THE decline in the number of travel agents will stabilise over the next five years, but the trade will still have to battle for survival, according to Euromonitor International. More than 600 agency locations are predicted to close by 2010 before a new breed of travel specialist takes hold, says the market analyst. Head of travel and tourism research Caroline Bremner said: “We’ll see a continued decline until all the less profitable businesses fall out, leaving behind the big groups, online companies and independent specialists which will continue growing through providing a value-added service.” The industry is expected to stabilise at 6,029 outlets – a drop of 12% from current levels of 6,658, according to Euromonitor’s report Travel and Tourism in the United Kingdom. However, the decline in retail sales is slowing, with 2009 registering a 1.6% drop on 2008, compared with a forecast decline of 2.8% for 2005 on last year. Generally independents are predicted to go more upmarket to differentiate themselves from online and larger retailers, and could specialise in areas such as adventure holidays, said Bremmer. ABTA said the decline reflected the over-capacity for agents in the market. At the height of ABTA’
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