Skift Take
When it comes to reaching consumers, travel agencies don't have the resources to fight against travel providers and online booking titans. They need to be more creative with the tools they do have, and many are experimenting on social media and other digital channels.
At a time when consumers are more inundated with distractions and marketing than ever before, it's a challenge for travel companies to connect with potential customers.
It's an especially large challenge for travel agents in particular, since most agencies have moved away from the traditional brick-and-mortar storefront into a home-based or remote model facilitated by technology. Since travel agents are more likely than ever to be working from the living room sofa or local Starbucks, how exactly can consumers find them?
So when the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) announced last month that it was releasing "a news and current affairs-style program" produced by UK company ITN Productions, it made a certain amount of sense.
The videos present a behind-the-scenes peek into how travel agencies work and what they can do for their clients. While focused on explaining how travel agencies work, and how travel agents specialize on certain topics, they aren't particularly heavy on standard marketing that a resort or cruise brand would do. It's almost mundane, stressing proficiency in the office over the glamor of a vacation.
The message seems to be: travel agents are still around,
