Demystifying Travel
June 22nd, 2009 . by Richard EarlsFear, ignorance and inertia – these three stooges keep a lot of people from traveling. Let’s face it – North Americans in general, and US citizens in particular, are very timid travelers. We are all easy victims for a news media that plays to worst case scenarios. It is little wonder that people are often afraid to travel when the news is filled with stories of flu, drug violence, riot and terrorism. The fact of the matter is, however, that most travelers will never encounter anything more troublesome than a stolen purse abroad. The day to day crime in most foreign destinations to which the majority of North Americans travel is less prolific and violent than that found within a ten mile radius of those same travelers’ front door.
But it is also the more mundane issues that keep people from traveling. For example, only 28% of US citizens have a passport, compared with 54% of Canadians. By and large, we are a geographically challenged people, with a poor understanding of other cultures and people. When people know very little about travel’s logistics, fearing what they do not know, they fail to act. Inertia takes over and a potential traveler stays at home rather than risking a vacation abroad.
Who better to help change this situation than a travel professional? As a travel counselor, you encounter the drag on clients’ motivations continually. Yet, if the mission of a travel agent is to assist people with achieving their travel ambitions, you have to develop the capacity for recognizing and removing the barriers to travel.
The travel industry is failing to properly educate the public on the “how” of travel. For good historical reasons, the travel profession styled its business model in the fashion of a retail store. While that made good sense 40 years ago, that model is antiquated beyond viability today. People can buy travel anywhere, there is no need to go to a travel agent for the purchase of travel. But where do people go to learn about travel? Certainly I can research, Google and twitter all day long but at the end of the day, with the vast amounts of information out there, isn’t there a better way to learn about travel? What if there were professionals in my neighborhood who taught courses on how to travel well? What if there were counselors who, trained in the logistics of travel, made it their business to provide information to their clients?
Here’s my premise: Demystify travel and more people will travel. If fear and ignorance are preventing people from traveling, help to change the status quo in your community. Hold seminars on how to get a passport. Provide courses on “How to Travel Well” or “How to Travel for a Lifetime”. If travel agents would shift their business model away from one of retail to one of community service and education, the public relations benefit would be tremendous. This community mission could even be undertaken in cooperation by multiple travel agencies and agents in a community and everyone would benefit.
By and large, the public does not understand what travel agents do. The confusion originates with travel agents. As an industry, travel professionals are responsible for making themselves understood and valuable. Act like a retail store and you will be shopped. Act like a resource and you will be utilized. Develop a public relations campaign in your local community to demystify travel for the general public and watch the results.
6 Responses to “Demystifying Travel”
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June 22nd, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Great idea! thanks
June 24th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Amazing message, a message that if every travel professional took to heart it could be a different industry! Great article.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I agree with the article that it is the Travel Consultant’s job to educate the public. With the Network Groups I belong to, I have been putting that information out to them talking about the Travel Consultant’s role and their value; the “did you know” type of information. With the internet so readily available to so many with loads of information, it’s imperative we consistently present the public with this type of education. While they can get tons of information from the internet, how much of it is correct and/or true though? Can the consumer rely on the fact that the writer has actually been to or experienced that destination like a travel consultant has done where the consumer gets first hand real life experience to draw on. People are looking for education. That’s why they’re going to the internet; and if they’re doing to do that, why not provide that information on your own website that will draw them to your business? We also, have to start doing business smarter instead of the same old way and adapt to the changing times in order to survive. Perhaps some business/marketing/retail sales refresher courses might not even hurt for some that have been around a long time in this business. You’d be surprised to find out how things have changed in how the same courses of years ago have changed as well.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Great article. The best wording I’ve ever seen on this issue. As we discussed this in our office, we realilzed that in the case of our good clients…we are a resource. For the others we are merely a retail store. Our challenge is to convert more shoppers into believing we are there best resource. Thanks for the insight.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Thanks for the in-sight. It’s a very well researched thought. Completely agree with the idea that it’s high time we stop looking at our selves as retial outlets and ivolve into more responsible role of being knowledgeable resources.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:01 am
Richard I couldn’t agree more. Agents have to stop trying to sell travel as though it’s a retail product, and sell themselves as consultants in order to survive.