A fierce debate has broken out on LinkedIn after one travel agent and business owner questioned whether travel professionals are valued enough for their skill and expertise.
“Being a travel agent in 2026 is a strange gig,” Joshua Martin, founder of Many Moons, posted on LinkedIn. “No other profession has to justify itself quite like ours does. You don’t ring your solicitor and ask whether they’re actually worth their fee. You don’t turn up to the GP and question whether they really know what they’re doing. There’s a baseline respect that comes with those titles. Travel? Not so much.”
Whilst Martin acknowledged that the barrier to entry is lower than in those professions, he said being a good travel agent takes real skill — and that skill comes particularly into focus when things go wrong.
“Recently, with everything kicking off in the Middle East, airline chatbots were completely overwhelmed. Crashed. Useless. People couldn’t get through to anyone. If you didn’t have direct contacts at the airlines or access to the right systems, you were on your own. Properly on your own.”
Martin said his motivation for entering the industry was to inspire people to explore destinations like Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Palau — “places that actually change how you see the world.” But his biggest takeaway has been simpler: “What people really want, more than a great destination, is someone they can trust when it matters. When it goes sideways, a good travel agent is genuinely invaluable. We just don’t shout about it enough.”
Many agreed, including Australian-founded 1000 Miles Travel Group. “The barrier to entry might be low, but the barrier to doing it well is not,” it commented.
Lotte Gossage, founder of Hotel Fam Club, echoed the call for greater visibility: “Travel advisors do need to shout about it more — put themselves in front of hospitality more too.”
It’s a sentiment shared by Anna Shannon, founder of Travel Agent Finder. “Many agents are exceptional at what they do, but their expertise isn’t always coming through online,” she said. “Profiles often undersell experience, niche knowledge and real value, which means missed opportunities. Most of the time, this comes down to a lack of time — agents are busy wearing many hats.”
With peace of mind, crisis management and expertise among the top reasons Australian consumers continue to use travel agents, the question is whether the industry is doing enough to say so.
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