When the Internet arrived, many observers assumed that it would be
most effective for simple travel arrangements, such as buying an
air ticket, booking a hotel room or securing a car rental. The
assumption was that the more complex the prospective traveler's
needs became, the less likely that the Web would be the best option
for providing service.
One-to-one real-time counseling by a live travel agent was
expected to be the better alternative for complex travel
arrangements.
What wasn't readily anticipated was that off-line travel
agencies from the physical world and on-line agencies would
converge to handle more complex travel arrangements. We're now
beginning to see that convergence take place.
The partnership of eGulliver.com and Expedia.com is an interesting case in point.
While both are dot-com businesses, eGulliver links on-line travel
buyers with off-line travel agencies according to the specific
needs of the buyer.
Now the eGulliver service will be promoted on Expedia as well
for travelers seeking "complex travel" arrangements.
Similarly, the arrangement between Travelocity and
the Virtuoso group of upscale agencies allows those Travelocity
customers who have more specialized travel arrangements in mind to
find a Virtuoso member to handle these needs.
The growing partnerships between the dot-com startups and the
long-time professional travel agencies is looming as a major trend
that will not only keep old-world agencies in business, but open
opportunities for them that could never have been imagined in the
pre-Internet era.
The link to the on-line world allows these knowledgeable travel
professionals to find an audience far beyond the limits of their
local marketplace.
Indeed, those agencies with particular skill at handling
specific destinations or special interests have the potential to
provide services on a national and even a global basis.
The convergence of on-line and off-line vendors is a recognition
on the part of both sectors that they need each other. The on-line
players need the sophisticated counseling and knowledge of the
off-line agencies, and the latter need the on-line world for
broader distribution of their services.
This convergence of the on-line and off-line world through a
range of acquisitions, mergers, marketing deals and other
partnerships may turn out to be the most important development in
travel distribution since the Internet entered the picture.