Big future for agents - TTC
THE Travel Corporation (TTC) CEO Brett Tollman believes that despite the massive disruption imposed by COVID-19, travel agents in Australia have a bright future once the pandemic passes.
Speaking to Travel Daily Publisher Bruce Piper yesterday live from Los Angeles in a Travel Industry Hub webinar, Tollman downplayed suggestions that the company would be forced to switch to a direct to consumer approach given the retail travel sector’s decimation.
In particular he highlighted expectations that the complexity of travel in the future means Australians are likely to travel overseas for longer than in the past - as opposed to trends in recent years which saw more frequent, shorter trips.
“There are so many moving parts...we can’t book all of that,” he said, with customers needing add-ons such as car hire & other items pre and post a Trafalgar or Uniworld trip, for example.
“We’re not built to do that, and so we’re not going to be able to satisfy the consumer out there.”
Tollman said coming out of the pandemic The Travel Corporation was hopeful of recovery within the local travel agency sector.
“We want to see a strong Flight Centre, they’re one of our best and strongest partners, we want a very strong Helloworld, a very strong Express Travel Group and so forth,” he said.
“We’re fully behind the agency community and we want and need to see them recover and we very much want to be working with them in the future.”
Tollman noted that before the pandemic, about 55% of the travel industry in the USA comprised home-based advisors, with expectations of similar trends within Australia.
“We’re going to have to find ways to connect with those individuals,” he said, noting the consolidation of TTC’s sales teams into the Velvet Collection, covering the company’s upmarket portfolio of Uniworld, Insight Vacations, Adventure World, Luxury Gold and Red Carnation, and a separate team covering AAT Kings, Trafalgar and Costsaver, along with proportionally more inside sales resources.
The TTC Global CEO also urged the Australian industry to remain resilient, stay positive and to look forward to an expected “tsunami” of bookings once borders open.
“Australia really built TTC, we’ve been in the market for more than 60 years, so much of our history and legacy comes out of Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s such an important and treasured part of the world for us as a market, as people, and as travellers and we can’t wait until borders open,” he added.
More from TTC on
YESTERDAY’S conversation with The Travel Corporation (TTC) CEO Brett Tollman (see page 1) took place at The Travel Industry Hub in North Sydney, with local TTC chief Fiona Dalton also standing by during the wide-ranging interview which canvassed how one of the world’s largest holiday companies is navigating COVID-19.
Tollman, who is also a key player within the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), highlighted measures such as developing domestic itineraries as well as investing in Wellbeing Directors on all trips within Europe to help keep travellers safe and healthy.
Despite the current shutdown, he said TTC was ready and willing to restart travelling as soon as restrictions eased, but noted the current lack of global coordination of measures that would permit a restart.
He highlighted a recent presentation by the WTTC to the G20, in which he and other senior industry leaders presented key a 12-step plan to governments from across the world.
“We want governments to work in unison and collaboration to put these recommendations in place, find ways to keep borders open so that there can be resilience and recovery on a consistent basis in the industry and for travellers to have the confidence and comfort to travel again,” he said. The plan is online at wttc.org. Tollman also highlighted TTC’s “How We Make Travel Matter” initiative (TD 24 Sep) which has seen the company commit to a series of targets in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
He also confirmed TTC’s ongoing environmental commitments, including a plan for its global operations to be carbon-neutral.
Tollman is pictured giving a thumbs up on the screen with Richard Taylor of The Travel Industry Hub, TD’s Bruce Piper and The Travel Corporation CEO Australia Fiona Dalton.