Why this travel company charges a booking fee | Our summer travel series

Travel is booming and travelers are eager to back on the road. But what do you do if your travel company is confronting the perfect storm of being down staff and up on inquiries from travel advisors and consumers – who may not be ready to make a booking? One tour operator, eager to reduce the number of window shoppers, has taken a – sometimes controversial – page from the travel advisors’ playbook. Host Rebecca Tobin get into the subject with Authentic Vacations CEO Simon Russell and Travel Weekly tour editor Nicole Edenedo. Our summer 2022 series revisits some of the best Folo by Travel Weekly episodes. This episode was originally published May 30, 2022. It has been edited for length and clarity. Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by ALG Vacations Related: With more calls and less staff, tour operator turns to pre-booking deposit https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/With-more-calls-and-less-staff-tour-operator-turns-to-fees Ire builds over hold times as suppliers rush to hire and train call staff https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Suppliers-rush-to-staff-up-train-as-ire-builds-on-call-wait-times?ct= Previously on the Folo podcast: How the rush to travel created hurdles for travel agents https://www.travelweekly.com/Podcasts/Folo/The-rush-to-travel-brings-hurdles-for-agents  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.