A first in a series of 8+ travel advisor reports, Host Agency Reviews (HAR) recently published its 2021 Travel Agent Income COVID Report.

HAR’s annual survey provides a critical data-driven overview of trends across 4 advisors segments; hosted travel advisors, independently-accredited travel advisors, franchisees, and travel advisor employees. The COVID report, in particular, is the first of its kind to elucidate the magnitude to which the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing pandemic disrupted the livelihoods of the travel advisor segments in 2020 and beyond.

Surveying over 1,100 advisors, the report not only offers insights into how COVID impacted sales and bookings, but also offers data of its effect on fees, products sold, and advisors’ intent to work toward recovery.

Here are a few report highlights on COIVD’s impact:
• 83% of advisors experienced a sales decrease in 2020.
• 100% was the most common response to the question, “How much did your agency sales decrease in 2020?”
• 71% of agencies with employees before the pandemic downsized in 2020.
• The percentage of agents who reported selling travel full time dropped from 60% to 25% during the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the industry’s unprecedented downturn, the survey also found that a majority of career travel advisors remained committed to a career in selling travel:

• 55% of travel agents applied for an assistance program, and 95% of travel agents who applied received some type of aid.
• 80% of advisors stayed open with regular (40%) or limited (40%) hours.
• 78% of advisors who stopped selling travel as a primary source of income during the pandemic, plan to return to pre-COVID operation levels.

According to Steph Lee, founder of Host Agency Reviews, “The report shows what we all know: the pandemic has hit our industry incredibly hard. But what it also reveals is that travel advisors are sticking around and still love their jobs despite the challenges! The findings also quantify the exact ways agencies were affected and how they dealt with the challenges of the pandemic.”

HAR’s survey was conducted between June 1st through July 31st, 2021 and profiles travel advisor income and fees from 2020. HAR partnered with industry leaders to garner participation for the survey.