Just who do you think you are?: Travel Weekly

Jamie Biesiada

Jamie Biesiada

Who was the common journey advisor in 2020? 

That is specifically the dilemma Host Company Evaluations answered in its hottest report on facts from its 2020 Travel Agent Profits Study. 

Responses from 771 brokers had been made use of to craft the report, which breaks them down into four groups:

Hosted brokers, described as unbiased contractors (ICs) aligned with a host agency
Unbiased brokers, or ICs who have and use their possess accreditation variety
Staff brokers, or agents employed with a journey agency who are not ICs
Franchise brokers, or ICs who own a vacation franchise.

Most respondents (61%) fell into the hosted category, although 19% noted becoming independent, 8% staff members, 7% franchise and 5% hosted and impartial (a small fraction of significantly less than 1% described becoming hosted and franchise or franchise and unbiased).

So the common agent, based mostly on HAR’s respondents, outdoors of currently being hosted, who is she? Effectively, for starters, she is in point a she. In general, 84% of respondents were being women. 

Damaged down by group, gender distribution varied a bit, from at minimum 79% female for impartial brokers to as substantially as 97% female for worker agents.

The common advisor is also in all probability white. 

In full, 79% of respondents claimed currently being white, although 10% determined as Black or African American. Two % noted being Asian American, and a different 2% described being Hispanic/Latinx/Spanish. Less than 1% documented getting American Indian, Alaska Indigenous, indigenous Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or Middle Jap/North African.

Respondents documented a median of eight a long time of knowledge, but that various significantly by class. Hosted agents had been the minimum expert, with a median practical experience stage of 6 decades, followed by franchise agents, who had a median of 6 and a fifty percent yrs of encounter. Impartial brokers averaged 15 years, although employees topped the checklist with a median 24.5 decades of expertise.

Instruction stages various widely, much too, but most typical was a bachelor’s diploma (36%) followed by some college or university (20%).

The majority of respondents (69%) had a the very least one particular journey-unique certification impartial brokers have been most likely to have at least a single (79%), adopted by franchise agents (67%) and hosted brokers (66%).

The vast majority have been also most likely to be customers of a journey association, with 77% reporting they were being. The prime four memberships have been ASTA, CCRA, ACTA and CLIA, in no unique purchase.

For most (64%), providing travel was their major source of cash flow. Unsurprisingly, this was most widespread amid worker brokers, even though the break up varied close to 60-40 for hosted, unbiased and franchise brokers. Also, most (64%) described selling vacation entire time.

The average agent is also really pleased with their task. The majority stated they would come to be an agent all over again in each individual class (hosted brokers had been the maximum at 91%, when franchise agents have been cheapest at 78%).

Obtaining a peek into who the common agent is at any presented time is generally attention-grabbing. But possibly the most encouraging determine to come out of HAR’s info is that the average money of comprehensive-time, hosted agents is on the upswing. In 2019, they gained an normal of $64,377, up nearly $3,000 as opposed with the prior year.

Of study course, this knowledge demonstrates the “before situations,” when Covid-19 had not still ravaged the sector. But it is indicative of the achievement of the section, and it offers hope for the upcoming.

“Exclusively, for hosted brokers, typical cash flow has elevated steadily, 12 months in excess of yr,” HAR founder Stephanie Lee said. “These stories mark a important turning place, not only gauging the journey agent industry’s sturdy pre-pandemic well being but also offering an crucial milestone to mark the industry’s eventual recovery.”

This 7 days kicks off HAR’s first Host Week. The virtual celebration will run Jan. 10-16 and is developed to rejoice hosted agents. Speakers include things like sector leaders, host businesses (which will also give special specials for attendees) and suppliers. The occasion is free and open to all.