Let’s make visiting travel agencies more socialable

By Darren Cronian on Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Today, for the first time in ages I visited a travel agency and it got me thinking about what I’d like to see in the shop – an area where I can sit down, buy a coffee or cold drink, and watch a short video of the resort or a photo gallery of pictures submitted from agents that I use to inspire me.

Rather than having brochures, which aren’t environmentally friendly, I’d like to see information pamphlets on different destinations, which are printed on recyclable paper, and can be either left, or taken away with you to read at your leisure.

Chat with other consumers to find their opinions on destinations that they have visited. I know, this sounds very much like the internet we have now, but whilst I love the internet, I would like to see a more sociable side to a travel agency.

As it is now, I walk through the door, browse through a few travel brochures and take them home, I probably won’t book with the agency I took the brochure from because I would have found it cheaper elsewhere.

Travel agencies need to put the fun back into booking holidays, what do you think?

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10 responses to “Let’s make visiting travel agencies more socialable”

Darren Cronian | 29 May, 2008 at 11:03 pm

I asked this question on Twitter. Responses so far:

“Consumers would feel like spending more time in an agency if felt less like hawks after money and it was more welcoming.”
Vero

“I would probably, but it doesn’t mean I’d buy anything, just having a good time for a while”
Albert Barra

“Maybe if good coffee! I want agent to take workload - build itinerary on THEIR time then call/email me. Else I’ll do it myself.”
Niltiac

Albert Barra | 29 May, 2008 at 11:52 pm

At least at a travel agency you don’t have Google knocking at the door, showing ads about next door travel agency. Becoming a Social place would definitely attrack more visitors, however conversion onto sales will not be directly related with the coffee or the conversation, but the service and the product.

Happy Hotelier | 30 May, 2008 at 12:04 am

Hey,
Happy Ranter!
Twitter linkbaiter:-)
If I only could find the telephone number of my early 90ies LA based travelagent, I wouldn’t be on the net anymore:-)

Nick | 30 May, 2008 at 11:23 am

Darren,

You’re the second person I have heard of with this idea. The first was a few years ago… and it was put in to action… The company was called Travel Cafe; unfortunately it found it did not get the customers even though it had a high foot fall. So ceased trading a couple years ago.

Nathan Midgley | 30 May, 2008 at 12:53 pm

Funnily enough we quoted a Mintel travel analyst saying the same thing recently - it was off the back of some research about face-to-face recommendation driving holiday decisions:

“High-street agents should be capitalising on having a high-street presence. They should have engaging and experienced staff who can show their own holiday pictures rather than a brochure.

“They could be offering customers a glass of wine or coffee from the destination.”

I’m definitely with you Darren - Black Tomato famously launched a shop in Shoreditch that was open until 9 and had a bar. But that’s Shoreditch for you…

Lee Harrison | 30 May, 2008 at 2:25 pm

Darren, Some Great Posts recently, Worthy of your recent award, and nice to see a little backing for Travel Agents up and down the country, and in this present climate of doom and gloom and media depression, we do need that backing. You have bought up an interesting debate here, and I would love our Agency to be thought of as a social hub and clients actualy spent more time with us.

Unfortunatly many clients aren’t so sociable and think that a travel Agency can waive a magic wand and find them a £99.00 deal to travel on the 08th August for a two weeks All inclusive holiday in two minutes flat!!

Quote from Darren”As it is now, I walk through the door, browse through a few travel brochures and take them home, I probably won’t book with the agency I took the brochure from because I would have found it cheaper elsewhere.”

So How Sociable do you expect the Agent to be?

You walk into the Agency Premises, possibly costing that agent beteween £12 - £20,000 a year rent with high rental bills, High electricity bills,overheads, staffing costs, latest technology doesn’t come cheap, Travel agents Gazeteeers to offer your clients unbiased advice at approx £700.00 a year to replace, and then you use the Agent as a brochure collecting point, depriving others who might need that brochure to book with the agent.

