As big proponents of travel advisor growth and support, ALG Vacations™ has taken it upon themselves to singlehandedly manifest the Year of the Travel Advisor. But why? How? And what does that mean for

With an “official day” for practically everything and anything during these #viral, #hashtagged #socialmediamarketing-driven times, there’s a lot of timely opportunity to keep up with, a lot of trend bandwagons to hop on—lip service as some of them may be. For travel advisors, particularly, there’s Travel Tuesdays and Travel Agent Appreciation Day, which has now been extended to a week in many instances, and, in the past, a whole month with ALG Vacations™ brands.

But after the hardship and hard work of last year, when travel professionals really showed themselves as true heroes of the industry, a month didn’t really feel like enough time anymore. It didn’t feel adequate for those hours of lost sleep worrying about client cancellations, navigating new and ever-changing policies from operators and the government, sitting on hold or at the computer trying to salvage bookings and satisfy customers, and all the other difficulties that we certainly don’t have to recap for you. You’ve lived it.

And so as pent-up demand begins to bubble over, optimism over the vaccine and bargain rates swell, and customers get ready to travel again, it seemed more important than ever to turn the spotlight back onto travel advisors, lest vacationers forget what a disaster they had to deal with when they weren’t properly advised or represented.

Enter: ALGV’s declaration of The Year of the Travel Advisor, or #YOTTA2021.

We believe we have a responsibility to our travel partners to help leverage any market advantage they have, and expand upon it. This yearlong marketing awareness program will do exactly that, through a variety of media types, channels, and multi-pronged pushes. And we’re devoting all of our energy to make sure that behind all of it, you have a strong knowledge base to lean on, too, as we build upon our educational programs and resource libraries to provide no-holds-barred access to any questions or concerns you may need to address.

Your profession has never been more important to travelers, and now is the time to create a foundation of trust in it between your current and new clients.

Because here’s the thing: consumers are desperately looking for reputable, non-judgmental ways to get correct, verified, trustworthy information within the travel space right now. Those who used to rely on the advice of friends and family find that they can’t anymore—their input isn’t as relevant as it used to be, nor is it always accurate. And they want protection from the nameless, faceless OTAs—an advocate that will protect them when, in an uncertain world, Murphy’s Law has taken the reins. Finally, they want to associate with experienced experts who are connected with solid travel companies that will back them up and work collaboratively with their advisor for the best solutions. And that’s where ALGV comes into play again, since we’ve made no secret that ALGV gives advisors MORE and values working together.

That’s why we had to say it. Had to make it official. Had to make sure that there is no question that 2021 is the Year of the Travel Advisor.

We see ourselves as true partners—an extension of the businesses of our travel advisor friends. From sales and marketing to products and services, we’re proud to put the needs of the agent community at the forefront, supporting businesses both large and small in their pursuit of making client travel dreams become lifelong memories.

And we can’t wait to start working together to make this your year. #YOTTA2021 #FTW!

Want to know what’s in store for you during the Year of the Travel Advisor? Hint: Merch Madness is right on the horizon; an elite advisor panel is being gathered; content is being curated and collected; videos are being shot and edited; giveaway prizes assembled; and an all-new store is getting filled up with YOTTA merchandise for you to proudly proclaim your passion. Keep following TravelBlogue for more updates!