Express Travel Group (ETG)’s annual Xchange conference brought together hundreds of independent travel agents from across the ETG network for a program packed with connection, collaboration and conversation, but it was a panel of five advisors who provided the best glimpe of how ETG’s members travelled in a year that was anything but ordinary (is there ever an ordinary year in travel?).
From problematic customers and frustrations around supplier documents to bridging a regional divide between partners and advisors, the agents touched on the issues that matter most to them, and judging by the reception they received, the concerns and opinions shared by many others.
Push for personalised supplier service
Independent Travel Advisors’ Chris Jenkins said she felt frustrated by generic, last-minute travel documents, especially for high-value clients.
To address this, Jenkins called on suppliers to provide more timely, customisable documentation to up client satisfaction and justify premium pricing.
“We pay three, four months in advance sometimes, and we get our documents two weeks prior,” she said.
“And some of our clients, when they travel, they travel big; they go away for weeks, sometimes months – and if you’re waiting 2, 3 weeks before that date comes round to get your documents, they’re long gone. The stress that it puts on us and the clients.
“And if they’re booking a cabin, and they’re paying $150,000-$200,000 for their trip… some of the quality of the documents we get through… it’s really terrible to give to the client when they’ve spent so much money. Some are very generic. They’re not personalised.”
Five Star World Travel’s Jennifer Dam said she valued suppliers who were accessible and “very responsive”.
“And in times of disruptions, we need your communication because when our customers are stressed, they need a response from us, and we’ve got to get back to them immediately,” she explained.
“So when we have clear, up-to-date information and guidelines on what to do, that makes a world of difference to us and, most importantly, to our customers.”
Dam added that there needs to be “greater collaboration” with airlines, GDS, and consolidators around NDC to develop and enhance tools.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re getting pushed to use NDC; we have to – we need to remain competitive – but serviceability is a pain in the ass,” she said.
“It’s not that we don’t like NDC; we use a lot of NDC – our penetration rate is at 90% – but when we can’t do something, and we get told from our partners to calll someone else, and we have to wait four hours to figure something out and then have to call the client again, and then call back again for another four hours, it’s just a complete waste of our time.”
Bridging the regional divide
Based in Albury, on the border of NSW and Victoria, Jenkins said she often felt overlooked by suppliers, making it harder to serve a growing market of affluent, semi-retired clients moving out of cities.
“When I moved out of Melbourne two years ago, it was like my left arm got cut off, because suppliers and their representatives just do not go to regional areas,” she explained.
“I’d really like suppliers to remember we’re out there, because one thing we’re finding is that a lot of cashed-up semi-retirees are moving out to the regional areas, and whilst we don’t like to take that client away from people in the city, they’re looking for local agents. And there’s so much product out there.”
However, Jenkins said it was promising that, ironically, a few of the suppliers she spoke to at the conference were about to head to the Albury area.
Selling value, not just tickets
Sydney-based Dam said she faced constant pressure from clients who compare prices online, but flagged the value of expertise, service and unique offerings to attract and retain customers.
“I’m a real person you can talk to, so they don’t get that when they try to book online,” she remarked.
“We’re not an OTA. I can’t match those prices. But if they’re a bit wishy washy, they don’t really know, and they seem a bit uncomfortable about booking online, I do give them more information.
“If they are very clear that they just want a cheap ticket, I’ll turn them away because we just can’t compete. You’re buying our service and our time and our experience.”
Jenkins said she sometimes turns clients away who have booked most of their trips and just enquire about booking transfers or low-value services.
When that happens, she has the perfect response.
“What a shame you didn’t bring me earlier, because when you book that cruise and book that flight, I would have put you on complimentary transfers, but now I have to charge you for it,” she said of her response in these instances.
“But unfortunately, I’m so busy looking after other people at the moment… come back to me next time.”
Gaining and retaining clients
The Travel Boutique’s Greg Cooke said his business’s best source of customers is its existing clients.
“We give them the best possible service, best possible advice, and we’re available 24/7,” he remarked.
“Other key areas we source clientele from… we immerse ourselves in our local community, whether that’s through local sporting groups, local service groups, local schools and things like that.
Cooke added the Geelong-based business has also joined its local Chamber of Commerce and organises giveaways to attract new customers.
Echoing Cooke, Inflight Travel’s Andrew Geils flagged repeat referrals as his business’s biggest source and advocate.
“I think the 80/20 rule applies, where 20% of those customers do about 80% of our business,” he explained.
Geils added that his team had also done a great job of instilling confidence in many of its customers.
“We’ve taken some clients who started on small domestic trips and are now travelling around the world to destinations they never thought they would go to,” he said.
On top of this, Geils said that it was important to “reward and recognise your staff”, and give them the freedom to be “the professionals they are”. With this in mind, he recalled an agent’s hour-long post-trip calls that lead to repeat big bookings.
Embracing tech to boost efficiency
italktravel & cruise Brighton’s Tatyana Vanegas said her business has adopted tools like Travefy, Canva and ChatGPT to streamline itinerary planning, marketing and client communications.
“So one thing that we definitely use at the moment is Travefy. It makes our lives so much easier. Client books, we literally upload everything straight away. So that’s a real big time saver for us,” she explained.
“It also means that we no longer have to print documentation or anything to send to the client.”
Then there’s Canva, ChatGPT and even TikTok.
“We’re now kind of dabbling in all the spaces. It doesn’t mean that it’s effective yet, but we can see that it’s definitely getting better. And I think it’s going to be a lot of trial and error to see which one of those actually works best,” she said.
But Vanegas added that the need for human contact would mean there would always be a place for good travel advisors.
“There’s a lot of lonely people that just want to be able to have a chat to you or sit down and figure out what they want to do, which also means, not only are travel agents selling tickets, but I think taking people on tours,” she stated.
“I think that’s where I say that we as travel agents will have a very big opportunity.”
The writer attended the ETG Xchange 2025 conference as a guest of Express Travel Group. All images by Mark Harada (unless stated).
For more information, visit etg.travel.
Check out what ETG Group General Manager Jason Aghan and recently retired CEO and current chair Tom Manwaring said at the event here.
