ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Vacation.com reports membership in the
consortium dropped 9% in 2002 -- to 8,319 -- a reduction of 823
agencies, but officials said the decline was small relative to the
decline in ARC-accredited locations.
ARC reported the number of accredited retail locations at 24,797
at year-end, down 11%.
Despite the decline, Vacation.com remains the industry's largest
agency consortium, accounting for about a third of all agencies in
North America. They collectively ring up $25 billion in annual
sales, the consortium said.
Vacation.com said much of the decline was due to some agencies
shifting from dual to single memberships. Additionally, the
consortium said it deleted many dual affiliations "to reflect a
more accurate number of locations."
Vacation.com said it added 427 independent retail locations to
its membership roster in the past year.
"While Vacation.com clearly reflects the travel agent industry,
to a certain extent we have withstood the trend of losing members
as compared with ARC roles and, more significantly, we have
increased membership participation in our important co-op marketing
programs that drive business," said Dick Knodt, Vacation.com
president and CEO.
Knodt said the decline in membership "may result in a slightly
smaller organization but, more importantly, one that consists of a
higher-quality membership base that is clearly fulfilling our goal
of promoting and selling preferred-supplier products."