Counterpoint: Agents Rebut CBS Report of Their Demise

At least once a year, some clever journalist includes travel agents on a list of dying professions. This time it’s the CBS MoneyWatch blog, which last week named “travel agent” as one of 10 jobs on its endangered species list.

The blogger cited PhoCusWright statistics showing a precipitous drop in the number of traditional travel agencies since 1997.

It’s true that the number of travel agencies has declined, but the blogger ignored historical context, including an industry adjustment following an unsustainable spike in agent numbers in the 1990s. (See sidebar.)

She also overlooked significant developments that have reshaped the travel agent industry, leaving its members, and the profession, stronger than ever.

Today, the everyday stories and successes of travel agents prove that they are far from the endangered list.

Here, then, are nine counterpoints to the CBS MoneyWatch blog, in the words of your peers:

#1. “We have many new clients coming to us all the time who have had unfortunate experiences with OTAs. We have added four people to our company in 2011 and are looking to hire more qualified people in 2012.” – Robert Romano, CTC, partner, Fugazi Travel Agency, Inc., San Francisco, Ensemble

#2. “We have recently hired three additional advisors, two of whom have no travel agency background, but have been luxury travelers themselves. If I could find more of these people, well-traveled and looking for a change in careers or who have the desire to learn more about the world through travel, I would hire them.” – Grace DeVita, marketing manager, Post Haste Travel, Hollywood, Fla., Virtuoso

#3. “My sales increase every year by at least 50%, if not more. The recession never hit my office.” – Ellen Paderson, owner, Smiles and Miles Travel, Inc., So. Easton, Mass., NEST

#4. “This year (2011) has shown the biggest growth and revenues I have had in my 10-plus-year career as a travel agent.” – Laina Todd, independent affiliate, Avoya Travel / American Express, Fort Lauderdale

#5. “Our greatest channel of new business is referral. People value our service and recommend it to others.” – Greg Nacco, vice president, Cruise Specialists, Seattle & Novato, Calif., Virtuoso

#6. “Customers tell us there is no way they could wade through all the red-tape required to book online and then have to deal with cyber-space when it comes to changes, cancellations, etc.” – Lew Winger, president, Winger Travel Agency, Inc., Nantucket, Mass., The Affluent Collection

#7. “Sure, like many things in life, you don’t need a professional if you choose to figure out how to do it yourself. You can build your own room addition, do your own plumbing, your own house painting, your own car repair, and you can cut your own hair. Most of us choose not to do these things on our own, because we don’t have the expertise, and we value what a professional brings to the table. The point is: travel agents aren’t obsolete.  There are many travelers that value what good travel agents do for them.” – Dan Ilves, vice president, sales and marketing, Travelstore, Los Angeles, Signature

#8. “Clients know that the Internet will never call them back. And horror stories from the so-called Internet discounters are too numerous to list.” – Alan Rosenbaum, franchise owner, CruiseOne, Alpharetta, Ga.

#9. “Whoever wrote this should have the roaming gnome try to book a multi-country honeymoon in Europe with a private audience with the Pope. They should then try to reach the gnome during their trip when a volcano erupts in Iceland and a transportation strike in France has made their return home seemingly impossible.” – Chuck Flagg, co-owner, The Flagg Agency, Canton, Ga., Cruise Holidays

Maria Lenhart contributed to this report.