Coronavirus and Travel: MMGY Global Weighs In, March 12, 2020

Things are moving quickly as the COVID-19 flu plays havoc with the ability for consumers to get on a plane or a cruise ship or visit their favorite destinations. We caught up with Craig Compagnone, chief operating of MMGY Global, to get his take on how leisure travel will fare in the coming months. One thing he is certain of and that is that when the green light to travel freely again is given, consumers will have plenty of pent-up demand for vacations. The travel advisor will play a major role in planning these trips, particularly if they are sensitive to what people are looking for. “If intermediaries can find a way to help travel brands in reaching the right traveler with the right message on a more targeted basis, then I think travel advisors will have a real opportunity to play an important role for our industry as things evolve,” said Compagnone. “Our research certainly shows that travel advisors are actually a very trusted resource; we’ve seen for years that younger generations, like the Millennial generation, are actually oftentimes turning to travel advisors as well for assistance with travel….” For more on how travel advisors and travel brands can participate in the inevitable travel rebound, listen to our podcast with Compagnone. For more, be sure to visit TravelAgentCentral.com and LuxuryTravelAdvisor.com daily for updates.