Use a Travel Agent, Dummy

Use a travel agent, dummy.

Okay, that’s not really the name of the TICO’s new consumer awareness campaign. But it kind of should be.

Am I right?

TICO, Ontario’s travel regulator, has rolled out a new campaign designed to remind travellers of the consumer protections that are available to them by using a travel agent.

For example, what happens if your clients’ airline goes belly up—which in the age of start-ups and low-cost carriers isn’t exactly unlikely. Did you know there’s a compensation fund for stranded travellers, but not all travellers are eligible to receive those funds? Those who booked their travel with a TICO-registered agent can receive some or all of their money back if their airline flops.

Another, lesser known benefit of booking with a TICO agent, is that TICO agents are required to travellers what travel documents they’ll need before they travel. Just in case they’ve forgotten to double check when their passport expires.

“Consumers making holiday arrangements have a choice: they can book through a TICO-registered travel agency or website and have their travel services protected, or they can put their hard-earned vacation dollars at risk and book with someone else,” warns Richard Smart, TICO President and CEO. “This is a very timely message, considering the increasing number of booking options available to consumers, and also given that this is the time of year consumers start planning their winter and spring break vacations. TICO’s campaign will stress that when booking a holiday with a registered Ontario travel agency or website, travellers are protected by the Province’s strict consumer protection laws, and the regulations governing the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Funds."

The campaign will run through Jan. 22 and can be seen via TV ads and on YouTube.

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But while this campaign is a great step in promoting the value of travel agencies, especially those based in Ontario, it is just a first step.

What Can You Do?

And this is the point where travel agents should be asking themselves if they’re doing enough to promote the importance of travel agencies.

As travel professionals, we all know the reasons why to use a travel agent. Better value, more access to upgrades, a vast information network, massive time savings. And the list goes on. But even though we know the reasons, we don’t always remember to share them with the world.

Let me digress for a second. If a Best Buy sales clerk tells you all the reasons on why you must buy that Best Buy Geek Squad protection plan, you’re probably going to think he’s making a commission off that sale, so there’s no trust there, right?

But if you read a story on a site like PC World or PC Magazine about how the Best Buy protection program almost always saves you money, you’re going to be much more likely to pick up that plan, right?

So, to circle back, don’t just leave the convincing of the importance of a travel agent to your one-on-one conversations with clients. Get out there and advocate for the industry. The whole industry.

What can you do to promote the importance of travel agents?

Have you grabbed the TICO video snippets and promoted them on their own social channels?

Yes, the videos promote TICO agencies in general and not your agency specifically, but it's an easy way to remind consumers that travel agents remain relevant.

If you’d rather not share the TICO playing field, you can easily create your own videos using tools like Nutshell or Animoto.

Or else, you can link to pro-travel agent articles on your social channels. Or how about writing your own articles.

Did you save a trip? Get a client out of disaster zone? Be sure to shout out your accomplishments (with your clients’ permission of course.)

Sending out press releases is a great way to get the word out. Send them to local media, bloggers, your chamber of commerce or anyone you know who runs a local newsletter. Travel trade publications (hint, hint) are always looking for travel agent success stories, so be sure to include us in your distribution list. I’ve even been approached by agents at industry events with ideas for stories, including this one which was developed after a conversation with Ontario-based TPI agent Carl Henderson.

Read More: More vacation perks for TPI Clients

Need help writing a press release? There are plenty of travel releases here to give you ideas on getting started. Interestingly NONE of these releases were submitted by travel agents or agencies in the last ninety days. You have to ask why not? Why aren’t travel agents taking advantage of the vast media network available to them? Conversely, if you’re a travel agent, imagine how wide open the field is, which means you have a lot more chances to get your message heard.

Need ideas for press release topics? Here’s a great one by Air Canada on Travel Tips or the Holidays. Do NOT copy the release word for word, that’s plagiarism, but create your own travel tips release and be sure to include one (or more) tips on why using a travel agent is optimal this time of year.

The Newswire.ca service is a paid service, but if you do a google search for “Free press release distribution,” you all also find plenty of free ways to distribute those releases.

Need more ideas. How about searching Twitter for the terms travel Canada and seeing what kind of Twitter users pop up in the results. If you find a blogger or travel writer you like, tweet at them with a possible story idea. Twitter is hit and miss as a communication tool, but it’s free and easy, so you have nothing to lose.

Hats are off to TICO for taking the message to the streets. But now I encourage all agents to take one step to promote their business—personally and as an industry—in the coming year. Let me know how the results go, I might even write a story about it!

Follow @MonicaPoling