Travel is one of the most meaningful investments a person can make. Whether it’s a quick weekend getaway, honeymoon, business trip, or once-in-a-lifetime journey, travellers expect their experiences to be seamless.
Travel agents are the guardians of these investments. But the industry knows all too well that even the best planned itinerary can unravel in an instant.
A flight is suddenly canceled. A family arrives at a hotel only to find it overbooked. A storm diverts a cruise. Moments like these are pivotal for travel agents. The client’s trip, trust, and long-term loyalty all depend on how quickly and effectively an agent can navigate these tricky situations.
Scenarios like these remind us that in the travel business, loyalty is earned not when things go smoothly, but when they go awry.
Support is the Frontline of Loyalty
A travel agent’s reputation is built on reliability. A smooth trip is the baseline expectation. So, while clients may or may not remember the straightforward trips, they never forget when an agent saved the day in a crisis.
In this landscape, travel agents can’t afford to treat customer support as an afterthought; it must be treated as a central pillar to client retention and long-term business growth.
It may seem straightforward, but unfortunately, providing last-minute support in a crisis is far more difficult in practice than in theory. Many travel agents lack access to the technological tools and infrastructure needed to manage crises as they arise. Without the right systems in place, it’s extremely difficult for even the most experienced agents to meet client expectations in these critical moments. The challenge isn’t recognising the importance of support; it’s finding partners who can deliver it at scale.
What Strong Support Looks Like Today
The best travel agent partners treat support as a competitive advantage — delivering help that’s fast, knowledgeable, and available through familiar channels.
Expedia TAAP (Travel Agent Affiliate Program) exemplifies this approach. Agents receive immediate support via voice or chat, with 75% opting for phone and 25% for chat. Calls are answered in under 15 seconds, and chat support earns a strong Net Promoter Score of 67 — a clear sign of agent satisfaction.
This philosophy extends to VrboCare through Expedia TAAP, which gives agents greater flexibility when cancellations happen close to check-in. With broader rebooking windows and compensation that reflects real-time market conditions, agents can keep trips on track and travellers confident in their service.
Expedia TAAP also works directly with nearly all listed properties, enabling faster issue resolution. And when things go truly wrong — like a property being closed or overbooked — TAAP’s 24/7 Emergency Support steps in. Dedicated UK and USA phone lines connect agents to relocation teams who arrange alternative lodging, preserving the traveller’s experience and easing the agent’s burden. In a world of rising disruptions, scalable, responsive support is what sets trusted partners apart.
The Future: Human-Led, AI-Enhanced
Looking ahead, as client expectations continue to rise, so will the standard of technical support needed for travel agents to deliver premier experiences. AI is reshaping how support is offered across every touchpoint. Travel agents who embrace AI and use it to their advantage will emerge as frontrunners in this new era.
Expedia TAAP is advancing this vision of AI that works with travel agents. The focus is on building tools that are human-led and AI-enhanced, designed to amplify agents’ expertise rather than replace it.
This kind of investment points to the future of B2B travel: support systems that scale intelligently, adapt to changing needs, and make sure travel agents have the tools to deliver when it matters most.
In this industry, loyalty is not built on the easy days. It is earned when things go wrong. Travel agents should choose partners that provide fast, reliable, and human-centered support today while continuing to invest in technologies that elevate service for the future.
