Travelers now less reliant on travel agencies' advice, says survey

Travelers are relying less on the advice of travel agencies and more on their own “google-fu” to pick travel destinations and hotels and track down travel deals, according to the results of a survey released recently.

The percentage of customers that accepted their travel agents' hotel recommendations “without question” was 32 percent in 2012, down from 51 percent only two years earlier, the second Asia Pacific hotel distribution survey done by travel service provider Amadeus found.

The study polled more than 1,000 travel agencies in the Philippines, Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Thailand. A summary of the study was posted on the Amadeus website last May 17.

Travel agencies are facing serious competition from online consumer sites, which have become a major source of information for travelers, the survey said.

“Seventy percent of travelers check hotel reviews prior to choosing a hotel. This is acknowledged by travel agencies which listed additional content like hotel reviews as being a top five must-have feature in a perfect hotel booking solution,” the study noted.

The percentage of travel agents who report that their clients compare agency offers with options from consumer websites has also gone up to 62 percent in 2012 from 48 percent in 2010.

Amadeus, a top transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, advises travel agencies to push back by offering better deals and providing their clients with superior information.

“Today’s travel agent needs to respond to changing consumer preferences by providing a one-stop service to travelers,” it said. “This translates to providing travelers with rich information beyond the traditional rate and availability, assisting travelers in making an informed choice best suited to their needs.”

Amadeus noted that one way for travel agencies to attract, and retain, clients is to cross-sell additional services beyond the airport and the hotel—from car rental to dinner reservations, and even to concert tickets.

“Nowadays, travel agents need to do more than book a bed for the night, by assisting with the booking of other elements of a trip,” the survey said. – BM/YA, GMA News