Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
U.S.A.
English
Canada
English
Canada Quebec
Français
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Air
  • Training & Resources
  • Luxury Travel Report

Travel Agents: Let Your Customers Speak For You

by Richard D’Ambrosio  August 09, 2017
Travel Agents: Let Your Customers Speak For You

Red Carnation's #myBbar social media campaign generated user social media posts.

Travel agents hear all the time how they should leverage social media to drive awareness and gain new clients. But who has the time to take all those photos and write poignant posts about Tuscany when you are busy planning your clients’ next trips, managing your agency’s accounting and dealing with suppliers?

Your clients have the time — and they already are posting for you.

In fact, your clients and their travel experiences — “called ‘user generated content’ (UGC)” — are the very best content you could use for your social media feeds.

“The good agents use user generated content on their websites, Facebook pages and other social media platforms. Many of the best agents have great customer testimonials. But an agent has to reach out and get those testimonials,” said Marilyn Macallair, vice president of business development at Passport Online, a company that helps supply digital content for more than 7,500 travel agency websites and Facebook pages. “What we are seeing more of recently is that agents are saying they are getting bookings from posts that are appearing in their newsfeed.”

The Travel Corporation (TTC) has strategically targeted user generated content for its many company brands. “When we looked at our social media sites, we could see how people were recommending our trips or encouraging others to purchase from us,” said Dan Christian, TTC digital officer, during a recent webinar hosted by Stackla, a social media content platform. “We realized we need to amplify that.”

The company identified keywords and channels that were leading to sales conversions, and saw that traditional marketing and advertising wasn’t nearly as successful as user generated content in developing client trust, lifting engagement and driving sales.

“Our CEO Gavin Tollman himself says ‘We need to stop talking about the brand ourselves and get our customers talking about it.'”

Collette Tours encourages “fans and past travelers to share key moments that they experience on tour and use our #GuidedByCollette hashtag so we can follow along,” said the company’s digital marketing specialist, Craig Desmarais.

As a result, Collette’s call centers have documented new customers who say they called in to book a tour because they saw a Collette client post. Desmarais said Facebook and Instagram are Collette’s biggest sources of UGC, though he sees influencers using Collette hashtags on Twitter as well.

Start with you and your staff
The foundation of Contiki’s program started with training Travel Corporation team members to post, and for employees to encourage Contiki’s clients to post as well.

“It’s not enough to tell people to engage on social. We made sure that our travel and tour directors were provided the right training, to understand why this is important,” Christian said.

He told a story about how former Trafalgar USA president Paul Wiseman initially was reluctant to be a part of social media because he didn’t see the benefit. “But then he started connecting with the agency community online and driving traffic to the website. He became ‘Mr. Selfie’ overnight, because he saw the results from it.”

Collette also encourages its tour managers to “get guests excited about sharing their trip with their friends and family back home,” Desmarais said. “At the end of the tour they not only encourage guests to continue to share on social media but to go to our Facebook page and leave a review and share a bit about their experience, and about their tour managers and drivers.”

UGC also can help an agency turn travel planning dialogues away from price, Christian said. “The complete experience doesn’t come down to a price point. We want to promote the unique experience of our brands.”

Everyone loves a good prize
Christian advises agents to “occasionally incentivize consumers” to post on social media. TTC’s Red Carnation hotel group held a contest in 2014 asking customers to use the hashtag #MyBbar with posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, showing customers enjoying themselves at a Red Carnation hotel bar. Prizes included a three-course meal at one of the hotels.

Hamilton Island Australia

Hamilton Island encourages its guests to post their vacation experiences.

Hamilton Island, Australia started targeting guest photos for its website three years ago because it realized “real visitor photos are more relatable and credible with potential travelers than expensive professional photography,” said Aida Merdovic, director of online at Hamilton Island.

The company developed a 3-week competition to celebrate its one millionth visitor, asking past guests to share their memories on social media using the hashtag #HIRememberWhen. 

The public voted on their favorite posts and a panel of judges selected the winner, who got to choose from one of three holiday packages. Merdovic said the campaign lifted website traffic by 400%. Click through rates on Hamilton Island Facebook ads tripled.

