TORONTO — Uniglobe Travel (Canada) is closing in on $1 billion in gross sales, with a growing agency network and a people-first approach that will set the tone for its annual conference at White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara, Oct. 30 – Nov. 1.
Around 185 travel professionals are expected to attend, alongside 82 suppliers and conference sponsors, for a weekend built around the theme ‘Driven by Technology, Powered by People.’
For Dean Dacko, Regional President of Uniglobe Travel (Canada), the theme captures the balance the organization wants to maintain as it grows: using technology to help advisors work more efficiently while keeping personal service at the heart of the business.
“We always believe in the human aspect of relationship building, of service delivery and the importance of that relationship,” Dacko tells Travelweek. “When we look at AI, we look at it as a positive thing because it helps us do better at doing what we’ve always done.”
A BILLION DOLLAR MILESTONE
Uniglobe Travel (Canada) has recorded substantial growth over the past three years. Since uniting its eastern and western regions in 2023, the company has nearly tripled its gross sales from approximately $360 million to more than $1 billion expected in 2026.
Dacko says the organization has also doubled the size of its agency footprint during that period, with growth across both Eastern and Western Canada. It now has 35 agency ownership groups, representing 58 brick-and-mortar locations, and approximately 900 travel advisors and independent contractors across the country.
The results have exceeded expectations in a year marked by economic pressures and global uncertainty. Dacko says every agency in the network is up at least 10% year over year, with average growth also coming in at a little over 10%.
“Am I surprised? In some ways, yes,” he says. “You would assume that if prices go up, demand goes down. In our world, prices continue to go up. Hotel costs are very high, airline costs are very high and you add fuel surcharges on top of that – and yet demand in our world hasn’t diminished at all.”
Dacko attributes the performance in part to Uniglobe’s focus on mid-range and higher-end travel, including premium economy and above for air, and to customers’ continued willingness to invest in experiences.
“Whether you’re a corporate or leisure traveller, they’re all interested in the same thing: what is my experience going to be, and how can I ensure that I’m going to get what I pay for?”
He says the agency network focuses on matching the experience to the customer’s expectations rather than simply selling the lowest-priced option. That personal service can also be especially valuable when travel disruptions occur, giving customers someone to work on their behalf to find solutions.
INDEPENDENCE, BACKED BY COLLECTIVE STRENGTH
As Uniglobe expands, Dacko says a key part of its strategy is attracting independent agency owners who want the benefits of belonging to a larger network without giving up control of their businesses.
“We’re a collection of independent agency owners and agents that work together as a family,” he says. “They have the ability to manage and operate their businesses with a sense of independence and their own entrepreneurial ownership and direction.”
Uniglobe provides members with support and access to supplier arrangements that can be more advantageous when negotiated collectively. While agencies are expected to identify with the Uniglobe network, Dacko says they retain their own branding and the freedom to make independent decisions about the products and services they use.
“We’re not asking them to rebrand. We’re not asking them to go through a massive change in their organization,” he says. “They retain all of their freedom. They retain all of their own branding.”
The model, he adds, allows Uniglobe to use the scale of the network to strengthen its supplier relationships while giving individual agencies room to run their businesses as they see fit.
CRUISE DESK BUILDS MOMENTUM
One example of the network’s collective approach is the Uniglobe Cruise Desk, which Dacko says has grown from zero participating agents to more than 200 registered advisors. Since the program began in March 2025, it has generated more than $4 million in sales.
The initiative brings agents together under supplier arrangements that can improve compensation and provide additional support, without requiring them to overhaul their existing booking processes.
“Instead of using this phone number, use this phone number,” says Dacko, describing the straightforward change for participating agents. “Everything else flows. You retain all the paperwork, all the documents, all the recognition. Everything still flows exactly as it did before.”
Dacko says the program is still developing, with Uniglobe taking a measured approach to ensure it can deliver on its commitments to agencies and advisors. The goal is to build the operation carefully rather than expand faster than its processes can support.
AI AS A TOOL, NOT A REPLACEMENT
Technology and artificial intelligence will also be part of the conversation at this year’s conference. Dacko says Uniglobe is taking a measured approach to AI, focusing on tools that can improve productivity and reduce the time advisors spend on tasks such as researching options and communicating with clients.
The aim is to give advisors more time to focus on the personal relationships that distinguish their service.
“AI is helping our agents work more efficiently, allowing them to spend less time on tasks and more time focusing on their clients,” he says.
Dacko says the company’s approach to AI will remain focused on supporting advisors rather than changing the personal service at the heart of the business.
“We will find ways to automate processes to make it easier, but never to replace people,” he says.
That approach will be explored by keynote and breakout speaker Ryan McElroy, founder and CEO of Travel Agency Tribes, a B2B2C platform that helps travel advisors and agencies strengthen their digital presence through AI-powered marketing, content and personalization.
McElroy’s session, ‘The Evidence Economy in Action: How AI Helps Travel Advisors Build Trust, Authority & Revenue,’ will look at how advisors can use AI to turn client experiences, destination knowledge and success stories into marketing content that demonstrates their expertise and builds trust.
Other breakout sessions at this year’s will cover luxury cruising, Sabre, Amadeus, Manulife and a back-to-basics session on selling. The full conference program and sponsor list are available at uniglobeec.com.
RECOGNITION & CONNECTION
Saturday night’s awards dinner will recognize individual advisors and agencies across categories including Manager of the Year, Leisure Advisor of the Year, Corporate Advisor of the Year, Agency – Largest Growth, Agency – Largest Sales Volume and Agency of the Year.
The conference will also recognize Bronze, Silver and Gold Travel Advisors, based on factors including sales, participation in training and support of preferred suppliers. The top 20 performers will be rewarded with a trip in 2027.
For Dacko, the conference is about more than business updates and recognition. It is an opportunity to bring members together, share ideas and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the network and the wider travel industry.
“One of the things that we certainly recognized during those COVID days was how we missed that sense of togetherness,” he says. “We need to truly celebrate the opportunity for us to get together and celebrate our successes, discuss opportunities and challenges, and look for solutions to make our lives and our work easier, more profitable.”
As Uniglobe looks toward its next phase of growth, Dacko says the organization remains optimistic about travel, its people and the value of its network.
“We’re optimistic about travel. We’re optimistic about our people, and we’re optimistic about our Uniglobe brand and how we’ve positioned ourselves in Canada and internationally,” he says.
Lead image caption: Dean Dacko, Regional President of Uniglobe Travel (Canada)
