Travel Agent Finder Owner & Operator, Anna Shannon, is all for Travel Agents. Her website Travel Agent Finder helps connect travellers with Travel Agents beyond the traditional “popping into a local agency”.
This week, Travel Monitor caught up with Anna to discuss all things travel. This is what she had to say.
What does your job involve?
Finding new ways to promote the expertise and specialist knowledge of Aussie travel agents, in a way that helps connect them with travellers looking for their skills and knowledge. We have some incredibly talented travel advisors in this country, and I think the traditional model of ‘popping into your local agency’ no longer works for everyone involved. With reduced bricks and mortar stores since the pandemic, and more people looking for the expertise an agent offers in amplifying their travel booking experience and their holiday, I want to showcase agent’s talents and connect travellers with the right expert in just a few clicks. No matter their location, they can access Australia’s best talent.
One of my favourite parts of the job is reading the bio and experience when new agents join Travel Agent Finder. Reading their incredible stories and passion for what they do inspires me to keep developing this platform to best showcase this to the Australian public. Many travellers don’t know what they are missing out on that could really improve their travels and holiday experiences. By connecting travellers to agents via an easy online search function which filters by expertise and knowledge, I can help travellers but also agents via new client leads for what they know best and love to book more of.
How have you tackled the difficulties caused by COVID-19?
In my case, COVID-19 was the catalyst for creating something new for the industry. It was quite a shock (to me, my colleagues and my clients) in 2020, when I went from being a top-selling travel agent to my role than being made redundant all in a matter of a few months, but we all did what we needed to get through it.
I knew that with so many leaving the industry and travel getting trickier moving forward, there would be an increased demand for quality travel professionals and I wanted to create something to support them and help the industry rebuild. I do some marketing work for small businesses in other industries, but my heart and soul are in travel and I just couldn’t bring myself to leave it. I feel very rewarded when agents reach out with good news stories or tell me about high-value bookings they have received through the platform and I’m so happy to be helping small businesses recover from the difficulties we have all faced from COVID-19 by providing this service free of charge to travellers and agents.
I also listened to feedback from the trade and agents that they were having difficulty knowing who was still around and how to contact them since the shake-up of our industry, so I’m currently building a Travel Industry Directory, Travel Trade Connect, for agents to easily search and access the trade partners who support and value travel agents. We have over 50 partners on board and growing this into a valuable directory for the trade. Hopefully another way I can help the current challenges the industry is facing as trade partners rebuild their teams and find new ways to reach the trade.
What do you enjoy most about your profession?
That I have found a way to combine my love of helping small businesses, my marketing skills and my experience as a travel agent. And that gets to do it all in my beloved travel industry!
What are the biggest challenges for you in your profession (outside of COVID-19)?
As a start-up business in the travel industry that launched during lockdowns, in the middle of a pandemic, when Aussies couldn’t leave the country and the whole industry was a mess … it’s safe to say there are many challenges 😊
Especially when your objective is to re-establish agents as the authority for all things travel and change the mindset of those who have unfortunately been burnt by a bad experience during or before the pandemic. To those who say they don’t use a travel agent, I say they just haven’t found the right one yet.
I plan to do more in the advocacy space and look forward to sharing more of my campaigns championing the use of an agent. My biggest challenge at present is resources. I have so many plans for the platform in the future and ideas for how it can help trade partners and plenty of developments to improve it for agents, but it’s incredibly important to me to keep the free-to-join option for agents, so it’s just a matter of doing one thing at a time for now.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
We are at a pivotal time that will have a huge impact on our future as an industry. The last few years have proven we need to be looking at new ways of doing things, to evolve with technology and the times we live in, and to better listen to how travellers want to travel or book their travels. This is the perfect time to do this and we may not get this opportunity again.
After so many in the industry reflected these same sentiments over the last year or two, I am surprised to see those who have fallen straight back into doing things the same way they did before. I think those who are open to change and progress, who are willing to collaborate and support each other are our future.
And don’t get me started on those dropping support for agents as a distribution partner, just as their own teams are under-resourced and their clients need advice and assistance more than ever. That’s a conversation (or rant) for another day.