Do you actually realise how Travel agents get those brochures in the first place? They don’t automatically drop out of the skies onto our shelves!

On the environment front, could I ask you What you do with the brochures you collect from an agency, do you return them? are you honest with that agent in your booking habits ?

And the fact you state you use the agency and take the brochure but would not use the agency as you would find it cheaper elsewhere, just highlights how misleading your ranting about Travel Agents is!

We deal with more than 500 Tour Operators who offer value for money, The Client has to ask himself what they really want from their holiday, unfortunatly these days everything is Price led, and people want to pay less and less and they look at headline prices and not for value or quality.

Which offers better Value?, a holiday to Benidorm in a 60 storey 3,000 bed hotel with a swimming pool with space for 100 people costing £400.00 spending money needed £600.00 or a Holiday to Thailand costing £700.00 and only £200.00 spending money in a 4 or 5 star High class Hotel with low floors, fantastic beaches and authentic setting.

Don’t abuse your local Travel Agent, Use them and you’ll soon find out how Sociable, Knowledgeable we can be, and how much Value you can get from your agent.

Darren Cronian | 30 May, 2008 at 2:26 pm

@ Nathan

What is stranger, I know exactly the article your talking about because I featured the stats in today’s blog post!

Is Black Tomato still operating?

@ Nick

Interesting, maybe this isn’t what consumers want, but I just thought it would be a nicer environment, because afterall we are booking a holiday, it should be fun.

@ Albert

Thanks for the comments and on Twitter too, the problem with Twitter is that you never know how many of your followers online to help you fire questions at them when the most are logged in.

Darren Cronian | 30 May, 2008 at 2:32 pm

@ Lee

Wow, that is some comment. Let me read it through and I’ll try and respond to your questions, oh and thanks for the compliment re the content

Darren Cronian | 30 May, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Sorry this is a long comment. In response to Lee’s travel agency rant

Lee:
So How Sociable do you expect the Agent to be?

Me:
I think I prefer to go into a nice environment like I mentioned, i.e. coffee, chat with consumers and agents and get advice off two important sources than actually spend hours sat in front of a PC searching the internet.

Lee:
Do you actually realise how Travel agents get those brochures in the first place?

Me:
No, I have no idea how agents get brochures, I’m a consumer blogging about consumer stuff, never worked in a travel agency, so I cannot include this knowledge in any blog posts I write.

Lee:
What you do with the brochures you collect from an agency, do you return them? are you honest with that agent in your booking habits ?

Me:
Honestly, I throw them away, and I am sure most people do, if they were recyclable then I could put them in my recyclable waste. How many people do you get returning brochures that they have not used? Not many I bet.

Lee:
And the fact you state you use the agency and take the brochure but would not use the agency as you would find it cheaper elsewhere, just highlights how misleading your ranting about Travel Agents is!

Me:
I don’t think my rants are misleading. I don’t sit down with a travel agent until I have read the brochures and checked the prices elsewhere. I can imagine its frustrating for travel agents and probably the reason why some agencies are so unwelcoming because they are fed up of time wasters.

Lee:
Which offers better Value?, a holiday to Benidorm in a 60 storey 3,000 bed hotel with a swimming pool with space for 100 people costing £400.00 spending money needed £600.00 or a Holiday to Thailand costing £700.00 and only £200.00 spending money in a 4 or 5 star High class Hotel with low floors, fantastic beaches and authentic setting.

Me:
Best value to me is the Thailand offer, and your right consumers do not think of it like that, and maybe we should. Think about spending money and the cost of staying in a country rather than that Benidorm is a cheaper holiday than Thailand.

Lee:
Don’t abuse your local Travel Agent, Use them and you’ll soon find out how Sociable, Knowledgeable we can be, and how much Value you can get from your agent.

Me:
I don’t think I have ever abused my local travel agency, I just don’t use them, primarily because of the lack of time due to work commitments.

Value is a good point, mmm I can feel another blog post coming on from these comments.

Great discussion Lee.