Travel agents' advice poorly valued, says Boo.com
June 12, 2007
Research from Boo.com has shown that Brits trust travel websites and consumer reviews more than they do travel agents.
Here are the grim results from Boo's Travel Trust Index:
- Family and friends
- Online travel sites and reviews
- Brochures
- Magazines and newspapers
- Travel agents
No great surprises here - a similar shift is happening in every industry, and Boo, a travel website which publishes consumer reviews, is hardly going to come out and recommend that you get in touch with a travel agent.
But don't agents deserve a lot more confidence? The research flies in the face of predictions from the likes of online players like Steve Endacott at the On Holiday Group and TUI corporate director of strategy Thies Rheinsberg who believe that in the future travel agents are likely to be responsible for 50% of tour operators' sales.
And what about all the success stories Travel Weekly publishes about high performing travel agents? What about the ten agents who recently scooped honours in the Travel Weekly Agent Excellence Awards for the Midlands and the east of England? I could go on.
So what do travel agents make of this apparent lack of trust in their abilities? Yah boo sucks to this piece of research is what I think.
Martin Couzins, online editor
Nathan Midgley
Martin Couzins
Comments (2)
This is because consumers see travel agents as profit-oriented marketing staff. Unlike travel agents, the first two listed above(family/friends and travel reviews) shares what they know about travel in a personal manner - hence consumers see it as more reliable since there are "no strings attached".
Posted by ryanair baggage allowance | July 24, 2007 4:29 PM
Posted on July 24, 2007 16:29
Of course. But:
1 - Yes, agents are selling something; but presumably you're in the market to buy something. Listen to their pitch and make a decision.
2 - A good agent will have a better knowledge of the market, and certainly access to more product, than your average mate.
3 - If you deal with a bonded travel agent you're covered should something go wrong.
I struggle to see why people feel that the advice of agents and the advice of friends/family/tripadvisor are locked in a battle royal from which one must emerge victorious. Both can be useful, depending on what you want to buy and what stage of the transaction you are at.
Posted by Nathan | July 25, 2007 10:59 AM
Posted on July 25, 2007 10:59