P.E.I. travel agents say many factors behind rising demand for their services

Travel agents on Prince Edward Island say they're seeing a growing demand for their services due to factors affecting the travel industry dating back to when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.

George Stewart, owner of Travels by George, said the increase in his business has him receiving at least 10 referrals a week, on top of clients who already have him as their agent.

"I've been in this for 40 years and it's the busiest I've ever been," he said. "That kind of gives you a little bit of an idea of how many people are looking for an agent."

From the resurgence of travel due to loosened public health measures, to flight disruptions, missing baggage and labour shortages — all have continued to push travellers toward travel advisors who can troubleshoot their issues.

On P.E.I., the sheer volume of people booking getaways during the two weeks of the upcoming Canada Games is adding pressure in a traditionally slow season of travel.

And with tourism expected to kick into high gear once again this summer, some travel agents are anticipating this year to be even busier than 2022.

More than one reason

Stewart said he first saw the influx of new people wanting an agent's services when the spread of COVID-19 began to affect air travel. Some passengers with no agent sought his help when they couldn't reach either the airline or the third-party platform they had booked with, once flights started being cancelled.

"That's basically what an agent does," he said. "They're basically your ombudsman, they're [the] in-between person that deals with the airline or, you know, your hotel, car rentals, et cetera."

Pauline Solomon, owner of The Travel Store in Charlottetown, agrees that widespread stories of negative travel experiences in recent months, including social media posts about long-delayed or lost luggage, may be pushing people to book with agents instead.

But she also points to the Canada Games, with people calling her agency from as early as March break last year to book trips during the two-week break that starts when the P.E.I.-hosted event begins Feb. 18.

She also said travellers whose plans were disrupted during the early days of the pandemic are now cashing in their travel credits. That is in addition to the people who have saved and waited until recently to splurge on dream trips this year.

Solomon said travel advisors have the advantage of support lines not available to the general public, and can immediately pass on alerts about flight disruptions — often while passengers are still in the air on the first leg of their trip.

"If something goes wrong, if changes have to be made, that kind of thing, we can often leverage our access or our relationships with some of the representatives of the tour companies," said Solomon.

She said travellers can also save time, since part of an agent's job is to wait on hold with airlines — sometimes for hours — on behalf of their clients.

But Solomon said a severe labour shortage across the country remains a challenge.

"Anyone working in travel at whatever level, or in whatever job, knows that there's a shortage of staff, shortage of human resources right now," she said.

Solomon said experienced employees at her agency have been training new hires since last summer to deal with the anticipated travel demand.

"This being their first really big winter is, in itself, a real eye-opener and a real learning experience," she said.

"I think if they get through this year, they'll be well set."