News commentators all across the UK were wondering aloud last week if there is a future for the traditional travel agency—known in the UK as a high street shop—in the research and booking of holidays. Driving the speculation were some key numbers from a new survey conducted by Survey Opinionway for Kayak. One news report speculated that the high street agency could be gone in five years.
Holiday Booking Method of UK Adults
| Year | % Who Book through Traditional Agency | % Who Book Online |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 57% | 35% |
| 2016 | 19% | 79% |
| Source: Survey Opinionway |
Breakdown of Online Bookings
| Channel | % Booking |
|---|---|
| Web-based travel agencies | 50% |
| Airline and hotel websites | 47% |
| Travel search engines | 24% |
| Source: Survey Opinionway |
“The research is a worrying signal for high street travel agents but isn’t entirely shocking,” said Loella Pehrsson, regional director at Kayak. “Given the internet allows you to not only shop around, but browse and book holidays from the comfort of your own home, it’s no surprise that Brits are increasingly choosing this option over high street travel agents.”
In Fact, UK Travelers Using OTAs More and More on their Path to Booking: News of the Kayak survey followed the release of another 39-page report, “The British Traveller’s Path to Purchase,” which shows that, although UK holidwaymakers still rely a good deal on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family in their decision-making process, it is primarily an online venture as they get closer to the point of booking. Also, more British travelers than ever are using mobile devices to facilitate their holiday bookings.
Online and Offline Resources
Influencing a Holiday Booker’s Destination Decision
| Resource | % |
|---|---|
| Family/friend recommendations | 18% |
| Online travel agencies (Expedia.com, etc.) | 15% |
| Search engines (Google.com, etc.) | 11% |
| Airlines sites (United.com, etc.) | 9% |
| Hotel sites (Marriott.com, etc.) | 8% |
| Travel information sites (Tripadvisor.com, etc.) | 6% |
| Search engine travel sites (Yahoo.com travel, etc.) | 5% |
| Online travel guide sites (LonelyPlanet.com, etc.) | 4% |
| Destination site (Visitcalifornia.com) | 3% |
| Source: Expedia Media Solutions | |
And, clearly, greater reliance on the sites of online travel agencies (OTAs) has become a fact of life as they near their point of purchase. Illustrating the point are the following tables and charts from the survey, which was underwritten by Expedia Media Solutions, Inc.
