Chaos has upended the global aviation and hospitality industry — but travel advisors say a crisis like this is when they really come into their own. Now, more than ever, people are seeing how important it is to have a professional in their corner.
“We got the refunds, we got the changes, we redirected and got our connections to change a non-refundable booking from one place to another,” said Joanna Leskow, who runs her travel advisory company Leskow Travel (part of Accomplished on the Virtuoso network) between Athens and Boston. “I am certain the major online booking tools are not doing what human travel agents are doing for their clients right now.”
The conflict in the Middle East has now raged on for nearly two months, throttling the world’s oil supplies, sending the price of flights soaring and throwing a global travel industry into daily uncertainty. The partial government shutdown, meanwhile, forced travelers into extraordinary lines at U.S. domestic security checkpoints, intensifying the angst for American holidaymakers. Travel advisors — particularly those with a heavy client base in the UAE and surrounding areas — are now in crisis management mode.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Luxury Travel Advisor.
