Host Agency Reviews (HAR) published its 2021 Travel Agent Income COVID Report, one in a series of eight travel advisor reports pulled from its annual survey.
Each year, HAR polls hosted travel advisors, independently-accredited travel advisors, franchisees and travel advisor employees to provide a critical data-driven overview of trends across four advisor segments.
According to HAR, its COVID report, in particular, is the first of its kind to show the magnitude to which the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing pandemic disrupted the livelihoods of the travel advisor segments in 2020 and beyond.
The survey of 1,100 travel advisors revealed that 83 percent of advisors experienced a sales decrease in 2020.
Travel advisors were asked, "How much did your agency sales decrease in 2020?" The most common response was "100 percent."
The report also found that 71 percent of agencies with employees before the pandemic downsized in 2020, and the percentage of agents who reported selling travel full time dropped from 60 percent to 25 percent during the coronavirus outbreak.
However, despite the downturn in business brought on by the pandemic, HAR's survey found that a majority of career travel advisors remained committed to a career in selling travel.
Fifty-five percent of travel agents applied for an assistance program, and 95 percent of travel agents who applied received some type of aid. Eighty percent of advisors stayed open (40 percent with regular hours and 40 percent with limited hours).
Seventy-eight percent of advisors who stopped selling travel as a primary source of income during the pandemic plan to return to pre-COVID operation levels.
"The report shows what we all know: the pandemic has hit our industry incredibly hard. But what it also reveals is that travel advisors are sticking around and still love their jobs despite the challenges," said Steph Lee, founder of Host Agency Reviews. "The findings also quantify the exact ways agencies were affected and how they dealt with the challenges of the pandemic."
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