Press

by Tammy Levent

Elite Travel maintains a prominent presence in the global press, consistently drawing attention with its opulent experiences and exclusive destinations. As purveyors of Elite Travel, we have journeyed extensively with our esteemed clientele, accruing unparalleled expertise and firsthand knowledge. Our capitalization on these experiences positions us as authoritative sources and indispensable guides within the industry. Continuously in the limelight, our adventures resonate worldwide, shaping trends and defining the pinnacle of luxury travel for discerning individuals seeking unparalleled refinement and distinction.

A group of women hiking together.

Traveling Women: A Deep Dive Into Solo Travel, Women-Only Tours and Girls’ Trips

Women are such an integral part of the travel industry: the majority of travel advisors are women, the majority of people working in jobs in the travel industry are women and the majority of traveler decisions are also decided by women.  To celebrate International Women’s Day 2024, we’re taking a deep dive into howwomen travel. Using…...
Caribbean Destination

Advisors Share Their Top Picks for Under-the-Radar Caribbean Destinations

SOURCE: TravelPulse For many, the Caribbean evokes images of such perennially popular destinations as the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. The region, however, includes an abundance of islands that, while maybe not as top-of-mind with travelers, offer one-of-a-kind experiences. “There are several lesser-known Caribbean islands that are really special,” said VIP Vacations President Jennifer…...

Saint Lucia’s Soleil Festival Promoted on ABC

SOURCE : St Lucia Tourist Board SAINT LUCIA (August 4, 2017) – The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) has been hard at work promoting the island’s Soleil series of festivals in the US market. SLTB’s Director of Marketing for the US, Kelly Fontenelle-Clarke, appeared on ABC Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend Show on Wednesday, August 2.…...

Travel Advisors Weigh In on What Disney Should Do With Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Hotel

SOURCE: TravelPulse Memo to Disney executives: Travel advisors have a few ideas they'd like to share with you. About what you ask? Well, the future of the Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser hotel, of course. Yes, that much-hyped, immersive experience, which opened in March 2022 after nearly 10 years of development, only to be shuttered permanently…...

10 Mistakes Travel Advisors Should Avoid in 2023

SOURCE: TravelPulse Since the spring of 2020, when a global pandemic brought life around the world to a standstill, the travel industry has been on a rollercoaster ride. Even after social isolation measures and closed borders began to ease, the industry still had much to deal with—including finding ways to conduct business in new and…...

A Beginner’s Guide to Religious Travel

SOURCE: TravelPulse Religious travel, often also called faith-based travel, is a unique subcategory of the travel industry that focuses on connecting travelers with religious travel experiences around the world, from experiencing the Holy Land or hiking along the famed El Camino de Santiago to pilgrimages to Mecca and beyond. Faith-based travel is estimated by ETS…...

What Americans Need to Know About Health Insurance When Traveling Internationally

SOURCE: TravelPulse Nearly half of Americans did not know whether their domestic health insurance plans would cover any emergency doctor or hospital visits while traveling abroad, according to a survey conducted by InsureMyTrip, a leading travel insurance comparison site. “Travelers should know about any limitations of domestic health insurance policies while out of the country,”…...

Why It’s Crucial to Book Trips With Travel Advisors

SOURCE: TravelPulse CLAUDETTE COVEY  MAY 02, 2022 The ubiquity of technology combined with the lasting impact of the pandemic has formed a perfect storm of confusion for consumers – which is why it’s absolutely crucial that they book their trips with travel advisors. “Living in a world where endless information is at our fingertips, planning a vacation…...

Marijuana Tourism Industry Growing as Perception Changes

SOURCE: TravelPulse DONALD WOOD  APRIL 19, 2022 As the United States and other countries move to decriminalize the use of medical and recreational marijuana, many travelers are left wondering what kind of impact the legalization would have on domestic and international tourism.In the U.S., recreational marijuana is legal in 18 states and Washington, D.C. and medical use…...

