“The one thing all technology has in common is it doesn’t work,” founder of McLachlan Travel Group Gil McLachlan said to a room full of travel enthusiasts at Travel DAZE recently.
“Technology is not the enemy, but we do have to be careful how we embrace it.”
According to McLachlan, in recent years the travel industry has been warned of many threats being fired from the digital world.
“They said if you’re in retail travel in two years you won’t have a job. But all the naughty travel retailers in the room failed to cooperate and let that happen.
“Online travel was another threat, and it has succeeded admirably in the market share, but it didn’t achieve the tsunami that many people, myself included, feared.”
McLachlan said an advantage of booking travel online was the feeling of “empowerment to do it yourself”, along with the notion of convenience.
But agents have the perks of accountability and real personal touches to the experience.
So according to McLachlan, “People plus technology equals the future”.
“Online booking is the greatest technological change in the travel industry since the internet itself,” he said. “But it’s time agents stop competing with members and merge the technological infrastructure into their business model.
“That way, the customer is still going to enjoy all the benefits with you.”
Travel Counsellors MD David Hughes agrees with this sentiment.
“People claimed online retail was the future of travel, but it’s all bullshit,” Hughes said.
“Online retailers hold 20-25 per cent of the travel market in Australia, after all those years of threatening to take over the entire travel market.”
But, as McLachlan said, while technology isn’t the grave enemy of travel agents, it’s important to consider how they implement it.
“Ask yourself, is it appropriate to the audience? Does it enhance key selling techniques?
“Corporates love technology, as they’re concerned with functionality, but if people are travelling with children everything changes and security becomes a big factor.”
As a result, McLachlan said the accountability that comes from a travel agent experience is paramount.
“Communiation is critical and empathy is number one. So how do you convince these people you share the same values?
“Retailers should be making staff embrace technology, but don’t dilute the number one selling tool – the relationship.”
