Interview: Diane Petras Shares Insights into the Future of Travel Advisor Education

Insights into the Future of Travel Education and Industry Growth

An Interview By: Joanie Ogg, Co-Founder – Travel Professional NEWS

 

Interviewing: Diane Petras, CTIE, President – The Travel Institute

 

I had the pleasure of catching-up with my good friend and colleague Diane Petras, CTIE, President of The Travel Institute this month. Diane and I have known each other for many years and we both have such a passion for this industry and the travel professionals out there on the front-lines who we both admire so much. You know when you meet someone and you just get that feeling that you could be great friends? Well, that is how I felt when I first met Diane Petras. Over the years we have enjoyed so many great conversations and many a glass of wine as well! She is an amazing professional and our industry is so lucky to have her at the helm of The Travel Institute. We are also proud to have some of our books, How to Start a Home Based Travel Agency Study Guide and Workbook, included in The Travel Institute’s TRIPKIT program. When I asked Diane to share some of her sage advice and insight with our readers, she graciously agreed. First and foremost, thank you to Diane and her team for all they do for our industry and for spending some time with us here.

 

Joanie: Can you share with our readers a bit of history about your industry experience and your current role at The Travel Institute?

Diane: I’ve been in the retail travel industry—and passionate about it—since 1986. Starting on the front lines as an independent contractor, I understand very well the responsibility agents bear and how undervalued their position can be. The reality is it’s an intense, serious role that requires serious education to become a true advisor—a term often used too lightly today. 

 

Along with my front-line experience, I’ve been an agency owner, a producer for industry training events, and a developer/marketer for IC software. It’s the combination of these experiences that led me to today—privileged to lead an equally passionate team of people who also understand the demanding roles of frontline agent,
agency/business owner, industry leader and everything in between. We keep their differing needs in mind as we create exceptional educational content and utilize best-practice technology to best deliver it. We are also focused, more than ever, on ensuring our alumni feel supported ongoing—whether they’re using our certified graduate toolkit to help them make the most of their new credentials; our directory to help consumers locate them; our job match/hiring process to help employers find newly educated talent; coaching; continued learning; and more. Our goal is that both current students and alumni, based on their experience with The Travel Institute, have a positive feeling about us.

 

I am honored to be giving back now—to The Travel Institute and our ever-evolving industry. For anyone out there feeling ready now to also give back, we have a variety of ways for industry veterans and leaders to do that so we’d love to connect and explore their options!

 

Joanie: Can you enlighten us on the history and the current goals of The Travel Institute?

Diane: I’m so glad you asked about our history because so many don’t know! The Travel Institute is a 60-year-young, 501(c)3 non-profit, founded as a collaborative industry effort to develop better business people for our industry. Our non-profit business model is unique in travel. Why? Because our classification is similar to a college or university, with earnings after costs reinvested into course creation, updates, and delivery of services that directly benefit our students. We also designate funds for scholarships each year. We have no other interests or priorities. For students, this means greater accessibility to higher quality yet affordable education. 

 

The Travel Institute has helped literally hundreds of thousands of travel professionals over more than six decades. Our mission is student success. I’ve seen this mission up close for 30+ years, starting as a volunteer. Achieving our mission means keeping up with changes in travel, education, and technology to ensure best-practice learning. Our fast-paced industry is continuously changing and so must we, too! For 2025, along with continuous course updates, this plays out in a few specific ways: a robust schedule for our Professional Educators Program, or “PEP Talks,” which are free, live, online lectures featuring experts from our industry and beyond; enhanced functionality for our Premium Access online, on-demand library; and increased consumer outreach to raise awareness of the value educated travel professionals offer.

 

Joanie: As we venture into the world of Artificial Intelligence and all the many opportunities as well as challenges it may present, how do you see AI impacting our industry and is The Travel Institute looking to offer any AI training modules?

Diane: I’m very curious myself about artificial intelligence! While there are more questions than answers about AI, we do know it’s here to stay. Already, it’s used for facial recognition in airports and through chatbots doing basic flight research, sample itineraries and more. That said, not all AI platforms offer the same value; they can vary greatly and advisors need to understand what a particular platform is good at. 

 

For The Travel Institute, we believe it can be a useful tool for consumers and advisors, but it’s not something we use to create content today. For consumers, AI can get the ball rolling for those who don’t know what they don’t know, especially on the domestic front, hopefully making them more informed for conversations with advisors. That said, there are many examples about AI’s imperfect travel knowledge and advice so advisors should be ready for misinformed consumer discussions, too. For advisors, no matter how they’re using it, they need to respect AI’s current value and its limitations. In other words, DON’T trust and DO verify! For now, advisors looking for real-world, current and accurate travel expertise should continue to rely on their established network of experts and credible source material while using AI sparingly to save some time and help with marketing messages, general research, business basics, initial itineraries, and more. 

