B & M Travel Agencies Case Study

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Tourism is a substantial industry that serves many people in many different industries. Bricks and Mortar (B&M) travel agencies are physically established traditional travel agencies providing travel services to customers from premises accessible to the public. B&M travel establishments occupied a prime position in the market before the 1980s. Such B&M travel agencies are refered to as intermediaries. They were the standard access point for anyone intending to go on holiday or book a business trip. They were profitable, mostly working in isolation from each other and representing a limited number of airlines or hotels.
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Although there had been some introductions of technology in the travel industry as early as the 1950s, it was not until the 1990s when Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) entered the marketplace that changes in business practices began to have a noticeable impact. The introduction of the Internet brought about a change in the fortunes of B&M travel agents. While …show more content…

Personal services that cannot be replicated by Internet-only travel agents were a vital factor in the success, as was the embracing of ICT and particularly the Internet. However, these factors had to be implemented in unison; the sum was greater than the individual parts.
Description
While the future looked promising due to re-intermediation, there was one area that could face significant change in the next decade. In terms of the clientele of B&M travel agents, it was the older generation who favored them. The older traveller was more likely to use B&M travel agents. The research found this was because they were less likely to be familiar with technology, exhibited higher levels of technophobia, and preferred to pay in person rather than

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