Tom Lewis is a tour operator with Alliance

Tom Lewis is a tour operator with Alliance Travel around Partners, a Benigno affiliate (Which travel the world means they are an element of a luxury travel agent consortium). While the many Lewis' clients prefer high-end travel, they can book something.

Lewis told me about research that found that only a very small percent of people under the age of thirty five use travel companies. He said the industry is baffled as to why younger people are not using them and most travel agents don't know methods to reach people.

I called Tom this week to learn exactly why 20somethings (and perhaps 30somethings) should consider before booking his or her next trip over the internet. Read the meeting below, and be sure to observe Tom on Twitter by @tomtravel2.

Emily Gerson: As a tour operator, would you talk with 20somethings? Why would they need to try a tour operator?

Ben Lewis: I will be high-end travel agents, but astonishingly, I have several clients who are in their 20s. It has the been growing by negative feedback within that will group. I'm 54, I have two daughters - an example may be 27 then one is twenty five. The 27-year-old's man works for Water wells Fargo and most regarding his friends are business majors, legal representatives, and other fresh professionals. Once I acquired them totally hooked on my assistance, they started mentioning me to their friends. People inside their 20s certainly are a generation that cartouche their friends. That's where this industry has done a poor work - getting its ft. in the entrance. Once people use me, they manage to get thier friends to call me. It's much more personal.

Absolutely if they're just booking a flight from Phoenix, arizona to L. Some sort of., they call me help it's not a relatively inexpensive. The advantage I will give them is that I don't merely book them an area in a quote category - you can do that on the web. When a young client calls me and they arranged a room at Wooden shutters in Father christmas Monica, I contact the management enabling them know could possibly be coming. They have a room in the certain type, but there's a good chance they are going to get a room update. There's also a good probability they'll get an extravagance when they are able to the room - maybe a bottle regarding Champaign, wine, or a fruits plate. With Virtuoso, if I'm selecting a very high-end motel, a lot of those things are guaranteed. And it's really the exact same price as possible book in travel websites.

An additional that I'd stress is that booking your own private travel costs an individual time. The average person visits 28 websites before they guide in order to accumulate information and compare prices. If you contact or contact me by email, within quarter-hour I can discover the same details. I can provide you with price and schedule in two messages or calls. It's much simpler.

FOR EXAMPLE: What are probably the most widespread misconceptions you see amongst 20somethings regarding travel agents?

TL: Usually the one is the fact it's very costly. You can find rare occasions once there are Internet special deals we cant coordinate, but about 95% of time, that inexpensive rate you see on Internet is the same one I'm seeing in the computer. And sometimes, a tour operator can get you a better deal than what you're seeing via the internet. We can really save them money. You support the same price but are getting a better room and things added to it - it is better deal. The perception is that it's pricy, nevertheless the reality is that its often higher priced to use Internet. The reason I really believe that most persons your age assume they ought to book on Internet is they expect it's always less costly.

One other misconception is the fact it's not amazing. The cool now to go on the internet and book your travel. Do you consider Ashton Kutcher ebooks his own vacation? Do you consider Jimmy fallon books her own travel? Number The people who else 20somethings aspire to end up being - they all utilize travel companies.

EG: I've read several articles recently then again travel agents had been making a comeback. Do you think this is true?

TL: The tide has definitely turned so that we're commencing to win back market share. There are a number regarding reasons for that will. I'd encourage you to ultimately do a Forums search for the names of large travelling websites and sucks or even #fail. You will find that there are a lot of individuals are not happy with the service they get from these businesses. A just lately survey said only 27% of people who book almost all travel online are fulfilled or very content with the procedure.

No one has done survey that way on travel companies, but once we have gotten a customer into our office and booked a trip for them and they've returned, about 95% of them call us back. Which reason for in which. We're amicable, it's personalized, we do regardless of what we can to be sure that your customer is satisfied and contains a great vacation. With the Net, you're by yourself. If perhaps something goes wrong, their support services is very terrible. With us, in case you get to lodge and it doesn't satisfy your expectations, we would like you to give us a call. Organic beef be unable to fix it, but its likely if we get on the phone with all the management, we may be capable of geting you had better room. But there are a few travel agents who are significantly less professional and fewer full-service, who will be basically taking purchases, so you cannot really say that all of travel agents the actual same task.

EG: If I seemed to be using a tour operator for the first time, how do I know what to look for?

TL: Correctly. if they furnish service after the good discounts, so to paraphrase, if you show up with the hotel and show you on your room and it's not what you believed you might be getting, is going to they intervene while using hotel and try to enable you to a better bedroom?

I might also ask in case the travel agent is networking. We pay a tremendous amount of your time and energy meeting with hotels, lodge sales reps and supervisors, so when companies go to that will hotel we have proven a relationship recover person. This is an analogy; a really well-networked travel agent doesn't know the bouncer in the exclusive club you want to get into, however they know the individual that made the list. We can get you on the list, and once you arrive it's not necessary to state, "This room isn't really what I wanted" instructions you will get there and the room would be the way you preferred, and can much better than you expected. We contact individuals and let them know we have clientele coming. Often we will have physically stayed at hotel or done a site inspection. I am able to ask for place in certain portion of resort because I know it will match my client much better.

Credentials along with certifications are not a poor thing to watch out for because it shows they've taken the time to acquire trained, however, not it's needed. To me it might be more a matter of asking the agent, "What will you do to educate yourself? What sort of training do you really do? Does one go to sector events? " We take training from cruiselines, tour corporations, hotel organizations, and so forth.

FOR EXAMPLE: What kinds of travels will you book for the younger clients?

TL: Almost all of my young consumers do trips like metropolitan hotel stays in Washington dc - it's usually very straightforward. A lot of them perhaps have booked them selves, but I obtained them extras like room upgrades, free of charge extras, wine upon appearing - things they will wouldn't have online. I booked making a stop in Vancouver as well as Victoria for one pair and I outlined a few of the activities they may do. Ankle sprain also done Hawaii and Mexico resort stays, though I decide to book more complicated stays eventually. I've found which young professionals have no much vacation time period - most people I actually work with are seeking more to uncompress than to go and discover everything.