Agents and operators must assure travellers that booking with the trade offers the best protection and advice amid the pandemic, according to speakers at The Specialist Travel Association (Aito) conference.
Gemma Antrobus (Haslemere Travel), chair of Aito Specialist Travel Agents, said:“We go beyond Google and do what internet searches and OTAs can’t do.
“Clients know I am the person to come to if they have any questions.
“I send out information about Brexit, travel insurance and travel corridors.
“To grow our businesses we have to ensure we continue to tell them that they need to come to us to be fully protected, fully informed and fully looked after.
“If they can’t get a PCR test, they can’t go on that holiday so you need to help out and ring some clinics.”
Sam Clark, Experience Travel Group co-founder and managing director, said: “Clients are confused and scared – we have to simplify things.
“We are trying to look at how we can do more work with agents to offer face-to-face reassurance.”
The operator is simplifying its product range, offering ‘Travel Now’ products such as the Maldives, and‘Book Now, Travel Later’ holidays.
Claire Ingleby, director at MB Law, said the Package Travel Regulations can be a burden for operators but offer “a huge amount of comfort for travellers who will be cautious about stepping out of the UK”.
“When they come to travel further afield, and even with in Europe, tour operators can offer wraparound service, which is of huge importance,” she said.
Speakers earlier in the day during the conference (December 15) agreed that personal service will be seen as more important as travel arrangements are so complex, and many holidaymakers have had problems dealing with online travel agents during 2020.
Chris Rowles, Aito chairman, said the association was “thriving” despite having to make redundancies and “biting deep into our reserves”.
“Over 90% of members have renewed this year and we have welcomed new members, which is great to see,” he told the conference.
“More than 300 people are joining us for this conference, it’s the biggest we have ever had.”