Research suggests more and more people are cutting out the middle man
Only one in seven holidaymakers in the UK books through a travel agent, according to research. A report in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph cites a study by the consultancy firm KPMG, which found that the “vast majority” of people prefer to “cut out the middle man by phoning tour companies direct or booking online”.
Hugh Green, of KPMG, reportedly told the newspaper: “The survey shows that people do not believe agents add value, and there are plenty of other options. The trend is clearly moving away from agents, but it is not hopeless for those who look at their business and focus on how they can provide knowledge and service.”
He went on to say that agents had “brought the problems on themselves by presenting a confusing price structure and not making clear the links between agents and tour companies”.
ABTA, meanwhile, “shrugged off the reports”, according to The Independent: “The demise of the travel agent has been proclaimd too often in the past and has proved to be premature and exaggerated. Most people require the services of travel agents at some stage – our Mori poll last October showed that only six per cent of people complete their holiday booking online.”