What do you think will be the biggest game-changer in the travel industry in the next 12 months’?
I will preface this by saying I don’t know if it ‘will’ be the biggest game-changer, but it ‘could’ be if we do it right!
I am a big supporter of agents being seen as any other professional service and implementing fee structures for the incredible care and expertise they provide. I know it’s a scary thing to do and some would argue the worst time to do it, but I disagree, this is the best time to introduce it. We have a number of things working in our favour in the present travel climate which highlights our value and expertise right now. It’s now or never. We are going to struggle to change the perception that agents work for free if we don’t actively all come together to change that mindset.
Other service professionals would never be asked to work for free, what makes travel agents any different?
I believe independent, home-based and mobile agents are key players for product distribution in the future and they should be rewarded for the care, 24/7 support and high level of expertise and client service they provide.
The key to changing public sentiment is shifting the perspective. This is often best done, by comparison, showing, not telling. So next time someone questions paying your service fees, challenge them with one of these questions:
Would you ask your local café barista to charge you the cost for your morning coffee just because you can make a (less-superior) coffee yourself at home? I can cut my own hair, but I never do, because I value a professional doing the job and it’s normal to pay accordingly. Do you have a professional mow your lawn, clean your home or do your ironing? Many do because they are too busy and prefer to outsource to someone who can do a better job. We can research exercise regimes, fitness tips and healthy recipes for free online, but having our personal trainer or a meal delivery service helps us stick to our goals. These are just some ideas of the way we happily pay others to help improve our lives, not to mention other service providers who are paid for their decades of experience and learning like accountants, lawyers etc. An experienced travel professional is absolutely no different.
What destination/travel trend do you think is the next big thing?
I think safety concerns are influencing key travel decisions at present and I am finding it interesting hearing from agents that so many travellers are currently spending a lot more and upgrading their holidays compared to pre-pandemic. It makes sense to me. As an industry, we have certainly suffered financially and mentally throughout the pandemic but there are many out there for whom this is not necessarily the case, so suddenly they find themselves with more disposable income and 2-3 years’ worth of unused travel and entertainment expenses, they are ready to splurge! This is great news for the over 100+ luxury travel specialists we have on our site! However, the current economic conditions of inflation, interest rates and also Ukraine could see this shift again quite quickly.
Who inspires you most and why?
Honestly, the agents who stuck it out. My hat off to those who survived the horrendous mess that was the last 2 years and are still here, with a smile on their face and positivity in their voice whenever I speak with them. Even with my passion for the industry and my commitment to looking after my clients, if I hadn’t lost my job, I don’t know if I would have made it through. I hope so. But it was very grim. Whenever there was light at the end of the tunnel, something new came along, usually a freight train of issues, resulting in many false starts, yet they are still here, as resilient and positive as ever.
What is your must-pack travel item(s)?
A good book (or more likely a few of them!) I’m a bit of a work-a-holic who spends every waking moment putting my blood, sweat and tears into my work. While I love reading a good book, it’s pretty rare these days. Usually, only when I’m on holiday! And yes, I’m one of those weird people who still like physical books, much to the dismay of my husband when trying to close the suitcase 😊
Who would you invite on your next holiday if you could choose anyone and where would you go?
As I sit here in rainy Sydney I can’t help but think of a tropical island escape, literally anywhere warm! Pre-pandemic, an annual winter escape to an island was mandatory for this sunshine and summer-lover! I always invite friends and family along and no matter who chooses to attend, it’s always a fun time to reconnect with those you love away from everyday life and work pressures.
But I think I’d ultimately choose to take the trip I had planned for 2021 before the pandemic hit. 2021 was the year I turned 40, as well as our 15th wedding anniversary and the year both my husband and I would have access to long service leave. The plan was to go to Egypt, something on my bucket list I still haven’t managed to experience yet and combine this with a trip to see relatives in Italy, Scotland and Canada. It’s still on the cards, of course, just a matter of when!
Contact Anna at Website anna@travelagentfinder.com.au or visit the website https://www.travelagentfinder.com.au
