A poll of agents has found that 70% believe the industry has changed over the past 25 years, but only 25% believed these changes were for the better.
According to a survey of 1,000 agents and 1,000 British consumers commissioned by Holiday Extras, the single biggest change cited (58%) was the growth of online sales.
This figure was in line with the consumer findings, with 71% booking their holiday online and only 25% booking through an agent.
While a third of agents believe that consumers take more holidays today than 25 years ago, 38% of customers felt that they were taking about the same as they have always done.
Looking to the future, 40% of agents saw the credit crunch as having the biggest impact on holidays.
Longer-term factors influencing the holiday market are considered to be:
– long-haul weekend breaks with the advancement of technology in air travel (42%)
– eco and adventure tourism penetrating the mainstream (21%)
-increased money and leisure time will mean a desire to travel more (20%)
– environmental awareness will inhibit overseas travel (18%)
By Bev Fearis
