Travel-focused television has a long history of inspiring consumers to get off their couch and take a journey.
The hosts of these shows, like the late Anthony Bourdain, are often among the most well-known names in the industry and have created thousands of vacations.
Within the industry, their partnerships run deep and benefit everyone from travel consultants to suppliers to on-site hospitality workers. Some have even developed their own travel products.
The current group of travel show hosts includes some who work directly with travel suppliers, including Samantha Brown, family travel specialist Colleen Kelly and the up-and-coming Denella Ri’chard, a former cruise marketing director.
We spoke to these hosts and their producers about these partnerships, what makes their shows unique, and why public TV is a great place for travel TV.
A host from within the industry
Ri’chard was uniquely positioned to host a travel show. She graduated from Southern University with a degree in television in 1995 and spent her early years out of college at a Dallas production company. But after sending crews and talent around the world but staying home herself, she decided she wanted to travel.
When the internet flourished, she was hired for an online travel company and worked in Europe for several years. Read also : 2 fantastic new Netflix documentaries coming out now that you must watch. She then embarked on a decade-long hotel and cruise line career, culminating in the position of Director of Trade Marketing and Engagement for Holland America Line.
Then the pandemic struck. She let her team go before losing her position as well.
A friend who had just started a streaming network asked her about getting back into television, and Traveling With Denella Ri’chard was born. The show will air on various networks from ABC, CBS, NBC and CW as well as on the streaming platforms GFNTV and GoTraveler.
“I started the travel show to help bring travel back,” said Ri’chard. “We started during the pandemic. We started the show at a time when nobody was on cruise ships, when planes were grounded, when hotel occupancy was at its worst. And all of that started to inspire people to travel the world again.”
She works closely with cruise lines, suppliers and destination management companies to showcase destinations, with a particular focus on cultural aspects. Her sponsors are her industry peers who she enjoys working with in her new role.
One of their main sponsors is the travel agency Magical Vacation Planner with offices in Orlando and Mitchell, Indiana. Ri’chard, often asked about their itineraries, talks to them about curating experiences for their television audiences.
She also often hears from other consultants.
“I have many travel consultants who view my show as a fun learning tool to recommend their clients what to do and where to stay in the destination,” she said. “They also ask me about the printed itinerary that they can provide to their customers.”
A travel club for families
Kelly, host of PBS’s “Family Travel With Colleen Kelly,” recently launched the Colleen Kelly Travel Club. It offers discounted travel fares with Travel + Leisure making travel easier.
Colleen Kelly recently launched the Colleen Kelly Travel Club. To see also : Bring on the Tissues: Netflix users emotionally destroy new heartwarming movie, see their honest responses. Source: Colleen Kelly
About 12 years ago, Kelly was a correspondent for a local show on NBC. With two young daughters, she was looking for content about family travel, but there wasn’t much out there. She decided to do her own show. PBS liked their pitch.
“I had so many people when I told them I wanted to be a national tour operator that they thought I was crazy,” she said. “It only came from a dream.”
Today, her show is broadcast in more than 94% of the country and is entering its eighth season.
PBS hosts rely on sponsors to fund their shows. Kelly is working with the Austrian Tourist Association this year. Previous sponsors include State Farm, CityPass and a law firm.
Her audience has long expressed a desire to follow her itineraries, but she has not had the opportunity to offer travel services. Now her partnership with Travel + Leisure makes exactly that possible. She is working on creating detailed itineraries.
Kelly receives a small percentage of what travelers spend. She is planning a media tour this fall to promote her favorite destinations and the club.
From the Travel Channel to PBS
A mainstay of travel television for the past several decades, Brown joined PBS seven years ago from the Travel Channel, whose programming now focuses primarily on the paranormal. See the article : The best sci-fi movies on Prime Video. The move completely turned the way her show was funded on its head, said her husband, Samantha Brown Media executive producer Kevin O’Leary.
The travel channel funded their shows through ad sales. But at PBS, Brown and O’Leary are responsible for finding their own partners who get some airtime before and after the show. (Under PBS, they also own the show while the Travel Channel owned Brown’s work.)
Samantha Brown, a mainstay of travel television for the last few decades, made the switch from the Travel Channel to PBS seven years ago. Source: Samantha Brown
“If you’d told me 10 years ago that going into public television was the most entrepreneurial thing I’ve ever done, I wouldn’t have believed you,” O’Leary said.
But with several key industry partnerships, Samantha Brown’s Places to Love became possible. AmaWaterways came first, O’Leary said. They were on board before a single episode had aired and remain a sponsor. Brown has hosted several cruises with AmaWaterways and has also filmed content for the brand.
She also has a partnership with AAA Travel, speaking internally with its agents and running a few public events together, and another with Rocky Mountaineer, with whom Brown has also hosted trips. Fort Myers, Florida also sponsored the show.
When viewers seek travel tips, O’Leary often directs them to AAA Travel. He also keeps a website updated with details highlighting the products and people featured on the show.
“It costs a lot of money to make these shows and there are ways we can make them cheaper,” O’Leary said. “We chose to make them the better way, not the cheaper way. We can only do this with the funding that these sponsors give us. This is crucial for us. You know, there are fewer travel shows for a reason. They are difficult to make. They are expensive. And the value these sponsors bring to us is certainly appreciated and we will do everything we can to support them.”
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Why do people watch travel shows?
With travel shows, the genre itself advertises scenic beauty and locations. The viewer may want to visit that destination after viewing it in this way. Croy & Wheeler (2007). reiterated the idea of ”familiarizing” different places through the media, thereby raising awareness and interest among tourists.
What are travel shows? Travel Show could refer to a travel documentary, a genre of television shows. The term can also refer to: The Travel Show (TV series), a British TV series.
Are there any travel shows on Netflix?
Netflix has perfected the travel genre with World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals, a new series that takes viewers around the globe and shows what vacation homes they can have depending on their budget and travel preferences.
How much do Netflix actors get paid?
Netflix Salary FAQ The average salary for an actor in the United States is $41,783 per year, which is 71% below the average Netflix salary of $147,794 per year for the job.
How to become a Netflix actor Netflix hires many production companies, and each has a slightly different casting process, meaning there’s no specific way to get audition opportunities. Netflix uses casting websites, agent posts, social media, and even face-to-face meetings.
How much does Netflix usually pay for a movie?
Netflix doesn’t publicly announce its deals, but from what we’ve gathered online, Netflix currently pays between $100 million and $250 million for blockbuster movies, while popular multi-season TV shows have budgets that range between $300 million and $500 million US dollars lie.
How much does an actor get paid per episode?
On network television, the price is currently $8,624 (eight working days) for an hour-long drama and $5,390 (five working days) for half-hour comedy.
Why are there no travel shows on the Travel Channel?
The Travel Channel makes more money from paranormal ghost hunting shows than it does from airing the best travel shows about travel. Owned by Discovery Communications since 2018, The Travel Channel has been rebranded to match the Discovery family of television channels.
Who owns the travel channel?
Where do I find Travel Channel?
Watch Travel Channel Network online | Hulu (Free Trial) Watch Travel Channel with any Hulu plan starting at $6.99/month.
