Are Travel Agencies On The Way Out?
Are Travel Agencies On The Way Out?
Do you really need a travel agent?
Recently, I read an article about why we still need travel agencies. I’m sure it was written by a travel agent, but I considered the arguments in good faith and easily dismissed every one. Here they are:
- They provide additional perks, like chef’s dinners and a better seat on the plane. Guess what? Those perks are there for the taking, and you can access them without paying an agency commission.
- They can save you time and money. This argument assumes that someone traveling for leisure doesn’t have time to spend five minutes booking a flight online. And these days, a Google search will tell you the cheapest hotel option in 0.002745567783 seconds.
- They’re there for you if things go south. Listen up, fellow snowflakes: if we can’t get ourselves on another flight after missing the last one, the whole generation is doomed, just like the boomers predicted.
- They provide a human touch. Here’s my favorite part: “Travel agents are more than itinerary-fillers, they're people who care about what you want and how you feel.” Anyone who’s worked in customer service knows this is patently untrue, and anyway, no one cares about my solo vacation to Honolulu more than me, Karen; no one.
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
Leaving on a private jet plane
While the industry is undeniably narrowing, there is still one aspect in which travel agencies find themselves useful, and that’s luxury travel. Access to exclusive hotels, cruises, and vacation packages allow agents to offer top-of-the-line trips when money is no issue. This is backed up by the latest industry trends, which suggest that while people are spending more on travel ($307 billion so far in 2019), the actual number of businesses is steadily shrinking.
So while cookie-cutter vacation pushers like Thomas Cook may be facing the end of an era, there’s still room for boutique agencies catering to those who want a streamlined travel planning experience. For most of us, however - the other 84% - the appeal of travel booking is in figuring it out on our own.
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Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
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