The Luxury Travel Collection (LTC) has quietly launched a new advisor level option for high-yielding independent travel specialists to join the luxury business. Called The Club by LTC, the division aims to offer a solution for independent contractors and mobile advisors who want to be part of FCTG’s flourishing specialist high-end travel arm.

Details of The Club by LTC, along with LTC’s planned entry into the New Zealand market were confirmed this week at the group’s Global Business Owners Harbour Soirée in Hong Kong.

Speaking with LATTE at the three-night conference, Nikki Glading, General Manager of LTC said since launching two years ago the intention was to expand across ‘the ditch’, with soaring demand meaning the time was right, now.

LTC expansion to New Zealand builds on demand

“We were always going to launch New Zealand because the markets are so closely aligned, and so similar in a lot of ways, but also so different. I think the LTC has some good ‘friends’ already in the luxury community in New Zealand,” Glading said. 

LTC’s plan for New Zealand will be to grow “as large as the number of right people for our community requires,” she said. “Our criteria is not changing. It’s been there since day one.

“They need to be entrepreneurs, they need to embrace our core values, be known for a strong focus on service, a high reputation for luxury business, and suppliers need to feel that they are relationship-based.”

Danielle Galloway, Global MD Luxury & Independent, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) admits LTC’s entry into New Zealand is “probably before we necessarily would have wanted, but it’s fantastic to see and we’re being bold in terms of taking on those other pathways to get more of the right members that are asking to be part of the community.” 

Galloway indicated there will be announcements of new members imminently. 

“We think our investment of being on the ground in a market that has different nuances to the Australian market, and recognising those differences, and having somebody on the ground is also an advancement in terms of the focus on New Zealand, and it recognises that there is a lot of growth that’s happening in the luxury space there”.

“We’re hearing that from our partners, and also, many of our customer interactions,” Galloway told LATTE.

Since launching in 2023, LTC has increased its membership from seven to 25 members, with a 100% retention rate. Since Q1 2025, LTC has welcomed five newcomers, with the latest being Bespoke Journeys and Why Travel who came online this month.

“Everybody is happy. Everybody is staying. They have great, strong relationships with our partners. Shannon [Fogarty, Head of Product for LTC] and her team are procuring a really refined range for the Galleries De Luxe collection, which is putting amazing product on the shelf for our members to choose from.” 

LTC’s 25 members represent 86 locations across Australia and have more than 500 advisors. Last FY, the Luxury Travel Collection witnessed 84% growth in TTV, and the brand is forecasting to double that figure this financial year. Touring and cruising are both strong sellers, along with – somewhat surprisingly, notes Glading – are air sales.

“Since launching in 2023, the influence of the members of LTC have made a big noise in the luxury travel industry in Australia and New Zealand,” Glading said. 

Where The Club by LTC fits in

The Club by LTC is the new, word-of-mouth exclusive group of luxury advisors who are joining LTC for the same reason that member agencies have done, which is “to become part of a very special luxury community,” the head of LTC remarked. 

“A reimagined luxury advisor model that is there to cater for a need for people who want to be a part of what we are doing,” Glading explains. 

The new advisor level means LTC has three options for potential members to join. The Classic model which was rolled out from the outset to the initial seven members, an Affiliate membership whereby members of other consortia can purchase luxury products through LTC’s ‘House of Luxury’ offering, and now at the Advisor level. 

“We are meeting the demands of advisors who have been asking us for two years, ‘how do I become part of LTC?’” 

“Some of our members are host agencies for brokers. We are now going to be a host agency for these independent advisors. They may be part of another high-profile agency group who are looking for something unique and different, with a lot more support.” 

“We are being quite careful. We have an amazing advisor network in-market already, which is Envoyage, a sister-brand to us, and we’ve also got amazing members in Link and LTC that also host. We don’t want to come in and try and steal from our family, but there is demand.” 

Glading adds, “the joining criteria has not, and will not change. High performance and profitable results.” 

Galloway adds, “In such a short time, LTC is really influencing the market in terms of people wanting to go beyond the model that we’re offering to be part of the community.” 

“People are actually asking to be part of it. We’ve been saying no since the launch of LTC.”

“We’ve held out, but now it would be silly to continue to do so. There’s way too many and they are the right members to be part of LTC. Demand has created expansion.” 

Glading and Galloway say the potential for The Club by LTC within the first 12 months would sit around 10 independent advisors. 

“We’re keeping it quite exclusive,” Galloway said.

“When the right people come along, we’ll know,” added Glading.

Lead image: Rachel Kingswell, General Manager, Travel Associates; Danielle Galloway, Global MD Luxury & Independent, FCTG and Nikki Glading, General Manager, Luxury Travel Collection.