Travel agents and suppliers have shared their thoughts on how to improve fam trips, after research found that the majority of agents are unhappy with the current model.
In a recent poll by TTG Luxury, 87% of 177 respondents agreed that the tours – often seen as a perk of the job – needed a shake-up. Room sharing and lack of free time were noted as two of the main issues, as well as disorganised hosts who weren’t prepared for their visit.
Random selection processes for agents and/or failure to screen participants beforehand was another common complaint.
Advisors and suppliers, including leading luxury hotel and tour operators, have now offered suggestions on how to fix the fam trip – based on their own experiences in the industry.
Less is more
Advisors overwhelmingly agreed that most fam trip schedules are too busy, leaving little time to digest the information or experience the destination authentically.
“I once went on a fam trip and they squeezed 19 (yes, you read that right) hotel visits into three days,” said Leanne Fretwell, owner of The Travel Lifestyle. “It was exhausting and pretty pointless as they all merged into one.”
Tim Fitzgerald, business travel advisor at Travel Counsellors, agreed: “If all you do is look at 10 hotels and six to eight room categories in each hotel every day, you’ll come back knowing little more than before you went and nothing will stick.”
Advisors say the solution is simple; hosts should reduce the number of site visits, which would allow for more time on the remaining hotels.
“Trips need to engage with emotion and feeling rather than cold, dull room types, or yet another site inspection,” said Fitzgerald. “I want to see a selection of hotels but surely choosing five and spending decent time there makes more sense? For me, a mixture of that, maybe some presentations from the host on their offerings along with experiences in the resort would work better.”
Invite wisely
Both agents and suppliers have voiced frustrations with the selection process for fam trips, with many arguing that, too often, places aren’t being strategically allocated.
The result is that fam trips can become a mixed batch of advisors, some of whom are there solely on business, and others who are there moreso for pleasure. This can be particularly irritating to the former group, who may feel their potentially holiday-making counterparts are potentially wasting a space on a trip.
The consensus is that these issues could be avoided with some background research; operators could ensure agents have genuine interest in the property or destination before extending the invitation, for example. It may also be useful to request that advisors show evidence of having already sold a destination, or if they haven’t, to ask them about their motivations for joining the trip.
It may also be useful to request that advisors show evidence of having already sold a destination.
Industry respondents said that equally, it’s the advisors’ responsibility to only accept a fam trip invitation if they can feasibly sell the property or destination upon their return. A more selective approach could also mean fewer advisors on a trip, but then less need for room capacity – or sharing.
While the practice of having a roommate on a fam trip has long been commonplace, it isn’t without criticism.
“There are so many ways in which it hinders the experience and more and more agents are missing out on business boosting educational opportunities through refusing to share a room,” one advisor told TTG Luxury
Experience it
Many agents say there is still too much focus on the hotel rooms, and not enough on the activities of the property and the destination.
“We want to experience the destination as clients would,” said Robert Kiernan, travel manager at Travel Counsellors. This sentiment was echoed by Suzanne Upton, owner at Travel with Suzanne, who said she doesn’t want to “be wined and dined in a way that is out of the norm for a brand”.
“We want to experience the destination as clients would”
Some suppliers have already taken this feedback onboard, working closely with their partners to ensure that the agents have as authentic a trip as possible.
“From the organising side, I really try to connect the participants with the local content or experience providers,” said Angus Miyaji, founder of Japan World Link. “That’s my number one goal.” He added that it’s also crucial for local providers to fully engage with advisors, who need to “like the people as well as the destination” in order to sell it to clients.
“I make it a requirement that the local providers introduce themselves properly and not hide behind an interpreter,” Miyaji explained. “I also push them to prepare social media QR codes and reading material in English for fam participants.”
Hannah Naylor-Vane, head of trade sales at Simpson Travel, agrees it’s important to create an experience for agents that mirrors how their customers would get to enjoy a trip.
“I make it a requirement that the local providers introduce themselves properly and not hide behind an interpreter”
“We took eight agents to one of our hotels in Western Crete last year and they experienced the trip as if they were clients themselves,” she said. “So we arranged a classical musical concert in one of our hotel’s amphitheatres, cheese and wine tasting lunch, a visit to the local olive oil factory, an afternoon shopping in beautiful Chania, and a visit to the local Minoan ruins. I have kept in regular contact with these agents and now that they understand the Simpson experience, they have booked many holidays since.”
Tom Welland, trade marketing manager for Inside Group, agrees it’s important to consider the experience the agents have, and not just the hotels they are seeing: “One of our most impactful fam trips recently took several UK agents on a fully escorted tour of South Korea, led by one of our local ‘insider’ guides. Instead of rushing through a high-tempo itinerary, we created a relaxed, immersive experience. This approach allowed agents to ask in-depth questions and explore how the trip could be best tailored to their clients’ needs.”
This flexibility also allowed agents to request specific experiences, which Welland said “further enhanced their understanding of Korea as a luxury destination.”
“The trip’s success lies in demonstrating how we go beyond standard offerings, empowering agents to craft unforgettable, bespoke experiences for their clients,” he added. “This has already resulted in increased agent engagement and better positioning of Korea as a premium destination in their sales efforts.”
Some suppliers, however, have criticised agents for being disengaged on trips, citing phones and social media as one of the biggest distractions.
“The number of times participants are engaged on a phone call during my site visits is as frustrating as it is rude,” said Doug McCandless, director of sales at Capilano Group of Companies. “I’m giving you my time to host you and you have me 100%. I think that 100% should be reciprocated.”
