Winning In The Tech Era | 17 For individual advisors or those who belong to a small group, competing with OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) was challenging from the onset. However, the advancement of technology has drastically leveled the playing field. Now, any advisor can offer similar or even better pricing to consumers via a variety of platforms that place them in the same game as the OTAs. Whether that is done on a website, via a coordinated email campaign, through a mobile push notification, or a digital ad, any advisor can compete to earn the business of a customer. The basic idea for advisors is that, to the general public, they are as ‘big’ and legitimate as any OTA, based solely on the sophistication of the tools and services they offer to their customers. When implemented properly, technology puts travel advisors on par with OTAs As Hayjousif points out: “Advisors have access to direct inventory, so they can provide their clients with white labeled platforms allowing their clients the online booking experience This increases the volume of travel that an advisor can manage; reduces the maintenance an advisor needs to provide to each booking; and hence, allows the advisor to provide a more competitive fee” There are ways that travel advisors can mold and utilize technology to strengthen their position against the OTAs even further Rose explains: “OTAs continue to invest in personalization and payment technology, all designed to simplify the process for the traveler That being said, today, they still require the traveler to search, evaluate, and book their own travel As AI becomes more mainstream, I envision a day in the near future when AI bots will work with a traveler’s personal preferences to fetch itineraries that meet their need In that environment, travel agents that specialize in specific segments or destinations can compete, provided their contact can be found online” Hayjousif is thinking along the same lines, and elaborated that: “We are looking for and finding niches in the travel space where we can develop and deploy travel tech to grow our business We see several companies doing this, and having some material success here We see others floundering, and heading into big headwinds they will have to navigate in order to survive” Saltarelli feels that technology also helps travel advisors compete with OTAs because, “it allows us to have best of both worlds We still appreciate the ability to have a live conversation with clients, and clients appreciate the questions we ask so we can best customize their travel plans However, technology allows us to research, curate, and create robust presentations Clients still appreciate the ability to talk to someone when they have a special request, or when something needs adjusting prior to or during their travel” Therefore, although the mega OTAs have had an impact on the travel advisor community, they have not caused the once-predicted demise of the travel advisor If anything, they have upped the ante on the competitive landscape of travel, and healthy competition among vendors is good for consumers COMBATTING THE OTAs “Travel advisors need to master technology the best way they can. Lean into the tech, use it to grow your knowledge and customer base, and maximize your service offerings.” – Azzam Hajyousif, former travel agency owner, and current COO of LeisureBlox