Why can the travel advisor-supplier relationship be so fraught?

This week's Trade Secrets guests: Heather Christopher and Kate Thomas.

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The travel advisor-supplier relationship can be key for higher sales on both sides of the coin. It's truly a win-win, but really solid relationships between advisors and their supplier representatives can sometimes be elusive.

This week, we get deep into the topic with Kate Thomas and Heather Christopher, a supplier and advisor who have a great, longstanding relationship.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises.

In this episode

1:17 - Meet our guests, Heather and Kate -- and advisor and supplier, respectively, and longtime friends and colleagues
5:29 - A 30,000-foot-view on travel advisor-supplier relationships
8:19 - Is a good supplier-advisor relationship a unicorn?
11:25 - Mary Therese Dinga of Addicted to Travel, a newer advisor, shares a positive story about working with a business development manager
16:35 - Why are suppliers frustrated with travel agents right now?
21:45 - Lena Sutton of Go Wander Travel asks: what kind of qualifying questions should she ask to determine if a supplier is a proponent of sustainable travel?
23:35 - Are many advisors asking suppliers about sustainability?
28:22 - Curated Greece's Seetha Ramanathan asks about commission invoicing, and final documents
36:53 - Lindsay Deevy, and advisor with Houlahan Travel, asks about qualifying questions outside of the basic