In the race between online booking sites and traditional consultants, the latter is close to winning, according to a new poll that found nearly half of all travellers will book through an Agent.
A Global Passenger Survey conducted by IATA (International Air Transport Association) found that 43 percent of travellers say they prefer to use a Travel Agent to book their flights.
That’s nearly half of all travellers!
Online travel sites may have the majority of consumers on their side, for now, the report revealed traditional consultants can use their number one weapon to win the race in the future – human touch.
Some 37 percent of travellers said they prefer face-to-face interaction throughout the travel experience. This went across several market segments, including senior travellers.
Although holidaymakers love human interaction, when it comes to the airport experience passengers want more self-service options, particularly when it comes to check-in.
The only concern travellers have when it comes to automated and digital travel experiences is privacy, with 35 percent saying they’re unwilling to share their personal data for expedited security and 55 percent showing reluctance in replacing their passports with biometric identification.
Click here to read the full report.
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