If there is anything good that’s come out of the pandemic, says Uniglobe Travel Eastern Canada President Dean Dacko, it’s this: appreciation and respect for travel agents has never been greater – from both consumers and suppliers.

Speaking ahead of the agency’s national conference taking place in Toronto this weekend, Dacko says the chaos of the global health crisis and its subsequent troubles in travel – from health restrictions to and closures to cancellations and staff shortages, not to mention weather-related fiascos – has cast agents as heroes when there were few to be had.

And unlike previous spikes in the positive perceptions of the value of travel advisors, such as after one-off events like 9/11 or the Iceland volcano, Dacko says
consumers could see on a daily basis during the pandemic “all things we were doing,” thereby creating “a new respect and appreciation for why they choose to work with professional travel service providers.”

He explains “It’s easy to go a website book an airline ticket – anyone can do it. But the true value of what we provide are all the things that come in association with that when events or changes or situations happen that cause things to need to be revised, changed, or altered. And the reality is those events happen every single day in our lives as travel agents… so you need to have service that acknowledges it and knows how to manage those events.

“And what COVID did,” he adds, “is really re-enforced that understanding from our clients’ perspective. They were at the mercy of airlines and distribution channels that did not respond. They did not answer when the phones were ringing. We did! We answered those calls, and we got people home safely, whereas everybody else didn’t. And I think that is the clear line of delineation that we could go out there and put the service rates out… with the reality that they know how valuable that is.”

And, unlike weather events or supplier failures, he notes, “What made COVID so different is that it affected everyone, everywhere – it was a worldwide event. It affected every individual in every segment of business, and it was so pervasive. It was like getting hit in the head by a two by four, not a slap on the wrist. So, it reinforced that lesson – there was nothing like it before.”

And in that respect, and in “kind of a backward way,” travel – or non-travel – produced “a number of positive outcomes” or by-products for the retail trade, Dacko believes, including both reinforcement of the notion of using travel agents, and especially the ability to charge service fees, which was not universally carried out in the past.

“It changed the relationship between our customers and ourselves,” Dacko says matter-of-factly.

Lessons learned

At the same time, many lessons were learned on the trade side of the ledger, he claims.

Suppliers, for example, recognized that they “truly did need third party distribution or support, because their businesses couldn’t handle what was being thrown at them,” he says.

Even with technological advancements, suppliers could only service a small percentage of their inventory and clients’ demands, he says, prompting the realization that “they need us to help manage their relationships, our mutual relationship, with their customers.”

And while airlines in particular will always be subject to a push-pull when it comes to trying to marginalize agents, Dacko believes the future of travel will depend on a successful balance between suppliers, clients, and agents and the realization by the former that “they can’t manage those (customer) relationships as well as we can.”

Uniglobe

As for Uniglobe, Dacko says the company learned its own lessons from the pandemic, some that were perhaps more valuable than painful.

For example, the need to “pivot” towards providing leisure travel services for the dual purpose of meeting client requests, and because corporate travel was slower to rebound than the business sector, has enabled Uniglobe to diversify and build out it base going forward and expand its services to reflect both segments.

And while not consciously planned, that adaptation to the realities of the pandemic “is a good thing… and one of those silver linings,” acknowledges Dacko.

“So,” he adds, “We’re seeing our corporate travellers continue to return, and we’re seeing a significant uptick in the number of leisure bookings we’re taking.”

Meanwhile, with continuing staffing challenges – an ongoing industry-wide malady – Dacko says Uniglobe has also learned that not all business is good business, and that not being able to keep up with demand has forced the company to be more selective in the clients with whom it chooses to engage.

“Today, we’re defining what a good relationship looks like – and that includes a proper a remunerative relationship,” he says.

“We’re all recognizing it and we all had a painful lesson with respect to what is good business practice, and what is sustainable for the long term… I think all of our agency partners and owners are recognizing that there is a difference between the pre- and post COVID rational and business model.

“I think COVID was successful in giving us the new realities in how we need to position ourselves in that way.”

Conference

With 180 owners and agents from both east and west divisions set to gather at the Holiday Inn Toronto International Airport Hotel April 28-30, Dacko notes it will be Uniglobe’s first in-person event since the 2019 and “symbolic recognition that the pandemic is behind us.”

Attendees will importantly be able to share insights and lessons from the pandemic and for the future and be able engage with a record roster of suppliers (52), the latter indicating the desire for Uniglobe partners to rebuild relationships that may have suffered during the pandemic pause.

As for business overall, Dacko says “business is good” with the caveat that “demand is outstripping supply.”

Dacko promises, but won’t divulge, some significant news from Uniglobe to be revealed at the event.

“Stay tuned – there is some very exciting news coming down the road,” he says. “It will speak to our organization, and to how bright that future is. That’s what’s coming!”