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Don't believe Agents are crucial? This will convince you

If the savings on offer and the link to happiness aren't enough to convince travellers to book with an Agent, then maybe they'll listen to their peers.

If the savings on offer and the link to happiness aren’t enough to convince travellers to book with an Agent, then maybe they’ll listen to their peers.

 

According to a new SureSave study, around 70 percent of Australians see Agents as a ‘trusted source of travel and safety advice’. That’s an increase of 15 percent compared to four years ago.

This steady rise in trust and faith resulted in around 36 percent of Australians booking their last overseas leisure trip with a Travel Agent, making it the most popular method of booking travel across the country.

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The majority of those who worked with a consultant did so either in-store or over the phone, meaning both traditional and modern Agents are taking a fair share of the business.

What makes this news more exciting for consultants is that outbound departures are expected to climb by 3.4 percent over the next 12 months, which means there’ll be more travellers putting their faith in travel professionals.

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SureSave National Sales Director, Talbot Henry, said Travel Agents are still “crucial” because they can provide “higher services” particularly when natural disasters and political disruptions hit a popular destination.

“In 2015, we saw the large impact that natural disasters can have on Australian travellers, notably in Nepal and Bali,” he explained.

“This has led to an increase in the value that travellers place on the knowledge and expertise of Travel Agents, seeing a move away from the perceived advantages of price and convenience from purchasing online.”

The study also found that 29 of recent international leisure travellers purchased their travel insurance policy through a Travel Agency and 27 percent of respondents found out about their travel insurance policy from their travel agent – this was the most popular answer followed by ‘a google search’ (16 percent).

Have you experienced an increase in business recently?