Travel Agents Value Continuing Professional Education

Travel advisors are very active when it comes to ongoing professional education, according to new research from TravelAge West, part of its Need to Know research series.

In a survey of nearly 200 advisors, 77% say they participate in educational opportunities (such as webinars, conferences, digital training modules and certification courses) more than once a month. 

“Between fams, tradeshows, supplier webinars/trainings and online educational communities like Cruise Business Blueprint, Travel Pro Theory and Travel Agent Collective, there are so many opportunities for advisors to continue their education,” said Theresa Chu-Bermudez, owner of Get Out Custom Travels. “Because the world continues to change and new technologies and tools emerge almost every month, it’s important to invest your time and money in becoming the best advisor and the best business owner you can be.”

Advisors are evenly split on the type of educational opportunities they prefer the most: Webinars and virtual training was the top pick, followed by industry conferences and trade shows; digital training modules and online courses; and certification programs.

The preferred format for online training courses is interactive modules with quizzes (41%) followed closely by live webinars with time for Q&A (37%).

The type of conferences agents find most beneficial included industry-wide tradeshows (32%) and destination-focused conferences (30%). 

Overall, 84% of respondents find certification programs “very” or “somewhat” valuable.

“While the information you learn during these certification programs furthers your knowledge, it’s also nice to have letters after your name to establish more authority with your clients,” Chu-Bermudez said. “One way to capitalize on the certification programs is to announce it to your audience on social media once you’ve completed the training. It helps to build trust and I’ve had new clients find me this way.”

Agents tap into several sources for professional development and educational opportunities. Suppliers are a primary option; 84% of advisors say they look to suppliers they would like to work with more, and another 78% choose webinars or virtual events hosted by suppliers. Other resources include host agencies and travel trade publications (both at 62%), travel industry associations (53%) and peer recommendations (38%).

When it comes to hot topics for education, the top choices are niche destinations and emerging markets (69%); selling luxury travel experiences (57%); group or multigenerational travel (55%); and travel technology (52%).

“From this list, I would like to have additional training on niche destinations and emerging markets, because I think consumers are ready to see new places,” said Chu-Bermudez. “Outside of this list, at this point in my career, business and personal development is something I want to learn more about.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, when it comes to choosing a webinar or digital training module, the deciding factor is the topic covered and its relevance (96%), which is followed by the duration and flexibility of timing (77%).

Despite acknowledging the importance of educational opportunities, most advisors (46%) report that they spend less than $1,000 annually on professional development.

“Sadly, this is a common thing I see in the industry,” Chu-Bermudez said. “Because suppliers sponsor many of the tradeshows and trainings and may provide hosted spots on fams, travel advisors are not used to investing money on high-ticket educational events. It’s a mindset that needs to change if advisors and agency owners are serious about developing their businesses outside of the ‘here are the new updates to our booking platform’ type of education.”