US $995.00

PhoCusWright's Travel Agency Distribution Landscape: 2006-2009

April 2008
US $995 CA $1,151 £608 €710

PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER: Order by April 25, 2008 and save US$300 off the regular report price of $1,295. NOTE: Pre-publication orders will be fulfilled as soon as the report is available. (Anticipated availability: April 25, 2008).

As the online channel matures, its growth has also slowed. While more travel continues to be booked online, there remains a significant portion of travel that is purchased offline. In 2007, PhoCusWright undertook a comprehensive study of the travel agency marketplace in the U.S., conducting both a market sizing exercise and travel agency survey. The purpose was to acquire a rich and complete picture of the total market size and opportunity, as well as to identify the key trends and dynamics shaping this important distribution channel.

Table of Contents Methodology

TABLE OF CONTENTS ^top

Preliminary Table of Contents Introduction
Research Objectives
Methodology
Travel Agents Today: Key Terms and Definitions
Research Partners

Travel Agency Market Overview
Key Findings
Travel Agency Market Background
Market Profile: Agency Types, Locations & Population
Size of the Market: By Product
Size of the Market: Agency Booking Channel

Bricks & Mortar: Travel Agencies
Key Findings
Market Size & Profile
Leisure vs. Corporate Agencies
Channels & Technology: How Agencies Book

Home-based Agents
Key Findings
Market Size & Profile
Product & Channels: What Home-based Agents Book, and How
Home-based Agent Types: Independents vs. Agency Affiliated
Going Home: Agent Resurgence or Retrenchment?

Market Outlook: Key Trends
Travel Agents and the Internet
Changing Models: From Commission to Fees
Financial Outlook: Pressure on Profitability
Age & Experience: Whence New Blood?
Market Outlook: The Future of Travel Agents

Preliminary Table of Figures
Figure 1: ARC Reported Travel Agency Retail Locations, 1995-2007
Figure 2: Online Travel Agencies and Total Online Travel Market, Leisure and Unmanaged Business Travel, 1999-2007
Figure 3: Online Travelers Who Usually Book via a Travel Agency, 2000-2005
Figure 4: Market Share and Gross Travel Sales Volume by Agency Segment, 2006
Figure 5: Comparative Product Composition of the Total Travel Agency Market, 2006 and 2009 (US$M)
Figure 6: Travel Agency Share of Each Product Segment, 2006
Figure 7: Travel Agent Booking Method, 2006-2009
Figure 8: Total Travel Agency Locations, ARC and non-ARC, 2006
Figure 9: Travel Agency Sales Volume Distribution
Figure 10: Travel Agency Organization Participation
Figure 11: Business Mix as a Percentage (mean) of Booking Volume, all Travel Agencies
Figure 12: Percentage (mean) of Product Booked by Leisure and Corporate Agencies
Figure 13: Usual Booking Channel for Air and Hotel, Leisure vs. Corporate Agencies
Figure 14: Travel Agent Use of Booking Channels by Packaged Travel Type, 2006
Figure 15: Agent Use of Booking Channels for Cruise, 2006
Figure 16: Share of Home-based Agent Population and Sales Volume, by Agent Type
Figure 17: Home-based Agents Usual Booking Channel by Product Category (multiple responses allowed)
Figure 18: Home-based Agent Population by Home-based Agent Type
Figure 19: Share of Home-based Agent Population and Sales Volume, by Agent Type
Figure 20: Sources of Revenue by Travel Agency Type
Figure 21: Profitability vs. Two Years Ago by Travel Agency Type
Figure 22: Age Distribution of Travel Agents vs. the U.S. Population of Adults Over 25
Figure 23: Age Distribution of Travel Agents by Leisure, Corporate and Home-based Agents
Figure 24: Years of Experience: Office-based Travel Agents and Home-based Agent Type

Preliminary Table of Tables
Table 1: Three Categories of Travel Agency Population, Gross Sales Volume, and Share of All Agency Sales, 2006
Table 2: Home-based Travel Agent Segments
Table 3: Total Travel Market and Agency Share, 2006-2009 (US$M)
Table 4: Total Market and Travel Agency Share for Air, Hotel and Rental Car 2006-2009 ($M)
Table 5: Total Market and Travel Agency Share for Packaged Travel and Cruise, 2006-2009 ($M)
Table 6: Travel Agent Bookings by Channel for Air, Hotel, Package and Cruise, 2006 and 2009 ($M)
Table 7: Leisure vs. Corporate: A Different Breed Indeed
Table 8: Home-based Agent Share of Travel Agent Population and Sales Volume, 2006
Table 9: Home-based Agent Working Profile and Sales Volume
Table 10: Home-based Agent Working Profile and Sales Volume
Table 11: Gross Bookings of Online Travel Agencies and Traditional Travel Agencies Gross Bookings, 2006-2009 (C$M)

METHODOLOGY ^top

The study was conducted in the second half of 2007 and consisted of two concurrent phases:

Travel Agent Survey: Nation-wide survey of travel agents to acquire agent and agency profile information, sales volume and business mix, and product research and booking behavior. Conducted in partnership with ARC, ASTA, CLIA and Performance Media Group, the survey yielded nearly 1900 valid responses.
Market Sizing: PhoCusWright conducted interviews or acquired data from more than 60 travel suppliers, technology companies, travel agencies, travel agency organizations and industry associations representing the full spectrum of the travel agency landscape in the U.S. PhoCusWright used this data to develop market size estimates, acquire supply-side perspective and generate trend analysis.