Employee retention and attrition management for International travel agencies: holding region specialists
When a Europe or Gulf consultant leaves, the agency loses their guests and their partner contacts too. Retention here is a client protection question as much as an HR one.
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Share your requirementsWhy employee retention and attrition management matters in international travel agencies
International travel is a small world. Consultants know each other, rivals know who is good and online portals hire away experienced staff. The agency learns of a resignation only when a guest asks where their consultant has gone.
A retention process starts with knowing who leaves, from which desk and after how long. It then asks the stayers what keeps them. Imagine a consultant who has led the Japan desk for six years with the same title. Pay may not be the issue. A visible region lead role, a say in partner choice and recognition by name may matter more.
Online platforms and larger agencies approach desk heads directly. A consultant who is paid mainly on commission will compare offers whenever the season is slow. Without a clear step up or a role in training others, the agency competes only on pay, and loses.
How to set it up
1. Record every exit
Role, region, months served, reason given and where they went, kept for three years.
2. Talk to the people who stayed
Ask each senior consultant what they like, what annoys them and what would make them look elsewhere.
3. Guard the client relationship
Make sure guest data and partner contacts sit in the agency's systems, and make notes of repeat guests shared with the desk.
4. Offer a step up
Create region lead and trainer roles so skilled people have a rung to climb. Pay benchmarks show where the band sits.
5. Build a visible career ladder
Define roles beyond consultant, such as region lead, trainer for new staff and partner relations, with what each needs and how it is reviewed.
6. Plan a handover
When someone does leave, agree a handover and introduce the successor to the guests and partners before the last day.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. Use your own records for a defined period and note gaps in the evidence. The review may take longer if records are incomplete or spread across teams.
- List exits in the last two years by desk and tenure.
- Ask each region lead how they would feel about an offer from a rival.
- Check where guest contact details are kept.
- See if anyone has held the same title for more than four years.
- Check whether staff can name the next role above theirs and what it needs.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach employee retention and attrition management in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
The usual reasons are pay, lack of growth, night duties and a manager who does not listen. Ask your own people, since the order differs by agency.
Not entirely. Keep guest records in company systems, have the desk contact repeat guests and write down expectations in the contract after taking professional advice.
Sometimes, for specialised regions at peak, but it should come with a clear step in grade. A bonus alone delays the problem.
Such clauses can be hard to enforce in India. Ask your own adviser what is workable, and also protect the business by keeping guest records and partner contacts in the agency's system.
A say in itineraries, familiarisation trips, a title that shows their region and training time. These can count for more than a small raise.
We set up the interview and hiring process for international travel agencies
Every business interviews, but few have a written process that works the same way for every role and every interviewer. GullyHR designs yours, from the role brief to the offer, trains your managers to run it, and can run it for you on the roles you hand us.