Valerie Sakrekoff-Delzer, CTC
What defines being a professional?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of the word professional is:
Definition of professional (noun)
: one that is professional especially : one that engages in a pursuit or activity professionally
What constitutes the term professional is someone who demonstrates certain characteristics involving behavior, education, and ethics, as they relate to the particular job.
We know that doctors and lawyers (as two popular examples of many) require extensive educational training as well as the joining of associations particular to their line of work. We know that licensing is a must for many professions as well, in order to practice their professional trade.
Even when a person has met the requirements for education and training, and joins their respective trade associations agreeing to abide by the standards set forth for that industry, what comes next?
PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
The behaviors associated with day-to-day work life are what demonstrate all of the knowledge, training, and adherence to ethics that define the professional vs. non-professional. Whether the person is engaged in working with the public or consumers-at-large (also known as B2C) or with other businesses (also known as B2B), the professional becomes known by their behavior to others. When others speak well of someone they have worked with, we often hear the words “He/She was professional” — meaning in their behavior and appearance.
As the word professional has now been fully defined, the next question explores the context of a professional specifically within the travel industry.
PROVIDERS OF TRAVEL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS
There are segments to the travel industry known as the suppliers, which includes airlines, hotels, tour operators, car rental companies, railway companies, and cruise lines. The travel industry wouldn’t exist without these suppliers because, quite simply, they are what allow people to get from one part of the world to another.
Within these segments we have professionals such as pilots and flight attendants, who follow the specific protocols and ethics of their industry in their daily work life. Another example is hoteliers, who have to provide excellent customer service with everyone they interact with at their jobs, as well as anyone who works on the supply side of the travel industry.
Another segment of the travel industry is the person who operates between the supplier and the consumer, also known traditionally as the travel agent and in more recent times as the travel advisor or counselor. The first American travel agency was established in 1887 with Brownell Travel, and even earlier for England in 1758 when Cox & Kings, Ltd. eventually became the Thomas Cook Travel Agency circa 1970. Brownell Travel still exists in the U.S. 130 years later, having evolved with the changes in the travel industry.
With the advent of the internet around the early 1980s came another new way to sell travel. At that time a travel professional was known as someone who worked in the supplier side of the travel industry.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that the Online Travel Agency, or OTA, came into existence. We know them today as the new retail store-front with brand names such as Expedia, Travelocity, TripAdvisor, etc.
The internet also paved the way for travel suppliers to create their own website presence and/or online booking engine. This made it easier for the consumer to purchase travel at their leisure. Some have said this helped push the traditional “brick-and-mortar” travel agency out of the market for being rendered obsolete due to the simplicity of technology, thereby reducing the need for travel agents overall.
THE INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENT
The travel industry changed again in the early 2000s as another new element sprouted up with the advent of the independent travel agent. This meant that a person who either previously worked at a retail travel agency or perhaps someone who wanted to work independently from home, could thus become a travel agent. Licensing was not required for this; instead all that was needed was a small fee to join a host agency (an agency that agreed to create independent contractor jobs) and the ability to use a computer and sell travel supplier products.
QUALITY SERVICE TO THE BUYER
The travel industry is part of the much larger service industry within the global economy. This means that there is a service provided to the public or consumer. Service is key in many industries. In the competitive travel industry it can all but make or break a company.
With this service comes reputation either through the relationships built by a travel agency or an independent travel agent. The consumer can benefit greatly through the use of the services of a professional travel agent or agency. But how does the consumer distinguish who is the true travel professional?
One way is through referrals or word-of-mouth. Another is through testimonies published online.
Since using a computer or smartphone is ubiquitous in the world today, now more so than ever with the touch of a mobile phone one can perform a search to find who suits their idea of what constitutes a travel professional. Yet, the average consumer doesn’t know exactly what goes into becoming a travel agent and may also feel that it doesn’t matter when they can book something online themselves.
TRAVEL BLOGGERS
There is such a large wealth of information online related to travel that the DIY (do-it-yourself) category was developed as another segment within the Travel Industry. This is known as the travel blogger. When people realized they could find ways to travel cheaply on a budget while visiting many countries and writing about their travels on their own website, a new cottage industry was born.
A website with personal information became known as a blog and the person writing it became known as a blogger. Travel bloggers shared their specific itineraries showing what they did, how they did it, and how much it cost. This inspired consumers to try and simulate it themselves. The problem is what worked for Mary may not work for Sue.
