Tom Lewis is a journey agent with Alliance tour companions, a Virtuoso associate (which means that they’re part of a luxurious journey agent consortium). while the general public of Lewis’ customers want excessive-stop tour, he can ebook whatever.Lewis advised me about a observe that observed that handiest a completely small percent of human beings under the age of 35 use tour sellers. He stated the enterprise is baffled as to why younger people aren’t the use of them and most journey retailers don’t know how to attain us.I referred to as Tom this week to learn why 20somethings (and even 30somethings) need to suppose two times before booking their subsequent experience on-line. read the interview beneath, and make certain to follow Tom on Twitter at @tomtravel2.Emily Gerson: As a tour agent, do you work with 20somethings? Why could they need to apply a travel agent?Tom Lewis: we are high-cease tour sellers, however extraordinarily, i have quite some customers who are in their 20s. Its been developing via phrase of mouth inside that organization. i’m fifty four, i’ve daughters – one is 27 and one is 25. The 27-yr-vintage’s husband works for Wells Fargo and most of his pals are commercial enterprise majors, attorneys, and different younger professionals. as soon as I got them hooked on my offerings, they began referring me to their friends. humans of their 20s are a technology that trusts their buddies. it is where this enterprise has carried out a poor activity – getting its foot in the door. once humans use me, they get their pals to name me. it’s greater personal.in reality if they’re simply booking a flight from Phoenix to L.A., they do not call me – it’s not fee-powerful. The benefit i can give them is that I don’t just ebook them a room in a charge category – you could do that at the net. If a younger customer calls me and that they booked a room at Shutters in Santa Monica, I contact the management and let them understand they are coming. they’ve a room in a positive class, but there’s an excellent chance they will get a room improve. there may be also an amazing danger they’ll get an amenity when they get to the room – maybe a bottle of Champaign, wine, or a fruit plate. With Virtuoso, if i’m reserving a completely excessive-stop resort, a number of the ones matters are assured. And it is the precise equal price as you may book on journey websites.any other benefit that i would emphasize is that reserving your very own travel prices you time. The average individual visits 27 websites earlier than they e book so one can gather statistics and examine costs. if you name or e-mail me, inside 15 mins i’m able to find the equal records. i can provide you with price and itinerary in two phone calls. it’s so a great deal easier.EG: What are a number of the most not unusual misconceptions you spot among 20somethings with regard to travel retailers?TL: the principle one is that it’s too high-priced. There are uncommon occasions while there are net specials we cant fit, but about ninety five% of time, that cheap charge you notice on internet is the same one i’m seeing on my laptop. And regularly, a tour agent can get you a better deal than what you’re seeing on line. we are able to clearly store them money. You keep the equal charge however have become a better room and matters added to it – it’s a better deal. The perception is that it is too pricey, but the truth is that its regularly extra steeply-priced to use internet. The reason I accept as true with that the majority your age assume they have to book on internet is they anticipate it’s usually less expensive.the opposite false impression is that it is now not cool. The cool aspect is to go surfing and e book your personal travel. Do you watched Ashton Kutcher books his own journey? Do you watched Blake active books her own tour? No. The folks that 20somethings aspire to be – they all use journey dealers.EG: i have examine numerous articles lately that said journey marketers were making a return. Do you suspect that is real?TL: The tide has in reality grew to become in order that we are beginning to win back market proportion. There are some of motives for that. i might encourage you to do a Twitter search for the names of massive tour websites and sucks or #fail. you will see that there are quite a few people are not glad with the provider they get from those businesses. A currently survey stated simplest 27% of individuals who ebook all journey at the net are happy or very glad with the technique.no person has completed survey like that on journey marketers, but once we have gotten a client into our office and booked a journey for them and they’ve returned, about ninety five% of them name us lower back. there’s a reason for that. we are personable, it is private, we do something we can to make sure that the purchaser is satisfied and has a first-rate trip. With the net, you’re to your own. If something is going incorrect, their customer service is very bad. With us, in case you get to inn and it doesn’t meet your expectancies, we need you to call us. We might not be able to repair it, however possibilities are if we get on the cellphone with the control, we can be able to get you better room. but, there are some tour marketers who are much less professional and less complete-carrier, who’re essentially taking orders, so you cannot genuinely say that all travel marketers do the identical thing.EG: If i used to be the use of a tour agent for the first time, how do I recognize what to search for?TL: Ask them if they offer provider after the sale, so in other phrases, in case you display up on the inn and they show you to your room and it’s now not what you believed you are becoming, will they intervene with the resort and try to get you a higher room?i might additionally ask if the journey agent is networking. We spend a fantastic amount of time and electricity meeting with accommodations, hotel sales reps and bosses, so whilst our customers go to that lodge we have installed a relationship with that character. here’s an analogy; a completely nicely-networked travel agent doesn’t recognize the bouncer at the different club you want to go into, but they know the individual that made the list. we can get you at the listing, so whilst you show up you don’t have to say, “This room isn’t what I desired” – you may get there and the room is the way you desired, and could probably be better than you predicted. We touch the people and allow them to recognize we’ve clients coming. regularly we’re going to have physically stayed at motel or carried out a domain inspection. i will ask for room in certain part of inn because I understand it will match my patron better.Credentials and certifications aren’t a bad factor to look for because it indicates they have got taken the time to get educated, however not it’s important. To me it’s extra a remember of asking the agent, “What do you do to teach yourself? What type of schooling do you do? Do you visit industry activities?” I take training from cruise lines, tour organizations, lodge chains, and so on.EG: What varieties of travels do you book on your more youthful clients?TL: maximum of my young clients do journeys like city resort remains in California – it is commonly pretty honest. lots of them may want to have booked themselves, but I were given them extras like room improvements, free extras, bottle of wine upon displaying up – things they wouldn’t have on line. I booked a trip to Vancouver and Victoria for one couple and i mentioned some of the activities they might do. i have also finished Hawaii and Mexico resort stays, even though I plan to ebook greater complicated stays in the end. i have found that young experts do not have a lot excursion time – most people I work with are looking more to decompress than to go and see the entirety.