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Travelers are getting leery of Internet arrangements
Travelers expected to have the skills of agents are getting fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking a trip, according to a new study.
The growing dissatisfaction with the new do-it-yourself type of travel was evident in a Forrester Research study.
“There are 15 percent fewer travelers who enjoy using the web in 2009 than there were in 2007,” said the report.
And just one in three US online travelers feel that travel websites do a good job presenting travel choices, down from 39 percent in 2008. Travelers feel they are taken for granted.
“What we’ve seen is growing frustration,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. He added:
“Consumers see other websites becoming easier to use — retail websites, banking websites, media websites. But travel is treading water as a category. There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process.”
Instead, customers are forced to figure out extra fees, wade through fine print and understand industry terms like the difference between a deluxe and a standard room, in addition to educating themselves about destinations, flights and hotels, Harteveldt said.
“Travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent,” he told The New York Times.
by David Wilkening
David
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