Tampa Bay couple waited months for travel insurance cancellation claim payment

SOURCE: ABC Action News TAMPA BAY — St. Petersburg retirees Alan and Jessica Kapell have traveled around the world for the last three decades. The avid cruisers say they never leave home without travel insurance. “We've never taken a cruise without having insurance because everything and anything can happen,” Alan told ABC Action News. And…...

Taking Calls From Travelers

SOURCE: TravelPulse The experience of taking calls from those traveling during an ongoing pandemic has been quite challenging for us working within the travel industry. Some of the more common types of calls we get are from travelers who booked a trip on their own and didn’t take the time to learn about the many…...

As summer approaches, many Floridians eye vacation spots within the state during the coronavirus pandemic

Source: Tampa Bay News 10 Most people are booking staycations to avoid getting stuck outside the country. TAMPA, Fla. — As more people are making travel plans in a few weeks for the summer, many are opting to stay in-state instead of heading abroad. "We're going to try a road trip I think next," Frank…...

Agents, Customers, Congress Frustrated Over Airline Refund Policies

Tammy Levent, a Palm Harbor, Fla. travel advisor, speaks for many agents—and airline customers, and members of Congress—when she says she is frustrated. While nearly every major domestic airline is waiving change fees to rebook flights and providing credit for future travel in the wake of the coronavirus global pandemic, that credit is usually only…...

Should travelers cancel their vacation to Mexico? Travel experts discuss the options.

SOURCE: USA TODAY The coronavirus pandemic has forced many Americans to cancel their vacations and destination weddings planned for the next two months and left a looming uncertainty for those looking to travel this summer. Mexico – one of the most popular destinations for American tourists – could be poised to take a big hit after President Donald…...

Travel Trepidation and Coronavirus

Travel expert Tammy Levent shares some tips and advice on travel during the coronavirus outbreak...

Coronavirus Rocks the Luxury Hotel Industry

Source: Barron's The ever-expanding fallout surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has shocked the hotel industry, forcing dozens of the world’s most famous hotels to cease operations. While some closures are open-ended, others have been accompanied by a fixed reopening date, though uncertainty grows with each day as the outbreak spreads across the globe. “For almost every…...

This Travel Agent’s Inspiring Story Is Full of Must-Use Advice

(SOURCE: travelpulse.com)

LISA IANNUCCI  MARCH 13, 2017

It was 1995 and Tammy Levent was struggling.

Her jewelry business had been robbed and her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury during it. She was left almost $200,000 in debt, and her children had just been in a horrific car accident that took the life of their great grandmother. There she was, sitting in the hospital ICU and caring for her babies, when a nurse asked her if she could do anything in her life, what would it be.

She knew immediately.

“Travel the world,” she responded.

“Being in ICU and having a funeral to plan, I had to go to a happy place. I had to go somewhere else, other than where I was, and the only thing that came to my mind is where I have ever been the happiest, and it’s traveling. But nothing else mattered at the time. I had two kids in intensive care and a husband with brain damage, and I had no money coming in.”

That same nurse handed Levent a newspaper and told her, “Find a job.”

“There was a job opportunity that said, “Outside Sales in Corporate Travel,”” explained Levent. “Owning my own business at the time, it was very hard for me to work for anyone, but I told him exactly what I wanted, and he gave it to me.”

A few years later, Levent opened her own agency, Elite Travel, which specializes in corporate incentive travel, luxury travel, destination weddings and honeymoons. To date, she has won multiple awards and has done more than $120 million in the travel business.

Levent’s personal motto is: “Vision plus passion equals success.”

“If you have a vision of where you want to be and what you do, nothing can stop you,” she said. “I have people that say, ‘I want to be successful in the travel business’ and that’s fine, but do you believe that you are going to be successful in the travel business? It’s what you believe in and what your vision is.”

In 2013, she partnered with several entrepreneurs, including Kevin Harrington (Shark Tank and As Seen on TV), to develop The Travel Agent’s Success Kit ™, which helps struggling travel agencies adapt to this new age of travel. There she provides videos, webinars, books and personal mentorship.

