Poll of US agents finds which customers are the most profitable
If you want to make money as a travel agency, consider a focus on corporate customers.
That’s the segment in which the highest percentage of profitable travel agencies (65%) are found, reports the Agency Sales & Revenue Trends survey, released this week by the American Society of Travel Agents.
But it was retail leisure agencies who saw their profits increase the most in 2012 over 2011, with 54% reporting a rise.
Overall, 2012 was a good year for most travel agents. More than half (52%) saw a rise in revenues, and 47% grew both their customer base and total number of transactions.
Still, though, 24% of travel agencies saw their revenues decline in 2012.
The biggest increase in revenues came from tours and groups; 51% of agencies responding to the poll said their group sales were up in 2012. But only 37% reported increased cruise sales.
“Despite the ongoing challenges facing the global economy, ASTA members benefitted from the traveling public’s appetite for travel,” said ASTA’s new president and CEO Zane Kerby.
“Some improvement can be attributed to consumers’ evolving view of travel as a ‘right.’ Recent consumer surveys report that consumer travel behavior and patterns are less tied to current economic conditions.”
Survey data was collected through the 2013 ASTA Research Family, a panel comprised of a representative sample of ASTA member travel agency owners and managers. The survey data was collected online via www.surveygizmo.com in January 2013.
by Cheryl Rosen, Editor TravelMole US
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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