Travel agencies rebounding after covid

To book your holiday online or use a travel agent, that is the question.

But these days the answer isn’t so simple.

A couple of decades ago, many predicted the popularity of planning and booking trips via the internet would sound the death knell of the brick-and-mortar travel agency, but the industry continued to flourish.

Then in 2020, covid hit. Border restrictions in New Zealand over the next couple of years meant ongoing disruptions to flights and cancellations, and often there was little to no recourse for people who had booked online.

Cut to 2024 and the borders have fully reopened, while lockdowns are fading in the nation’s collective memory, but there’s still some lingering anxiety around travel.

These days, some people are more tentative than intrepid travellers, and are looking for reassurance.

Perhaps this is why business for Warkworth’s two premier travel agencies has taken off over the past 18 months or so.

The town might not be big enough for rivals Warkworth Travel owner Susie Cassels-Brown and YOU Travel owner Michelle Macfarlane, but there are certainly enough customers who are choosing in-store over online.

“If you book online, it can be difficult trying to change something. Or getting assistance. We offer a safety net which people appreciate – I’ve got an empty box of chocolates sitting under my desk as proof,” Cassels-Brown says.

“The problems we solve could be anything, from flight delays and cancellations to medical emergencies.

“About a year ago, some clients were on a cruise around the Mediterranean that ended in Haifa in Israel.

They were in their hotel with missiles flying overhead, so we got them out of there,” she says.

“We’re on call 24 hours a day, you’ve got back-up basically.”

Macfarlane agrees – travel agents provide support that isn’t available when you go it alone.

“When our clients are on holiday, their travels continue 24/7, so they have to be able to get hold of us 24/7. If you book by yourself and anything goes wrong, you’re standing in queues at a service desk with a whole bunch of other people,” she says.

“Or you call the customer service line and can be on the phone for three hours.

“If there’s any kind of crisis, we’re on to that very quickly. During the 2005 Bali bombings, for example, we were able to locate two Warkworth boys who were in Indonesia and make sure they were safe.”

Taking care of clients during the planning stage is just as important – it’s this personal touch that also makes travel agents an attractive option.

They’re able to share their knowledge and expertise to tailor itineraries for their clients, as well as look after the leg-work.

“We have years of experience and can offer deals that people can’t get themselves through our association with the likes of Virtuoso, a leading network of the world’s top travel advisors,” Cassels-Brown says.

“We listen to what they need. If they have kids, we find options that are child-friendly whether that’s hotels, cruises or resorts. In Fiji, the resorts have very comprehensive childcare facilities, from toddlers and little kids, right up to teenagers.

“They might need visas or a car to pick them up from the airport, we take care of everything, from the time they leave their front door to when they’re back at home. It’s all personalised – I want people to have the best experience possible.”

Macfarlane says the itinerary should come first.

“We encourage people not to choose a cruise line, we tell them to cruise the itinerary, because that’s what they want to go and do. Then we’ll find the ship that matches as closely as possible to what they want.”

Like Warkworth Travel, YOU Travel has ‘educationals’, which are working holidays for its staff – while away, they acquire knowledge that can’t be taught, and it gets passed on to clients.

“I encourage the girls to visit places we haven’t been. While they’re on holiday, they’re learning.

“They get first-hand experience, come back and do a report so they really know that place. Meg is a new team member and she’s off to Samoa. So if a client comes in and says ‘I want to go to Samoa’, she’ll be able to advise them with confidence,” Macfarlane says.

As travel agents, Cassels-Brown and Macfarlane have much in common. Both are knowledgeable and passionate about what they offer, and they’ve both won awards for the service they provide their clients, giving them a genuine edge over the internet.

No wonder their respective travel agencies are thriving.