ARLINGTON, Va. -- ARC's first monthly sales report for the new year
shows travel agency air sales are off to a slow start.
Total reported sales by ARC accredited travel agencies came to
$4.6 billion in January, down 3% from the $4.8 billion reported in
January 2002, four months after 9/11.
Taking the longer view, the total is 25% below the $6.2 billion
rung up in January 2001. However, the average weekly gross per
agency in January was $40,296, up 14% from 2002.
The weekly average had been steadily increasing, due in large
part to the overall drop in the number of ARC-accredited
agencies.
January figures show 24,450 ARC retail locations were in
operation for the month, 10% fewer than the 27,293 locations
operating a year ago.
But while the overall number of retail locations is dropping,
so-called "restricted-access" locations, a category typically
reflecting home-based agencies, is growing.
ARC reported 960 restricted-access locations in January, up
10.5% from January 2002.
ARC also reported that electronic ticketing accounted for 80.3%
of the total, up from 62.1% a year ago. Three years ago, at the
beginning of 2000, e-tickets accounted for 46%.
Also growing, although not as dramatically, is the share of the
ARC pie representing international air sales.
In January 1999, international air sales accounted for 29.6% of
the monthly total. That figure has been rising steadily and
accounted for 34.5% of reported sales last month.