The benefits of hosts and preferred suppliers: Travel Weekly

The benefits of hosts and preferred suppliers

Top reasons for using a host: The most important reason for signing up with a Host Agency is to access preferred suppliers.

% of product booked with preferred suppliers: More than 80% have preferred supplier agreements and use them for 80% of bookings.

The main reasons travel advisors use hosts has not changed: Access to preferred suppliers is still the top choice. And advisors on average use preferred suppliers for 80% of bookings. But the reason for that has changed. This year, travel advisors cited overrides and incentives, supplier websites and education programs as the top three benefits. Fam trips, in the No. 2 spot last year, was bumped out of the top five. Co-op marketing was more valued this year. A new entrant, early commission-payment programs, rounded out the top five, indicating how important commission has become after the long travel pause.

—Johanna Jainchill