CNN Touts Travel Advisors as 'Secret Weapons'

At least one other media outlet besides TravelPulse sees the intrinsic value of travel advisors.

CNN Travel has a terrific piece up on its website touting the use of travel agents during the coronavirus pandemic, and how much of an asset they can be.

More than an asset, actually.

A trip-saver.

Nobody knows more than agents and, right now, with all the restrictions in place as well as health and safety protocols, the savvy expertise of advisors is more in demand than ever.

It was for São Paulo, Brazil resident Claudia Glina.

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"I considered myself a savvy traveler, but I couldn't get the information I was looking for online," says Glina. "I was lost and overwhelmed trying to plan a simple vacation."

So, for the first time, Glina turned to a travel agent – Larissa Camhaji Ejzenbaum, the owner of Larissa Travel Designer. Together, they chose the all-inclusive Tauá Resort Atibaia, located an hour from São Paulo, and the family spent five fun-filled days enjoying the property's water parks and multiple pools.

"The resort did a fantastic job of following social distancing, and we felt safe," says Glina. "I wouldn't have felt comfortable going without Larissa's expertise, and now, I can't imagine traveling again without her help."

Advisors are reporting that more and more, new clients are looking to them to protect their payments on future trips if they need to be canceled or postponed and be their advocate when negotiating for refunds.

Advisors are able to offer reassurance and firsthand experience of resort areas such as Cancun, Mexico.

It’s welcome news.

According to the American Society of Travel Advisors, business has slowed dramatically since March with most agencies in the United States seeing a 75 percent decrease in income in 2020 compared with last year.

Further, the United States had more than 150,000 travel advisers before the pandemic. Since then, close to 60 percent of travel agencies have furloughed at least half their staff.

But agents are still doing their jobs and, in fact, are out traveling again.

The use of an agent worked out great for Jackie Roby, a Boston resident, who used an agent for a trip to Riviera Maya and the Yucatan that she took with her husband in July.

Their agent, Eric Hrubant, the founder of CIRE Travel, booked their hotels, arranged excursions and transfers and even helped them preselect the seats on their flight that would give them the most distance from others.

"Eric knew everything and saved us a lot of time and stress," says Roby. "He's now the trusted travel expert in our lives."

If you're in need of a trusted travel advisor, check out these handy tips here on how to find one.