Travel agencies are critical for the tourism industry, a fact that is beyond dispute. This fact is also further certified by the studies carried out from time to time . A while ago, the Touristic Hotels & Investors Association (TUROB) commissioned BoğaziçiUniversity to carry out a study on this matter. This study clearly indicates the future of the online travel agencies.
The study includes some highly interesting data showing the channels guests who want to stay in Turkey book through. Contributing considerably to the majority of reservations, travel agencies are the essential part of the tourism industry both on the Internet and as a traditional channel, which is proven by the study once again.
The number of travel agencies operating through traditional methods are higher, which points to a huge gap in the online travel agency market. Let’s take a look at the results of this interesting research and the opportunities online travel agencies have.
1- The number of those benefiting from online agencies is increasing
According to the results of the study commissioned by TUROB, those planning to travel use both types of travel agencies when booking accommodation properties. The market share of traditional travel agencies is 38 percent, while that of online travel agencies is 21 percent. Although the number of online agencies seems to be low, various studies show that online agencies enjoy an upward trend.
In addition, the number of those using online agencies to travel is increasing rapidly. Experts predict that the market share of online agencies will reach up to 40-50 percent in the upcoming years.
2- The market share of hotel websites is increasing
15 percent of potential guests make use of hotel websites while booking, which means that this 15 percent search for hotels on the Internet. If you can promote your online travel agency on social media efficiently, you can manage to draw the attention of such customers.
3- The number of online bookings is increasing
Apart from online bookings, telephone or onsite bookings combined constitute 25 percent of all bookings. The reasons behind this are that people find online booking insecure, stick to their habits or do not have Internet access.
On the other hand, the rate of offline bookings are decreasing as such problems are eliminated. As the Internet is perceived as a reliable shopping channel, the earnings of hotels and agencies investing in the Internet will increase rapidly.
Competitive edge with quality online service
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