Coping during COVID-19
This week Travel Courier checks in with Liz Moore, CEO of Liz Moore Destination Weddings, who has been in the travel business for 14 years.
What has it been like running a travel business over the past few months?
I think ‘taking a 180 turn’ is the perfect analogy to describe these past several months as a travel agent. We had an extensive amount of couples departing in the spring to destination weddings throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. The abrupt shutdown of international flights and resorts had a significant effect on our couple’s spring and summer wedding plans.
It was hard to believe at first, it happened so quickly. My team and I felt so badly for our couples, many of whom had booked their weddings a year or more in advance. E-Documents with resort and flight tickets ready to go were quickly replaced with travel vouchers for future travel. Beleaguered and openly frustrated the travel shut-downs left many couples weighing out the decision to marry at home this year without many of their loved ones attending. Or rebook their wedding for 2021 destination wedding travel. All in all, I along with my team learned a tremendous amount about how to expect the unexpected in travel. We have embraced and forged t new ways of doing business that will better assist both my couples, their guests as well as my dedicated travel agents in the future.
What do you miss about travelling?
I was set up for one of the most adventurous travel years to date in 2020. In March I was to attend Tianguis in Merida, Mexico. It’s one of the most amazing travel events held each year and I was very excited about attending and learning about the amazing wedding options in Merida. Then I was off to India in April with a wedding planning company that specialized in South Asian weddings. This was definitely a bucket list trip for me and one I was very excited to explore the amazing world of weddings throughout popular wedding venues in India. A large travel supplier event was to follow in Florida in June which was also sadly cancelled.
My favourite travel suitcases sit empty, collecting dust along with me eagerly waiting for our next travel adventure. Travel has become a bit of an addiction for me. The more you travel the more you want to experience the world. It’s a never-ending quest for discovering amazing people, and their culture. We also can’t forget the stunning ocean fronts, beaches, resorts and restaurants worldwide. With this year basically out for destination weddings our couples are excited to now plan for regular destination wedding travel next year.
Liz Moore, Liz Moore Destination Weddings
“To all travel agents out there who have suffered so much financially and otherwise this year, I’m cautiously optimistic we will recover just fine soon enough. To all the wedding couples out there who dream of a destination wedding, we look forward to making your dreams come true, even if it takes a bit longer than expected!“
If there’s one positive thing that’s come out of this, it’s been that more people have seen the value of using a travel agent firsthand. Do you agree? How can agents spread the word or take advantage of this?
Don’t leave home without your travel agent! Of course, I don’t mean this literally, though any chance I get to attend a destination wedding I can hardly wait. I know how hard myself and my agents worked with couples over these past several months with wedding date, flight, resort and wedding event changes. My agents worked relentlessly for months as I’m sure every other travel agent and agency did as well during these unprecedented times. What wedding couples and their guests may not be aware of is that there was no compensation for the months of extensive work involving cancellations, rebooking and future travel credit setups due to COVID-19.
What I could not imagine at that time is how the DIY bride, who did not rely on the assistance of a travel agent, coped with these vast challenges. I don’t think there was ever a better time in travel to understand and appreciate the value of a dedicated travel agent. Many people don’t understand that travel agents are for the most part compensated by the travel industry for their regular travel bookings. Thus, you have representation before, during and after your trip plans at virtually no cost to you. Run, don’t walk next time you decide to travel over to your preferred travel agent or agency. They are invaluable especially when your perfectly planned trip has unexpected or unanticipated changes. We have all learned that in spades this year!
To continue with selling travel or not, that is the common question these days.
I think the saying goes with every cloud comes a silver lining. In the case of travel and COVID-19, we are really looking hard to see that silver lining. With destination wedding travel, agents do not get compensated by their travel suppliers until just before or just after their couples depart from their wedding trips. With 2021 looking like the next available opportunity to couples to travel, many agents unfortunately will not be able to wait that long for compensation. It’s really a travesty because couples rely on their destination wedding planners for a wealth of assistance in planning the destination wedding of their dreams.
It’s been a rough road for my agency as well as my agents and we know the journey back to regular bookings will take some time. I can say equivocally that we do love what we do, and we are preparing ourselves for the long haul. We all agree that we have dream jobs. I never tire of experiencing those wonderful post travel pictures of wedding couples strolling along white sand beaches while photographers capture every moment of their dream wedding. To all travel agents out there who have suffered so much financially and otherwise this year, I’m cautiously optimistic we will recover just fine soon enough. To all the wedding couples out there who dream of a destination wedding, we look forward to making your dreams come true, even if it takes a bit longer than expected!
