Year in the Rear-view
Only a few days left in 2017 and for many in the travel industry it's the end of a tough year. At TA Fams, our Agent Villa program was hit hard by the acts of God in Texas, Florida, Bali, and the Caribbean. In the end, a year that had pretty good economy remained constrained due to things outside of our control.
Lessons Learned?
As always, there is something to be taken from the experience and 2017 is not exception.
Expect the Best, Plan for Worst
It's hard to do, but we all need to take the time to plan for the unexpected. There are two things we can all proactively to minimize the impacts of the unexpected.
First we have to get serious about travel protection and insurance. This is a differentiating characteristic between us and the online discounters who thrive on traveler ignorance and optimism. Travel insurance can seem like a downer when we are talking with clients about their travel and is often denied due to budget. We need to use the bad experiences of disrupted or cancelled travel as a reminder to us AND our clients that the unexpected can be more than a nuisance.
After the mayhem that many encountered from the hurricanes, protecting your travel investment just seems to make sense. I talked to more than a few agents who spent hours and days trying to extract clients from the devastation post Irma. Even for those who had not yet traveled, explaining to friends and clients that their discount travel was non-refundable is no bed of roses either. There is an easy fix called travel insurance and we should all do a better job of understanding and selling the benefits.
Second, in the age of specialization we need to diversify. Being an expert is key to sales but being an expert in just one destination is (forgive the extended pun) putting all your nuts in one basket. Being a St. Martin or Cuba expert is great, but even if that is producing more than enough business, think about becoming an expert in a second or third destination. Even more importantly, diversify geographically so as to "spread those nuts" around a little.
First we have to get serious about travel protection and insurance. This is a differentiating characteristic between us and the online discounters who thrive on traveler ignorance and optimism. Travel insurance can seem like a downer when we are talking with clients about their travel and is often denied due to budget. We need to use the bad experiences of disrupted or cancelled travel as a reminder to us AND our clients that the unexpected can be more than a nuisance.
After the mayhem that many encountered from the hurricanes, protecting your travel investment just seems to make sense. I talked to more than a few agents who spent hours and days trying to extract clients from the devastation post Irma. Even for those who had not yet traveled, explaining to friends and clients that their discount travel was non-refundable is no bed of roses either. There is an easy fix called travel insurance and we should all do a better job of understanding and selling the benefits.
Second, in the age of specialization we need to diversify. Being an expert is key to sales but being an expert in just one destination is (forgive the extended pun) putting all your nuts in one basket. Being a St. Martin or Cuba expert is great, but even if that is producing more than enough business, think about becoming an expert in a second or third destination. Even more importantly, diversify geographically so as to "spread those nuts" around a little.
There is Always Somewhere to Go
It's a great big world out there so there is no reason not to take advantage of it. In the era where clients are willing to pay for truly unique experiences, travel agents need to develop options that excite today's traveler. That means we are looking into some places that we had not previously thought of as tourist attractions.Those include the Baltics, Southeast Asia, and under-represented regions of Africa.
We expect the Caribbean to rebuild and be even better than before. In the meantime we are working on diversification. At my shop we have started new and expanded relationships with Italian, Croatian, and Eastern-Africa tour providers. Perhaps 2018 is when you will start to develop a new product line.
We expect the Caribbean to rebuild and be even better than before. In the meantime we are working on diversification. At my shop we have started new and expanded relationships with Italian, Croatian, and Eastern-Africa tour providers. Perhaps 2018 is when you will start to develop a new product line.
2017 is Over, Welcome 2018!
Enjoy New Year's safely and get ready for a great 2018!
Trey Noe
President
TA Fams
