Host agency Travel Experts is already reporting a record year in 2022 as sales through August have so far exceeded all of 2019 sales, which was previously its best year.
“Our member advisors have experienced a great surge in sales all year long as client pent-up-demand from two years of the pandemic generated bookings to vacation destinations in the U.S. and around the world,” said Sharon Fake, executive director of Travel Experts.
Looking ahead, Heather McIntyre, director of technology and finance for Travel Experts, says there’s even more reason to be optimistic. “Our weekly ARC sales are regularly setting records and corporate travel has yet to fully recover so we anticipate further growth as people start traveling for business again,” she said.
In all, McIntyre says the agency expects to top $400 million in sales for 2022. Additionally, Travel Experts now comprises nearly 400 independent contractors with approximately 500 advisors selling travel and a reported 92 other people working for the ICs in administrative roles. These resemble pre-COVID number, according to Fake who added that Travel Experts increased the size of its team to handle the onboarding process. The agency grew its staff by 30 percent, up to 26 employees (from 20).
Travel Experts is the largest solely owned host agency and is owned and operated by Susan Ferrell, president, who founded the firm 33 years ago in 1989.
“Our host agency has continued to grow without consolidation, which has been the norm for consortia and host agencies in the last few years,” noted Fake. She added: “We are proud that our member advisors and staff remain loyal to our program, resulting in many successful business ventures.”
Visit www.travel-xperts.com.
Related Stories
Travel Experts Share Top Trends for 2022
UNWTO: International Travel at 60 Percent of Pre-Pandemic Levels