Prepare for the next revolution, says Gurney

Prepare for the next revolution, says Gurney
By admin


A new breed of “empowered” consumer with access to extensive information is the major factor forcing the evolution of the traditional travel agent, according to the boss of Jetset Travelworld Group.

Speaking at the Australia Pacific Aviation Summit in Sydney as controversy continues to crackle around the agency group’s Helloworld rebranding, Rob Gurney insisted that the digital revolution is a thing of the past and is now the "norm".

The challenge once posed by such “disruptive technologies” has now evolved the form of the more educated travel agency customer.

“Go back 10 or 15 years and, in the travel agency environment, the person that was empowered with all the knowledge and the information was the travel agent,” Gurney said.

“Now, more often than not, the consumer is empowered, or at least they think are empowered, with that knowledge.”

The effect of access to the volume of information available through the Internet is the “major challenge” for JTG, he added.

“It is challenging the traditional moulds and it’s how we adapt to that that is absolutely critical,” he said. "We should be preparing for the next revolution."

JTG recently announced the creation of a new Helloworld brand as it attempts to adapt in order to strengthen its foothold in the evolving marketplace.

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