The travel industry is one of great joy and inspiration, but it can also present some of the most challenging experiences one could face.

And at the front of it all are the travel agents, supporting both their clients and the industry at large, as they encourage travellers to keep their travel plans, book more, and defy the fear instilled by acts of terrorism.

Global uncertainty is becoming an increasing concern for the industry, as travellers become more cautious and even consider staying home.

And despite the probability of terror attacks remaining low overall, agents still have to deal with panicked clients. But this is where travel agents really “come into their own”, as said by Travellers Choice MD Christian Hunter, offering far more personal support than an OTA.

So what do the industry leaders think of it all? Travel Weekly decided, rather than shying away from the issue, that we’d go straight to some of the trailblazers of our industry to ask their advice.

We spoke to a number of people who’ve lead our industry for many years, and asked them to offer agents some words of wisdom in the face of terrorism, and customers who may come to agents to quell their fears of travelling.

Here’s what they had to say.

Penny Spencer, Managing Director of Spencer Travel

“My thoughts are all around sensibility,” Spencer told us.

“First of all we would say to our clients how do they feel? If they don’t feel comfortable travelling they are best not to.

“Danger is everywhere in the world including home…. look at Young in regional NSW, who would of thought.

“We need to continue living our life and travelling but be wary of where you might go in crowds and overall security.

“We can’t stop travelling or do what we do because of terrorism,” Spencer stressed. “September 11 didn’t stop us!

“Life goes on and this is what we have to live with now but we must keep doing what we love and that is travel.”

Jayson Westbury, CEO of AFTA

“The freedom of travel is at the core of being a person on this planet,” Westbury commented to TW.

“Provided that when you travel you are mindful of your environment, don’t take risks that you would not take at home and live your life as you wish, your freedom remains intact.”

Barry Mayo, Chairman of TravelManagers

“Terrorism – it’s an intimidating word, and one Australian’s would rather not think about when planning their holiday,” Mayo told Travel Weekly.

“Unfortunately, events like 9/11, the Paris attacks and more recently, the Manchester concert bombing have shown that nowhere, Sydney and Melbourne included, is safe from terrorist activity.

“The reality is we can’t isolate ourselves, what’s important is that travellers are vigilant and use common sense, take official warnings seriously (TravelManagers advocate following the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade travel advisories) and follow the advice of local authorities.

“Thanks to the company’s Disaster Management Plan, TravelManagers has a process where if  an incident occurs anywhere in the world the National Partnership Office or an individual  personal travel manager can run a  Client Location Report to identify if clients may be impacted and require assistance.

“This gives our clients piece of mind that no matter if tragedy strikes, their personal travel manager will be aware immediately and be there to support and provide assistance.”

Ray Howe, Marketing + PR at Travel Counsellors

Speaking to TW, Howe shared that their global head office is located in Manchester, and “mercifully none of the staff that were at the concert were physically injured by these tragic events”.

“As a business, we have offered personal counselling, although some staff will know someone affected as the population of Manchester is about the same as Brisbane and this arena is where our annual global conference is held,” Howe explained.

“Whether these incidents happen in Manchester, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Ohio or Sydney, the aim of terror attacks is to strike fear and attack our way of life. This will make people consider their holidays, and maybe cancel trips to stay at home.

“But the truth is travel breaks down barriers and creates empathy for people whose lives are different to our own, seeing other cultures and religions increases tolerance and understanding,” he added.

“Travellers combat terrorists by going against their aims, one by one and trip by trip. Travel Counsellors are part of an industry that work every day to inspire people to experience the delicate and beautiful world around us—and we will continue to create more travellers to combat these destructive ideologies.”

Michael Londregan, Managing Director APAC of Virtuoso

“The geopolitical landscape continues to demonstrate turbulence and this does manifest itself into travel discomfort at best and paralysis at its worst. We all wish for a more peaceful and harmonious world but we exist in the one we have,” Londregan told TW.

“The reality is that the sophisticated traveller, a strong segment in Australia, has made the decision that travel is a huge part of their lives – its not discretionary or optional – travel both defines them and deliver for them a return on life.

“The available options are now indeed global, the world is literally our oyster. The bucket list is strong and the destinations are malleable – we have five to 10 year plans and decide which destinations or experiences will be enjoyed this year based on current conditions – maybe this is not the year we do Paris in the springtime – lets expedition cruise the Galapagos.

“So our clients are not deciding to travel or stagnate they are swimming with the current turmoil tide and making this years decision accordingly. So we see some share movement but our growth in 2016 was a sales increase of 19 per cent – huge growth in luxury cruise, expedition product, private touring and natural landscapes. ”

John White, General Manager Travel & Medical of Allianz Worldwide Partners

“On average, Australians take 9.2 million overseas trips each year and we don’t see this trend slowing down. Even though we are often faced with threat, we are encouraged to continue living our daily lives and for many, travel is a key part of this,” White told Travel Weekly.

“Terrorism has been a travelling risk for several decades. The source of the risk changes, the location in which travellers are in greater risk changes, but the risks have been there none the less.

“Travellers have always had to be mindful of this and ensure they manage themselves and their plans accordingly.

“What it does underline is the importance of research before travelling, which includes thorough exploration into the destination and ensuring you have the correct level of travel insurance cover.

“Travellers should not be any more concerned these days than at any other time, but instead be mindful of where these potential risks are taking place, plan accordingly and ensure they get quality travel insurance.”

“In the planning stages of a holiday, before plane tickets or accommodation is booked, we encourage travel agents and their customers to visit the The Australian Government’s Smart Traveller website.

“Smart Traveller, provides up-to-the-minute travel alerts for weather and other natural events that may impinge on transportation plans, access into and out of a country and the local requirements for visitors at that time. In addition, it offers travel warnings where there is threat of terrorism or civil unrest.

“Travellers can ‘browse countries’ and see recommendations on Australian travel warnings and whether the destination is wise to visit. Currently the UK is ‘amber’, which advises travellers to ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ in the wake of the events in Manchester.

“[My] advice to travel agents is to tell their customers to do their research before travelling. Remind them to research the destination and review their travel insurance policy. Encourage them to read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of their travel insurance document, to check exactly what they are and are not covered for, as every insurance policy and level of cover is different.”

A number of other agency heads were contacted to contribute to this piece, and unfortunately were unable to respond by the time of publishing. Helloworld was also contacted, and declined to comment.