Travel agency study set to explore new business models The travel agency channel was a high-tech of industry in the 1970s and 1980s. Retailers worked on big-box computers and used almost as much code as programmers to book tickets and make reservations. As decades progressed, the segment changed and was often criticized for being less than tech savvy.
Today, the travel agency business is fueled by AI, apps, businesses run on tablets and smartphones and a social media expansion in marketing and customer engagement.
"Something is happening in this channel. Established tech firms are getting funding and are building out more features. Additional rounds of funding is such a good sign. People are buying from advisors via text, WhatsApp, WeChat. The advisors have taken technology and transitioned it to help meet clients where they are. Agents are much more flexible and nimble ... something Expedia and OTAs cannot do," said David Kolner, senior vice president, global member partnerships at Virtuoso.
Virtuoso is one of the lead sponsors of a new research initiative by Phocuswright. Phocuswright will commence research of the U.S. travel agency market during 1Q2018. Continue reading ... | 
No comments:
Post a Comment