Majority of agents ‘failing to offer best value for money’
Sunday, 16 Mar, 2009
0
Experience and knowledge are things that people appreciate most about travel agents, according to a new study.
But only 19% of British travellers believe agents offer the “best value for money”. Although this rises to 29% in Scotland, it drops to only eight per cent in London.
An online poll of 2,220 consumers by YouGov for Stena Line found that 57% thought that agents’ knowledge is a real bonus, while just eight per cent did not find agents knowledgeabl
Almost half of those questioned (43%) valued agents as “someone to talk to”.
With the ongoing credit crunch, agents in Britain will increasingly need to be seen to offer value but people in the capital are more critical about travel agents than the rest of the country.
More than half (51%) of Londoners – over six times the national average – complained of agents’ lack of knowledge, with 43% of those from the capital – over 2.5 times the national average – complaining of pressure from agents to book what suited them best.
Only 37% of respondents in London valued agents for their knowledge and experience.
Nationally, the biggest concern about agents is that they could be too commission-based, a factor which bothers 34% of travellers and an even larger 46% of Londoners.
Stena Line general manager for travel on the Irish Sea Dermot Cairns said: ”We are delighted to learn of the British public’s appreciation of the knowledge and experience agents offer.
“It’s a definite incentive for us to continue the trade training and familiarisation trips that we organise as they are clearly paying dividends.
“We are also acting on the importance that British travellers are attaching to value for money by continuing to ensure that we are offering the best value fares for all our crossings, and great value hotel breaks.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events