Levent’s success still hasn’t been without its struggles; She built Elite Travel in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001.

“I’d just opened up my office on September 1, and we had a tropical storm and leaks,” she said. “We had no computers because the ceiling tiles had fallen all over them. We had nothing within the week that I opened up, but we had insurance and everything would get replaced. Then 9/11 happened, and I had to make sure that clients did not cancel and that I could keep going in the industry.”

So she called every customer and asked them to keep the deposit on file for 30 days before canceling.

“Not one client canceled after 30 days,” she said. “That’s what you have to do with anything that gets thrown your way.”

When you talk to Levent, the passion for her industry and her career is obvious: “I love my clients. I love the travel. I love training with my TASK agents, and I actually love my relationships with my vendors. I am loyal to whatever brand I work with. That’s the key, and, when you have that support, you’re always going to be successful, every which way, all the way around.”

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“My parents always traveled, so we traveled extensively and before I was the age of 15, I traveled to Europe,” said Levent. “I had traveled to every state of the United States and a large part of the Caribbean, and I don’t think that a lot of 15-year-olds can say that.”

She credits the best advice that someone ever gave her to well-known entrepreneur Kevin Harrington: “Whether good or bad, always be yourself,” she said. “Don’t ever change who you are. If somebody doesn’t like it, then they can walk away, and you just always have to be true to yourself and true to what you believe in and just stick to what your beliefs are, because it will take you where you need to be.”

Today, Levent’s career has brought her to the set of ABC’s Tampa Bay Morning Blend, where she provides weekly travel segments.

“We have 33 television stations in 24 markets, and we launched the Tampa Bay Morning Blend in June,” said Sharon Painter, media specialist with E. W. Scripps.

“When looking at the contents of the show, it was apparent that we were missing a whole travel and tourism segment. Knowing Tammy’s background and Elite Travel’s mark in the community, I talked to her about creating a travel segment that would air weekly on our Tampa Bay Morning Blend show/program. We were looking to create an energetic segment, inspire people to travel and expand their knowledge of the world.”

Tammy was instantly a natural fit.

“In working with television, it’s not only important to have great creatives and great information, but also to have an on-air talent that can deliver, and it can be interesting and funny and knowledgeable, and she brought all of that to the table,” said Painter.

During one of her first segments, Levent focused on a Greek trip and even brought in samples of Greek cuisine.

“Every time I had a charity event, I told the caterer that one day there’s going to be a thank you, even if it was on air for 10 seconds,” she said. “My relationships mean a lot to me.”

Levent has built a career around leveraging such partnerships with other businesses, and this television show was no exception.

“What appealed to me about doing this segment was that I could bring in sponsors,” said Levent. “That was really important with me for partnerships because if you’re confined to a segment for two minutes and talk about Elite Travel and then, ‘here’s a travel trend or tip’, that’s not doing it for me. This is a sit-down, interview-type show where we can get more out of what we want to say, especially with my sponsors. It’s not just me.”

You can watch Tammy Levent on ABC’s Tampa Bay Morning Blend, Monday through Friday, 10-11:00 a.m. Levent’s segments air on Wednesdays. For more information on Levent and sponsorship opportunities for the show, please visit tammylevent.com.


Congratulations, Katie Levent!

Travel Agent’s 9th Annual 30 Under 30 Awards Winner

Travel Agent Magazine Facebook Post

Travel Agents 30 Under 30 Artcle

Plan ahead to save money on spring break travel

Tammy Levent, owner of Elite Travel,  was recently featured on News Channel 8. Click the link below to read Tammy Levent’s tips and tricks for Spring Break Travel.

http://wfla.com/2016/01/28/plan-ahead-to-save-money-on-spring-break-travel/

Tampa, Fla. – Local travel agent Tammy Levent has been nominated for a Travvy Award in the category of Most Innovative Travel Agent for the second year in a row!

