The Globus family of brands has released the results of its annual travel agent index survey, which includes responses from 659 agents.
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This year home-based agents were on the rise, and social media, email and online search were the dominant forms of marketing. Here are some key trends from the survey:
- "Home-Based" overtook "Destination Specialist" for the first time in how agents defined their agency.
- Social media was the number one form of advertising, followed by email and online search
- Airline prices, the economy and online travel agencies are still the top three challenges travel agents face
- Added value, product and discounts were the top three means of closing a sale
- Service fees remained the top method of combating declining revenue, although the percentage of agents charging service fees dropped slightly
- On-trip support remained very important to a majority of agents
- The number of agents who booked a river cruise this year rose from 57 percent to 67 percent