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One month after wildfires devastated Lahaina, Signature Travel Network decided to move forward with its annual Owners’ Meeting at the Grand Wailea, located on an unaffected part of Maui.
This episode of Trade Secrets was recorded from Maui. Hear from Signature CEO Alex Sharpe, travel agency owners and supplier representatives from Allianz Partners, Travel Insured International and Pleasant Holidays as they share their thoughts about promoting travel to the island. Listeners will also learn about Signature’s relief efforts, and the resounding takeaway for travel advisors who have visited: Responsible, compassionate tourism is welcome on the Valley Isle.
Note: Although unaffected areas of Maui have remained open to tourism, the affected areas of West Maui will officially open on Oct. 8, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green.
This episode is sponsored by Air France-KLM.
Credit: 2023 Jenn MartinsFurther Resources and Related Reading
Coverage From TravelAge West
- Signature Travel Network to Proceed With Owners' Meeting in Maui
- On the Ground in Maui: Signature’s Owners’ Meeting Highlights ‘Respectful, Compassionate’ Tourism to the Island
- Go, Postpone, Cancel or Move Maui travel? Advisors Share How They're Managing Upcoming Bookings
Coverage From Travel Weekly
- A visit to Maui, a Month After the Lahaina Fire: Aloha and Welcoming Hospitality for Visitors
- As Maui Thanks Agents and Urges Travel, it Plans a New Marketing Campaign
Ask a Question on the Podcast
If you're a travel advisor with a question about the latest travel news, trends, best business practices or more, please call our hotline and leave a message at 201-902-2098 or send an email to tradesecrets@travelweekly.com.
About the Hosts
Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.
Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
About the Show
Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.
