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Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast takes a look at This may interest you : The “Big Resignations” come to health jobs in Idaho.
Hello from Skift. Today is Wednesday, July 20 in New York. Here’s what you need to know about the travel industry today.
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Episode Notes
Travel agents have experienced significant changes in their profession since the start of the pandemic, including having to adapt to an increase in the number of travelers seeking advice before booking travel. But serving more consumers is far from the only major change agents have seen. To see also : Migration to the cloud: 3 main business advantages. Editorial assistant Rashaad Jorden explains, as travel agents take on new roles, how the job is being reinvented again.
As travel planning has become more complicated and time-consuming in recent years, agents like Minnesota-based Erin Green said they are increasingly taking on the role of advisor. While counseling isn’t a new duty for agents, Green acknowledges that the genre she does now is tricky. She admitted there was no guarantee she could give clients an answer about what might happen in a hypothetical situation. But Green said his agency has largely prepared officers on how to approach topics related to global issues.
Meanwhile, travel agents need to spend more time presenting themselves as experts to potential customers, largely due to increased consumer expectations of these professionals. Otto de Vries, CEO of the Association of Travel Agents of Southern Africa, said building personal brands through marketing has become a bigger requirement for agents.
Then, the growing demand for in-person meetings has hit event technology platforms hard, contributing to companies like Hopin and Bizzabo laying off hundreds of workers in recent weeks. But business travel editor Matthew Parsons writes that business travelers should refrain from permanently shelving virtual events.
One factor in the struggles of virtual events, Parsons notes, is the rebound in business travel. Spending on conferences is expected to increase by 4 percentage points this year compared to 2019, according to the Global Business Travel Association. Group CEO Suzanne Neufang said she is seeing more companies reintroduce in-person events as part of their event mix. The increase contributed to the 65% drop in the number of virtual events hosted by corporate travel agency giant CWT so far in 2022 compared to last year.
However, Parsons writes that businesses may need to stay connected to virtual event platforms. Ian Cummings, Vice President of CWT Meetings & Events, said they will continue to be considered for meetings. Additionally, Neufang argues that virtual meetings will continue to be relevant due to the continued pressure companies face to reduce carbon emissions.
Finally, dozens of airlines, hotels and online travel agencies have made strong commitments in recent years to greener business practices. But contributor Tony Carne explains in a guest column why tour operators have instead been the most vocal leaders in travel when it comes to sustainability.
Although tour operator executives say they have long been committed to sustainability, Carne writes that one of the reasons tour operators are taking a leadership role is because they were pushed by travelers to do so. Fiona Ngesa, director of market development for the Kenya Tourism Board, said visitors to Kenya are increasingly interested in sustainable travel and not just safari tourism.
However, Darrell Wade, the founder of Intrepid Travel, says companies in other travel industries are not following tour operators’ commitment to sustainability. Wade said a third of the travel industry wants the problem gone.
