| The face of the holiday industry has changed beyond | | | | a massive boost for the public but terrible news for |
| all recognition in the past 10 - 15 years. No longer do | | | | the travel agents who suddenly lost a huge chunk of |
| we take the family down to the travel agent to | | | | their market directly to the hotels that they were |
| browse through what seems like four volumes of | | | | previously promoting. |
| travel brochures, looking for that one location that | | | | Picking the location of your holiday if you choose to |
| would make the whole vacation experience for that | | | | arrange it for yourself is pretty simple, if you do not |
| year different, then in we pick the same location that | | | | want to take ages trawling through pages and pages |
| we have been to for the past 3 summers. Because | | | | of useless information on the net then why not take |
| of the way we travel nowadays and the growth of | | | | advantage of other free resources that are designed |
| the inter web the world is a much smaller place and is | | | | to help you find a holiday with the minimum of fuss, |
| continuing to get smaller as more and more airlines fly | | | | the travel brochures from the travel agent! These |
| us to destinations further a field for less money. If | | | | are free and packed full of information regarding |
| chosen correctly a summer vacation can be found | | | | resorts, accommodation and the facilities at each |
| very economically and can be better than anything | | | | location. Use these free brochures to choose your |
| found in the window of a travel agent. So what can | | | | location and even find the details of the hotels that |
| you find in the way of a summer vacation by | | | | look the best and then contact the hotel direct and |
| booking yourself rather than going through the | | | | book your holiday. |
| process at a travel agent? | | | | Hotels are not your only choice when it comes to |
| The need for travel agents came about when the | | | | accommodation for your holiday. The internet is full |
| information that was accessible by the average | | | | of sites and information regarding villas and |
| traveler was at a minimum compared with today. | | | | apartments that are for rent in every location |
| Hotels locations, contact details and facilities were | | | | imaginable. Most of theses web sites are managed by |
| nigh on impossible to find in years gone by as there | | | | the people who own the villa or apartment so you |
| were no resources available to the once a year | | | | should get straight answers to any questions you |
| traveler other than that used by the travel agent. | | | | need answering regarding the property. These |
| Add to this the fact that because many hotels were | | | | properties can be in any country in the world and |
| only used to dealing with big travel companies they | | | | generally are off the beaten track and away from |
| were very reluctant to take a booking from the man | | | | usual tourist hotspots, giving you a more exclusive |
| on the street for a peak holiday time. As well as this | | | | holiday experience. It is partly because of the growth |
| fact if you could find a hotel it was generally dearer | | | | of the inter web that so many of the newer holiday |
| for you to book a room for you and your family | | | | destinations such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungry and |
| direct with the hotel rather than through the travel | | | | Estonia have seen such a fast rise in popularity. In |
| agent as they would get a discount for block booking | | | | countries such as Bulgaria [ holidays are very similar |
| rooms. | | | | to how people remembered many of the more |
| The internet changed all of that as each individual | | | | traditional destinations of 20 years ago, destinations |
| hotel was not only competing for business from the | | | | that have changed beyond all recognition today. |
| holiday companies but each individual tourist could | | | | So with the help of the inter web you should be able |
| access the details of each hotel via the inter web, | | | | to find a more exclusive holiday destination as well as |
| checking prices and comparing facilities of each hotel. | | | | find it cheaper and also be able to book at low cost |
| Hotels had to get smarter and more competitive to | | | | flight to many destinations and also arrange car hire. |
| ensure that their rooms were filled during the busiest | | | | The reign of the travel agent as the vacation |
| time of the year and to do this they had to trim | | | | planning king is nearly over. The king is dead, long live |
| prices and be more accessible to the public. This was | | | | the king. |