Although travel and tourism have been among the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, recent research confirms what most travel advisors already know to be true: While not always easy, a career as a travel advisor can be extremely rewarding.
So says Nikki Miller, owner of Travel With Nikki in Portage, Mich. who has been a travel advisor for more than a decade.
“A career in the travel industry is more than a job, it’s a lifestyle,” she told Kenneth Shapiro, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of TravelAge West. “It seeps into your blood, and you don’t want to get out of it once you are a part of it.”
As businesses staff back up, people are looking for a chance to pursue their dream jobs.
Sure enough, the numbers support this mindset: A recent TravelAge West survey — part of the magazine’s Need to Know research series — points out that nearly two-thirds (64%) of advisors would be comfortable suggesting a travel industry career, and more than half would be supportive of a friend or family who wants to become a travel advisor.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts that travel agent employment opportunities will grow 5% by 2030, with about 7,500 new openings each year between 2020 and 2030. Although this 5% increase is slower than the average growth for all occupations (8%), the bureau predicts that driving this growth will be COVID-19 recovery, coupled with the “demand in increase for travel agents’ specialized skills in giving customers a personalized travel experience” and “peace of mind afforded by travel agents in a post-COVID-19 era.”
“If you’re like me, then you have been getting questions lately from friends and family asking about employment opportunities in the travel industry,” wrote TravelAge West’s Shapiro in a recent op-ed. “As businesses staff back up, people are looking for a chance to pursue their dream jobs.”
But the downside, according to the magazine’s research, is that a positive perception doesn’t mean the industry has done a good job luring in talent — rather, 70% of travel advisors feel the industry could do better at attracting new agents, and two-thirds want to see new programs built to do just that.
“Agency owners and veteran advisors should be looking at what they can do to recruit and nurture talent 365 days a year,” Shapiro continued. “Not only is it important to the long-term health of your business, but it can bring a fresh perspective and additional opportunities to boost your current sales and marketing efforts.”
New and Established Travel Advisor Training Programs
The Travel Institute is taking on the challenge head on with its new agent training (called TripKit) and its Travel Agent Proficiency (TAP) exam, in which “students demonstrate a mastery of travel industry basics as they set out to serve travelers.” (Currently, there is no nation-wide regulation or licensing program for travel advisors).
And The Travel Institute’s efforts seem to indicate that new agents are hungry for this type of education; the company saw a 36% increase in applicants to the TripKit program this year (over the same time period in 2020), and reported that many of these applicants are jumping from former careers as teachers and nurses or even hopping over from adjacent, travel-related occupations.
I cannot remember a time, or opportunity, since the advent of internet research and self-booking tools, that consumers wanted or needed professional support from our agents more.
“New and inexperienced agents need both a solid understanding of industry basics and dynamics, as well as a flexible mindset to serve travelers well and have a successful career in travel,” said Diane Petras, president of The Travel Institute.
And to meet the demand for education, more programs should be developed across the industry, Petras continued, with veteran advisors stepping in to provide professional support to new recruits.
“As travelers ponder traveling, travel agents have an incredible window of opportunity to help guide them to decisions that enable safe and comfortable options,” she said. “I cannot remember a time, or opportunity, since the advent of internet research and self-booking tools, that consumers wanted or needed professional support from our agents more.”
The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) also provides courses. In April, ASTA developed its new Roadmap to Becoming a Travel Advisor course, and in 2017, it debuted the Verified Travel Advisor program, which offers agents a series of self-paced online classes on topics including ethical boundaries, legal responsibilities for travel advisors and more. Currently, some 500 travel advisors are listed on ASTA’s website as graduates of the program.
“There is so much more to this job than booking vacations,” according to an online testimony from Lisa Stenfort, owner and advisor of Dreams Delivered Travel. “The variety of courses served as a valuable reminder of my legal and moral obligations to my clients, as well as how to make sure I am protected."
Virtuoso is also stepping up to the plate after receiving requests for recruitment assistance from members. This week, the marketing network announced a brand-new Travel Basics training program, which will provide 15 modules, two practice assessments and one final exam, with topics ranging from customer service (“Starting the Client Relationship”) and logistics (“Developing an Itinerary”) to trip protection (“Selling Travel Insurance”) and financial health (“Preparing Quotes and Invoices”).
In order to participate in the Virtuoso training, new-to-industry advisors will need approval by their host agency owner or manager of a Virtuoso agency.
“The essentials taught in Travel Basics will act as the foundation for success for our advisors and their agencies,” said David Kolner, senior vice president of network products and strategy for Virtuoso. “While this is just one component in a vast array of professional development offerings from Virtuoso, it’s the most important because it introduces new entrants to the terminology, concepts and practices that seasoned travel advisors have taken years to develop. This expedited ramp-up period is invaluable for new advisors, and Travel Basics will set them on a path of readiness and resolve so that they can best serve their clients.”
The Details
American Society of Travel Advisors
The Travel Institute
Virtuoso
