The Travel Network Group has created a fresh marketing campaign calling on customers to use their members’ expertise to answer concerns about travel.
It follows customer research conducted by the travel agency consortium which found concerns about safety overseas and confusion over refunds was deterring people from booking holidays.
The ‘Ask Us’ campaign encourages customers to speak to TTNG’s travel agent members directly about their worries and concerns so they are able to plan more easily.
The campaign features customisable assets for agents to use online or in-store which can be tailored to their activity in response to changes to the UK’s travel corridors list.
The survey, of more than a thousand people, found 53% were hoping to book an overseas holiday in the next 3-12 months. More than half of those surveyed said government guidance on overseas travel hasn’t been clear and 30% said they were worried about not being able to access refunds on flights or accommodation.
Gary Lewis, chief executive of The Travel Network Group said: “It’s clear that we will be dealing with the impact of the pandemic for a long time, so empowering and enabling people to travel safely is key to helping the industry get back on its feet. We know from our research – and from our own experiences over the last seven months – that people have an appetite for travel but are understandably concerned about their health and safety.
“We know that our members have the expertise, impartiality and knowledge to help customers understand the ever-changing travel regulations as well as the steps that airlines, resorts and tour operators are taking to keep people safe abroad, so this campaign is aimed at ensuring customers know what a brilliant source of knowledge our members are.
“We believe having conversations with customers about safe travel is crucial to rebuilding consumer confidence and this campaign is aimed at encouraging customers to talk to the people who are best placed to advise them – travel businesses.
Lewis added: “While there’s a long way to go to get customers travelling regularly again, we welcome the trial of all initiatives such as airport testing and discussions about seven-day quarantines for people returning to the UK.”
According to the research, consumers need reassurance about how safe they are when they are on holiday with 45% saying they were concerned about falling ill on holiday and 41% saying they have concerns about the safety of travel by aircraft or ship. It found 40% were worried about the Covid-19 infection rates in other countries.
The campaign will feature aspirational imagery from tourist destinations and encourage customers to ‘Ask Us’ about key areas of concern such as ‘Where is safe to travel?’, ‘What are the latest travel regulations?’ or ‘ Can I change my booking?’.