Jamie Biesiada
The ranks of home-based agents affiliated with host agencies were already growing before the pandemic. That trend has continued throughout the pandemic, and hosts are growing "across the board," said Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group.
Friedman was speaking during an ASTA press conference prior to the Society's annual Legislative Day fly-in in Washington last week.
"People that are new to the industry realize that when people start to travel, there's going to be more and more need for travel advisors, and I think consumers recognize that," Friedman said.
More and more people are looking to travel as a potential career, and they are affiliating with hosts, she said.
It's not just at Nexion. Friedman said she's spoken with her peers at other hosts, and they are experiencing the same thing.
It's also not just new-to-industry ICs that are affiliating. Friedman said people are coming from other sectors of the travel industry, too. For instance, some may have lost jobs or been furloughed from a supplier. Some new affiliates were employees from agencies that shut down, or even agencies themselves looking for new ways to operate.
"You know, at Nexion, we actually started back in 1995, right at the time when the airline commissions were first capped, as a solution to help agencies reinvent themselves," Friedman said. "And here we are 26 years later and we're seeing agencies having, in many cases, to do that again."
Of course, ICs have been just as negatively affected by the pandemic as other workers. Friedman said the process of enrolling for unemployment was difficult, especially as many states were not set up to accept ICs (the Cares Act made them eligible for unemployment).
Friedman thanked ASTA for its efforts in advocating for the IC community and encouraged members to renew when the time comes.
"If you're not a member yet, don't sit back and say, 'Someone else will support ASTA and the work will get done,'" she said. "It takes each and every one of us."
Especially during the beginning of the pandemic, ICs have worked harder than ever, often for little to no pay based on traditional commission payouts from suppliers. That forced many to find part-time work or think of other entrepreneurial ways to earn income during the pandemic, Friedman said.
But on the other hand, the increased workload undoubtedly resulted in goodwill from clients.
"They have absolutely proven and demonstrated every day the importance of working with a travel advisor," Friedman said.