As lunar new year celebrations continue, Karryon chats to travel advisor Cameron Wark to discuss where he feels travel is at now (and where he’d like it to be).
We were ready to farewell 2020 well before the end of the year. And when I say ‘farewell’, I mean drop kick it out the door of the international space station. But for many, and those in the travel industry in particular, 2021 was not much better.
That left 2022 with all the cleaning up. Without trivialising it, 2022 was like the moment after a bad break up when you realise you’re ready to get back out there. You start to trust again. So we packed our bags and started to travel. But we had to learn the rules of travel in the ‘new normal’.
Travel Associates’ Cameron Wark spent the last month of 2022 on a Viking cruise.
“The whole process was perfect and it seemed we were back to pre-covid travel requirements,” he tells Karryon.
Before joining Travel Associates at Home in 2021, Cameron worked in both the retail and corporate divisions of Flight Centre Travel Group for the past 14 years. So he knows, from experience, that “there are factors that could change this dramatically”.
Despite the “real threats to the world and travel in general”, he remains positive.
“We can’t go backwards anymore.”
No more refunds, but still lots of legwork
“This financial year to date, for most agents, has been fulfilling and rewarding,” Cameron says.
“No more refunds or credits to process and we are just speaking with vibrant and eager clients who want to travel for the first time in years.”
And while the side hustles and second jobs agents picked up during the pandemic may now be “a thing of the past”, covid has cast a long shadow on the day to day operations of the travel industry.
Cameron says flight changes are still coming in – though perhaps not at the rate they once were.
“Not that long ago nine out of ten flights were changing,” he says, adding that the number has dropped off.
“And flight prices have been over the top and still are higher than pre-covid.”
“I had never booked $5000 pp flights in economy in 15 years, now I have 10+ times!”
He cites a lack of capacity (and a surplus of demand) as a leading cause for the flight costs. But Cameron has seen “a small drop on prices due to airlines like Cathay Pacific coming back into the fold”.
“I do believe in 2023 there will be a levelling of prices,” he says. But it’s unlikely we’ll see the hugely discounted fares we had pre-pandemic, he adds.
“We all wish to have those early bird fares come out in October each year, 2-for-1 business specials etc.”
Agents in fashion
Cameron’s clients are now ready to travel farther.
“I have seen a real urge from clients to visit traditional European cities, Central America, Japan and Asia in general,” he says.
But those longer distances and higher travel costs (along with memories of sudden lockdowns) have meant that agents are the flavour of the year.
“It is never more pertinent than now to book through a trusted agent who will give you great advice, recommend hotels, tours and will be there in a time of need,” Cameron says.
That said, agents, including Cameron, are still working longer hours to meet that demand. And that means after 8pm and over the weekend.
“We work when you need us to work, not when the office is necessarily open,” he says.
Cameron bemoans the loss of “so many great people from the industry” when travel stopped. While some have come back, he understands that others may have found a new calling. Bringing old agents back and enticing new ones to the fold will be a struggle for many in the industry, he says.
“Overall, the travel industry was decimated by COVID, and I really hope that everyone out there continues to support their local travel agent.”
“Good luck to everyone for 2023 and safe travels.”
