Travel agents say they are 'overwhelmed' by a massive surge in new clients amid airline chaos and 'confusing' international covid restrictions

• Travel agents say they're busier than ever in recent months amid surging demand for travel.
• Some agents report being "overwhelmed" by the recent flood of new clients who want help planning trips.

Many travel agents say they have never been busier amid air travel chaos and a post-covid lockdown surge in demand this summer. The job, which has long been thought to be in decline due to the increasing ease of online self-booking, may be making a resurgence.

"Before the pandemic, we used to get questions all the time about, 'Oh, travel agents, do those still exist?'," said Thomas Carpenter, cofounder of Huckleberry Travel. "Since the pandemic, we don't get that question any longer," he said.

Some travel agents, or travel advisors as many prefer to be called, say they have been flooded by a deluge of new clients in recent months.

"I'm definitely working more... I feel actually a little bit overwhelmed now," said Amy Freyder, owner of Epic Away Travel.

Other travel advisors echoed Freyder. For example, Jamison Bachrach, a travel advisor based in Rome, Italy for the summer, told Insider that he has "never been busier" in his 25 years in the industry.

"I have people coming out of the woodwork from sources I've never seen. I'm happy about that," Jamison said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were more than 37,000 people in the US employed as travel agents, as of May 2021. That's a significant drop from more than 80,000 tallied just 5 years before in 2016.

This smaller pool of agents is now being faced with what some say is unprecedented demand for help booking travel.

The issue is exacerbated by the recent uptick in airline mayhem. Some travel agents say they now spend more time on hold with airlines than ever, given recent cancelations, delays, and lost luggage.

"It has become long hours for us because we are doing the extra changes and keeping up and trying to be proactive when airlines cancel routes or can't fulfill a previous ticket because of staffing issues," said Shaia Bragg, a travel advisor based in Nashville, Tennessee. "I do not know a solid travel advisor that is not working overtime and long hours and weekends at this point," she added.

A recent survey by the American Society for Travel Advisors shows that 71% of respondents have seen travel as more complex since the pandemic began. It's not just airline chaos contributing to this complexity, though. Travel agents say they've seen a torrent of requests for travel to Europe and work longer to help clients figure out international covid protocols since each country in the bloc has its own covid-safety measures.

For example, international travelers coming from outside of the EU to Spain are still required to present proof of vaccination or a negative test, while Portugal lifted its vaccine and test requirements on July 1.

"There are just so many requirements and extra steps that are needed to be taken to go somewhere... I think it's gotten confusing whether you need to have a covid test or you don't need to have a covid test," Freyder said.

For many travel agents, the surge in demand is almost exclusively from vacationers. Agents who rely more heavily on arranging business trips push back on any assertion that demand for their services is stronger than ever.

"Would I tell you I'm busier than pre-covid? I don't know that I would say that," said Leslie Tillem, a travel agent at Tzell Travel Group. "What's happening is there is such a surge in travel in such a short period of time on the leisure side, but on the other hand, the corporate side has truly slowed down," she added.