What Are You Thankful For?
by Daniel McCarthy /
It’s a cliché to say that, at the end of November, “I can’t believe it’s the holiday season already.” But this week, Thanksgiving week in America, officially marks the beginning of the holiday season. And, no matter how long I stare at the calendar, I still can’t believe it’s actually the holidays yet again.
While this time of year might bring anxiety about gift-giving or table settings or heavy crowds on the roads or at the airport, it’s also the time of year that we use to reflect on what we’re thankful for, and the team at Travel Market Report wants to take this time to examine and emphasize two things, in particular.
The first, the team wants to wish our American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving (and also a very belated Thanksgiving to our Canadian readers, and just an extended thanks to our international ones).
We know that this is a busy time of year both professionally and personally, and we wanted to take the opportunity to say we appreciate each and every one of our readers and everyone else who helps to support the travel trade.
The second is that this time of year gives us the chance to reflect on what we’re thankful for and provides us the time to reflect on how lucky we are to be in this industry. It’s truly a special and extraordinarily collaborative industry. From front-end staff at hotels, to airport check-in agents, to flight attendants, to cruise line staff, to travel advisors, and more, there are so many people working together to ensure that things go smoothly for leisure and business travelers all over the world.
We’ve heard so many stories this year about people within the industry, and travel advisors in particular, going above and beyond to make sure that all goes well for travelers.
We heard how one advisor, Beth Johnson from Orenda Travel in Michigan, put together a trip that included tickets to three different games, hotel reservations in two different cities, and travel in between for a family of four who wanted to fulfill dreams of watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in France last summer.
We heard how one globetrotting couple’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration, a once-in-a-lifetime, round-the-world, private jet tour with National Geographic, was derailed by a medical emergency, an artery that was 98% blocked and required putting in a stent immediately, and how their longtime travel advisor helped get the couple back home safely without a burdening, massive medical bill waiting for them.
In another story, we learned how mission trips led a then 16-year-old growing up in a traditional, orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, New York, to become a travel advisor in order to help serve others and spread those same messages that helped change his own life.
We don’t know what next year, or even the rest of 2019, is going to bring. But we know that advisors, and the travelers who are lucky enough to work with one, will be prepared.
This year alone, the industry had to deal with another significant hurricane season; government bills that would jeopardize advisor business models in Texas, California, New York, and more; a media-generated crisis in the Dominican Republic; seemingly ever-changing rules for travel to Cuba; and the still ongoing 737 MAX problem.
All these crises have come and gone, just like past years, and the travel advisor community and the entire travel trade has remained strong and unwavering. All those in tourism should be proud of their work, and we at Travel Market Report, are thankful to be in the business with all of those people.
The passion you bring to work every day, the care you have for your clients (some of whom you’ve never met in person), and the rest of the travel community is remarkable.
We hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and a stress-free and happy holiday season.