Once designed as training opportunities, fam trips are evolving into performance-driven incentives for top agents.
“Fam trips were very common in the past and everyone had an opportunity to participate. They are now few and far between, and considered more as a reward for top performers from major consortiums,” said Yumna Kharodia from Sweet Life Travel. “Most of the time the same consultants go to the same destination and view the same properties, whereas others haven’t even been to the destination at all.”
In a recent Travel News poll, 86% of agents said newer entrants to the industry were being overlooked for fam trips, with invitations more often going to top performers as a form of incentive.
“Many fam trips have become increasingly sales-driven. While that is understandable from a commercial perspective, it can be challenging for newer agents who are expected to sell products they may not fully understand,” said Tammy Lindeque, a travel adviser from Checkout Travel.
She believes educational trips and incentive trips should serve different purposes.
“Fam trips should remain focused on training newer agents and providing refreshers for consultants who need destination or product exposure. Incentive trips have their place, but I believe the distinction between the two should be clearer.”
Important for newcomers
Agents say firsthand destination knowledge is critical, particularly for consultants still building their experience in the industry.
“Selling a flight is one thing, but advising a client based on firsthand experience is entirely different. Being able to guide clients on whether a destination or property suits their needs adds value to the consultation process. When advice comes from personal experience, clients feel more confident in the recommendations being made,” said Lindeque.
However, Lilly Fourie from Trip Tonic believes focus on newer entrants could be wasted investment. “Product knowledge is important to any newcomer, but this industry is not for the faint hearted. For this reason, a new entrant might be a wasted investment for the supplier if the agent’s career in travel is not guaranteed. Suppliers should focus on agents that have been in the industry around the two-year mark for optimal returns,” said Fourie.
Cost pressures
A fam trip can require significant investment from smaller agencies, both financially and in terms of resources.
“The costs for these fam trips, which is substantially more than it used to be, can only be carried by big agencies. No business is going to invest in these costs if there is a high turnover of staff or agents are going to leave once they get their experience,” said Glenda Ingram, Owner of West Beach Travel.
Ingram invests in her own educationals. “Fam trips always seem to be last minute and I’ve also already committed my travel budget elsewhere. I do my own ‘educationals’; that way I get to experience the destination on my own time.”
Supplier responsibility
Agents say suppliers should play a bigger role in restoring the educational value of fam trips.
Fourie said suppliers should adopt two clear strategies – one focusing on fam trips to improve product knowledge where the supplier sees opportunity for growth and the other for incentive trips to promote sales.
“Suppliers or their representatives should be having open conversations with agents to qualify opportunities and see which strategy suits them,” said Fourie.
Balancing itineraries
One concern for fam trips is the pace and structure of some itineraries. “In certain cases, schedules are so packed with inspections that participants retain very little information by the end. A more balanced and focused approach would make fam trips more effective, particularly for newer agents,” said Lindeque.
She said a more in-depth, luxury itinerary could then be reserved for top performers. “Those agents have earned the opportunity to enjoy the full premium experience, while educational trips should prioritise knowledge retention, product understanding, and confidence-building for consultants still developing their expertise.”
