Brick-and-mortar travel agencies making comeback

Friday, 05 Jun, 2006 0

Travelers irritated by poor customer service are coming back to brick-and-mortar agencies, says a recent news story.

“We’re starting to win. People are starting to see their ticket prices go up online and they’re starting to get frustrated,” John Powers, an owner of a North Charleston agency, told The Post and Courier.

South Carolina travel agencies said they are on a pace to post record returns this year.

“Customers are tired of negotiating the increasingly tangled web of Web sites and sick of talking to ‘Bob’ in Bangalore when they dial an 800 number,” the newspaper said.

Between 1997 and 2005, one-fourth of the US travel agent work force disappeared, according to federal statistics.

Fees have helped most of the surviving agencies to remain in business. Less than two thirds of agencies charged booking fees in 1998, a number that in recent years rose to 97%.

Report by David Wilkening



 

profileimage

David



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...