Basic respect is the least agents deserve

I write this week as anticipation builds for the release of the shortlists for the UK’s most prestigious travel awards in our special supplement with next week’s edition of Travel Weekly.

The unveiling of the Globe Travel Awards shortlists is always a high point, as it reminds us of the wealth of travel brands that are excelling in their fields. And it also shines a light on the suppliers that go above and beyond to support their trade partners.

While the pandemic is now thankfully well and truly behind us, the lessons learnt during that period shouldn’t be forgotten, and one of those was how true trade partnerships paid off for companies and customers alike.

Since those dark days we have seen many suppliers return to or increase their investment in travel agents, with growth in trade sales often reported as a result.

Against that backdrop, it seems remarkable that such a respected agent as Haslemere Travel’s Gemma Antrobus still felt it necessary to remind some operators how real partnerships should work. The chair of Aito Specialist Travel Agents says most supplier representatives on the frontline are ticking all the right boxes, but there is still a minority that are getting it badly wrong.

As Gemma correctly says, agents know their clients better than anyone and are therefore so much more than simple order takers for those owning the end product.

In-depth knowledge of trade partners’ businesses is clearly desirable to develop the most successful relationships, but at the very least respect and simple courtesy should be a given.