Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 7 FUTURE OF TRAVEL I n a post-pandemic world where travel recovery is taking place in varying speeds across the globe, agents will be increasingly relevant as they help clients travel again with confidence and navigate a new tourism landscape which has been profoundly changed. Many aspects from research and planning to on-trip experience are already drastically altered, as new travel pre-requisites and requirements come into effect. Travel agents will play a larger advisory role to plan and prepare their travellers for this new travel norm, predicted Steven Ler, executive director, head of travel of UOB Travel Planners. If travellers were confident before in self-managing certain types of trips, this is likely to change. Agents will now be relied upon to offer advice on pre-departure requirements such as health declarations and swab tests; countries that travellers can visit based on their nationality; and new air travel procedures from check-in time to boarding and other possible inconveniences and changes. "What this current crisis has shown us is that people need the human touch in travel, especially when we were receiving calls for cancellations. There's a greater awareness that people need someone to assist them and walk them through each step when it comes to postponing their travel and securing credits or refunds," said Mr Ler. To this end, Mr Ler, who also serves as the president of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS), is partnering national and global bodies to improve the flow of information to agencies in Singapore. Specifically, global advisories issued by bodies such as International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other information relevant to both inbound and outbound agencies operating in Singapore. Philippines-based JLT Travel & Tours' president Erlinda L. Tan concurred that many have seen the value of travel agents during the pandemic. "Traditional travel agencies stand out in times of crisis, emergencies or unexpected bad situations during travel because we know what to do or advise the client on how they can go back to their home town or country. "Many passengers who made online bookings faced the frustration of calling customer service hotlines to rebook or re- route their trips only to be faced with answering machines," she said. Travel agents provide value to clients in areas such as corporate and leisure travel, said Citystate Travel's executive director Albert Ho. The agency's main business segments include cruising, corporate travel and meetings and events, all of which were profitable before Covid-19. "With all the complexities and diversities of travel products, there are opportunities for travel agents to deliver the right advice on products and services with the help of technology. Leisure travellers will use travel agents if they can demonstrate value in these areas," he said. Similarly, corporate customers will still need agents to manage their travel programme, handling aspects such as booking within policy and travelling on approved fares, accommodation, duty of care services in times of crisis and data consolidation, he added. Relationships between agents and clients will hinge even more on trust, according to Mingkwan Metmowlee, managing director of Bangkok-based Image D'Asie & Asia Holidays Destination Management Company Ltd. She said, "It will be more crucial to reaffirm clients and sell based on the agents' own experience. The role of travel agents will be to provide the maximum level of information to clients in advance and ensure it is accurate and useful for them." Client engagement shifts online While agents are expected to play an invaluable role in providing expert advice to clients, there are necessary shifts in the way they engage clients. "The future will be digital, so I don't think we'll see customers rushing back to agency storefronts even after this crisis is over," said UOB Travel Planners' Ler. For traditional agencies like Ms Mingkwan's, which has been operating for over 20 years, this entails improving digital content on its website and social media. Take for instance, virtual trips filmed by her staff and video reviews of destinations such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, as Thailand begins easing out of lockdown and reopening for domestic travel. However, JLT Travel & Tours' Tan, who has already been communicating with clients online through its social media platforms, does not "see much change in the client engagement process". "For now, we are using social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn, messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Viber, Line, WeChat, and contactless payment modes like WeChat Pay, Alipay, PayMaya as well as sourcing other digital platforms that would enhance and help widen our network," Ms Tan added. No time more critical than now for agents to show expertise in helping clients travel again with confidence. By Naomi Neoh Travel agents play key advisory role in post-pandemic world T R A V E L A G E N T S Albert Ho Erlinda L. Tan Mingkwan Metmowlee Steven Ler

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