U.S. Travel Agents: Dead or Alive? (part two)

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the travel industry was healthy, vibrant, and shattering records. Travel agents, in a bid to stay in step with the times, took a cue from social media and rebranded themselves travel advisors, the idea being that in an era of information overload would-be travelers need advice how to smoothly navigate the world of airfares, added fees, and refundability, not to mention the Ponzi schemes of countless frequent flyer programs. “Freedom of Movement” is a complex system, and a little guidance goes a long way.

It was a successful rebranding. The numbers were good. The future looked bright. Millennials, more than any other generation, were relying on travel advisors rather than online booking engines. Adapting to the times, the industry looked a lot different than in the days of Mad Men and Pan Am.

And then the coronavirus parked planes on the tarmac and docked cruises. Global travel came to a halt.

History, however, has shown that travel is one of the world’s most resilient and adaptable industries. It weathered 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis. It’s navigated natural disasters, global emergencies, and political upheavals. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt the travel industry a severe blow, but people will travel again, and everyone from travel advisors to tour operators, tourist boards to local businesses, are using this opportunity to reset the rules and redesign the idea of tourism.

COVID Crisis Horror Stories and the Importance of Human Connection

As COVID-19 sent the world into a tailspin of travel restrictions, border closings and lockdowns, the horror stories of vacationers who booked their trips with online booking engines made the chaos at Fyre Festival look like a day at the beach. Honeymoons turned to warzones. Media headlines were bullet lists of worst-case scenarios: Trapped in Paradise. Gulag Coachella.

Travelers around the world were stuck (it’s said more than 13,000 Americans were stranded abroad as countries closed their borders). People with upcoming trips were unable to make changes or get refunds, and online booking customer support was non-existent.

Travel advisors stepped up to the occasion and got people on flights back home. As airports closed and travel restrictions tore families apart, travel advisors performed their own brand of frontline heroics. They handled the emergency with human connection.

Travel Advisors will be Essential to the Rebirth of the Travel Industry

Nobody knows what the travel industry will look like once the pandemic recedes. And that not knowing, that uncertainty, is why trip advisors will be key to the rebirth of the industry. They’ll help travelers navigate the rules of the “new normal.” They’ll be available 24/7, able to solve problems and secure no-hassle refunds.

Post-pandemic travelers will want reassurance. As the world prepares to re-open, well-connected travel advisors can save people time and money, assist them with new policies and procedures, and give them the peace of mind they need to reclaim the skies.

And its consumer peace of mind that will be the bedrock of the rebirth of the travel industry.