Demand for Expertise Will Fuel Sales
Driving this anticipated growth is a shift in consumer behavior: Travelers will increasingly turn to a professional consultant for a superior vacation experience. Ninety-three percent of the respondents envision that consumer demand for working with advisors will remain steady or grow further.
“We are clearly in the era of the travel advisor, with the highest demand from consumers that we’ve ever seen,” said Kathryn Mazza-Burney, TRAVELSAVERS Chief Sales Officer and NEST President. “Travelers continue to enthusiastically embrace the guidance of a professional consultant. They’re coming to advisors in record numbers, as they know an expert advisor can customize a vacation for them and turn it into an amazing lifetime memory.”
Despite two years of healthy sales increases and an industry-wide shortage of consultants, most – but not all – advisors would still welcome a boost to their business. Seventy-nine percent expressed a desire to add clients, while 19 percent are satisfied with their current numbers. Just two percent would prefer to downsize their clientele.
AI Adoption Gains Momentum
Another major trend reshaping the industry is the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence. The survey revealed a significant uptick in AI usage among advisors:
- 12 percent now use it frequently, up from eight percent last year
- 20 percent use it occasionally, compared to 14 percent in the 2024 survey
- Nine percent say they don’t and won’t use it, down from 24 percent last year
- Despite the wide exposure AI has received recently, 29 percent say they are still not familiar enough with it
Advisor perceptions of AI are also more positive:
- 29 percent now say it’s a great tool, compared to 16 percent last year
- Negative sentiment has dropped from 13 to seven percent
- 24 percent say they’re still not familiar enough with AI
AI Tailored for Travel
To capitalize on this shift, AMG has introduced a proprietary AI tool that empowers advisors to market to clients and prospects in minutes instead of hours. AI Connect will integrate exclusive partner offers into marketing materials such as social media captions, blog posts and landing pages. Trained specifically for the travel industry, the tool learns each advisor’s unique tone, delivering materials that are on brand and on target.
“If 2024 was about getting to know AI, 2025 will be about embracing it,” said Mazza-Burney. “It’s inspiring to see how, in just a year, advisors don’t feel threatened by AI and are instead harnessing its benefits. With tools like AI Connect, advisors can become more efficient and free up time to capture sales as a result of the increased consumer demand they’re experiencing.”
Survey Results
2025 Sales
- 52% predict sales will increase somewhat
- 27% predict sales will increase significantly
- 18% predict sales will stay the same
- 4% predict sales will decrease somewhat
New Client Prospecting
- 38% looking to grow clientele substantially
- 41% looking for a few more clients
- 19% not looking for more clients
- 2% would like to reduce the number of clients
Consumer Attitudes Towards Advisors
- 53% say consumers will be more likely to work with advisors
- 40% say consumers will work with advisors in the same numbers as last year
- 7% say consumers will be less likely to work with advisors
AI Usage
- 12% use it frequently
- 20% use it occasionally
- 11% have tried it
- 15% plan to try it
- 9% don’t and won’t use it
- 29% aren’t familiar enough with it
- 3% no opinion
AI Attitude
- 29% say it’s a great tool for advisors
- 24% say it has potential for advisors
- 9% say it’s neither good nor bad
- 3% say it’s not good for advisors
- 4% say it’s a threat to advisors
- 24% aren’t familiar enough with it
- 6% no opinion
Advisors from TRAVELSAVERS and NEST agency affiliates in the U.S. and Canada took the survey from Oct. 29 to Nov. 16, 2024.
Tags: Kathryn Mazza-Burney, TRAVELSAVERS NEST
