Goway Survey Reveals ‘Confessions of a Travel Advisor’
by Bruce Parkinson
Life as a travel advisor is all smiles and giggles — or is it?
Navigating a career as a travel advisor is no easy feat, and it’s often misunderstood, says Goway.
The tailor-made travel specialist decided to ask the travel advisor community what it’s really like on the job today.
While plenty of surveys cover economic and business angles, Goway’s questions had a different aim: to get to the heart of a profession that is part strategist, part therapist, part miracle worker. More than 1,600 travel advisors across North America responded.
As Goway puts it: To your clients, the process of booking a dream trip feels like a dream itself. They don’t see the midnight rebooking, the favour you called in with a hotel manager, or the itinerary you rebuilt before they woke up.
Goway’s inaugural “Confessions of a Travel Advisor Survey” captures the quirks, perks, confessions, and everyday realities behind the job, including the new voice in the room, AI. The survey focus on 4 key areas:
- Travel Advisor Superpowers
- The Happiness Index
- The Real Challenges
- AI’s Seat at the Table
Notable Survey Highlights
- Advisors say staying calm under pressure is the top superpower in handling issues.
- 62% of respondents say receiving texts with pictures is their favourite client gesture.
- 89% of advisors report that their clients have come to them with their own AI research.
- The most underestimated part of the job is how much time it takes to plan properly.
Advisors revealed that planning often takes more time than travellers realize, and long hours are just part of the gig, with 44% of respondents reporting they work outside of business hours daily. Only 29 individual respondents say they never work outside business hours – lucky them!
On the elephant in the room, advisors had some interesting things to say about artificial intelligence.
They say that AI can be a useful tool for inspiration, but advisors described three recurring problems that stem from planning travel with AI:
- AI loves planning impossible trips, like driving from Lisbon to Funchal on the island of Madeira.
- AI recommends places that do not exist, like the secrets beaches of the Sahara.
- AI has no concept of real travel costs, like saying a first-class flight to Bali can be had for under $1,000.
The survey report is highlighted in this GowayPro.com article, and also available for download here
