Guy Young
“The market has changed since the industry’s heroic recovery following the pandemic, and advisors are faced with new challenges, from shorter booking windows to clients who require more attention more often,” says Guy Young, Chief Engagement Officer, TTC Tour Brands. “Tours are ripe for this moment, offering every element of the experience in one booking – from activities and accommodations to the benefit of travelling with a trusted brand who will be with you at every step of the journey. This reduces the time and stress it takes to book each part of a trip individually, allowing more time for advisors to devote to building quality relationships with their clients.”
Young provides the following four tips for travel advisors:
Embrace the shorter booking window. The travel demand is there but guests are taking longer to make a decision. There’s been a noticeable uptick in bookings closer to the departure window with travellers booking a month to two months out from departure date. Advisors shouldn’t give up on a sale as it gets closer to the departure date and should continue to nurture open leads and seek new opportunities to secure a sale. With TTC Tour Brands, the space is pre-contracted – meaning it’s available to book no matter how close to the departure date and the reservations team can help secure competitive airfare prices to fulfill late booking requests. Advisors can use the Travel Advisor Portal (TAP) to help find the best travel style and budget for their clients from the selection of over 1,000 itineraries in more than 80 countries across six leading tour brands. Remind past guests of the Global Tour Rewards program which offers 5% off an itinerary and take advantage of great last-minute promotions.
European summer is always in season. Travel to Europe this summer remains in high demand. As the top market for TTC Tour Brands and with enhanced investment in on-the-ground resources, advisors have peace of mind booking their clients during high season. While travellers may be concerned about overcrowding and in destination challenges, advisors can confidently sell to Europe knowing that the TTC Tour Brands’ have 24/7 support and 100+ years of experience in the region.
Consider “secondary” destinations. While summer is the most popular time to go to Europe and demand for the destination remains strong, there is a noticeable increase in bookings to North American destinations and other markets including Latin America, Japan and more. For travellers looking to check a new region off their bucket list, advisors should take advantage of TTC Tour Brands’ extensive itineraries outside Europe, from global guided vacation company Trafalgar’s Classic Japan to premium tour company Insight Vacations’ new Yellowstone Discovery itinerary.
Work smarter, not harder. Advisors’ time is valuable and TTC Tour Brands is committed to offering as much support as possible to their advisor partners. With one phone call to a sales agent, travel advisors can book an entire trip with airfare and transfers for their client. Best of all, advisors have huge earning potential because they earn commission on every component of the tour. TTC’s Travel Advisor Discount Program (TADP) offers discounts for advisors on TTC Tour Brands itineraries based on the advisor’s gross sales.
