The economic downturn will only lead to a small contraction of the travel market, according to Stella Group chief executive Keith Stanley.
Stanley told delegates at this year’s Triton Travel Group conference: “There is still plenty of business for us providing we are good at what we do. You will not notice a lot of difference in the next 12 months but there will be a small contraction of what people spend on travel.
“Although consumers will continue to travel, travel agents will need to add value to retain sales.”
He added: “People will still travel but there is a credit crunch and that means we need to continue to add value for customers,” he added.
He said previous economic recessions had not impinged on growth in travel sales, with global travel expenditure since 2001 up by more than 40%.