For the past few years, everyone has been talking about the increased number of consumers using travel advisors.
It's certainly been driving demand at agencies. For some, that demand has been overwhelming, but that's better than the opposite problem.
Now, a new study from Internova Travel Group has shed some more light on consumer demand for travel advisors: Travelers of all ages and income levels are shifting toward advisors to book their trips.
More good news: The number of trips they're taking has increased year over year.
Internova used its own proprietary data, as well as a survey of nearly 2,000 North American travelers, to compile its 2023 Internova Index: American Traveler Insights, the first report of its kind. "Travelers" were defined as those who had at least one leisure trip in 2023 and intend to travel for leisure the same amount or more in 2024. The company intends to publish the report annually.
Based on its data and survey, Internova is expecting an increase of the number of leisure trips booked through advisors next year. It estimates that increase will be around 10%.
Interestingly, Internova found that travelers of all income levels are using advisors. And younger travelers are using advisors at a similar level as their older counterparts.
Most are using advisors for international trips.
Internova also found evidence that people are traveling more. From November 2022 to October 2023, the average number of annual leisure trips a traveler took was up 4%; the average number of international trips was up 10%.
Going into 2024, most survey respondents indicated they would travel at the same level or more than 2023; that's good news for the trade.
"Travel advisors across all of our brands proved their value during the pandemic when their clients had a real human being to call for assistance as business and leisure trips were disrupted," Internova CEO J.D. O'Hara said in a release. "I am delighted with the outcomes of this survey, which show that a growing number of consumers understand the vital service we provide, and they consider us an essential partner in their travel planning."