Are customers using the same travel agent twice?
Travel agents are the bridge between the humble traveller and the trip of their dreams, but how many of of them would go to same agent twice?
Roy Morgan Research surveyed Aussies aged 14 and over who had used travel agents or tour operators to book holidays in the last 12 months to discover what kind of travel patterns exist in the Australian holiday landscape.
In the year ending June 2014, 35% of Australians had used a travel agent for their holiday, with more than 9% of these travellers booking through Flight Centre.
As the number one consideration for Aussies heading abroad, Flight Centre also had a good repeat track record, with 76% of people who used it saying they would consider it again for their next holiday.
Agoda.com and Expedia.com.au weren’t far behind, with 75% of travellers who used these booking websites open to the possibility of using them again.
Booking.com and Wotif.com can also expect a healthy flow of return customers, each scoring a 74% consideration rate.
STA Travel and Escape Travel were the only other brick-and-mortar agencies to feature among the top 10 most considered by customers who used them in the past 12 months, at 73% and 67% respectively.
Roy Morgan Research’s group account director for consumer products Angela Smith said that by returning to a travel agent or operator, customers are in effect signalling their satisfaction.
“The value represented by return customers goes beyond their own bookings, to encompass potential word-of-mouth marketing,” Smith said.
“Our findings show that while 35% of the population used some kind of travel agent in the last year, 49% say they’d consider using one for their next holiday — a golden opportunity for agencies whose customers would consider using them again, since these customers are probably likely to recommend them to their friends and family too.”
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