There's nothing like boots-on-the-ground knowledge to deliver the kind of insider experience that savvy travelers want and that Google can't offer.
To deliver on that, travel agents are increasingly turning to local experts who are part of their consortium's or franchisor's preferred-supplier lineup.
Virtuoso, which introduced its On Site program in 1988, has seen the initiative more than double sales in the last five years, according to Cece Drummond, managing director for Virtuoso's Destination and Experiences program.
Over the past 11 years, Ensemble Travel Group has increased the number of preferred suppliers in its On Location program from three to 100.
These providers give the agents who use them an edge in the marketplace.
"They make us look like superstars," said Jon Harper, vice president of group and incentive markets for East Town Travel, an Ensemble Travel Group member in Milwaukee. "It's not what you know, it's who you know."
And the insiders they do know often have the kinds of connections that enable them to arrange try-to-top-this experiences, such as tea with Queen Elizabeth's cousin in a part of Windsor Castle otherwise closed to the public. Or it could be a deep dive into the essence of a destination, such as visiting the estate of a boutique olive oil producer in Tuscany.
The challenge, of course, is finding these experts and establishing their credentials and financial soundness.
'Live like the locals'
Consortia and franchisors carefully vet the destination management companies and other providers in these programs, often taking recommendations from their members.
"We're looking at experiential travel and authentic experience — live like the locals," Drummond said, which means that trusting your local expert is crucial.
Suzanne Hall, senior director with Ensemble, said, "You're entrusting your valuable customer to [local experts]. You don't want a driver slipping them a card and telling them, 'Call me direct next time.'"
Travel Leaders seeks out candidates for its 3-year-old In-Country Partners program at events such as the International Luxury Travel Market, the World Travel Market, the Global Business Travel Alliance and ITB Berlin as well as by taking recommendations and referrals from members, said Marnie Brown, the program's manager.
Virtuoso has an On Site committee that looks at recommendations, examining not just what the provider has to offer but how the provider fits in with Virtuoso's existing lineup, to ensure it can fill a need in a particular destination or for a specific type of travel.
For example, Virtuoso has eight On Sites in Italy and has added On Sites in destinations such as Bhutan, Eastern Europe and Central America.
Matchmaking
Consortia and franchisors have also brought a bit of automation to the search and selection process to add some efficiency to finding the right provider for clients. Travel Leaders, for example, creates custom profile pages designed to give agents a good sense of whether a particular partner would be the most appropriate choice for a given client. Agents can then email or use an RFP tool to connect with the provider.
Ensemble houses information about these providers on its intranet; providers can describe what they offer and add webinars and videos to explain what they do, Hall said. Agents can get contact information from those profiles, or they can use Ensemble's On Location Express, filling out an online form that goes to another Ensemble partner, whose staff determines which provider best fits the bill for that agent's client.
Typically, these groups expect providers to respond to queries within 24 hours, confirming that they received the query and stating the time they estimate it will take to prepare an itinerary.
Often, Hall said, agents will establish a relationship with a partner and use that partner repeatedly.
These programs are evolving. Virtuoso, for example, recently created the Destination and Experiences program because some of its tour-operator partners are refining what they offer so that their products are a natural fit for the program. Now, both the tour operator programs and On Sites are under the umbrella of the Destinations and Experiences program.
Ensemble has two programs: its On Location program and a tour operator program that includes niche specialists such as the culinary provider Tour de Forks.
And In-Country Partners was originally a luxury provider — the luxury FIT component remains the core of the program — but it is now including destination marketing companies that can customize FITs and groups using premium and moderately priced providers and services.
These providers cover the world, and agents use them as partners. Harper said he will set up conference calls that include the agent, the client and the On Location provider. He's used these providers to arrange a behind-the-scenes tour of a newly opened BMW factory in Germany and a lunch at a Michelin-star restaurant in France that is usually open only for dinner.
Such experiences "are what make a trip," Harper said. "And that would not be possible without these worldwide partners who craft these experiences and make us look like 'wow!'"