The Insider Travel Report Podcast

Melnecia Marshall, deputy chief executive officer for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami about how her island nation works to attract more cruise business. With the ability to take multiple ships of almost any size, great attractions, spectacular beaches and a long history, St. Kitts just might be one of the per...

Gerry Larsson-Fedde, chief operating officer of Hurtigruten, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami about his cruise line’s plan to get to Net-Zero (non-carbon-emitting) cruising as early as 2030. With new ships and new technologies, the Norwegian coastal cruise company is betting it can lead the way to the next generation of cruising. For more inf...

Latia Duncombe, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about why the Bahamas has focused so heavily on the cruise market, developing Nassau as the top port in the region and developing many private islands for specific cruise lines. She also details a new program to get cruis...

David Tanguay, global head of sales for Aurora Expeditions, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about his luxury expedition cruise line, which offers sailings to Antarctica, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Oceania & Asia and Europe. With a crew of explorers and scientists, Aurora offers guests a unique perspective on expedition cruising with some u...

Hans Rood, CEO of Transcend Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how his river cruise line is dedicated to group travel, catering to corporate groups, family groups, weddings and full ship charters. Transcend also will feature a new fleet of specially designed river ships that are some of the most innovative in the market. If you’re a group travel specialist, this i...

Carlo Micallef, CEO of the Malta Tourism Authority, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, about how his island nation is quickly becoming one of the most popular cruise ports in the Mediterranean. With history, spectacular scenery, beaches, picturesque small cities and towns, great food and wine, Malta qualifies as a must-visit destination—and cr...

David Fredericks, senior vice president-sales and marketing for Century Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about how Century delivers a luxury river cruise on the Yangtze and other rivers of China. It also offers a series of pre- and post-tour that can give your clients a great travel experience in the rest of China and beyond. For more infor...

Explora Journeys’ Anna Nash, global president, and Chris Austin, president-North America, talk with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami, about how their luxury lifestyle brand has evolved since it launched its first ship two years ago. With a second ship now sailing and a third on the way. Explora Journeys is poised to offer even more luxury in its spacious, styl...

Natalya Leahy, CEO of National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about her first few months on the job. Leahy also tells us why she moved from her previous job at Seabourn and why National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions offered such great opportunity to shape expedition cruising and adventure travel. For more informa...

Greg Phillip, founder of Nevis Sun Tours, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the recent Seatrade Global in Miami about how his local tour operation can help your clients experience the island of Nevis. The former CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority, Phillip offers comprehensive tours of his home island the adjacent St. Kitts in a way only a local can deliver, from an Alexander...

Philippe Hetland Brault, CEO of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about his upcoming Orient Express Corinthian, the largest luxury sailing yacht in the world, set to debut in 2026. The yacht also will be one of the most sustainable in the cruise business. For more information or to book, call 888-595-0930 or visit www.o...

Francesco Galli Zugaro, CEO of Aqua Expeditions, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Global in Miami about his innovative collection of luxury river ships and yachts sailing the Amazon Peru, Mekong in Vietnam and seas around Indonesia. Zugaro also explains why he sold a big stake in his company to Ponant Explorations. For more information, visit www.aquaexpeditions.co...

Ron Gulasky, senior vice president-sales at Margaritaville at Sea, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel at Seatrade Global in Miami Beach about how his two-ship, Florida-based line has taken the value-oriented cruise market by storm in just two years. Gulasky describes the experiences, the accommodations, the dining and the destinations your clients will find when booking Margaritaville...

Chris Prelog, president of Windstar Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami Beach about his boutique premium line’s upcoming two new ships, new itineraries around the world, new partnerships and new dining options that are turning Windstar into great option even for luxury travelers. For more information, visit www.windstarcruises.com . All...

Mark Conroy, veteran cruise executive and now a consultant with Mark S. Conroy & Associates, reflects on life spend in cruising with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report. One of the most popular cruise executives among travel advisors, Conroy has worked for Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Viking Line, Commodore Cruises, Renaissance Cruises, Radisson and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Silver...

Susana McCurdy, owner of McCurdy Luxury Travel in Las Vegas, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the Brownell Academy in Chicago about why she joined Brownell Travel, and how the luxury host agency has helped her grow her business. For more information, visit www.brownelltravel.com or https://mccurdyluxurytravel.com. All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived...

Pierre Pinon, general manager of Hôtel Majestic & Spa, a member of Preferred Hotel's luxury collection, speaks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about the Paris property’s prime location near the Arc de Triomphe, its family ownership, and its evolution from a historic residential building into a luxury hotel. Binot describes rooms and suites, as well as a new seafood-focused restaurant t...

Anne Bluntzer, owner of Bluntzer Travel in San Antonio, Texas, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at the Brownell Academy in Chicago about why she joined host agency Brownell Travel, and what programs it has to help her sell more luxury travel. For more information, visit www.brownelltravel.com or www.bluntzertravel.com .  All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archi...

Patrick Katzenberg, general manager of The Londoner, a Preferred Hotel on London's Leicester Square, speaks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about what makes the property the world’s first “super boutique hotel.” Katzenberg shares how the hotel’s central location, 350 rooms and suites, and eight stories above and below ground create a unique urban resort experience. For more information, vi...

Lauren Jones, owner of Solas Travels in Long Beach, Calif., a top Brownell-affiliated travel advisor, tells James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report why she joined the host agency, what Brownell programs she uses, and how she’s found sales success. For more information, visit www.brownelltravel.com .  All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and available on our  Youtube chann...

Matthew Dixon, managing partner of Archer Hotel Management, owner of The Palace Hotel Madrid, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how the luxury hotel has been completely renovated, including all rooms, public spaces and restaurants. With an enviable location in the heart of the city, The Palace Hotel, part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection, is close to major art museums, gar...

Cathryn Norton, director of partner relationships at Brownell Travel, and Austin Leatherberry, director of partner opportunities at Brownell Travel, talk with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how their luxury host agency selects its preferred partners and how it helps its member travel advisors sell more of their travel products. For more information, visit www.brownelltravel.com ....

Iñigo Valenzuela, founder and CEO of Smartvel, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about its mission to deliver high quality travel content leveraging artificial and human intelligence to deliver the right content at the right time when each of your customers need it. Smartvel offers b-to-b comprehensive solutions across all channels, sectors and content types. For more informati...

Margaret Haas, director of advisor development at Brownell Travel, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about her decision to get into travel with her father, Troy Haas’ host agency—and why she thinks travel and being a travel advisor is such a great opportunity. She also discusses her role at Brownell as director of advisor development. For more information, visit www.brownelltra...

Gwen Kozlowski, president of Exeter International, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how her company, which began as an Eastern Europe and Russia specialist, now delivers very different kind of luxury experience in many other European countries. For more information, visit www.exeterinternational.com .  All our Insider Travel Report video interviews are archived and avail...