In search of independents: the growth of home-based agents is more difficult to measure. (The Industry: Travel Agents).(Industry Overview)

Travel Agent, July, 2003 by Holly, Tricia

In May 2000, the Airlines Reporting Corp. (ARC) counted 31,192 agency locations. Although this number represented a decrease of about 3 percent--mainly as a result of airline commission cuts--the brick-and-mortar retail community was still viewed as a strong force in the travel industry. In May of this year (the most recent statistics available at press time), ARC reported a total of 23,516 retail agency locations.

At first glance, the statistics seem to paint a dim picture of the travel agency business, but industry pundits and analysts continue to suggest that these numbers are not an accurate representation of how many agents are still working. Gary Fee, president of the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), says the reality is that there are many more...