Mark Twain was famously quoted as saying,“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” CEO Tama Holve of Willett Travel in Studio City has adapted this quote when she teaches her five students at the Willett Travel Academy, a small class she teaches to future agents making career switches if they give her a one-year comittment to the company. She tells them “the demise of the Travel agency has been exaggerated.”
With the recession and the Internet people might be left wondering what are travel agencies doing these days to adapt to new technologies and how are they doing it?
They might be left wondering if the demise of the travel agency has been exaggerated. Holve says “they are alive and well.”
The industry has seen tremendous consolidation since the recession, including large numbers of mergers. According to a CNN report, the American Society of Travel Agents said there were 37,000 brick and mortar travel agencies which have been reduced now to 18,000 agencies as of August when many “merged or folded.” However, according to a CNN.com story that ran last August travel agents may be making a comeback. A Forrester study indicated that only 43 percent of travelers are enjoying their online booking experience while 57 percent do not.
This means people may be returning to the travel agent to figure out how to navigate their trip details on the Internet.
According to Holve travel agents are still in around, just in a different form. Their role has changed and adapted to fit the modern world and Economic situation. Local Travel agencies Willett Travel and Montrose Travel were interviewed about how the role of the travel agent has changed in a post-travel Web site era and how the role of the travel agent has changed since the recession.
Holve has been with Willett since 1978, owned the agency jointly started in 1987 and took over sole ownership about 10 years ago. In that time Holve said she saw in the early 90s the introduction of these Internet sites for booking. Holve said Willett specializes in “customized individual travel.” Holve said the customer base was so diversified she could not give a breakdown. However, she did say that entertainment , business and family travels were some of the demographics that they target.
“It was just really snuck up on us,” Holve said of the Expedia and Travelocity era. “I think it was something we were going along doing what we were doing and all of a sudden we realized we are not getting as many calls.”
Holve said they reacted to client demand, with some agencies and agents “reacting more quickly than others.
“It’s just knowing the years of experiences that many of us have.”
Lots of experience
Holve says travel agents can offer the knowledge of 60 professionals that share their clients experiences and personal experiences, and travel industry reviewers that they pay for.
“Then we have our vendors or our hotel representative whose job it is to sell the properties but more importantly to develop a relationship with them with us so that we can trust their advice,” Holve said. “ The representative or hotel sales representatives are the ones we have developed trust with through the years.”
