Consumers seek face-to-face

FEWER than one in 10 baby boomers turn to travel agents when they first begin planning a holiday, yet almost two-thirds still see value in face-to-face contact with a consultant, a new survey has found.

Research commissioned by Mumbrella carried out by retirement publisher YourLifeChoices determined three quarters of more than 6,000 respondents - 70% of whom were aged between 50 & 70 - go online in the first instance, with just 9% visiting their travel agent.

Guide books are used by 7% and only 3.5% turn to newspapers as their first port of call.

But asked if bricks-and-mortar retailers still offer sufficient value to warrant a face-to-face consultation, 62% said they did, while 38% said it was not worth the bother.

Findings from the extensive study will be exclusively revealed by YourLifeChoices publisher Kaye Fallick at the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit next week.

Virgin Australia chief marketing officer Inese Kingsmill, APT global sales and marketing director Debra Fox and Christchurch and BesCanterbury gm of marketing Rowan Worner are among speakers at the event.

The summit takes place at the Four Seasons Hotel on 05 Apr.

Travel Daily readers can take advantage of a $100 discount on tickets by using the code ‘ TDTMS17’ - Click here to book.