With Baby Boomers becoming phased out of the workplace and Millennials taking over demographically-speaking, a new sub-industry dawned in the era of DIY travel. A handful of young millennials became “experts” at what they do making a living by travelling the world and working remotely. Soon everyone wanted to do that and travel agents/advisors lessened in demand.
Travel Blog World Conferences came together to discuss, teach, and learn about ways to travel and work remotely while being your own boss. Somewhere along the way, travel bloggers became known as “travel professionals” simply because of all their personal travel and having a blog to share with the world. This was a far cry away from the early days when travel agents were established as travel professionals who worked in retail store-fronts. The travel bloggers thus positioned themselves as the people to go to for travel guidance.
However, travel bloggers do not have all the contacts, contracts, training, or knowledge that travel agents do. That is because travel industry associations such as ASTA, CLIA, IATA, ARC, etc. established rules of conduct and behavior of professionalism long before travel bloggers even existed. This is what helps keep travel agents accountable as travel professionals.
In order to survive, the travel industry has had to evolve by creating new rules of conduct and behaviors for the independent travel agent. Contracts devised between a host agency and an independent travel agent discern that the travel agent shall abide by reputable behavior when using the host agency or Consortia’s supplier relationships, which requires the use of professionalized credentials such as an IATA, ARC, or CLIA number. Those numbers are of the utmost importance to the travel professional who actively sells travel. It is what counts for sales volume and industry growth patterns, as well as other pertinent information to keep track of the travel industry as a whole.
Travel bloggers do not use such travel credentials. Some bloggers do find ways to partner with DMOs (Destination Marketing Organization) or CVBs (Convention Visitors Bureau) in order to write and publish sponsored posts, but it doesn’t require them to work within the actual travel industry. They would just need to be savvy about the ways in which a post can rank higher on the World Wide Web.
The best thing travel blogs do for a consumer is inspire “wanderlust” or ideas of travel. This, in turn, can lead a consumer to locate a travel agent if they need help with the actual travel planning and costs. Finding a knowledgeable travel agent who specializes in specific niche areas of travel, such as destinations or types of travel, further help a consumer lockdown their dream holiday or vacation.
While there are quite possibly millions of travel agents and travel bloggers out there in the world today, the differences between the two spell out what constitutes a true travel professional. Travel agents are constantly updating their supplier travel knowledge with webinar trainings and in-person meetings. They also create a relationship with their BDM (business development manager) of a particular supplier. This gives the travel agent the edge in providing value and service to the consumer. Furthering travel agent knowledge through governing bodies in the travel industry eliminate people who only are in the travel industry more as a hobby rather than as an actual professional who are serious about providing the best travel experiences for their clients.
To make it even clearer, a travel professional can be defined as someone who is selling travel to the public, whether it be airfare, tours, trains, hotels, car rentals, etc. This narrows it down primarily to a travel agent who has the industry access to provide a variety of travel products to the consumer and to provide all the assistance necessary for a trip.
LICENSING
Travel agents do not require getting a trade license per se, such as how some other industries do. However, when it comes to selling travel, there are six states which require a seller of travel license. That is not the same as requiring to pass a test to obtain a professional travel agent license which, in some provinces of Canada, is required. The seller of travel license is only required to sell travel in specific states as set forth by their laws.
EDUCATION
There are several ways a person interested in becoming a travel agent can obtain an educational background in travel:
1. Through a local community college or university travel program.
2. Through a host agency providing free and/or paid training.
3. Through an accredited body such as The Travel Institute, which provides three levels of certification known as a:
CTA – Certified Travel Associate.
CTC – Certified Travel Counselor.
CTIE – Certified Travel Industry Executive.
These methods can all provide a good start to what it means to be a travel professional as a travel agent, but only The Travel Institute requires ongoing training in the form of CEUs or Continuing Education Units to maintain one’s credentialed status. These CEUs can be obtained from a variety of travel suppliers who offer free courses to stay current with not only product offerings but also destinations and methods of selling travel professionally.
It is this continuing education that fosters a sense of professionalism for the travel agent who can attest to continually adding and building their knowledge base rather than remaining stagnant. This can even set apart one travel agent from another in terms of who might be better qualified to sell a particular product based on knowledge and/or skills. Because there is not one set of standards to apply equally to all persons wishing to become a travel professional, it behooves the individual to research and learn the best travel career path that will help to set them apart as a true travel professional.
