Travel agencies believe it is time to charge for advice

At a time of good news for the travel industry, with figures coming in one after another day after day, with more than optimistic forecasts for the future and an increasingly complex travel environment, ObservaTur has asked travel agents what they think about the possible charge for their expert advice. The majority opinion is that the timing is right.

This is understood by 7 out of 10 professionals consulted by the Observatorio Nacional del Turismo Emisor (ObservaTur), which is made up of a dozen leading firms in the travel and tourism industry: Amadeus, AON, Beroni, Carrefour Viajes, IAG7/Airmet, Iberia, Ilunion Hotels, Iryo, Mundiplan and the National Association of Travel Agencies (UNAV).

According to these professionals, the current circumstances of prosperity that the tourism sector is experiencing, with figures that are increasing day after day, with more than optimistic forecasts for the future and a more than optimistic environment;The strongest scenario for the adoption of this measure, which in any case is not a one, would be more than optimistic and the travel environment is becoming increasingly complex.

To this large percentage of professionals who propose the measure of charging for the attention and dedication of their time must be added those (approximately 4% of those consulted) who have been charging a fee for this advisory service for some time.

However, there is also a very compact group of travel agents, more than 26%, who believe that this is not the right time, since the current situation —they maintain—is not favorable to charge for this service.

In the opinion of Marcos Franco, founding partner of ReiniziaT and spokesman for ObservaTur, “the answer given by the professionals of this channel to the question of the Observatory” is not surprising. “It must be taken into account —he explains— that, as part of their remit, it is true, they devote many hours of their work to providing answers to customers and putting all their expert knowledge about destinations and travel at the service of travelers”. “Sometimes, after obtaining the information and the prices of the proposals they go with those budgets to obtain better offers in other points of sale, denigrating that work and the dedication dispensed”, denounces.

According to Franco, “the measure also arises in a very favorable context, with all the sector parameters rising and with a significant increase in the complexity of organizing a trip, since the times of undifferentiated proposals are passing in favor of maximum customization. And this personalization and the added value provided by agents is an essential part of the "success of travel".