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In a move that feels long overdue in an industry built on relationships, handshakes and the occasional frantic rebooking, Protect Group has unveiled a new web-based platform designed specifically for offline travel advisors. And for once, it’s the bricks-and-mortar end of town getting the shiny new toy.

The company’s Agent Platform promises something deceptively simple: the ability for any traditional travel agent to sell refund protection without needing a scrap of technical integration. No APIs. No middleware. No hair-pulling. Just a clean interface that lets advisors add Protect Group’s flagship Refund Protect product straight into their itineraries.

For many in the trade, this feels like common sense finally catching up with the real world.

“Offline agents are vital to the travel ecosystem, yet until now their ability to sell refund protection was dictated by the software they use,” said Stephen Joyce, Global Lead for Travel, Tourism and OTAs at Protect Group. “We built a simple, standalone platform that lets them book refund protection and copy the pre-set wording into their itineraries with ease. This means advisors can now meet the growing demand for flexibility, while earning commission on every booking.”

It’s a telling admission — and a reminder that while online travel agencies often dominate the headlines, the true backbone of several major verticals remains the traditional agent. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in cruises, where more than 80% of bookings are still made via advisors, yet value-add products like refund protection have remained stubbornly tied to online booking systems.

A fresh revenue stream for agents – finally

The new Agent Platform effectively bridges that gap. By giving advisers an uncomplicated way to offer refund protection, Protect Group is opening a fresh ancillary revenue stream for agencies and introducing a transparent commission structure that rewards front-line advisors for selling it.

In an era where margins can feel as flimsy as a discount fare, the appeal is obvious. For the cruise sector, especially where customers plan holidays two years in advance, the ability to bundle refund protection is more than a nicety; it’s a modern expectation. Travellers want flexibility, agents want loyalty, and suppliers want happier customers. For once, everyone wins.

Built for the way agents actually work

Part of the platform’s charm lies in its pragmatism. It sits inside Protect Group’s existing Pulse Reporting Dashboard, allowing agencies to export their sales and commission data for internal reporting. That may not sound very interesting, but anyone who has ever reconciled end-of-month bookings across three GDS systems and a 2008 spreadsheet will appreciate the simplicity.

The company is rolling out access initially to select agencies and consortia, with broader availability to follow once the first wave of users put it through its paces.

What it means for the wider industry

Protect Group’s broader Refund Protect service already has a strong online track record, with OTAs, airlines, and hotels integrating it into their booking flows. The concept is simple: travellers can upgrade their plans for a full refund if unforeseen circumstances derail their trip. It’s designed to provide peace of mind at a time when disruptions from storms to strikes to mystery viruses remain a fact of life.

What’s changing now is not the product, but who gets to sell it.

For an industry that often champions innovation yet forgets its own shopfront operators, this shift is a reminder that progress doesn’t always require a full-stack rebuild. Sometimes it’s a matter of meeting advisors where they already are behind desks, on phones, stitching together itineraries that could make an air traffic controller sweat.

With this launch, Protect Group is betting that empowering those advisors will pay off. Given the appetite for flexible booking conditions and the evergreen role of the offline agent, it feels like a safe bet.