Why Travel Vloggers are the New Travel Agents
The travel industry remains booming, as people are eager to get out and broaden their horizons. And travel agencies are an asset to this industry as they promote tourism. Travel agencies organize trips for travelers while providing them with information about explorers and guides. They provide all the tourism-related services for the traveler, taking on the tedious process. This convenience for the traveler makes travel agencies inviting.
Today, however, travel agencies have seen a decline due to the internet, as Ken Allard states in his article, “Decline of the Travel Agency.” The new phenomenon of travel vlogs also aided in this decline of travel agencies. Travel vloggers act as destination marketers and are, in a way, the new travel agents.
Travel vloggers promote the location, sharing their experiences and personal opinions, making them appear less business oriented. Travel vloggers also show things that travel agencies don’t, such as the good and the bad, interacting with the locals and less explored destinations. They also change the stigma around locations through video, as travel vloggers show their audiences that places tend to be portrayed differently in the media. Travel vloggers show that some destinations tend to be safer than believed to be, according to Johan Jensen’s article, “Travel vloggers as a source of information about tourist destinations.”
Additionally, travel vloggers provide more authentic portrayals of a destination, its food, its locals, hospitality and more. And people seek out this authenticity as opposed to over-glamorized photos. A poll conducted by Morning Consult shows that while travel planning sites, such as Expedia, are still the most popular resource for planning a trip, social media, across all generations, is the second most popular resource.
While travel agents come in last on the poll, this doesn’t mean they aren’t as relevant anymore. It all depends on who you ask.
Annette Gaddis, owner of Dream Travel Escapes, doesn’t believe there is a decline in travel agencies. “They’re more popular than ever, especially for folks who have money, and they could do it all by themselves, but they prefer not to because it saves an enormous amount of time,” Gaddis said. Because of the vast amount of information online, finding a destination and planning the trip can prove difficult. And travel vlogs are no exception, with a seemingly immeasurable amount found on YouTube.
But this is where travel agents come in handy, according to Gaddis, as they sort all this information for you. Travel agents also build relationships with their clients. They are there to consult with, as opposed to online booking sites. “I’m not worried about them [online booking sites] because those are people that are looking for bargains. And my clients are looking for luxury,” Gaddis said.
Still, the Morning Consult poll shows Gen Z and millennial travelers are much more likely to seek help from social media than travel agents. In fact, 84% of adults who follow at least one travel content creator turn to them for recommendations.
Successful travel vloggers connect with the audience through their emotions and personal opinions, as opposed to travel agencies who focus on product content. One thing remains true. Travel agents are a prime resource for luxury travelers who don’t want to search through copious amounts of information. But for those younger, chronically online generations, sorting through this information poses no obstacle. And for these travelers, access to free travel vlogs gives them all the information they need about a particular location or topic. They have no need to hire a travel agent to tell them this.
While travel agencies still endure, the internet brought about travel vloggers who pose as new, more appealing travel agents.
