Strategies Employed by Australian Bricks & Mortar Travel Agents to Compete with Virtual Travel Agents

Abstract:- B&M travel agencies provide personalized travel services. Internet brought a change in their fortunes. The direct competition by Virtual Agencies intensified the competitive and related financial pressure on travel agencies. That resulted in a reduction of many travel agency businesses and their sales figures. Last few years have a seen a sudden change in the scenario and surprisingly many new travel agencies opened again and growing contrary to what was predicated earlier. There must be something more than intermediation and reinter mediation, which needed to be studied. This scenario raised many questions like why do some customers prefer B&M travel agencies? A detailed research was instigated to analyze and report on the status of the Australian B&M travel agencies now and in future. Research adopted a mixed-method approach using extensive literature reviews, email questionnaires, and interviews with the principal stakeholders –of the B&M travel agents and travelers. Results highlighted the strategies B&M travel agencies should adopt to succeed. Keywords:-Travel agency; distribution; supply chain; information computer technology, travel market, virtual agencies, airlines. I