24 April 2008

Study comes with a surprise: travel agents prospering

So are travel agents really dinosaurs, destined for extinction? Not according to PhoCusWright.

Their new report Travel Agency Distribution Landscape: 2006-2009 says the travel agency distribution channel represents a large and dynamic opportunity, accounting for nearly US$110 billion in sales, or 41% of all travel booked in the US

"This groundbreaking report presents the first definitive sizing and analysis of the travel agency marketplace,"says the company.

The study was conducted in partnership with four leading travel industry organizationsââ¬'American Society of Travel Agents, Airlines Reporting Corporation, Cruise Lines International Association and Performance Media Groupââ¬'results were from a survey of nearly 1,900 agents and more than 60 in-depth interviews.

Said Douglas Quinby, a senior director and report author:

"The agency distribution landscape is large, complex and dynamic. There are critical differences across leisure agencies, corporate agencies and home-based agentsââ¬'the types of products they sell, the technologies and channels they use to research and book travel, their business models and strategy," said

Key findings from PhoCusWright's Travel Agency Distribution Landscape: 2006-2009 include:

• The size (in sales volume) of the total US travel agency market, with projections through 2009;

• Travel agents' share of each of the major travel product segmentsââ¬'air, hotel, car, cruise, tour operatorââ¬'with projections through 2009;

• The total population of travel agency locations, including non-ARC agencies;

• Sizing and analysis of the surging home-based agent phenomenon;

• The type of products travel agents book, and how this varies among leisure agencies, corporate agencies and home-based agents;

• The channels travel agents are using to bookââ¬'GDS, supplier Web sites and the phoneââ¬'and how this varies by leisure agencies, corporate agencies and home-based agents;

• Analysis of travel agent demographics.

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