Canada’s travel advisor market holds steady as costs rise and tech evolves

The Canadian travel advisor landscape remains stable and strongly relationship driven, supported by a highly experienced workforce split between traditional storefront employees and a large home-based independent segment. Advisors continue to face mounting cost pressures including inflation, air disruption and competition from suppliers, yet most maintain an optimistic outlook for the future. Phocuswright’s Canada Travel Agency Highlights 2026 is a curated research report focusing on the Canadian travel agency distribution landscape and overall market size. This year's findings are presented in interactive chart format.

Client demand remains rooted in personal service rather than price, and digital marketing, email communication and growing experimentation with AI tools are reshaping how advisors manage and promote their businesses. International travel dominates agency bookings, with strong growth for Europe despite declines in U.S. demand. Service fees, preferred supplier partnerships and diversified specializations continue to anchor revenue strategies.

In Canada, nearly half of all advisors identify as agency owners or managers, with ownership most prevalent among home‑based independent advisors. This reflects the entrepreneurial nature of the home‑based model and highlights how many advisors operate as small business owners rather than traditional employees.

This report gives an unprecedented profile of the agency landscape, with strategic insights into:

The advisor profile

• Demographics and experience: Nearly six in 10 advisors have been selling travel for over 10 years, indicating a mature and seasoned workforce. New entrants are growing modestly, with advisors who have been selling for two years or less increasing to 14%.
• Work model and professional roles
• Income and work status
• Specializations and affiliations
• Challenges

The client profile

• Demographics
• Income
• Why clients book with advisors: Personal relationships and customer service are the primary reasons clients choose to book with travel advisors, far outweighing price considerations. Just 2% of advisors cite price as the main driver, reinforcing that advisor value is rooted in trust, expertise and long‑term client relationships rather than lowest‑cost options.

Product selection and marketing

• Comms methods
• Marketing approaches
• Digital and social media adoption

The travel agency business

• Ownership and structure: Nearly half of all advisors identify as agency owners or managers.
• Focus and specialization
• Sales and rev composition
• Bookings mix and performance trends

Bookings and distribution

• Air and hotel booking channels

Industry outlook

• Distribution change and NDC awareness
• Tech adoption and advisor sentiment
• AI usage, interest and concerns: Accuracy and loss of personal touch are the top concerns cited by advisors regarding AI use. These concerns highlight the importance of balancing automation with the human expertise and trust that underpin advisor‑client relationships.
• External pressures and industry impact
• Growth expectations and future outlook

Based on a comprehensive market sizing exercise, along with a survey of Canadian travel advisors, questions answered include:

• What factors do Canadian travel advisors view as most impactful for their business growth and client relationships?
• What are the primary revenue streams and booking channels for Canadian travel agencies?
• How do agencies attract and retain clients, and what marketing strategies are most effective?
• What challenges and opportunities are shaping the future of Canadian travel agencies?
• What impact, if any, does generative AI have on the segment now, and looking forward?

Dig into the interactive report now.

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