By Kelli Hayes Smith, Agent Marketing Manager at Legato.
Travel clients are shopping the way they
have been trained to shop.
Across the industry, price has become the
most visible part of how travel is presented. From supplier promotions to agent
messaging, the language is consistent: best rates, limited-time offers, and the
idea that working with a travel agent costs no extra. This messaging is meant
to make travel feel more accessible. What it actually does is shape how clients
evaluate every decision they make.
A single part of the industry does not
drive this pattern. It is reinforced at every level. Supplier campaigns are
often built around urgency and pricing, positioning limited-time offers and
promotional rates as the primary reason to book. Marketing emails and
advertisements follow the same structure, leading with cost before context and
making price the headline. Travel agents, often working within that same
framework, mirror the messaging. In an effort to stay competitive and
approachable, they emphasize deals, savings, and the fact that their services
cost the client nothing. Individually, each of these choices feels practical.
Collectively, they send a clear signal: price matters.
The result of this is not subtle. It
shows up in how clients behave. They ask for multiple quotes before making a
decision, even after receiving a strong recommendation. They compare options
side by side, looking for small price differences that feel significant because
price has been positioned as the most important factor. They hesitate longer in
the decision-making process, not because they lack interest, but because they
are trying to ensure they are getting the best possible deal.
From the client’s perspective, this
behavior makes sense. They are responding exactly to what they have been shown.
But for travel agents, it creates a very
different experience. The sales process becomes longer and more transactional.
Conversations shift away from guidance and toward justification. Instead of
focusing on what is right for the client, agents find themselves explaining
pricing, defending recommendations, and competing against options evaluated
solely on numbers. Over time, this leads to lower overall sales, less
differentiation, and a growing sense that the work being done behind the scenes
is not fully recognized, not because it is not valuable, but because it has not
been positioned as the value.
It is easy to look at this behavior and
place the responsibility on the client, but that overlooks what is actually
happening. The behavior is not the problem. It is the result.
Clients are not inherently more
price-focused or more difficult than they were before. They are responding to
the environment they have been placed in. Over time, they have repeatedly been
shown that price is the most important variable in the decision-making process
and that value is measured in dollars rather than in decisions. As a result,
they compare, they question, and they look for a better number. That behavior
is consistent with what the industry has reinforced.
This does not reflect a lack of
appreciation for the role of a travel agent. It reflects a lack of visibility
into what that role actually provides. In that sense, the behavior is not
accidental. It is trained.
If price becomes the primary
differentiator, travel agents will lose. There will always be another option,
another platform, or another promotion that can compete on cost. When the
conversation is anchored in price, the comparison becomes immediate, and the
margin for differentiation disappears.
The advantage of a travel agent has never
been price. It has been discernment. The ability to interpret options, to
understand what matters for a specific client, and to guide a decision with
confidence is what creates value. It is what simplifies a complex process and
turns a series of choices into a clear direction.
When that discernment is visible, the
conversation shifts. Clients are no longer asking which option is cheaper; they
are asking who they trust to help them make the right decision. The focus
shifts from comparison to guidance.
For that shift to happen, the industry
has to change what it makes visible. Price cannot be the headline if expertise
is the value. The way travel is marketed has to reflect the role travel agents
actually play, not just the product they are selling.
The future of the travel industry will
not be defined by access or price, but by how clearly value is communicated.
Travel demand is already strong, and the industry's expertise is not in
question. What remains inconsistent is how that expertise is presented and
understood by the client.
If price remains the most visible part of
the conversation, the industry will continue to reinforce the very behavior it
is trying to overcome. Comparison will remain the default, and differentiation
will remain difficult to sustain.
However, if the focus shifts toward
making discernment visible, the dynamic changes. Clients begin to understand
not just what they are booking, but why it is the right choice for them. The
value of working with a travel agent becomes clearer, and the decision to
engage shifts from cost to confidence.
This is not a matter of adding more
content or increasing visibility. It is a matter of changing what is being
shown.
As the industry moves forward, the
opportunity is not to compete more aggressively on price, but to communicate
value more effectively. The agents and organizations that lead that shift will
not only differentiate themselves, but will help redefine how travel is bought.
The behavior will not change until what
is being reinforced does.
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