TRAVELLERS ARE EMBRACING HUMAN TRAVEL AGENTS AGAIN

Posted on 08/03/2016

Algorithms can only go so far. Over the last decade, the rise of online travel agencies has made it easier than ever to book a trip. Their appeal is obvious: Expedia, Priceline, and other do-it-yourself booking sites have swapped out living, breathing travel agents — who possess such human failings as incomplete knowledge, opaque allegiances, and inconvenient business hours — for something more algorithmically determined, along with the illusion of total choice and the very best deals.

And yet what’s old is becoming new again.
Last month, travel marketing firm MMGY Global released its annual Portrait of American Travelers survey. The survey found that 32% of travelers now visit direct provider websites (i.e., American Airlines or Hilton Hotels) when making reservations — up 6% from 2015, and virtually even with the percentage of travellers who turn to online travel agencies when booking travel. Meanwhile, travellers are increasingly browsing booking sites during the planning phase of a vacation before turning to brand.com sites to actually book reservations.
Read it all in Fortune