Global guided holiday company Trafalgar announces the launch of Trafalgar Trailblazers, a new agent advocacy program that gives select travel agents exclusive early access to new Trafalgar itineraries before their first public departures.

Designed to enhance collaboration with the agent community, the programme invites participants to experience new travel styles ahead of guest launch and share insights that help Trafalgar refine the guest experience, while equipping agents with the knowledge and confidence to inspire and guide their clients.

For UK agents, the programme launches this autumn with an exclusive Trafalgar Small Group Tours FAM experience. Trafalgar Small Group Tours are built for guests who want the ease and confidence of guided travel paired with the intimacy of a smaller group and deeper local connection. Agents selected for the first Trafalgar Trailblazers will win a free single room on Trafalgar’s Best of China (with Yangtze Cruise) Small Group Tour with airfare included.

The seven-day journey through Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, departs October 24 – 30. Highlights include walking the Great Wall, exploring the UNESCO-listed Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an, taking in the scale of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, joining an intimate Tai Chi morning session, catching a high-energy Shanghai acrobatics show, and taking in the Bund skyline at night. The itinerary also features a Be My Guest lunch with a family in their home in one of Beijing’s hutongs and a MAKE TRAVEL MATTERTM Experience at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to learn about conservation efforts to rescue and protect endangered giant pandas.

Trafalgar Trailblazers is designed as an ongoing professional development opportunity. Beginning with Small Group Tours, the programme will continue to evolve alongside future product launches Trafalgar brings to market, giving selected agents direct, on-the-ground product knowledge they can carry into client conversation.

“Travel agents are at the heart of our business. They understand what inspires today’s travellers, the questions they ask and the experiences that create lifelong memories,” said Kelly Jackson, MD & SVP Sales EMEA, TTC Tour Brands. “Trafalgar Trailblazers is about bringing our agent partners into the journey even earlier, giving them exclusive access to experience new itineraries before they launch, share valuable insights from the front line and return with the confidence and first-hand knowledge to inspire their clients. It’s a genuine partnership that strengthens our products, supports our agents and ultimately delivers even better experiences for our guests.

“This is just the beginning for Trafalgar Trailblazers. We’re continuing to invest in new and exciting products that guests want to book, and agents can confidently sell, from Small Group Tours to river cruises with much more on the horizon. This programme will grow right alongside that innovation giving agents an inside look into it all.”

Applications for Trafalgar Trailblazers are open now until 31st July, with selected participants notified the week of 10th August. Applicants chosen for the first Trafalgar Trailblazers experience will have successfully demonstrated how they can advocate for the Trafalgar brand, share valuable information to shape product development and spread awareness about new products with their agent peers and clients. An active and engaging social media presence where agents can share their experience post-trip is encouraged.