
BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION
TMR’s Outlook on River Cruise Segment 2022 shows
a continuing trend in the increase of Independent
Contractors (ICs) in the travel advisor community.
ICs account for over 60% of the respondents—a
majority (55%) work with a host agency.
Compared to the insights from TMR’s Distribution
Outlook published in October 2021, the share of ICs
has increased from 39%, highlighting a continu-
ing shift towards entrepreneurship among travel
advisors. The share of storefront retail locations,
however, continues to decline. About 40% of the
advisors work with retail agencies, with an even
split between those with a storefront location and
those without. The last few years have shown, more
than ever, the important role played by business
affiliations, which is probably why only a marginal
percentage of advisors (7%) across the US and
Canada remain unaffiliated without a host, consor-
tia or franchise.
CHART 18
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31
ADVISOR DEMOGRAPHICS
21%
18%
55%
7%
Retail travel agency with a storefront
location
Retail travel agency, non-storefront
location
Independent contractor working with
a host agency
IC/advisor working on your own