PRESIDENT ’ S NOTE
The title of an article in this issue , “ To the Ends of the Earth : A Guide to Expedition Cruises ,” caught my attention and got me thinking about the evolution of the travel advisor .
Traveling “ to the ends of the Earth ” isn ’ t the most pleasant way to travel . You occasionally cross choppy waters , travel down bumpy roads and sometimes need to change the course of the path entirely .
If you think about the travel industry over the years , advisors have faced this same type of unchartered waters . In the late 90s , airlines eliminated commissions , which was a huge blow to travel advisors . After the 9 / 11 attacks , people stopped traveling , and pundits commented that travel advisors had made the worst career choice anyone could make . Added with the COVID-19 pandemic , some advisors felt like throwing in the towel completely .
One similarity after each setback is that advisors always end up coming out the other side better , stronger and more focused on their customer . The value of their expertise shines through , and they ’ re able to create incredible vacation experiences . Now , more than ever , consumers are recognizing the importance of booking travel with an advisor .
Each of these situations over the years has created new opportunity and growth . Travel advisors have always been able to adapt , learn and grow along the way , and when they come out of these hardships on the other side , their career is elevated and more rewarding than ever .
On VAX , we ’ re seeing that the travel advisor
John Ische PRESIDENT , TRISEPT SOLUTIONS John ’ s industry tenure spans more than three decades .
community is still healthy and even growing each month . We have already seen 856 new agencies join the marketplace as of February 28 this year . Advisors have been visiting the site often ; we see traffic up 14.5 % compared to the same time last year , and they are spending time exploring by visiting an average of 10.4 pages per visit .
Even if an expedition cruise traverses through rough patches , the final destination is always worth the journey . Travel advisors have shown their resilience time and time again . Every time they face a setback in the industry , they ’ ve pivoted and come out better on the other side — and it ’ s always worth the journey .
SPRING 2023 / THE COMPASS / 9