Travel Experts Adds 40 ICs, Who Credit Support, Commissions, Virtuoso

Host agency Travel Experts has added 40 independent consultants (ICs) as new affiliates during the pandemic—with most of them attributing their move to the Travel Experts “staff support” and having a “no-split pay policy” resulting in advisors receiving 100 percent of commissions, plus the Virtuoso connection among the main reasons.

Further, in a survey of both new and existing members, 64 percent of Travel Experts advisors named “staff support” as one the leading reasons for staying with or moving to the host agency. Travel Experts’ affiliation with Virtuoso was named 54 percent of the time, while getting 100 percent of commissions was listed 53 percent of the time as the most important reason. Supplier connections named 49 percent of the time rounded out the top four reasons for joining and staying with Travel Experts, according to the survey,

“Despite the difficult year that the entire travel industry has had, we have seen a growing interest from independent contractors looking at joining a host agency and can only conclude it is a result of a combination of the services that we are providing to our affiliated travel advisors,” said Sharon Fake, director of operations for Travel Experts, in a press announcement.

Fake also credited the cooperative efforts during the pandemic with the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), Virtuoso and other host agencies banding together to help communicate and share information.

In addition, Travel Experts’ crisis communication program was implemented with enhanced services, such as dedicated websites and newsletters to keep travel advisors informed and protected.

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