TORONTO — For so many years the retail travel industry worried about a labour shortage, with experienced travel advisors moving on or heading to retirement – and with fewer new entrants coming in.

Talk about a turnaround.

The pandemic showed just how valuable travel advisors are – and geopolitical disruptions in recent years have upped the credibility of a career in retail travel even more. Then there’s that LinkedIn’s ‘Jobs on the Rise’ list ranking of Travel Advisor as one of this year’s fastest growing jobs. Not to mention the global phenomenon of social media influencers extolling the ‘perks’ of working in the travel industry.

Bona fide advisors know the whole story, but the fascination with the travel agent life is real.

Add it all up, and suddenly new-to-industry agents are flooding into an industry that once worried about its future.

Is that a good thing? For the most part, yes – but with cautions, say host agency execs and other retail travel leaders contacted by Travelweek.

NEW ENTRANTS NEED EDUCATION & PREPARATION: ACTA

“From ACTA’s perspective, attracting the next generation of travel advisors while also supporting and retaining experienced professionals across all generations is a key priority for the long-term sustainability of the industry,” ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais tells Travelweek.

She said ACTA is encouraged to see growing interest from individuals who view working as a travel advisor either as a full-time career path or as a flexible professional opportunity that can fit alongside other commitments.

“The upside is that this trend brings new energy, fresh perspectives, digital fluency, and entrepreneurial thinking into the profession, while complementing the knowledge and expertise of experienced travel advisors already in the workforce. It also helps support workforce renewal at a time when the industry needs to build future talent,” says Acton-Gervais.

But anyone coming into the retail travel industry “must be supported by proper education and preparation,” she added.

ACTA’s Travel Advisor Essentials (TAE) course aims to provide foundational knowledge and help individuals understand the responsibilities, standards, and professionalism required to succeed as a travel advisor.

“Whether someone intends to work full-time or seeks flexibility, clients deserve knowledgeable and well-prepared advisors,” says Acton-Gervais.

ACTA doesn’t have stats that track the number of experienced advisors leaving the industry compared with the number of new advisors entering.

“SOME HOST AGENCIES ARE MORE OF A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM”

Flemming Friisdahl, founder and President of The Travel Agent Next Door, says TTAND’s new-to-the-travel industry division is doing “amazingly well. Our number of candidates wishing to talk to us is up 75%, and it is so great to see,” he says.

Here’s something else Friisdahl would like to see: regulation for all travel advisors across Canada, and not just in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

“I believe that some host agencies that are springing up are more of a membership program,” he says. “There is a large one in the U.S. and they say they have over 150,000 and they literally make so much money in monthly fees and they do sell travel but that is a by-product of the agents getting agents rates or nets.”

One solution could be a higher minimum earned commission thresholds for recognition as a travel professional. “Both ACTA and IATA should make it that for an agent to be recognized as a travel professional, their earned commission must be over $25,000 (so about $275,000 in sales),” says Friisdahl.

“Unfortunately, the card fees for some organizations is a revenue stream, so making it $5,000 is like having sold 10 to 15 trips. How can that qualify you as a professional agent? Both IATA and ACTA have a requirement of only $5,000 of earned commission to qualify for a travel agent ID card. So that means on average an agent can sell 10 to 12 trips, or even potentially just one group, and they are considered a qualified travel agent.”

Friisdahl is also in favour of suppliers thoroughly vetting agents applying for agent rates and FAM spots. “The only way we can elevate travel professionals is by making sure they are meeting certain levels of ongoing training and sales to show they truly are a professional.”

“THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY HAS NEEDED THIS FOR YEARS”

Zeina Gedeon, President and CEO, Trevello Travel Group, says Trevello currently supports 1,287 independent advisors across Canada, with annual growth running at around 20%. “What makes that number significant is the make-up of it: 70% of new advisors joining our network are new to the industry,” she tells Travelweek. “Equally telling is the improvement in conversion rates with more people who express interest are following through and actually launching businesses. That tells us that the motivation is serious and intentional.”

Are there dabblers? Some will give travel advisor work a go and find it’s not for them. “But that’s true of every profession,” says Gedeon. “I’d caution the industry against letting that reality become a reason for cynicism, because the more important story are the advisors that stay.”

What gives Gedeon the most confidence – that this is more than a short-lived trend – is the age demographic. “We are seeing a meaningful and sustained influx of advisors under 40, something the Canadian travel industry has needed for years,” she says.

The timing is hardly accidental, she notes. Canadian vacation spending is projected to reach a record $47.6 billion in 2026. That’s an increase of 22% year over year. “The travel market is thriving, and career-minded professionals recognize a growing industry when they see one. Beyond market conditions, the workforce itself has been permanently reshaped. Autonomy, flexibility, and entrepreneurial ownership are no longer perks , they’re expectations. Travel advising delivers all of that.”

