Travel Market Report today releases its latest research, the Group Travel Outlook for 2022, an inside look at an increasingly popular and profitable segment for travel consultants.
The survey, available here, took insights from 851 travel consultants, the majority of whom were ICs who worked with a host agency (52%), to find out what works and what doesn’t for consultants selling groups.
“We hope the information in this Outlook on Group Travel will help you with those tasks, as well as help suppliers realize where they can help you most. We also hope that people without those years of experience can view the report and close that gap. Those with that experience will be able to improve the way they do business, even if they’ve been doing it for years,” said Daniel McCarthy, editor-in-chief of Travel Market Report.
The survey reaffirmed the popularity of group travel among successful consultants: 73% of those surveyed said they sell group travel and 29% said they had more than $1 million in sales in 2019, with 13% selling more than $2 million.
It also found that, despite some growing attention in other areas, the best way to find groups remains word of mouth or referrals from current customers.
The report also highlighted the top challenges facing advisors selling groups, which remain budgetary concerns, something that has increasingly become a common source of client attention. That goes beyond managing customer requirements for group travel that are time-consuming and COVID-induced restrictions.
Consultants also expressed concerns about what suppliers can do to help them increase their group sales (family travel, improved call center operations and improved booking tools top the list).
The full report, sponsored by Apple Leisure Group Vacations, is available on demand here.
