Zeina Gedeon came right to the point when she delivered her keynote address at Trevello’s Building Bridges conference in Belfast, telling her audience that: “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.”
Gedeon, Trevello’s CEO, backed that up with the group’s performance data showing that full-year 2025 delivered 9% total sales growth and 7% commission growth.
And, she continued, 2026 is running hotter: Q1 results showed sales up 8%, commissions up 10%, and average invoice value climbing to $2,977, up 5% year-over-year.
Those weren’t projections, they indicated what Trevello advisors are already doing right now in one of the most complex travel environments in memory. And the message was clear: complexity isn’t killing this business. It’s fueling it.
If there was one number that stopped advisors cold, it was this: the Canadian outbound travel market is worth $24 billion in 2026. Only 31% of it flows through travel advisors. The other 69%? Unadvised. Underserved. And increasingly, overwhelmed.
Gedeon framed this not as a statistic but as an open door. Canadian tourism now contributes $130B+ to GDP, its highest share since before the pandemic. Leisure travel revenue is on track to exceed $24B CAD. 78% of Canadians still plan to travel this year. They just need someone they trust to guide them.
Said Gedeon: “The market is enormous. The clients are motivated. The only question, is whether you show up.”
Tariffs. Border tightening. Currency volatility. EU entry requirements. Most advisors see these as obstacles. Gedeon reframed every single one as an opportunity and the audience felt it.
Canada–US flight bookings are down 38% versus last year. Over 60% of Canadians are rethinking US travel entirely, a shift Gedeon called “structural, not temporary.” The demand hasn’t disappeared. It’s redirected and the destinations capturing it are staggering: Mexico up 29%, Portugal up 41%, Spain up 35%, Japan up 47%. Airlines are already restructuring routes to meet that demand.
“This is your generational moment,” she said. “Clients are actively asking for guidance on non-US alternatives. The advisor who master’s these markets first wins the decade.”
Gedeon closed her keynote, observing that: “The world is uncertain. Your value is not.”
