Trends in travel and tourism marketing: The changing structure of distribution channels

This article presents results of a study which examined the structure of the travel and tourism distribution system, as well as the operations, motivations, and interactions of the intermediaries of that system. The study also explored the way the travel and tourism distribution system will operate in the future. Managers of travel and tourism firms find them-selves in a tumultuous environment. Marketing mana-gers face an especially difficult challenge. Competitive forces and the tail winds of U.S. airline deregulation have the disturbed the worldwide tourism and travel marketing distribution system. Never has an under-standing of the travel and tourism distribution system and the potential changes to that system been more important for industry professionals. Currently there is a lack of written information re-garding the travel distribution system and its operation