When we created The Roaming Boomers®, we had no idea that four years later we would open our own travel agency.

Our readers consistently asked us to take them with us on small group tours, and help them with travel planning.  In spite of the wild popularity of the Internet for travel planning, many folks now feel overwhelmed, are not sure who to trust, and don’t want to go it alone when they’re traveling overseas.

A recent survey from the American Society of Travel Agents bears this out with the growing popularity of having a trusted travel professional on your side.

New York, NY, February 27th, 2014 — The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) today announced the release of its new study, Value of Travel Agents, which was sponsored by Carnival Cruise Lines.  The primary objective of this study was to measure the value of the travel agency channel and to show whether working with travel agents enhances the travel experience. And the results confirmed just that, and more.

The Value of a Trusted Travel Advisor is on the Rise

Findings from the Value of Travel Agents study, which was conducted by MMGY Global, discovered that over half of Millennial (59%), Xer (53%) and Boomer (58%) leisure travelers who used travel agents believe that vacations planned with travel agents were better than those organized without their assistance. Not surprisingly, consumers that use an agent travel more (average 4.7 trips) than consumers that don’t use a travel agent (average 3.6 trips).

“The Value of the Travel Agent study shows that people who use a travel agent are more likely to be satisfied with their trip.  The research also provides insight into how and where travel agents can expand their businesses.” said ASTA CEO Zane Kerby. “ASTA thanks Carnival Cruise Lines for sponsoring this important research.”

The study also found other interesting and positive results. Use of traditional travel agents appears to be growing. The study found that thirteen percent of U.S. travelers used a traditional travel agent in the past year, which is up from eleven percent a few years ago. Of the leisure travelers who did not use travel agents in the past 12 months, forty-one percent indicated they were open to using one in the future.

The study was conducted by a third party, MMGY Global, who has extensive experience surveying consumers on the subject of travel.  MMGY Global authors the annual Portrait of American Travelers®.  The survey results were based on responses from 8,338 travelers who have been on at least one leisure trip requiring overnight accommodations during the past 12 months. There were 3,243 respondents who have been on at least one business trip requiring overnight accommodations during the past 12 months. All respondents were screened to ensure they had an annual household income of more than $50,000.

If you would like to join this growing trend, we’d love to help you plan your next vacation.  Call us at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request by clicking the button below.