True, but……

Problems with travel websites send many people to agencies

By and large it is true that more complex trips are still hard to book on a single website and the planning process is very time consuming and often frustrating. It’s actually surprising that online travel technology has not further advanced by now to make this easier. Watch for increasing technology investments by major players as the growth rates start to drop. The days of picking the low hanging fruit seem to be over, especially in North America.

If I was a travel agent, however, I would not be complacent and take it for granted that the person that wants to know the inside out of a destination will necessarily turn to an agent. This is where user generated content will play a key role. Word of mouth has always had the highest rate of influence and now that becomes easier with the new sites growing fast that enable easy posting of customer comments not influenced by professional marketers or intermediaries. Of course, these comments are not always subjective, but collectively they will become a valid source of information available 24/7 without any commitment or pressure.