MTA – Mobile Travel Agents’ managing Director Roy Merricks has said travel consultants must continue to adapt and change the waythey interact with their clients if they are to keep up with the fast changing nature of the travel industry.

Mr Merricks’ comments follow those made last week by Travel Port head of solutions and support Asia-Pacific, Linda Kelly-Smith who has highlighted the ongoing importance of the role travel agents need to play for consumers suffering from an informationoverload as a result of researching travel online.

The MTA MD agreed that while the Internet is undoubtedly an amazing research tool for everyone, as is often the case in today’s high tech environment having access to too much information is resulting in consumers becoming confused as to what it is they really want.

And it is here, he said, that the benefit of using a qualified and knowledgeable travel agent comes into play, provided of course the agent is well connected, advises wisely and adds that all important extra added value component.

But while agreeing with Ms Kelly-Smith on the importance of continuing to use travel agents to help plan travel, Mr Merricks said he disagreed with her comment that “agents don’t need to waste time filling people in on all the little things anymore.”

Attention to detail, hesaid, is perhaps even more important now than it has ever been given how many consumers tend to research their destination or activity first and these people are extremely knowledgeable about the 'big picture'.

“It is the little things that we as travel experts provide that at the end of the day add the value to our clients’ experiences and that can make the world of difference,” he said.

“We always need to remember that.

Mr Merricks said he recently attended an industry conference where it was pointed out that travel agents these days have become almost 'Cyborg-like' - part person and part machine - with all the technology they now have at their fingertips.

“But we have to remember that the same technology we use on a day to day basis is also empowering our clients and if we are to keep up with them and maintain our overall servicedelivery, we must continue to adapt and change the way we interact with them and their needs,” he said.