UK holidaymakers in 2015 relied on travel agents for planning and inspiring their holiday choices more than social media, resort websites and online travel providers, research has shown.
A study undertaken by consultancy BDRC Continental revealed that British travellers prefer consulting face-to-face when considering a vacation – with high-street agents ranking fourth in a list of 20 methods.
Of the 1,004 people questioned, 27% said agents were the best port of call during the early stages of selecting their getaways – beating digital platforms including friends’ social media posts, a resort or tourist board’s website and OTAs.
According to research director Jon Young, the trend highlights the reputation of agents. “It’s about trust and people want to speak face-to-face,” he told TTG.
“Travel agents can offer that reassurance to customers and travellers feel that they help to cut out risk by discussing different options rather than having to organise everything on their own.”
The personal touch
Although the study did not focus on whether these initial meetings transformed into bookings, Young believes it is the personal aspect that consumers enjoy. “For our study we focused on planning and inspiration and although when it comes to the booking process travellers might use an online platform, we found that it’s the ‘people element’ that they feel is important and we’ve seen people are moving away from more in your face marketing,” he continued.
This human touch is strongly felt within the millennial market, with the research discovering 71% of those aged 18-34 are actively seeking out recommendations when planning a holiday. Surprisingly, the figure is higher than those who rely on digital publicity for their travel ideas (70%), and more than a fifth greater than traditional advertising such as TV (50%).
Young believes this factor can be harnessed by travel providers. “Many [18-34s] will be travelling on their own for the first time and it’s evident from the data that the knowledge agents have helps to inform their choices,” he said.
Furthermore, the mind-set of this demographic can be analysed through its appetite to travel, with the study finding that Millennials take “bucket list” holidays – loosely defined as a trip of significant importance to the traveller – at least every two years. This is almost twice as frequently as those that are over-55.
Young believes the statistic is driven by a growing “experiential” culture. “Many in this group are after experiential lifestyles, which is about spending money on experiences rather than possessions,” he explained. “Authentic experiences are particularly popular... leaning against the Tower of Pisa has been done so now perhaps they want to cook Italian food instead.
“We also find that they are heavily influenced by their peer groups and don’t want to feel like they’re missing out, so for agents equipped with practical fam trip experience there’s definitely an opportunity to market an experience that is unique and will give them [millennials] a feeling of standing out.”
