At a recent ITT conference, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), expressed some concerns for the future of the travel industry. He believes that the industry will be unable to sustain its mega-growth unless it finds a new radical model.
The key, Taylor purports, is for travel companies to focus on sustainable growth via the environment of their clients and the possible relationships they can create abroad. This is a re-imagination of an entire travel sector that has traditionally focused on only connecting clients to desired destinations and setting up accommodations. This new approach moves travel agents from just a middleman of sorts to a full blown matchmaker.
Taylor notes that clients aren’t just looking for travel agents to find great destinations for them, they also want to have authentic experiences that will connect them to the countries and communities they visit. In order to provide this sort of experience, travel agents must reflect on the history of tourism and the emerging emphasis of human connection with travel.
Many travel agents have started to believe that they can compete with modern travel tools, as they are encouraged by a more sophisticated clientele that prefers the expertise and personal relationships found with travel agents. Over the past few years, the travel industry has experienced a rebirth as more and more people are rediscovering the advantages of using a travel agent over booking websites. Last year, the U.S. travel market reached $157 billion. Now may be the time for entrepreneurs to take a hard look at the reinvigorated travel market. Travel agents make all travel arrangements for their clients, including itineraries and bookings. The U.S. has seen a 11% increase in flights booked by travel agents in the last five years according to Airlines Reporting Corp.
Currently, travel industries must find a way to go beyond being bridges. They must learn how to find and promote experiences that have the ability to really connect their clients to life enriching experiences that connect them to humans across the globe. eMerchantBroker.com will give your business a major boost with our payment processing services. Your travel merchant account will be completely CPI compliant. Contact us today to start your account.