Expedia TAAP research: Travelers look to advisors for good deals as well as expertise: Travel Weekly

Why do travelers in the U.S. use travel advisors? According to new research from the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP), their reasons largely boil down to expertise, time savings and value.

Expedia TAAP’s research, conducted in conjunction with Wakefield Research, asked for insights from travelers who have booked with an advisor in the past 18 months.

The top reasons they used them: expert advice (53%), time savings (52%), access to exclusive deals (49%), personalized services (47%), ability to handle travel emergencies (39%) and selecting the ideal destination and accommodation (39%).

The top reasons for staying loyal to one advisor were great customer service, understanding of the client’s needs, good communication, experience and knowledge, and great deals.

And, 94% of travelers surveyed believe travel advisors have the best access to deals, offers and promotions.

Robin Lawther, vice president of TAAP, said it makes sense that consumers are using advisors for their expertise and time. He found it interesting that so many travelers use advisors because of the inherent value of their services.

“I think sometimes there’s a belief out there, ‘Oh, let me just Google this and I’m going to find the best rate,'” he said. “Actually, more than 50% of travelers are realizing it makes sense to go to a travel agency, that they’re likely able to find better value for money than they can find themselves.”

Lawther had a few takeaways about how advisors can utilize TAAP’s research.

For one, from the lens of keeping customers happy, advisors should always showcase their expertise, be on top of issues that might arise, ensure communication is clear, and demonstrate where they have found value for their clients. Value is especially applicable to advisors whose clients are more price-sensitive, Lawther said.

From the lens of bringing in new customers, Lawther said advisors should find ways to showcase the benefits of their services as well as the value they provide.

Clicks and advisors at a record high

Last year was a record-breaking one for TAAP in two key areas: the volume of clicks going through the platform and the number of advisors joining the platform, Lawther said. There is a lot of optimism about 2025.

In recent months, TAAP has launched its “agency service charge” feature, which enables advisors to add service fees to bookings. That feature rolled out on a trial basis at the tail end of 2024 and has now officially rolled out to users across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“That’s been extremely well received,” Lawther said. He added that advisors had been asking Expedia for the ability to add a service fee.

The beginning of 2025 also brought with it the launch of TAAP’s back-office API. That enables booking information from TAAP to be shared with other software an advisor or agency is using, like accounting systems and itinerary tools.

In talks with agencies, TAAP often hears that advisors have too much work and not enough people to handle it, Lawther said. They are looking for ways to be more efficient and handle more customers with the same staffing levels.

“That’s one of the things we’re trying to do with the back-office API launch,” he said. “To just take away some of the manual work and make things as easy as possible for advisors.”