Many years ago, there was a movement in the travel agent community to rebrand travel ‘agents’ to travel ‘advisors’. There were many reasons circulated as to why this was worth doing. Opinions ranged from a travel ‘advisor’ is perceived to be more professional than a travel ‘agent’, to a travel ‘advisor’ is not just an order-taker and is more akin to professional advisors in other industries like finance. What followed was many travel agents rebranded to calling themselves a travel advisor on their email signatures and business cards, but did not really change the way they serviced their clients.
The dictionary defines an agent as ‘A person who acts on behalf of another person or group.’
I think this is a great definition of a good travel agent. What can be more professional and noble than someone who is acting in the best interest of someone else? I know of travel ‘advisors’ that start with 'Which supplier pays commission?' instead of starting with 'What product best fits my client's needs?'.
I also know of many travel ‘agents’ that really care about their customers and go above and beyond client expectations to give the best possible travel planning experience.
A profession’s name is not defined by its label, but by the actions of the individual that bears that label.
