BELFAST — “Complexity isn’t killing this business. It’s fuelling it.”

That was the message from opening day of Trevello’s Building Bridges 2026 conference, taking place this week in Belfast with more than 200 Trevello travel advisors.

In her keynote address Trevello CEO Zeina Gedeon got right to the point: “In uncertain times, travellers don’t want an algorithm. They want an advisor. The world is shifting. So are we. And the bridges we build today are what make us unbeatable.”

Trevello’s full-year 2025 delivered 9% total sales growth and 7% commission growth, according to Trevello’s stats.

And so far for 2026, Q1 sales were up 8%, commissions were up 10%, and average invoice value climbed to $2,977, an increase of 5% year-over-year.

Gedeon noted that the Canadian outbound travel market is worth $24 billion in 2026 – and that only 31% of it flows through travel advisors. In years past the percentage of travellers using the services of a travel advisor was seen as a come-down from the pre-Internet days. Now it’s an opportunity, as more and more travellers are increasingly overwhelmed by tech’s never-ending options.

Gedeon added that 78% of Canadians still plan to travel this year. “The market is enormous. The clients are motivated. The only question is whether you show up,” Gedeon told advisors.

Canada-US flight bookings are down 38% versus last year, said Gedeon. Over 60% of Canadians are rethinking U.S. travel entirely, a shift Gedeon called “structural, not temporary.” The demand has redirected: Mexico is up 29%, Portugal is up 41%, Spain is up 35%, Japan is up 47%.

“This is your generational moment,” she said. “Clients are actively asking for guidance on non-U.S. alternatives. The advisor who masters these markets first wins the decade.”

She added: “The world is uncertain. Your value is not.”

Trevello’s Building Bridges 2026 is on now through May 7, with an emphasis on hands-on engagement and collaboration between advisors, suppliers and head office teams. So far sessions have covered booking curve strategy and generational client psychology, social media as a storefront, sustainability as a differentiator, and high-growth verticals: wellness travel, bleisure, domestic Canada and adventure.