The survey* was launched following TTG’s interview with Amanda Teale, founder of luxury lifestyle brand Minerva Private Travel & Lifestyle Management, who urged advisors to join her call for higher standards across the industry.
More than 400 agents responded to the poll, with 94% agreeing that all travel agents should "undergo mandatory training to improve standards across the industry".
Meanwhile 90% of respondents said they believed the travel agent profession had been "threatened by the rise of “untrained agents".
In terms of who should take responsibility for implementing mandatory training, 39% said Abta while 23% and 19% said the burden should be on individual agencies and the government respectively.
“Our industry needs to be regulated so that a consumer knows they are dealing with someone who is experienced,” said one respondent. “It hurts to see ‘travel agents’ starting up when they have no experience at all.”
Meanwhile another added: “Don’t let untrained agents practise without a certification of some kind and at least two years’ experience before they can be self-employed.”
Speaking to TTG Luxury last month, Teale labelled the rise in non-professional agents the "biggest issue facing the industry right now".
“We’ve opened the floodgates to non-professionals,” Teale said. “So many agents don’t even book flights or know how to operate a GDS. They’re hotel bookers – they’re not advisors. It’s diluting the industry.”
Respondents to TTG’s poll also called for "enforcing penalties" when it comes to advertising commissions and pricing structures publicly as well as for making the recruitment of multi level marketers (MLM) illegal.
“There should be stricter rules and enforced penalties on advertising commissions and pricing structures publicly,” said one respondent. “This is extremely damaging and would not be tolerated in any other industry.
*415 TTG readers responded to the poll, launched on 15 October, which has now closed.
What do you think? Would you like to see agents having to undergo mandatory exams? And is Abta the best organisation to implement such training? Tell us your thoughts in the comment box below.
