How are top-producing travel advisors performing? The 1000 shares member insights

A club for the “world’s most influential travel advisors” has released member insights that shed light on the commissions and sales activity among top-producing travel advisors from every corner of the globe, across agency and consortia affiliation, and who sell all product types and budgets.

The 1000 is a first-of-its-kind recognition platform, founded in 2021, that gives agents the ability to understand how their sales compare to others in their local area, country, and world.

Founded by Jeff Sirota (formerly of Small Luxury Hotels of the World) and Tim Morgan (formerly of Virtuoso), the club was created to complement a travel advisor’s existing agency or consortia relationship by providing relevant recognition, rewards and relationship-building opportunities based on one’s sales efforts and business needs.

“The 1000 is made up of incredibly passionate and successful travel advisors from around the world,” said Sirota. “But what makes them truly stand out is their respect for their own profession and that of their peers as travel professionals – and the proof is in their numbers.”

The latest insights

While the pandemic saw consistently lower 2020 sales volumes for advisors around the world, 2021 production numbers were significantly higher in the United States, as compared to other countries, including for a minority of U.S.-based advisors who saw their 2021 production surpass their pre-pandemic, 2019 figures.

Canada, the U.K., and Australia followed the U.S. for recovery in 2021. However, they were significantly lower as tighter restrictions on travel remained in place in those regions.

As for 2022, in a recent survey of members of The 1000, 88 per cent of members around the world said that their 2022 invoiced sales are on track to be ahead of 2019, showing positive momentum for the re-engagement of the travel industry.

The company recently shared that more than 1,000 applications for recognition were received from 37 countries, with those submissions representing over US$2B in annual sales production – averaging US$2.3M per advisor.

For those travel advisors who have been verified and accepted into The 1000, their minimum annual sales production is US$1.5M and their average annual sales production is US$3.1M, with a number of individual advisors each producing over US$12M per year.

“With a US$279k average annual gross commission for those travel advisors accepted into The 1000, there is no doubt that the travel advisor profession is a career that should be given the respect it deserves,” Morgan noted.

The breakdown

Verified top travel advisors accepted into The 1000 find success in all areas of travel – particularly hotels – with their individual product sales averaging in each category as follows:

• 34% hotel
• 18% air
• 17% cruise (12% ocean cruise, 5% river cruise)
• 16% tour (7% escorted tour, 9% packaged tour)
• 15% DMC/on site

When reviewing the industry tenure of top travel advisors, the breakdown shows an opportunity to introduce and foster new and rising talent:

• Less than five years as a travel advisor: 6%
• 5-10 years as a travel advisor: 26%
• 10-15 years as a travel advisor: 20%
• More than 15 years as a travel advisor: 48%

“As our industry struggles with succession planning for the travel advisor profession, insights into what defines a viable career are crucial, with compensation and product-focus being critical to that understanding,” said Morgan.

Complimentary applications for The 1000 are open to all advisors from around the world until July 29, 2022 here. 

Once verified by The 1000, advisors can use this recognition to enhance their marketing to new and existing clients and supplier partners.

Over time, benefits will be enhanced relative to advisors’ individual geographic needs, client needs, and product/supplier needs, giving them access to a community of like-minded travel advisors and suppliers across the globe, the club says.

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