Travel Management Companies are Not Dead, In Fact They're Thriving

In a recent article by by Marilee Crocker titled Govt. Looks to Travel Agents for Lessons in Resilience , Marilee points out that the government has taken notice of the fact that in the travel agency industry, pointing out, “At the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists who study productivity noted a significant and steady increase in the productivity of the travel agency industry—including both traditional and large travel sellers.”

Outsiders share with me all the time that they thought that travel agencies have gone away. I always have to explain how a Travel Agency (personal travel) is different from a Travel Management Company (business travel) and that the industry has been broken into niche markets. I also have to remind them that Online Travel Companies are travel agencies too and even have some humans behind them who consider themselves to be travel agents. We know from our experience that the increased use of technology has allowed us to grow as a company with less travel agents as a percentage of our larger size (35% of all of our reservation come to us through online tools we build, customize and support for our corporate customers) and with our travel agents who have kept pace with the productivity requirements of the business model by leveraging an amazing range of tools allowing them to do more in less time more effectively.

The article goes on to state that only the best can survive and have survived and they are investigating that mojo. I am glad we have it. I don’t see us going away any time soon (as a matter of fact this year is already on pace to be our biggest growth year ever), and these changes have made us a company that can embrace change. The rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated!

 

Marliee's full article can be found here:  http://www.travelmarketreport.com/content/publiccontent.aspx?pageID=1364&articleID=10562&LP=1