Good news for agents: online losing luster
A Forrester Research study is the latest evidence that do-it-yourself travel arrangements may be losing some of its luster.
Almost one-third of respondents to a recent survey who booked their trips online said they would be interested in going to a good traditional travel agent.
That number is up from 23 percent as recently as 2008.
Another Forrester report found that the number of leisure travelers who enjoyed using the Web to plan and book their vacations dropped from 53 percent in 2007 to 46 percent this year.
"We believe it’s a function of consumers’ increasing desire to get the best value as well as the increasing amount of complexity associated with planning and booking a trip," said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Forrester Research.
He added that most travel Web sites are more clinical and take the fun out of trip planning.
Traditional travel agent pitch their services as offering travelers avoid the complicated choices involved in doing their own planning. Agents can also help in emergencies such as the travails of passengers on board the Carnival cruise shop Splendor that had to be towed to shore in San Diego after it lost power.
By David Wilkening
David
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