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TMCs find new role as business travellers book direct
Business travellers are booking more travel online, but according to GBTA, travel management companies still have a role in making corporate bookings.
Figures released by GBTA this week show that bookings made by TMCs in the ‘other’ category went up 35% year-on-year for the second quarter in 2004. These ‘other’ bookings include passport and visa services, meet and greet, travel insurance and currency exchange.
GBTA chief executive, Philip Carlisle said: “There is no doubt that booking your own flights and hotels on the internet has increased, and will continue to do so. But travel management companies still have a key role to play in managing the whole corporate travel process and ultimately saving their clients time and money.”
However, ‘other’ bookings still remain a minority of bookings for TMCs, with 277, 045 made by TMCs in the second quarter against a total of 2.79 million.
Figures for hotel bookings made by TMCs remained stable in the second quarter, and air trips went up 13% to 1.46 million. Rail travel also increased 6% to 488,380 booked this quarter.
To hear more about agents and operators finding new business opportunities in a changing market, come to the TravelMole Fast Conference on September 28 at 9am. AITO Specialist Travel Agents chairman Andrew Brownrigg (Haslemere Travel), Tapestry Holidays managing director Nick Wrightman and Mark Bradbury, business development director for travel technology company RWA, are among panellists. For more details click here.
Report by Ginny McGrath
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