TRAVEL
INDUSTRY
SURVEY
THREE FACES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
pecially cruises.
• When asked about the services
and support offered by travel suppliers, agents in the three groups
show distinct, and characteristic,
differences.
Although fam trips measure highest in importance for all groups, it
is less important for Careerists and
more important for Contenteds.
This finding is consistent with
other indications that Contenteds
are more interested in travel as an
avocation rather than a vocation, although they do express a keener interest in educational seminars than
Figure 3
either of their counterparts. Seekers, in contrast, place the greatest
emphasis on getting overrides and
incentives
from travel
suppliers.
To sum
up, several themes
emerge
from reviewing this year’s data on the personality types of travel agents.
• Seekers who would like to leave
the field for another occupation
apparently have been largely unsuccessful because their numbers
remain the same this year as in last
Fam trips measured
highest in importance
for all three groups.
Events Likely to Impact Travel Demand in Next Three Years
Psychographic Segments
Seekers
71%
61%
52%
45%
38%
42%
19%
Rising airfares & fees
Increased travel costs
Soft U. S. economy
Devaluation of the dollar
Airport hassles, delays
Internet competition
Security/terrorism fears
Contenteds
73%
62%
50%
50%
33%
37%
9%
Careerists
64%
56%
43%
41%
33%
21%
14%
Figure 4
Ocean cruises
Tours/Packages
Hotel
River cruises
Low-fare carrier
Total air
Travel Products Agents Expect to Increase in 2008
Psychographic Segments
Seekers
48%
37%
36%
29%
43%
24%
Contenteds
61%
40%
31%
34%
42%
18%
Careerists
65%
49%
38%
38%
43%
26%
Figure 5
Fam trips
Overrides/Incentives
Educational seminars
Supplier Services Considered Important by Travel Agents
Psychographic Segments
Seekers
55%
57%
43%
Contenteds
61%
51%
50%
Careerists
51%
46%
44%
year’s study. A soft economy, a lack
of specific skills to qualify them for
another profession or an inability to find a
good-pay-ing job in a
soft economy may all
contribute
to their
problems.
These obstacles probably will not
diminish in the next two to three
years, based on current economic
conditions. A fourth possibility also
exists; i.e., that they have not been
sufficiently aggressive in their pursuit of other types of work.
But while they remain frozen in
their careers, they continue to be
the heaviest revenue producers, as
was also shown in last year’s report.
• More home-based agents now fit
in the category of Careerists than in
last year’s data. That change could
represent an important trend. If
more of them decide to make this
their true career, then the revenue
numbers for home-based agents
could climb in the future, making
this a more important group for
travel suppliers. It is too early to tell
how this trend might play out.
• Anxiety about near-term prospects for travel demand measures
high among all groups, even Careerists, who generally have the
most confidence in their ability to
handle all situations. The primary
contributor to the loss of confidence
is rising airfares.
• As reported in the 2007 study,
two-thirds of travel agents remain
happy in the profession. They are
not likely to leave it in the near future. The problem for travel agencies is recruiting and training qualified new professionals. Although
travel itself is seductive — many
people want to be associated with
it to enjoy its perks — agencies will
continue to face difficulties in attracting new agents because of the
relatively low pay compared with
other professions.
