Do not be fooled by naysayers. The travel agency business is still a HUGE industry. Below are the Top 3 Myths surrounding Travel Agents.
I must confess… before becoming a Travel Agent I was the one to plan our family vacations. I spent countless hours reading an researching… Not many times during my planning sessions did I think ‘hey, I should use a travel agent’. Only now since I’ve become one myself do I understand what Travel Agents are capable of. Listed below are the Top 10 myths about Travel Agents.
1. NOBODY USES A TRAVEL AGENT
This one is at #1 for a reason as it’s probably the most incorrect and widely spread fallacy about the travel industry.
For me personally, I will say, despite my family always being very supportive, when I told my them I was going to try my hand at being a Travel Agent, it was the first thing I heard ‘Nobody uses a travel agent anymore’.
There is a myth that since there are sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, CheapTickets (the list goes on) that Travel Agents are obsolete. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The market size of the global online travel agency sector alone reached roughly 432 billion U.S. dollars in 2020
Since the pandemic, bookings with Travel Agents has gone up by ≥ 30%, that’s nothing to sniff at. With all the rules and regulations changes that have happened recently surrounding the pandemic, Travel Agents stay on top of this information saving you valuable time. Take a look at the booking numbers below…
40% of transportation ( flights and car rentals )
80% of cruises
75% of vacation packages
45% of hotels
2. USING A TRAVEL AGENCY IS EXPENSIVE
While some agents do choose to charge a nominal service fee to cover their time and experience, a large number of travel agents cost $0 to use.
We all like to DIY, and while that can save us some money if we’re talking about home repairs or creating decor, the same isn’t true for traveling.
Travel agent’s have connections and relationships with many companies in the travel industry. This can be a huge advantage since travel agents recommendations are based off their experience with companies/brands.
For you, these relationships translate into special deals and packages not available to the public or last minute upgrades at zero cost to you. Additionally, travel agents are backed by their company, so if the a company wants to play hardball, travel agents can go up their chain to get results.
