Despite being faced with the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, travel advisors might not be engaging with their clients as much as they should, according to a survey of nearly 500 advisors conducted by TravelAge West June 22 to July 2. More than half of respondents (55%) say they only reach out to clients once a week, and 18% say they do not reach out at all. The same number of advisors (55%) indicate that their client communications are less than in previous years.
“It’s disheartening to see that so many advisors are not keeping in touch with their clients,” said Jenn Lee, vice president of sales and marketing for Travel Planners International. “To me, it’s not even about the frequency of the ‘reach out,’ it’s more about the quality of the interaction.”
Lee says that social media is an excellent way to connect with clients by commenting or liking their Facebook posts, inviting them to your social groups or just connecting with them on LinkedIn. Lee also suggests engaging in email marketing campaigns at least once a week, along with phone calls to discuss specific opportunities.
Credit: 2020 TravelAge West
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“Follow them and their social channels, and show an interest in what’s happening in their world,” Lee said. “Or, send a quick text message to say happy birthday, happy anniversary, happy Father’s Day.”
The TravelAge West survey also shows that while 72% of advisors say business is less than they would expect, half (51%) report closing new business for this summer. The majority (82%) have made between one and 10 new summer bookings.
While those numbers show a glimmer of hope for summer travel, most advisors (58%) say their clients are not interested in traveling for the rest of this year. A bit more than one in 10 advisors (11%) report that clients are ready to go as soon as they can and about one in four (23%) say their clients are interested in traveling, but want to see how it goes for others first.
Credit: 2020 TravelAge WestAdvisors report that clients have the most questions about ocean and river cruising (32%), tours (24%), air (21%), destinations (15%) and hotels (8%). But 77% of respondents also say they are getting the information they need from suppliers, and 93% have participated in a webinar, virtual event or education course in the past 90 days.
Credit: 2020 TravelAge WestNeed to Know Survey Series
“Need to Know” is a new weekly research series from TravelAge West that tracks the responses of advisors as they relate to various travel trends and topics. This inaugural survey recorded the responses of 465 advisors across the U.S.
