Fams are back in a major way

Travel agents are again being offered the chance to pack their bags and hit the road at the invitation of tourist boards and tour operators and they’re responding.

Gone are the stay-at-home pandemic days when fam trips were hard to come by, with plenty of options now available.

Jenni Berg of The TTC Tour Brands finds agents are eager to sign up for fams, with the Covid concerns of a couple of years ago having faded.

“There’s no resistance [from agents about going on fams],” she reports. “The only issue is agents are often too busy to go on fams.”

A TTC Tour Brands Italy fam drew almost overwhelming interest from agents within hours, while a Croatia fam drew widespread attention. 

“I think the biggest question for agents is deciding which fam is best for them,” Berg adds.

Jerry Grymek of LMA Communications, which represents the Florida Keys, Philadelphia and Dominica in this country, welcomes the return of fams, saying they’re a useful way for tourist boards to raise awareness about their destinations. 

“They provide a sense of knowledge that they [travel agents] just can’t get online,” says Grymek, adding the Zoom webinars that became popular during Covid weren’t the equivalent of fam trips and in-person events. “You miss the opportunity to engage one-on-one.”

Despite being useful, fam trips do require a lot of prep work by the hosts, he notes.

Ethel Hansen Davey of Uniglobe Enterprise Travel in Toronto says she’s been on numerous fams in the past few years, even while travel restrictions were still in place. 

“I have not missed any opportunities to broaden my horizons and to learn about the many wonderful resorts and destinations that we can sell to our clients. To say that I was very relieved when the Canadian government stopped the Covid testing to come back into Canada would be an understatement. It was very expensive in some of the destinations to get these PCR tests done,” she says, noting that some memorable fam trips included visiting Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende and another experience whale-watching in Loreto, Baja California Sur. “After Covid, I went on a St. Maarten fam where we enjoyed both the French and Dutch sides of the island. It was a very busy itinerary and we had car rentals so it was a great experience. Next, I went on the Hard Rock fam to the Mayan Riviera. Informative and well organized. I extended my stay in order to see a couple of resorts in Playa del Carmen that I had not experienced.”

Looking ahead, Hansen Davey already has several trips on the horizon.

“I’m going on a Karisma fam in mid-March, as well, followed by Tianguis Turistico in Mexico City and a fam to Zacatecas State,” she adds.

David Pierce of Collacutt Travel in Toronto agrees that the number of fam invitations is soaring.

“In the last week fams seem to be coming out of the woodwork,” Pierce says. “Pricing is steep but not unaffordable – where it becomes an issue is when you have to add air, which is very expensive. I think fams are critical to our business, but don’t see a lot of revenue boosts to offset these expensive fams. I have signed up for several but no response yet! I think a lot of operators want to get going but really don’t want to spend. The overall result is that those who don’t open up their wallets are going to be pretty slow getting out of the gate.”

Paul Nielsen of Paragon Travel in Toronto reports he visited Holguin, Cuba, in November and he will be on the March Karisma fam, a trip he notes is somewhat unusual in that it’s bringing agents to a sun destination during high season.

“Knowing about fams is about being aware and involved,” Nielsen states. “For example, I did see the Karisma fam advertised. Others are by careful invitation.”

Numerous fam invitations weren’t the case a couple of years ago, he says, adding “Obviously many were not done during Covid.”