Just what are you selling on your travel agency website?

As you may know, I’m currently engaged in a study of travel agency websites. Indulge me for a moment and consider the merit of my strongly held belief: consumers don’t need another place to buy travel. Consumers have an almost unlimited access to travel product. They can buy direct from suppliers, from other travel agents, from monster-sized online sites, and from organizations and clubs like AARP or Costco.

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Travel, travel everywhere. Most travel agents will overtly agree with the idea they do not sell travel. However, too often their web sites betray another self-image. On the home page of many travel agency web sites, dozens of supplier logos flash at the viewer like the reels on a slot machine. Most of the text is about suppliers, supplier properties and features. In fact, there is often very little information about the travel agency at all, and what information is available is couched in vague language about “great customer service.”

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