Firstly, I would like to make a promise to anyone reading this: I will refrain from using over used words like unprecedented, and unchartered. If you are anything like me, every time I hear or read those words, I want them to disappear forever. Of course, this is unchartered. Of course, this is unprecedented. It’s a pandemic in the year 2020! Anyway! As things start to open back up again, this is where, for many of us, the hard work really begins. This is where a lot of small businesses have to look realistically at their books and potentially make hard decisions about the future of their livelihood. Especially for travel agencies where the future could not be more unknown. What will COVID cost you? Will people start travelling again in 3 months? 6 months? Will enough people want to get back on a cruise ship? Are destination weddings ever going to be allowed again? How will it look? How will we make a living if only 30%, 40%? Even 50% of our clients decide to travel again? Of course, those of us who are obsessed with travel, like we are, are thinking positively and say things like “people will travel again” but the true reality is: we just don’t know how long it will be until we can pay our bills again. And the time is coming soon that our landlords are going to ask for their rent, our vendors will not be able to defer payments anymore, and those bills will keep mounting as the revenue will continue to not come in.
But we have to do whatever we can to ensure our industry is able to wait this out. We have to be the ones who patiently wait along the sidelines for when our travellers are ready again…. So, we have to find ways to cut our costs and keep our head above the water. If you are an agency owner, we want you to know that you have options. You are not alone, and Travel Masters wants to help as many of our partners continue their passion for this industry and keep their agencies alive. Joining a host, like Travel Masters, will relieve agencies of many of their costs while maintaining the brand that they transacted before this un&reced@nted time (didn’t use the word ). They can patiently wait for their clients to be ready and keep their business afloat.
It may take some time for people to get back on a plane, or cruise ship, or tour, but we all know in our heart of hearts that people will get out there again, and when they do….. the value of having a travel agent has never been more globally understood. We are passionate about keeping as many of our beloved travel agents able to stay being a travel agent, and as many agencies as we can open. We are in this together. The time couldn’t be more primed to make the right change to keep your passion project alive. Call me, Heather Stuart, if you want to discover how Travel Masters can help you.
