It’s the old bugbear of going on a famil. You have to share a room with a relative stranger. And while they may not stay a stranger for long (especially if you snore), it can take a while (or wine) to break the ice. But lately, agents are coming back from famils reporting that they’ve been getting their own rooms. We look into why and how long it’ll last.
Famils are more than just a nice little travel perk for agents. They’re an incredibly important tool that can help agents sell the right product or service to the right client. And just as the pandemic saw a lot of staff turnover and loads of updates and upgrades, it also changed how famils were run.
Is sharing NOT caring?
In the wake of the pandemic, the way people perceive and approach travel has changed. Health and safety considerations have become paramount, prompting a reassessment of various travel practices. Sharing rooms, once a common occurrence on famils, has raised concerns about physical distancing and the potential spread of viruses.
As a result, many travel agents and tour operators have reevaluated their approach to accommodation during familiarisation trips.
This year, “for added comfort”, The Travel Corporation (TTC) Tour Brands offered its agents “the option to upgrade to single occupancy on our famils if they prefer and where capacity allows”.
That’s according to TTC Tour Brands General Manager Sales for Oceania Andrew Young.
He said “the frequency of our famils has returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite the cost increases we are seeing this year.”
Nathan McLoughlin, Trade Director for Destination Canada GSA – Australia, agrees that famil costs have significantly increased since the pandemic.
“There’s no doubt that costs have risen globally since the pandemic struck,” he said.
“Air fares remain inflated, and certain regions have witnessed an upsurge in accommodation and activity costs due to the soaring demand for travel experiences. However, we anticipate that this situation will stabilise over the next 12 months.”
But Destination Canada has continued to run travel agent famils since the world re-opened, McLoughlin told Karryon.
“Our priority is to provide agents with single rooms whenever possible, but in certain locations sharing rooms may still be required. Nonetheless, we continue to be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of Australian travel agents eager to explore Canada.”
Sharing a room isn’t the issue
As big as the appetite is for famils, agents are still so busy that taking time for a famil isn’t always feasible. And as many agents are this busy, their time with family is precious.
Topdeck Travel and Back-Roads Touring General Manager Global Sales David Gendle said that there are other difficulties with running famils today.
“Famils are more problematic post-pandemic due to airline seat availability and costs as well as the availability of tour departure dates that we can use for a famil.”
“We have run some smaller famils where agents have joined guests which is not ideal but has a positive outcome of agents experiencing exactly what our customers receive and not a sugar-coated version which can sometimes be the case with a full complement of agents onboard.”
Famils have a unique ability to educate and inspire travel agents, to empower them with firsthand experiences and insider knowledge. So they’re not going anywhere soon. And sharing rooms, for now, looks to be on hold. Soak it up while it lasts!
