‘It’s Alive’: Finally, a Consumer Article Sez the Agent Community Is Alive and Well
by Michele McDonald /We’ve become accustomed to recurring pronouncements in the consumer media that travel agents are dinosaurs, a dying breed, practically extinct, and outdated relics from the pre-internet age.
A common question among the under-informed is, “Do they even exist anymore?”
So when Yahoo! Travel posts an article titled 6 Myths About Travel Agents, and Why You Shouldn't Write Them Off, it can generate a double-take.
Written by Karen Hayoun, the article was reposted from MiniTime, a social network site for planning and sharing travel itineraries for families with children.
Nope: the internet has not replaced agents
Hayoun makes several points: A lot of people can manage an airline or hotel booking without help, but travel agents do more than book flights and hotels.
They can help with many details of a trip. They have expertise in different types of travel and different destinations. They can handle complex transactions.
She also notes that agents have not been replaced by the internet. They may not know everything the internet “knows,” but they know how to use the internet to perform research efficiently.
Information is not necessarily knowledge
And although the internet has loads of information, it’s important to remember that information is not necessarily knowledge.
The internet does not know, for instance, how much you are going to love that family-friendly hotel in Paris that your travel agent found.
The article brought up a frequently overlooked point in the agent vs. DIY debate: Agents “can assist you when something goes wrong anytime during your trip - whether its re-booking canceled flights or moving to a better hotel.”
Travelers aren’t just getting a booking; they are getting an advocate.