So, the news is out there. The ‘Responsible Travel Advisor Collective’ has been born, uniting some of the best travel advisors in the country who specialise in selling responsible travel.
This has been somewhat of a passion project for me for the last couple of years, because although we have done a huge amount of work in changing the way we work, the industry hadn’t really caught up that travel advisors can play a huge role in advancing this work further. There wasn’t really a starting point, but a number of different conversations that I had a couple of years ago – one I remember clearly at Audley’s office in London, and the other where consortia and tour operators didn’t understand the needs of an agent.
It’s certainly not something that’s been dreamt up overnight, but months of thinking and reflecting as to whether this is a gap that does actually need to be filled within in the industry. After all, there are some (and especially politicians who didn’t know that travel agents were still around) – even though we’re thriving. It felt somewhat of an uphill battle, and hitting against a wall that you could never get over.
However, certain events that have happened this year have highlighted that advisors should have a voice and should play an important role in our industry, but the platform just wasn’t there for us to express it. So, I’ve made one. This isn’t about me, or our business (although it will benefit us), it’s about doing the right thing and helping advance what we believe in. With some encouragement from some of our friends – Eleni at the Greek tourist board, and Aishling at Iberostar, we’re starting on that path.
Watch this space, we have more to come!