Earlier this year, Tammy Levent won the 2015 TRAVVY award as the Most Innovative Travel Agent. Since entering the race for the award in 2014 Tammy has proven that she still is the most innovative agent in the travel industry. By continuing to use her strategic partnerships to create new travel trends and new travel experience opportunities Tammy has raised the bar just a little bit higher in less than a year! Because of this, it’s no surprise that Tammy has been nominated for a Travvy Award in the category of Most Innovative Travel Agent for the second year in a row!

The annual Travvy Awards, presented by travAlliancemedia, recognize the highest standards of excellence in the industry today and honor travel companies, travel products, travel agencies and destinations for their outstanding achievement.

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Travel Guru Tammy Levent Wins Silver AND Gold Magellan Awards

Palm Harbor, Fla. – Travel guru and CEO of Elite Travel Tammy Levent has won a Silver and a Gold Magellan Award honoring the best in travel!

In the Travel Agent Innovation individual category Tammy won the Gold Magellan award and for the Travel Agent Training Program category Tammy’s training program the Travel Agent Success Kit (TASK) took home the silver!

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Family speaks after forced off Disney cruise out of Florida

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/world/family-speaks-after-forced-off-disne
y-cruise-out-of-florida

Argument for having a good, old fashioned travel agent

Royal Caribbean is coming under fire for allegedly leaving an elderly American man stranded in a hospital in Bartin, Turkey after he fell and broke his hip. Dodge and Jill Melkonian, of Clearwater, Fla., were on an Azamara cruise, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, when Dodge fell and broke his hip requiring medical care that went beyond the capabilities of the ship’s doctors. Tammy Levent, founder of Elite Travel, the couple’s long-time travel agent, told Fox News that the ship’s crew left them at a hospital in Bartin, where little English is spoken and, due to cultural rules, prohibits women inside the facility. Read more…

Fox National News

ABC TV Welcome Home

Peter Greenberg

ABC Action News

ABC Action News Story Two

Travel Agent Central

CBS News

Travel Weekly

HLN tv.com

News wftv.com

News Cruise Critics 8/26/13

New York Daily News

Travel Weekly 8/26/13

Local 10 News

KRDO.com

Daily News UK

Miami Newsday

TravelsToday.com

FreeNewsPos.com

AblxBoston.com

Florida News

BBT Travel

24 All News

Libreprensa

ABC Action News

The Ledger.com

Tampabay.com News

Travel Weekly Cruise Travel

Bay News 9

Medical Tourism Association

More article coverage below:

http://turkey.angloinfo.com/inside/news/

http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=345598&

http://m.koat.com/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/17422040/21672972/-/iwogmj/-/index.html

http://m.wcvb.com/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/17428630/21672972/-/ujg323/-/index.html

http://www.cruisebruisenews.com/

http://www.cruisebruise.com/

http://m.kcra.com/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/17404598/21672972/-/oa0s5w/-/index.html

http://blog.lipcon.com/2013/08/royal-caribbean-cruise-passengers-stranded-in-turkey-receive-public-support.html

http://www.hlntv4u.com/article/2013/08/27/american-couple-stranded-turkey-bill-nelson-royal-carribean-melkonian

http://tbo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=TB&date=20130827&category=ARTICLE&lopenr=130829341&Ref=AR&profile=1072&template=printart

http://www.localnews8.com/lifestyle/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/461746/21672972/-/gubbvqz/-/index.html

http://www.krcrtv.com/living/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/14286216/21672972/-/6g1atz/-/index.html

http://m.wptz.com/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/17442564/21672972/-/kjjsp1/-/index.html

wtsp.com/travel

http://m.wdsu.com/travel/Good-news-for-cruise-couple-stuck-in-Turkey/-/17430030/21672972/-/e4kvhtz/-/index.html

http://wetravel2u.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/insurance-questions-in-wake-of-passengers-emergency/

http://wetravel2ucruise.blogspot.com/

http://www.iranherald.com/index.php/cat/26e7946dced8f2bc

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