 

Bottom line, AI is a starting point rather than a final word today. So, while it’s too early to rely on, the line between helping and hindering will keep moving and AI will only improve over time. Advisors need to pay attention to its complicated, fast-changing evolution and, if the opportunity arises to listen to an expert update on AI, whether through The Travel Institute or another credible source, take it!

 

Joanie: Are there any current programs offered by The Travel Institute that are “hot” right now?

Diane: Our “hottest” products continue to be new-to-the-industry training through TRIPKIT; advanced learning through our Certified Travel Associate, or CTA, program; and our online, on-demand learning library for professionals who want continued, timely learning at their fingertips. That said, in 2024, we launched four new specialist courses, including Paris, Netherlands, Vietnam and Group Travel in response to hot market trends. We also added a dedicated new agent scholarship fund, similar to our Promote Your Professionalism, or PYP, scholarships, which has been extremely popular. Last but not least, our growing PEP Talks lecture series offers insight into everything from market trends and traveler preferences to changing DOT regulations to insurance intricacies and more. Beyond “hot” products, the bottom line, given the diversity of our students, is that we continue to experience high demand across our products dependent upon varying agent needs and preferences. That speaks to a growth mindset for our industry and that is truly great news for travelers and for our industry!

 

Joanie: Are you seeing an uptick in new entrants to becoming a travel professional? If so, can you elaborate on why you feel that is the case right now?

Diane: Absolutely! In December 2024, we reported an average 51% growth in new agent enrollments over the past two years. If you think about it, these new agents represent tomorrow’s leaders, which is critical given the “aging out” of senior, experienced agents we saw in our 2023 survey.
lass=”yoast-text-mark” />>Anecdotally, we’ve seen entrepreneurs from all walks of life embracing the travel industry as a new business option, either in addition to or in place of their current career or business. Often, they come with a built-in network of potential travelers and so, with the right expectations for the effort needed to be successful, they can certainly create a lucrative new career.

While new entrant interest has been high, it’s only the first step in ensuring a skilled workforce long-term. The environment is challenging for new agents—they don’t know what they don’t know. At the same time, there’s a confusing number of training options these days, and not all are of equal value. Of course, new agents need agency-specific training, so they understand processes, policies, and preferred suppliers, but they also need to build a strong foundation of broad industry knowledge so they can create a successful career that keeps them engaged for years to come.
lass=”yoast-text-mark” />>I’d argue this should come ahead of agency-specific training and this is where The Travel Institute’s TRIPKIT fills a critical void for so many.</span>e=”font-weight: 400;”>

 

 

Joanie: What advice would you give to travel professionals looking forward in 2025 and beyond?

Diane: I’ve seen the continuous evolution of travel professionals throughout my career. Without a doubt, all professionals, including travel agents, must continually change to grow and maintain value. While it’s easy to stay head down and focus on the myriad of tasks each day, it’s important to look ahead consistently
with new learning on the job, in formal coursework, at industry training events, by reading industry news, networking and more.
lass=”yoast-text-mark” />></span>It’s only through continued learning that any of us can grow and be prepared for the opportunities and pitfalls ahead.</b&gt; Education makes travel professionals better producers, business owners, and industry leaders.<span style=”font-weight: 400;”> Ultimately, it’s always about working smarter to advance ourselves, our travelers, and our entire industry—high achievers know this very well.e=”font-weight: 400;”>

 

Joanie: We cannot thank you enough for your time and your insight. Do you have any last words you may like to share with the readers of Travel Professional NEWS?

Diane: It’s a good time to be in travel! It’s an exciting industry and you can find all sorts of data supporting its career potential. Just one example, Reuters reported this past fall that travel and tourism’s contribution to the 2024 GDP would set a new record “as consumers increasingly see travel as an essential part of their budgets.” There are certainly other stats also indicating travel demand will continue as well. BUT, individual success is not guaranteed. Without industry-regulated standards for education, agents and advisors alike need to chart their own course,
set career goals and create detailed plans—whether it’s business, marketing, personal growth, or another area—to realize their potential, achieve what’s most meaningful to them, and have a truly fulfilling career. The Travel Institute is committed to those committed to their careers and to their travelers. We deliver on that by providing the high-quality and affordable educational tools to support travel professionals wherever they are on the career path continuum.