Hosted Travel Agents: How Does Your Income Stack Up?

HostAgencyReviews.com, the largest digital host agency directory, recently released their 2020 Hosted Travel Agent Income Report, which focuses on “the latest income trends among hosted travel agents with 3+ years experience.” The survey asked agents about their 2019 income, an important point to note when considering this information.

So how do you stack up? Here are some of the survey’s key findings.

More findings on income include:

• The average income reported by women was $50,659 compared to men who reported $54,959
• Full-time agents (working 30+ hours per week) earn an average of $64,377
• Part-time agents (working less than 30 hours per week) earn an average of $16,446
• The highest-earning travel product was FIT, followed by river cruises, tours and packages, all-inclusive resorts and ocean cruises

Hosted agents’ income from all four streams of revenue increased in 2019 from 2018, and here’s the average income for each one:

• Commissions – $48,059
• Service fees – $7,232
• Consultation fees – $3,767
• Other – $6,508

When comparing 2018 survey data to 2019, HostAgencyReviews.com found:

• Selling travel as a primary source of income was more common in 2019
• More agents sold travel full-time in 2019

Another interesting finding is that 45% of hosted agents surveyed said they do not have a niche or specialty and book whatever their clients want, 30% said they are working towards a niche and 25% said they do have a niche. Of those who said they do have a niche, the top 3 niches reported were:

• Luxury – 19%
• Ocean cruises – 16%
• Weddings/honeymoons – 14%

This survey is conducted every year, along with a survey of independent agents. It will be very interesting to see how the findings of the 2020 survey differ when it’s released next year.