TARC Talk: Perspectives – What Does Professionalism Actually Look Like in the Travel Industry

Summary

Professionalism in the travel-advisor business combines industry knowledge, ongoing learning, reliable client service, and a credible business presence. A polished brand can help establish trust, but it cannot replace product knowledge or attentive client care. Advisors should maintain a professional standard across market segments while adapting their communication to each client and remaining authentic.

Practical playbooks and recommendations

Prepare for supplier events

• Research suppliers before conferences or calls, and prioritize a few relevant partners rather than trying to meet everyone.
• Reach out in advance when possible. Short meetings are more productive when both sides know what they want to discuss.
• Treat a conference as the start of a relationship, not the conclusion. Follow up afterward and continue building the connection.
• Avoid leading with requests for free trips or discounted stays. Show genuine interest and business potential first.

Invest in product knowledge

• Learn through training, mentors, peers, and supplier relationships. Advisors do not need to know every destination, but they should know how to find reliable information.
• Build firsthand experience where practical and budget for professional education. Experiencing a destination or property can help advisors sell it confidently.
• Angelique Johns calls supplier-hosted educational trips “immersions.” The goal is to understand both the property and the destination, rather than quickly visiting many hotels.
• Suppliers may prioritize advisors who already support their properties when selecting participants for these trips.

Create a credible, low-cost business presence

• Set up a business email address, a basic website or profile, and a complete email signature. A signature can include the advisor’s name, company, website, and LinkedIn profile.
• Keep relevant information available on LinkedIn and social media so clients, suppliers, and professional communities can verify the business.
• A meaningful, credible presence matters more than follower counts.
• Use accessible tools such as Canva for basic branding and social posts; seek professional design help when resources allow.

Build professional operating systems

• Use a CRM to track clients and manage follow-up. Where available, use itinerary-building and invoicing features to create a consistent client experience.
• Establish clear workflows and client touchpoints. Disorganized communication or poor follow-through can undermine the quality signal an advisor is trying to convey.
• Treat the work as a real business from the outset, even when starting small.

Match service to the client and niche

• Know the product and the audience, whether selling mass-market cruises or luxury travel. Professionalism should be consistent, while tone and level of detail can vary.
• For busy, high-net-worth clients, be prepared to answer questions quickly and provide concise, useful information.
• Be transparent about budget and product fit. For example, Angelique noted that a request for a Paris hotel at $250 per night may not fit the level of properties her company represents.
• Do not adopt an inauthentic persona to pursue a luxury niche. Clients value both competence and a good relationship fit.

Learn from the industry

• Seek mentors and ask experienced advisors or suppliers for targeted conversations or help.
• Join relevant professional groups, listen to podcasts, and learn from people with different experience levels.
• Michelle Cartwright shared this guiding principle: surround yourself with people who can teach you, and put yourself in situations where you are not always the most experienced person.

Metrics and examples mentioned

• Cartwright founded Destinations by Design in 2013; at the time of the discussion, it had seven advisors.
• Johns said she had 25 years in the travel industry and represented hotels in six European countries.
• Cartwright described her agency’s sales as multi-million dollars in travel annually and mentioned a supplier relationship involving $500,000 in sales of that supplier’s properties. These were illustrative examples, not stated targets.
• Supplier-event meetings may last only 10–15 minutes, reinforcing the value of researching and prioritizing in advance.
• The discussion suggested that a professional email can cost roughly $5–$10 per month. A $500 startup budget was used as a prompt for prioritizing foundational business investments.
• No formal revenue, growth, conversion, or client-retention targets were proposed.

Presenters and source: Stephen (host); Michelle Cartwright, founder and co-owner of Destinations by Design; Angelique Johns, Wonderluxe Collection. Source: TARC Talk: Perspectives.