestically in this country as it did 30 years ago.” On the decision to reduce seat pitch: “A step too far.” Those topics — and more — were all on the table.

On location in PVR, TTI’s Rocky Racco provides an overview of the gap between perception and reality: “Everything is extremely tranquil, very inviting.” He adds that “part of our trusted advisor relationship is making sure we share with our clients the real reality of what's happening.”

When fuel shortages forced airlines to pull half a million Cuba seats overnight, Sunwing Vacations’ went into overdrive. President Andrew Dawson suddenly found himself at the helm of the huge operation to reschedule bookings — amid growing demand, shrinking capacity, and rising prices.

Toronto-based advisor Patricia Whelan is no stranger to thinking on her feet. Whether it’s changing plans because of a hurricane-hit destination wedding or chartering a last-minute private jet for clients, she credits her five-star hospitality background for carving out a niche in high-end leisure and business travel.

According to Trevello CEO Zeina Gedeon, since the COVID experience, “everybody now wants to be a travel advisor” and the industry is attracting a new breed of business people. “We are learning from them!”

Anna Judek, owner of Virtuoso-affiliated Zebrano Travel, says the key to working with high net worth travellers is understanding how they evaluate value, weigh trade-offs, and make decisions. For advisors, that means treating travel planning like a boardroom calculation. “An Excel spreadsheet is your friend,” she says.

Porter’s President Kevin Jackson shares successes from this winter’s sun routes along with a 20% increase for the summer, with a major focus on regional routes. “Despite what you've seen, there's still a lot to go. The duopoly is no longer going to be two carriers,” he said.

Tom Stevens, VP Customer Experience and Service Operations at Air Canada, provides background on airline safety precautions during a blizzard and walks through the operational challenges of managing a global network of aircraft while keeping the runways clear. “The best way to clear the snow is to make sure the concrete has nothing on it.”

After 37 years in the biz, Denise Luciani from Marlin Travel asked herself what she wanted for her future. The answer was: “to bring great people into the industry”. Denise shares how over the last 18 months she’s reinvented a host agency model.

With global uncertainty on the rise, Sunwing’s Eric Rodriguesz tells Nina that Cuba remains safe, fully operational, and one of the Caribbean’s best value escapes for Canadian travellers.

Beyond Borders Tourism Coalition founder Shannon Stowell and his travel colleagues from both sides of the border are attempting the superhuman - to keep Canada-US ties alive and to push back against falling cross-border travel.

From camera-shy newcomer to high-performing advisor, Gabi Hradsky explains to Nina why other advisors should be making the most of their own social media platforms to grow their business.

Nina chats with Tamar Ishaky, Registered Psychotherapist, about stick handling the added stress of the holiday season and the parallels between therapist and travel advisor! Take a deep breath…

The ‘Hi, this is Karla from Saskatoon’ method of negotiating a contract isn’t for everyone. But for Karla Amaya of Sunset Travel, operating solo by building a fully independent travel agency was the only option for this risk-taker.

Andrew Dawson tells Open Jaw that although bookings are returning, the island needs support and Sunwing Vacations is donating $100 per couple towards relief efforts for all bookings to Jamaica for the next two weeks.

Long time proponent of the value of travel advisors to the travel ecosystem, TLN COO Lindsay Pearlman tells Nina Slawek that as sales skyrocket (luxury is up 25%), more people are using advisors. “The industry is growing faster than we’re bringing people in. And good advisors can make well into six figures.”

Aruba is showing how sustainability can be built naturally into the visitor experience, a strategy that keeps over 40% of Canadians coming back to the Dutch island. “We refer to our tourism model as high-value, low-impact,” says Aruba Tourism CEO Ronella Croes. “It’s a tricky balance.”

In a no holds-barred conversation with Nina Slawek, Air Canada’s Mark Nasr outlines the carrier’s on-going fleet regeneration, global network growth and service improvement plan. While acknowledging “we're not perfect,” he says “we fully recognize that” and “specific measures” are being implemented.

Independent travel advisor ​​Brenda Slater shares her experience in choosing a new host agency along with advice to consumers considering a career in travel: “do what you know, do what you like, do what you have a passion for.”

Open Jaw prez Nina Slawek sat with Air Canada Director of Sales Ana Paula De Souza (in between Samba lessons in Rio!) to chat about the growing business opportunity the airline is creating with its expanding reach across Latin America.

Open Jaw’s Nina Slawek spoke to Netto Moreira, General Manager of the Fairmont Rio, which overlooks the famous Copacabana beach offering what he calls the “Fairmont experience” along with a slice of Brazilian life.

During her recent trip to Rio, Open Jaw’s Nina Slawek spoke to Patrick Fehring, Director Aero Business at Rio’s Galeão International Airport. During their chat, he explained that the airport is seeing more demand for travel to South America and emphasised that Galeão is positioning itself as a “strong international gateway to Brazil”.

Jane Clementino, Senior VP and GM, Canada, reflects on how tech, AI and changing consumer expectations have reshaped travel advising—yet whether an office has three advisors or a hundred, the Travelsavers mantra holds: “We’re always focused on quality versus quantity.”

With Porter’s announced code share with AA and a 25% increase in capacity to the sun, President Kevin Jackson says “we kind of doubled down, going even deeper, because those sun regions are doing well.”

Air Canada EVP & CCO and President Cargo Mark Galardo shares insights into the game-changing A321XLR and what it means for the airline’s future. Note: AC will reveal new cabin & lounge design in JAN 2026 not at the end of 2025.

Justin French, Carnival’s Regional VP, Canada & Northern US, joined Nina Slawek on the Pink Couch to talk about the growth in private islands. Carnival Corp. has invested over $600 million into Celebration Key and is currently expanding it. Is it successful? French says “we’ve already carried half a million people to Celebration key”.