Hamilton Island’s Merdovic offers the following UGC tips for travel agents:

  • Just try it. If you wait to have the perfect strategy you might miss the opportunity.
  • Choose a relevant and easy to remember hashtag but nothing too generic. You want to know with some confidence that most of the posts on the hashtag are related to your brand and not just a common phrase.
  • Actively promote your hashtag on all your collateral, include it in your Instagram bio and use it on your own posts to build momentum.  
  • If you are running a competition, make sure you’re legally compliant, have clear terms and conditions, and seek consent and permission to utilize the UGC in your marketing communication. That way you can maximize the return from the activity. 
  
  
Related Articles
VacationPort Adds Brendan Vacations to Travel Advisor Platform
TTC Tour Brands Tops 2,000 Confirmed Departures for 2026
The Travel Corporation Appoints CEO, Deputy CEO for Touring Division
Canadians Flock to Bali and Asia as New Contiki Trips Announced
Contiki Launches Three New Tours in Indonesia
Survey: Gen Z Doesn’t Trust AI for Travel Booking
Contiki Intros “Sober Curious” Itineraries for Gen Z
Contiki Announces Industry-First “Run Club” Trips
TTC Tour Brands Unveils 2025 Big Tour Sale
Contiki Launches 4 New Asia Tours

MOST VIEWED

  1. La Liste Reveals Top 10 Hotels in the World for 2025
  2. Travel Leaders Network President John Lovell to Depart for Cruise Role
  3. Delta Air Lines Clarifies Schedule Change Policy for Travel Agencies
  4. Hilton Rewards Reservations Canceled Amid Transition of Playa Hotels to Hyatt
  5. Certares Takes Full Ownership of Avoya Travel, Andersons Depart
  6. American Airlines Launches First Touchless ID Lanes


  1. Former Virgin Voyages Head of Sales John Diorio Lands New Role at Celestyal
  2. Delta Is Now Requiring Agencies to Acknowledge and Accept Schedule Changes in PNR
  3. 8 Things to Know About Azamara Cruises
  4. Overtourism Backlash Heats Up in Europe as Summer Season Kicks Off
  5. Xanterra Travel Collection Names New CIO & Corporate Director of Sales
  6. Here Are All the New Cruise Ships Coming in 2026, 2027, and Beyond
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth luxury coverage, analysis of luxury news, luxury trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
The Top 11 Hottest Adventure Tours of 2025 (So Far)
The Top 11 Hottest Adventure Tours of 2025 (So Far)

Top tour operators talk their best-selling products for 2025.

U.S. Issues Travel Alerts for Myanmar & Thailand Following Earthquakes
U.S. Issues Travel Alerts for Myanmar & Thailand Following Earthquakes

On Friday, March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Burma in Myanmar, with tremors felt in neighboring Thailand and China.

Free Roundtrip Airfare from AmaWaterways for Egypt River Cruises
Free Roundtrip Airfare from AmaWaterways for Egypt River Cruises

Your clients can get free air on select 2025 and 2026 cruise and land journeys.

U.S. Secretary of State Promises to Reevaluate Jamaica Travel Warning
U.S. Secretary of State Promises to Reevaluate Jamaica Travel Warning

The U.S. State Department has told Americans to “reconsider” travel to Jamaica since July 2024.

What to Expect from Celestyal’s Middle East Desert Day Cruises
What to Expect from Celestyal’s Middle East Desert Day Cruises

With its first-ever Arabian Gulf season wrapped up, here’s everything your clients need to know about Celestyal’s offering in the region.

Tahiti Tourisme Appoints New CEO
Tahiti Tourisme Appoints New CEO

The new CEO currently serves as the organization’s CMO.

TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
View All
industry spotlight
https://img.youtube.com/vi/F3tnroIkhTQ/0.jpg
Mitsui Ocean Cruises, Beautiful Encounters with Japan
Advertiser's Voice
The Collette Premium Experience
About Travel Market Report Mission Meet the Team Advisory Board Advertise Syndication Guidelines
TMR Resources Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
© 2005 - 2025 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Manage cookie preferences