SKILL SETS & SKILL GAPS

Jackie Friedman, President of Nexion Travel Group, says Nexion is seeing strong interest from career changers and entrepreneurs who want more control over their work while helping clients create meaningful travel experiences.” She says the host agency is seeing a 20% increase in interest from new-to-industry agents looking for a career in travel.

An entrepreneurship mindset is a skill Trevello’s Gedeon wants to see more of in the retail travel industry, especially for women. “I believe it’s a confidence issue. Own it!” she says.

For all those new-to-industry agents, we asked host agency and retail agency execs what skills they’re seeing in new entrants – and what skills need to be developed.

Friisdahl says the most successful new advisors are the ones “who are willing to put themselves out there.” TTANDʻs training for newcomers includes what could be called ʻSuppliers 101ʻ. “We spend quite a bit of time teaching the agents what suppliers can or cannot do for their customer,” he notes.

Stephen Smith, EVP, Leisure Travel for Direct Travel, says new-to-industry advisors who are finding success are amazing at building relationships. And the gaps? “The finer details of building an itinerary take time to learn – but they are definitely teachable!”

Fora Travel’s Natalie Lum-Tai, Head of Canada Operations, cites strong relationship management, sales discipline, financial literacy, project management skills and digital fluency are some of the many skills new Fora advisors are bringing to the table. “Many of our top performers were already managing client portfolios or running businesses before they became an advisor. They bring trusted opinions, responsiveness, and client service skills, which is critical in advisory work,” says Lum-Tai.

Selling with conviction is often the biggest learning curve, she notes. “Selling travel requires guiding a client to a decision, not just presenting options. So, we invest heavily in this area. The goal is not just entry into the industry, but long-term professionalism and growth.”

Since launching in Canada last April, Fora has seen “incredible momentum,” with its Canadian advisor community more than tripling in size, growing by 230%, says Lum-Tai.

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE & PRICING CONFIDENCE

Gedeon says newcomers, particularly the younger entrants, “are bringing strengths the industry has been undervaluing for years. Their digital fluency is native, social media, content creation, personal branding, CRM tools … they arrive thinking like entrepreneurs from day one. Building a recognizable personal brand used to take advisors years of deliberate effort. This generation does it instinctively.”

Their research skills are strong too. “When a new advisor locks onto a niche, luxury travel, destination weddings, adventure, cultural immersion, they pursue it with real intensity,” says Gedeon. “That kind of focused expertise is exactly what today’s discerning traveller is seeking and willing to pay for.

Many also arrive with highly transferable professional skills in sales, negotiation, client management, project coordination, she adds.

Meanwhile “the gaps are real, but they are predictable and they are solvable,” says Gedeon. “Product depth takes time that cannot be shortcut. Knowing why one river cruise line serves a particular client better than another, understanding the genuine distinctions between destination and resort categories that expertise is built through structured education and lived experience.”

She sees new advisors handle straightforward bookings with confidence, “but multi-destination, multi-generational, and internationally complex travel requires a different level of skill.”

“MANY ARE REFERRALS FROM WITHIN OUR OWN CLIENT BASE”

Then there’s pricing confidence. “New advisors frequently undercharge or struggle to articulate their professional value without hesitation. We address this directly because an advisor who cannot confidently communicate their worth will not build a sustainable business.”

Experienced travel advisors are familiar with the industry’s ups and downs. It comes with years in the business. “Resilience is the most underrated skill in this profession,” says Gedeon. “Travel is volatile. Disruptions happen. The advisors who build lasting careers are the ones who manage crisis with composure and keep building through adversity.”

Of course it’s not just host agencies attracting new entrants. Carol Buchanan, President, Retail Operations for Maritime Travel, says the company currently has 50 new to industry travel advisors, “who are contributing very well to their branch team and the company (i.e. beyond their salary),” says Buchanan. “Many are referrals from within our own client base.”

Buchanan says she sees strong customer service skills, a passion for travel and continuous learning “and the ability to adapt and stay resilient in challenging situations,” in the new recruits. Not surprisingly, one of big skill gaps for those newcomers is GDS know-how. Buchanan says Maritime Travel’s training emphasizes development of these system skills.

She notes that many agencies began urgently hiring after the pandemic, and growth in the travel industry has increased demand. “With a significant number of experienced agents leaving the field, the messaging in our ads is intentionally designed to attract candidates from outside the industry,” says Buchanan.

“Individuals with a passion for travel who are seeking a career change – and who bring strong customer service or sales skills – now see this as a new opportunity. In the past, many agencies required several years of experience, making the role less accessible,” she adds.

This article appears in the latest edition of Travelweek; click here to read more.