Just like crop tops with high waisted jeans, leather jackets, half-up/half-down hairstyles and brown lip liner, Travel Agents came back into fashion this year and according to experts, they’ll be staying in trend for quite some time.
Speaking at the Helloworld Travel Frontliners Conference in Hobart over the weekend, David Padman said 2017 saw a shift in the way travellers perceived Travel Agents, with many now considering them ‘cool’ again.
According to the Head of Associate Networks, this altered perception was caused by a number of factors including worldwide events and technology, but mainly their willingness to adapt.
He explained that over the last two decades Agents have undergone an evolution from a Travel Agent who acted on behalf of suppliers to travel professionals, travel consultants, trusted travel advisors and even travel mechanics.
This transformation has allows industry professionals to meet the needs to modern-day customer who believes is looking for someone they can trust, provide expertise and fix things when they go wrong.
“There’s a lot of choice in aviation and in cruising, airline prices are changing and things have happened in the environment – people need someone they can trust to stop their trip from unraveling.”
David Padman, Helloworld Travel Head of Associate Networks
Image: rawpixel.com/Unsplash
In regards to technology, Padman said Agents need not fear the online world because it’s actually “driving people back” to traditional forms of booking.
If that’s not enough of a reason for you to smile in the office today, Padman says he also believes customer service is a key ingrediant to the return to the Travel Agent.
“You guys have been the absolute driving force in the re-emergence,” he said.
“You guys provide your experience and knowledge, great advice, you take the blame, you guys are a real point of difference in this transaction and you do it all with a massive smile on your face.”
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