E-Commerce's Impact on the Travel Agency Industry.

摘要

Comparing the state of online travel in 1997 to the $15.4 billion in online travel sales during 2000 shows how quickly E-commerce business models and markets can change. Today, E-commerce is forcing the travel agency industry to rapidly adjust to new competitors who are reaching millions of travelers using new online travel distribution channels. Online direct sales by travel providers represent the greatest potential challenge for offline and online travel agencies - both large and small. While online direct sales are still just a fraction of total travel sales, the ability of travel providers to sell direct diminishes the perceived value of intermediaries such as travel agencies. As an example, airlines leveraging customer relationships cultivated in frequent flyer programs have reduced offline agency commissions by $2.8 billion since 1992. By relying on their own online direct sales capability, some airlines have eliminated online agency commissions altogether.