Some online players are increasingly recognizing the role of the retail agency as an important channel for travel bookings. Agency bookings now constitute a significant percentage of the bookings done on supplier direct websites and there is an increasing discovery of the value a retail travel agency can bring albeit a different sort of value from its traditional value offering.
A turning point is currently at hand in the industry, provided retail travel agencies can remain unencumbered by some of the fundamental weaknesses that have long conspired to bring the business to its knees. At least in certain key travel markets, there is a palpable sense of excitement on the shape the travel agency of the future is likely to take. Read more to find out.