In our latest cover story, we profile five young travel advisors who were accepted to attend our Future Leaders in Travel Retreat this year. These hard-working professionals are bringing creative energy into our industry, as we continue to deal with post-pandemic challenges. It will be exciting to watch their development and see where this new wave of leaders takes us.
From our discussions with these advisors and others at Future Leaders, it’s clear that many of them have switched careers and are approaching the advisor profession with ideas and tools that come from other fields. Some of them are especially cautious, and are still in wait-and-see mode as they monitor world developments to make sure that travel is truly on the rebound.
If we want travel advisors to have a reputation for professionalism, we need to make sure future agents have the tools they need to succeed.
It’s also apparent that the travel industry continues to have problems with attracting, training and retaining new talent. All of us need to do a better job nurturing the next generation. It’s unfair — and unwise — to expect new advisors to start from scratch, without education and guidance from a mentor (which is the philosophy behind Future Leaders). If we want travel advisors to have a reputation for professionalism, we need to make sure future agents have the tools they need to succeed.
One trait this new wave of advisors seem to share is an expertise in using images to boost travel sales and marketing. With this in mind, I’m happy to announce that we are bringing back our annual Reader Photo Contest. Travel advisor readers are invited to submit their best original high-resolution travel photos, and winners will receive cash prizes and have their photos published in an upcoming issue of TravelAge West. To enter, email photos to [email protected] by Nov. 11. (Write “Photo Contest” in the subject line of the email.)
