E-Commerce and Travel

Chapter 8 of the course textbook describes Business to Consumer (B2C) E-commerce. Did you think that the travel agency business had gone the way of the dinosaurs given the ease of use and availability of online airline and travel search engine websites? Many travelers have abandoned using the “old school” travel agencies for purchasing airline tickets or making other bookings and have now taken up the practice of shopping for travel bookings on the Internet. However, according to a recent article in the Boston Globe, 25% of travelers are still using travel agencies and the percentage of mortar and brick users is once again climbing (Blair & Wright, 2016).

Question:

Is online comparative shopping for vacations and other travel all that it is “cracked up to be” or have consumers “lost out” using online shopping for travel when it comes to receiving the benefits of tips and suggestions that were once provided by travel agents with years of experience?

Remember, one goal in the Discussion assignments is to create an atmosphere of interaction by posting meaningful responses that advance and expand the depth of the discussion. Do this by providing additional support to your peers’ initial and response posts, or if appropriate, by challenging them if you feel that the data that they presented is weak. Likewise, when a peer challenges the data in your posts, debate the issue, and providing further support for your points of view on the topic.