Education can vary from one person to the next similar to personal travel experience. For the consumer it matters in terms of finding a travel professional who specializes in what type of travel they are looking for. Often times the consumer has vague ideas of what it is they want, so for the professional travel agent, it is a matter of first qualifying the prospect to learn what type of travel the customer has already done, as well as all the details of who, what, when, where the customer wishes to travel. Online travel agencies do not automatically qualify their customers, and typically, neither do travel bloggers.
For the professionally-trained and knowledgeable travel agent, this is what can make all of the difference for a consumer who is looking to book their dream travel. Another aspect of what the travel professional can offer is personalized service and attention to detail, as well as 24-hour communication via third-party apps or texts. The consumer will feel a sense of trust and dependability for if something goes wrong and they don’t have the time or just doesn’t want to deal with a hassle.
Over time, excellent B2C relationships are built this way. The consumer comes to rely on the overall helpfulness and guidance of the travel professional. It’s like having a solid best friend to help you manage your travel by keeping you on budget, apprising you of best offers, offering new things you may have never known existed, or just remembering your birthday. In other words, it becomes truly personalized service rather than impersonal.
Not only can that set the non-professionals apart from the professionals, but it helps the consumer to make better, more informed decisions. To that end it is a huge benefit to the consumer to rely on a true travel professional rather than leaving it to chance or “winging it” as the slang saying goes!
ETHICS
Behavior and education have been fully defined and elaborated on, but there is one other factor that can help define the true professional further: ethics. A person who is bound by solid ethical judgment will round out the positive experience for their customers, while also living up to the full sense of a travel professional. Not all people agree about what good ethics constitute, but the basics can be defined as when a person doesn’t cheat another person or situation to gain advantage. That is putting it very simply.
In the travel industry ethics account for who gets reimbursed when something happens and it is not their fault and they stand to lose money paid out. Professional people in the industry will see to it that the consumer is adequately compensated or reimbursed for some mishap they did not cause.
INSURANCE PROTECTION
A professional travel advisor who offers expert advice and sells travel products can protect their services through having what is known as E&O (errors and omissions) liability insurance. In the event that the consumer is not satisfied with what travel products the advisor provided and decides to sue the advisor, the insurance policy will cover some but not all costs, as it relates to each incident individually. Even in the event a frivolous lawsuit is filed by a disgruntled consumer where it was not the fault of the travel agent, the E&O can cover the legal costs incurred for the travel agent.
The USTOA (United States Tour Operators of America) requires their members to carry the minimum of a $1 million security bond in the event of a catastrophic business failure. This protects not only the consumer but the travel agency business as well, where financial losses can be recouped. Not all tour operators carry this amount of insurance or have been qualified to be a member of the USTOA. Therefore the wise travel agent will make sure when selling tours that the tour operator is reputable and established in the industry with the appropriate insurance.
ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) has a professional code of ethics conduct for its members. The integrity and honesty of the travel agent can be measured by this code of ethical behavior standards.
CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) has professional development courses for travel agents who specialize in selling cruise travel.
IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents the world’s airlines. Their revenue is reported using an IATA code number, which is given to approved travel agents and travel agencies. The use of the IATA codes binds the agents/agencies to a professional code of ethical conduct or risk losing the selling of air travel.
ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation) The ARC has a rigorous background check that a travel agency must submit to in order to be considered given the privilege of an ARC number used in selling travel. There is also a program they offer called the ARC-VTC or verified travel consultant which demonstrates to the public the travel agents has been verified as a legitimate source to sell travel.
These governing bodies can hold the Travel Professional accountable by setting forth standards of conduct and ethical behavior that, if not adhered to properly, can revoke a travel agents’ ability to sell travel. Thus this protects the consumer from fraudulent, unprofessional travel agents.
SUMMARY
We have learned the following as to what constitutes who is defined as the travel professional.
1. Knowledge and Education
2. Behavior
3. Ethics
Having the knowledge and education doesn’t simply make a person professional. It’s not until the knowledge is applied constructively and appropriately to business and consumer relationships demonstrating integrity. Lastly, this knowledge has to be used appropriately per legal rules and regulations that govern the travel industry, which demonstrates to the consumer who is a true travel professional vs. those who do not abide by the travel industry standards.
