The latest annual ‘Portrait of American Travelers’ survey finds consumers are gradually returning to travel agents.
The 2016 survey conducted by MMGY Global, said 19% of travelers used a traditional travel agent at least once in the past year, which is up from 16% in 2015.
This represents a six-year high and much of it is being fuelled by the millennial market.
More than a third (34%) reported using an agent.
MMGY said travel agency customers tend to spend double the amount on travel compared to travelers who don’t book with agents.
The survey found travelers spent an average of $8,405 on vacations during the last year.
"Our research over the past three or four years, and this year in particular, shows a huge jump—a 50% increase—in the number of travelers who plan to use a travel agent," says Steve Cohen, VP of insights at MMGY.
"And it seems to me that agencies could be even more successful if they had a stronger voice in the marketplace, if they could demonstrate to consumers what an agency can do for them."
"As these travelers are vacationing more and spending more on leisure travel than those booking on their own, travel agent users are becoming a more desirable segment for both destinations and travel service providers," the survey said.
MMGY polled nearly 3,000 US adults who had taken at least one overnight trip in the last year.
