This country’s travel agents are getting a pat on the back from some of those who deal with them day in and day out.

With Travel Agent Day looming on May 1, several tour operators are publicly thanking agents, saying they are an integral part of their companies’ success.

“We are so appreciative that 90% of our North American business comes from our knowledgeable travel advisors and partners,” says Ben Hall, CEO of AAT Kings and Inspiring Journeys, both The Travel Corporation divisions. “For 2024, we are thrilled to see a 58% increase so far this year in business from Canada. For the past two years, we have seen huge growth in Canadian bookings for clients who want to fully explore the vast beauty of Australia and New Zealand on our guided vacations, short breaks and day tours.”

Hall says there was also heightened interest in the tour operator’s new Aboriginal Culture & Australia Highlights tour. 

“We appreciate our advisors recommending this trip to their Canadian clients who are interested in learning more about our Indigenous culture,” Hall notes. “Our AAT Kings and Inspiring Journeys teams would like to say a huge thank you to our incredible Canadian travel advisors for all their support and steadfast efforts. We recognize their passion for travel, professionalism and for recommending our immersive travel experiences to their clients.”

Similarly, Sherwin Banda, president of African Travel, Inc., another TTC division, is equally effusive in his praise of agents.

“Africa is a popular travel destination for 2024, and travel advisors are playing a significant role in driving record-breaking booking trends,” he states. “Approximately, 90% of our business comes through travel advisors. Their expertise allows them to offer tailor-made experiences that are uniquely identified for their clients, resulting in bookings that tend to have a higher value. This means that advisors are selling higher-priced itineraries and earning more commissions by offering clients exactly what they hope for.”

Banda says the tour operator is seeing a growing trend of Canadian travellers visiting South Africa and points out that adventure travel is also on the rise with bookings made far in advance than ever before, indicating that people are willing to spend more and stay longer.

“On behalf of the African Travel, Inc. team, we would like to express our sincere thank you to all our valued Canadian travel advisors for their dedication and commitment,” he adds. “We celebrate their successes and applaud their expertise in assisting us to curate dream trips of a lifetime for their clients.”

Meanwhile, Renee Stanton-Defaria, director of sales for Goway Travel, in turn reports that agents have played a crucial role in that company’s more than 50 years of operation.

“Travel advisors are the face and heart of Goway’s five decades of success,” she says. “From the earliest days of manual bookings to the ever-evolving technologies that drive travel today, our professional community has worked tirelessly, committed to excellence throughout the journey. As part of Goway’s ongoing mission, we’re constantly looking for ways to streamline travel advisor workflows, allowing these professionals to make every client experience an exceptional one.”

Stanton-Defaria says Goway is committed to making agents’ work easier.

“GowayPro invites travel advisors to upskill using a comprehensive suite of tools and the latest industry knowledge,” she continues. “These education initiatives are designed to help travel advisors not just succeed but excel. In addition, our GowayPro Visa Rewards program recognizes all that hard work and dedication with fantastic incentives throughout the year.”

She added that she has no doubt Goway and agents can look ahead to an intertwined future. 

“This Travel Advisor Day, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every travel advisor for the vital role they’ve played in Goway’s ongoing success and endurance,” Stanton-Defaria stated. “We are humbled by your excellence, and honoured to share the adventure with you as we keep growing together through the world of travel.”

Meanwhile, Harold Ho, senior vice president, supplier relations of Royal Scenic Tours, reports that the tour operator is keen to continue working with agents and is determined to make it easy for agents to deal with it.

“At Royal Scenic, our company tagline is ‘Exclusively serving the retail travel trade and our industry partners,’” Ho reports. “Our mission is to foster long-term partnerships with travel agents across Canada to support them to stay competitive in a market that is consistently driven by technological innovation.”

As such, he says Royal Scenic has devoted resources to enhance its air reservations engine, Royal Plus. Registered agents can access a range of benefits and time-saving measures. 

“In addition to efficient fare display options on various fare types, multiple contracts, and payment options with customized markups, we have recently added the auto-ticketing feature that gives agents more control for their files with almost everything available at their fingertips,” Ho says. “It is our most comprehensive one stop shop booking platform yet so our valuable agency partners can optimize their work efficiency and enhance customer satisfaction with a smooth booking and ticketing process. In addition, our team of experienced call centre specialists are also standing by to offer assistance during normal and extended business hours. We really appreciate the ongoing support of our agency partners and invite any new agents to check us out if we have not had the pleasure to work together yet.”