Travel Advisors Reflect on What They Learned During the Pandemic
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Travel advisors have had to reinvent, reimagine, and reinvigorate their businesses during the pandemic. A challenging time for many, it appears the industry is emerging on the other side. Now, advisors are reflecting on what they learned.
Most important, the Travel Experts advisors said, was reaching out to remind clients they are there for them at all times. They also noted that domestic travel has taken precedence over international trips for the time being.
“I think the biggest changes we made this year is we established strong terms and conditions, including cancellation policies and letters of agreement,” said Jolene Detillion, Your Travel Designer, Seattle, WA.
Travel Advisors Add Fees, Urge Clients to Purchase Insurance
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A growing number of travel advisors are adding fees and urging clients to buy insurance to protect their vacation investments, as part of the wide-ranging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel industry.
“Deciding that it was time to start charging fees after 15 years of no fees was very difficult, but it was something that I have wanted to do for quite some time,” said Renee Taylor, Renee Taylor Travel, affiliated with Travel Experts.
“I enlisted the help of a colleague and came up with a fee structure that would make me feel comfortable in presenting fees to my long-time existing clients as well new clients. Most of my clients were very receptive and even commented that they have wondered why I waited this long to charge for my services.”
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Travel Advisors See Uptick in Calls Following Vaccine Roll Out
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News of the forthcoming COVID-19 vaccine has spurred an increase in both telephone calls and, in some cases, new bookings for vacations.
According to Suzanne Terry, president of Blue Sky Excursions, a member of Travel Experts, has seen this trend first hand.
“I specialize in cruising and my clients have been waiting for the vaccine. Most of them are older and were not willing to commit, but now the phones are ringing. I am booking cruises for summer 2021 and all of 2022. The cruise lines have great promotions and flexible cancellation policies which is desirable.”