Just as a "great chef does not become unemployed because supermarkets started to sell his/her products", the need for a travel agent is not and will not fade away as online becomes more relevant.

Speaking at the 2011 ATEC Meeting Place Conference, Jetset Travel World Group general manager wholesale Simon Bernardi explained that although online has the ingredients for customers to plan trips, it is not necessarily the means people are booking.

He said while there is a shift towards online the majority of those bookings were never a part of the company’s “full service model” and primary services continue to be booked through traditional means.

“Although the market is changing as long as we continue to add value we can continue to survive,” he said.

“It’s how we put those ingredients together.” 

Unlike their US and UK counterparts, Mr Bernardi said Aussie agents are often called upon to book long-haul flights while American and English agents were often used for “simple” bookings.

“If you look at the UK, traditionally it had a large domestic market and if you look at the USA they have a high level of very simple domestic trips,” he noted.

“But if you look at the Australian profile it is quite different because we were selling long haul and as a result a lot of that hasn’t been able to be transacted online.”

Mr Bernardi added that while online is still important it cannot replace the knowledge and experience of an agent or a wholesaler.

Supporting his statement, the Group’s head explored Expedia’s recent expansion where they offer customers the opportunity to use traditional forms to complete their booking.

“I use to attend conferences and Expedia would say travel agents aren’t going to be around in the next five or so years,” he added.

“Well guess what they’ve got some new focus to growth and it’s in the traditional forms where they get involved with travel agents and offer them travel agents assistance.

“If anyone tells you traditional markets are not going to exist it is absolutely incorrect.

“The facts and the numbers don’t show that.”

 During his talk at the 2011 ATEC Meeting Place Conference, Mr Bernardi told attendees that while utilising efforts to attract visitors from China and India would help tourism, it was important to maintain focus on traditional markets.