Articles tagged “travel agents”

Running a home-based travel agency is not without its challenges, including isolation, getting motivated, and keeping work and personal life from colliding. Fortunately, there is plenty of support, including from industry peers, to help the process.

The dissolution of the Mexico Tourism Board means that travel advisors and others involved in the selling and marketing of Mexico have lost a major resource. With safety perception issues still dogging Mexico, the timing couldn’t be worse — for the destination and advisors alike.

Virgin Voyage's decision to charge high fares that include gratuities, premium dining, and other onboard features means higher earning potential for travel advisors. That's because advisors often lose out when cruise lines offer cheap fares, and then make up for it with onboard, non-commissionable charges.

Survey findings about a healthy luxury travel market in Australia demonstrate significant and lucrative opportunities for travel advisors who can meet clients’ lofty expectations while still delivering value.

Despite all the marketing interest in reaching millennials, it may be the baby boomer generation that is the most likely business source for travel advisors. It’s a high-spending demographic that values interaction with those they can trust.

Following up with clients after a trip is a critical part of the travel-planning process. However, getting clients to truly open up about their experiences takes finesse.

A growing number of travel advisors are offering mystery vacations, created by keeping trip details a secret from clients until the departure date. It puts the surprise element back in travel, which is something often lost these days, but the challenges for advisors are many.

The allure of a mystery vacation is growing for some travelers as the world continues to shrink thanks to an overwhelming flood of photos and videos in social media about the world's great destinations. We see this sector as one set to continue its growth in coming years.

This week in tourism, the Chinese travel system could have a global effect on the travel industry, Royal Caribbean sees growth in customers out of China, and the African Union makes progress on its passport for all of Africa.

Virtuoso is a you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours kind of business. The luxury travel network has some good programs to help member agencies, and that increases engagement with Virtuoso. It also provides learnings on how to keep refining the company.