Travel Weekly presents our annual survey of travel agency business trends. We reached out to travel sellers, both those working in traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies and independent advisors, to gain insights into what's happening in travel sales today.

Which travel products to travel advisors sell the most? What outside events have had the most impact on travel bookings? What platforms are advisors using to market to clients? And what do sellers prefer to be called? (Spoiler alert: "travel advisor" has taken the lead in 2019.)

Click on any of the articles below to jump into the data.

The 2019 Survey

Introduction to the 2019 Travel Industry Survey
Introduction to the 2019 Travel Industry Survey
By Arnie Weissmann
What do you sell? (It's not what you think.)
Job title: 'Advisor' gains in popularity over 'agent'
By Johanna Jainchill
News editor Johanna Jainchill spoke to Erika Richter, ASTA's director of communications, about the adoption of "advisor" in the organization's name, and in the industry at large.
Concern over OTAs no longer the top issue impacting agency revenue
Concern over OTAs no longer the top issue impacting agency revenue
Signature Travel Network president and CEO Alex Sharpe spoke with retail reporter Jamie Biesiada on why travel advisors seem to be more confident facing off against OTAs.
Outreach to clients: Travel sellers' preferred marketing platforms
Outreach to clients: Travel sellers' preferred marketing platforms
Managing editor Rebecca Tobin spoke with Sam McCully, senior vice president of marketing at Avoya Travel, about growth and trends in social media marketing.
Travel advisors' earnings
Travel advisors' earnings
Looking at a decade of independent, home-based agency revenue by median, home-based advisors' revenue has grown by about $100,000.
Agency affiliation: Consortia
Agency affiliation: Consortia
Given its acquisition spree over the past few years, Travel Leaders Network's dominance in the consortia category should come as no surprise.
Agency affiliation: hosts
Agency affiliation: hosts
Who is more likely to use a host agency, and what are the primary reasons for choosing a host?
Preferred products: Air lags other sectors
Preferred products: Air lags other sectors
By Robert Silk
Airline editor Robert Silk talked with Brian Chapin, Ensemble Travel Group's senior director of airline supplier relations, about trends in air bookings.
The importance of service fees
The importance of service fees
Over the past few years, the Travel Industry Survey indicates, travel advisors have shied away from charging service fees.
Product importance: What travel sellers focus on
Product importance: What travel sellers focus on
River cruises moved from sixth place in 2018 to fourth place in 2019. Senior editor Jeri Clausing talked with Monika Leuenberger, president and CEO of Avenues of the World Travel, about the trends in river cruise sales.
Future focus: What advisors expect to sell more of this year
Future focus: What advisors expect to sell more of this year
Travel insurance decreased in the proportion of mentions from 2018 to 2019 by seven points, but it still tops the list of travel products that agents expect to sell more of this year.
Issues or events that could impact agency revenue
Issues or events that could impact agency revenue
Global economic stability, geopolitical tensions, rising fuel cost and government policies on travel and immigration were the issues that saw the largest growth.
Travel products: Where agents make the most revenue
Travel products: Where agents make the most revenue
Advisors make a greater percentage of their revenue selling ocean cruises that originate in the U.S. than they do from any other category of travel product. Carnival Cruise Line senior vice president of sales, Adolfo Perez, spoke with cruise editor Tom Stieghorst.
Travel product: the rise of the upscale all inclusive
John Tarkowski, president of Apple Vacations, spoke with tours editor Jeri Clausing about how the company's products are becoming more attractive to the largest agencies, as it continues to introduce higher-end hotels and resorts.
Revenue: International and leisure bookings dominate; air drops again
Revenue: International and leisure bookings dominate; air drops again
Among respondents, revenue from international bookings has outpaced revenue from domestic ones; revenue from leisure bookings compared with corporate has remained constant.
Most valuable supplier-support services
Most valuable supplier-support services
This year, the importance of overrides and incentives dropped by 6 percentage points from last year while consumer referrals/lead generation services fell 4 points.
Booking methods: How advisors use a GDS
Booking methods: How advisors use a GDS
This is the first year we asked respondents about their preferred hotel-booking channels. Hotels editor Christina Jelski spoke with two travel advisors about their distinct approaches to GDS bookings.
Who are our respondents?
Who are our respondents?
Job titles, number of years in business and where they work.
Methodology
The Warren Weiss Co. collected the data by distributing an online questionnaire to Travel Weekly and TravelAge West subscribers in July.

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