NEW YORK -- Travel agents report they still have a significant
effect on their clients' buying decisions, according to Travel
Weekly's latest survey.
We polled 1,300 Travel Weekly agent readers online regarding
their influence on customers and found that retailers said they
make a difference when it comes to choosing a vacation.
We discovered that agents believe they exercise an especially
high influence on the recommendation of cruises. Agents said,
however, that they have little influence over a client's shopping
and dining choices.
When it comes to booking a cruise, just over half (52%) of
agents' clients already have a cruise line in mind when they get to
the agent.
But for nearly half of the cruises taken, agents have
significant input because their clients do not have a cruise line
picked out and come looking for advice.
The majority of clients (68%) booking noncruise travel come to
agents with a destination already in mind.
Thirty-two percent, however, look to the agent for advice.
Further, majorities of those polled said that clients frequently
or always take their advice when it comes to travel packages (94%),
cruise lines (91%), hotels (80%) and destinations (75%).