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Written by an experienced professional travel agent with over four decades of experience (est 1978)!

Expect travel agents/advisors to change their business model, which has never changed since the 1940s. They will become more focused and request that travellers engage their services via professional fees. Some travel advisors will remain amateurish and risky, whilst most advisors will acknowledge their self-worth and limited time available on any day, especially those advisors that survived the worldwide havoc caused to travellers via COVID. As the world continues to rotate, there will be an increase in demand for a professional travel advisor to advise, assist, and remedy travel issues erupting from many external events, wars, volcanoes, airline issues, and unforeseen circumstances. Professional advice and services require professional fees to be paid.

A new form of commentary is being aired as many Travel Agents utter “No” to more travellers than ever before. Some travellers’ demands defy logic as many professional travel agents must genuinely focus on and tend to more realistic desires of travellers, especially against those travellers who rely too much on googled opinions and reviews (not facts!). Other travellers’ expectations are also unrealistic in what they want versus what is available, so the new-age professional agent must now prioritise the worthiness of investing their professional time, energy, and expertise as other clients await service.

Expect the quick emergence of new airlines, suppliers, hotels, specialized touring, vehicle rental, transfer, and cruise companies entering the Australian and NZ markets. This will pressure historically stable travel entities to “reconsider” and “improve” their relationships with travellers and travel agents. This means more choice, competition, and avenues to stay alive or go broke.

The relationship between the agent and the airline, cruise or supplier will become more critical. I can see a shift in how the travel agent deals with and also places their business with some “unfriendly” Airlines and Suppliers, requiring each entity they use to prove their worth when entrusting them with their client’s required travel bookings. This expands into not just price but how the Airline or supplier handles, controls and has systems to minimize the risk of data breaches and fraud and rectify constructive complaints. As the travel, tourism and hospitality industry increases in available options, we can expect agents to be able to deal with an expanding base of Airlines and Suppliers. The savvy travel agent will deal with those who hold integrity, quality services, and efficient responses, all focused on the overall best interests of both the travel agent and the client. Return clientele is what agents rely upon.

Expect AI – Artificial Intelligence to negatively disrupt and improve our industry – at the same time! The ability to incorporate AI to attend to many mundane tasks will occur. Still, in the same breath, I foresee the quick and potent establishment of fake, misleading and devastating capturing of images, data-convincing videos and verbal responses that seem authentic but will not be. I admire what AI can do, but unfortunately, as I have already witnessed via demonstration of advanced AI software in Asia recently, there are many examples of how it will become nearly impossible to tell the difference between what we see, we hear and what we are communicated with from fake to authentic. Do not expect Government departments or billionaire investors to save us! The Buyer beware cliché will never be more accurate!

I can see that ATIA -previously known as AFTA-will battle an image problem in a struggle to see AFTA/ATAS members accept their new mantle. I believe crucial government departments at both state and federal levels will need to be pressured and convinced of how previous AFTA-ATAS agents fit into ATIA. This is not a comment against ATIA but the need for ATIA, with its agents, to stay unified and constructive in representing the professional travel agent, thus ensuring that the consumer and all government departments can rely upon the benefits and advantages of dealing with professionals. The next tangent will be for AFTA to “call out” and reveal and publicly comment forcefully each time how stupid some media outlets are in promoting to the public some travel deals that are based on an unaccredited overseas travel entity or via a scantily dressed travel operator without the same media indeed investigating the credentials or viability or reputation of that entity. This is where journalism and the media must be honest and use professional minimum standards complemented with integrity in promoting and selling what they say.

Solo travel, especially for the over 60’s, will boom worldwide because Australia remains the most “ageing population in the Western world “, holding onto payouts, superannuation and retirement funds. This demand will force operators, hoteliers and cruise companies to re-assess the costs payable by travellers with new incentives and offers, also focusing on adding extra travel services like private tours, solo transfers with important catering for critical medical needs, wheelchair access and cuisine choices. A flow-on effect of increased Travel insurance policies will also follow.