Travel Weekly polled Advantage business and leisure agents on current industry issues and the future.
Here we look at some key statistics – for more detail read Juliet Dennis’ analysis of the findings
Key conclusions for business and leisure agents
Primary factors having a significant impact on business
- Customers booking direct through websites (45%)
- Economic downturn (38%)
- Price discounting (38%)
- Rising business overheads (36%)
- Paperless ticketing (29%)
What agents think are the most important factors for clients
- Price (65%)
- Agent service (62%)
- Agent knowledge (55%)
Other key findings
- Despite these concerns, 72% are optimistic about the next 12 months
- Four in 10 consider customers less loyal than three to five years ago
- Three in four see customers booking direct as a problem, but only one in four see the web as a threat to their business
- Four in 10 feel the government should support UK travel companies by decreasing travel taxes
- Two in three think there is a staff shortage in the industry
- Six in 10 would consider a career outside the industry
Key points for leisure agents
- Three in five say customers’ buying habits have changed
- Half of retail customers book more than three months in advance
- 45% say customers are spending more than last year
- Spend per trip and the number of long-haul holidays have increased in the last year
- The state of the UK economy is the most important factor over the next three to five years
- Luxury and cruise are deemed most important over next three to five years
Key points for business agents
- Three in five say customers’ buying habits have changed
- 45% consider customers are spending less than last year but say this will change in the next 12-24 months
- Equal numbers are reporting an increase, downturn or no change in the number of trips sold and spend per trip
- Fuel costs will be a key trend affecting business in the next three years
- Specific challenges in the next three years will be the economic climate and the quest for new business
Two in three see the internet as an opportunity rather than a threat
Six in 10 would consider a new career outside the industry
What would that career be?
- Sales 7%
- Teaching/training 6%
- Customer services 5%
- Marketing 4%
- consultancy 3%
- Finance 2%
- Self employed 2%
- Better paid 2%
- Something different 2%
- Media 2%
- Legal 2%
- Photographer 2%
- Anything 2%
- Don’t know 26%
- Other 33%
