Standard agent commission is being raised by 2% to 12% for 2018 by long-haul specialist InsideAsia Tours.
Aito has recommended operators increase commission by 0.5% to help absorb some of the cost of credit card fee changes from this month.
However, InsideAsia Tours has seen the commission review as an opportunity to re-evaluate its trade strategy and to work with more agents.
This follows overall sales rising year-on-year by almost 40% in 2017, including bookings from the trade across its brands covering Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.
Agent sales manager Matt Spiller said: “Over the past two years we have seen agent turnover grow by almost 80% and we believe that agents are a key factor in the company’s growth.
“The decision to increase commission has huge financial implications for us and the decision has not been taken lightly, however, we believe it’s an important step to show our commitment to trade partnerships.”
He added: “I was InsideAsia’s only business development manager on the road but demand for us to attend agent events and provide training has increased so much that we appointed a second, Lawrence Pryer, in July.
“It has been a very successful year for trade partnerships and we are very excited with what we have planned for trade partnerships in 2018 and beyond.”