Skift Take

Confusion and fears surrounding the coronavirus are putting travelers on edge and travel advisors in a difficult spot. Travel advisors can present the facts but should not try to influence cancellation decisions.

Whether you are a home-based travel advisor or you work in a large office servicing high-profile accounts, the Travel Advisor Innovation Report will have you covered with the trends, news, and features you’ll need to stay on top of an ever-changing marketplace.

With so much fear and uncertainty over the fast-spreading coronavirus, travel advisors have been challenged to keep on top of the situation and deal with the concerns of their understandably worried clients. For many, it’s been a busy couple of weeks of handling cancellations and rescheduling flights and itineraries.

Risk management experts and industry organizations are recommending that travel advisors direct concerned clients to primary sources such as the Centers for Disease Control when making decisions about whether or not to cancel travel plans. Even if there’s little to fear in a destination, it’s up to the client to decide.

Here’s some good advice from Craig Hsu, vice president of Travel Design USA: “As advisors, we do not try and influence our clients’ decisions whether to cancel a trip or not. Every traveler has their own comfort level, and it is our duty to help provide them with the most reliable information for them to make that decision on their own.”

For more coverage of pertinent issues, click here.

Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].

— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

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Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

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Tags: airlines, business travel, digital, hotels, tourism, travel advisor innovation report, travel advisors, travel agents

Photo credit: A couple wearing face masks walk along a deserted pedestrian shopping street during a snowfall in Beijing. Travel advisors have had to step up and manage their clients' increasingly growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press

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