Contemporary Financial Challenges for the U.S Travel Agencies In Respect of Their Experience

Abstract

The problem addressed in the proposed study was that the impact of E-commerce on traditional brick-andmortar travel agencies has not been thoroughly examined, indicating that the disintermediation will continue to limit the success of these agencies. The current study consisted of an examination of brick-and-mortar travel agents' perceptions regarding the impact of E-commerce on the traditional travel agencies in respect of travel agent experience, to determine if these perceptions vary as a function of years of travel agent experience in the travel industry. In addition, strategiesthat brick-and-mortar travel agents use to gain a competitive advantagewere examined. Quantitative survey data was used to achieve the purposes of this study. The participants in this study were U.S. citizen's traditional travel agent who experiences the Ecommerce impact. The results indicated that travel agents with more experience tended to believe that the effect of E-commerce on brick-and-mortar travel agencies was smaller than did travel agents with less experience. Based on these conclusions, it was recommended that travel agents with less experiencetravel agencies (i.e., those who tended to be more concerned about the effects of E-commerce) should adopt new strategies to mitigate the negative effects of E-commerce.