Goway shows off new look, appoints Sean Hebert VP of Americas

Last night (Oct. 3), Goway invited travel industry professionals to experience what the company is calling “the new Goway”.

Set on the rooftop of the TIFF Lightbox on King St. W., attendees were treated to an evening of live music, live watercolour painting demonstrations, and of course, great company, as the Goway team shared a series of updates following its recent marketing rebrand, including a refreshed website, new logo design and colour, and new travel advisor resources.

“There are things that are at the core of who we are that will always define Goway and carry us into the future,” said Bronwyn Hodge, general manager, Goway. “That is our people, being innovative, building trust, delivering exceptional service and our family values.”

Founded in 1970, Goway sent its first reservations by telegram. “Those of you are old enough to know, know that it cost money by word, so we had to develop our own code with our operators to get the message through,” said Bruce Hodge, founder and president. “Fast-forward into the present, and Goway’s current reservations system is five years in the making. Its purpose is to give us the ability to well complicated FIT travel; that’s the kind of travel that we specialize in for globetrotters.”

Now in its 54th year in business, Bruce Hodge said that Goway’s rebrand reflects the current changing needs of the B2B landscape, including embracing new technologies like AI, to keep customers happy.

“I believe Goway will be a company of the future; I probably won’t be in it, but I believe in the travel industry of the future,” Bruce Hodge said.

With more than 600 employees in office around the globe, the evening coincided with Goway’s announcement of a new team member. Sean Hebert joins Goway as vice-president of the Americas, a role he officially started on Sept. 30. “The role of VP Americas is brand new for Goway and it’s a big investment in this division,” said Mitchell Fawcett, vice-president of marketing, Goway. “We’re very happy to have Sean on board.”

A new look

Despite its brand new logo and website, the core of Goway’s ethos remains the same: to deliver tailor made travel to 115 countries around the world on all seven continents, with a focus on four and five star accommodations and guided touring.

Sporting a new colour trademarked “Aussie Terra”, Goway’s branding is now a nod to the sandy red Outback of its roots.

“The new logo is a big part of who we are today,” Fawcett said. “My hat goes off to Bruce, who designed the look and feel of the company in 1976, and was the very first one to define the look and feel that we’ve been using for 54 years. It takes a lot of vision and courage to reinvent that.”

In June 2024, Goway launched a brand new website, a “huge feat of accomplishment,” Fawcett added, that’s meant to be a “best-in-class site that connects our travel community with the huge depth and breadth of product that we have, with stories that inspire.”

Currently, Goway has more than 1,000 trips in 115 global destinations, and is currently working on several new innovations.

The first, Odysseys by Goway, is a new product line that features 14 different trips around the world, guided by Goway and focused on small group tours and staying longer in destination to enjoy a more immersive experience. The company has also added 14 new itineraries in the Nordics, as well as new itineraries in India and Vietnam and Papua New Guinea.

A wellness product line is also coming soon, which is “a huge consumer market that we’re meeting in a way that only Goway can,” Fawcett said.

The role of the travel advisor

Based on feedback from the travel advisor community, Goway has invested in three key areas:

Technology

• Goway has deployed a brand new reservations system that brings all of the booking and payment processes online.
• A new travel advisor portal, Gowaypro.com, allows advisors to find everything from marketing materials to educational resources and incentives.

Education

• A new training manager, known as Professor Goway,  created a series of video-based training modules to educate advisors on various destinations.
• More than 60 countries and 600 training modules, each averaging roughly 10 minutes in duration, are featured on the Goway training academy platform, which, as of last month, has 7,000 travel advisors enrolled.
• New podcasts are released biweekly and focus on selling.

Other incentives

• New pre-FAM program: advisors can now earn a complimentary FAM by selling five of seven regions Goway sells in one year.
• Pre-rewards program: advisors can receive an electronic visa or Mastercard and earn cash rewards for every booking made with Goway.
• The GroupsOnly division has increased their staff to 42 members, making it one of the largest groups divisions in North America, and is currently on track to move 600 groups this year.

New for 2025

In 2025, Goway will introduce a special travel advisor portal. This platform will streamline collaboration with Goway, enabling travel advisors to access all of their transactions, process payment for bookings, monitor loyalty rewards and manage client documentation with ease.

Goway has also created a new space for NDCs, recognizing that travellers “deserve a choice in how they shop for their airfares,” as Scott Roseblade, VP of air, puts it. The new platform will be shared with the public in the coming weeks.

A new portal on GowayAir.com has also been announced.

Customer commitment is another area that Goway has its sights on. “What I’m talking about is the service level commitments that we want with the customers, ensuring that they have a seamless holiday,” Roseblade said. “That’s what we want to pass into 2025.”

55 year anniversary awaits

In 2025, Goway celebrates its 55th anniversary. In recognition of this, the company has a series of events planned, including 10 road shows in more than 10 cities in the U.S. and Canada. FAMs will be another large component, with Goway promising a minimum of five FAM trips on the horizon to “really special destinations.”

Also new for next yer, Goway has plans for a marketing installation called the Goway Micro Film Festival, a year-long initiative where Goway will invite travellers to share 55-second travel films, which will be showcased through screening events in L.A., Toronto, and New York City, to name a few.

For more information on Goway, and to view the “new” Goway branding, visit www.goway.com.