Traditional Travel Agencies Research Articles

Peran Travel Consultant dalam Penjualan Tiket Perjalanan dalam Negeri di Anta Express

The tourism industry in Indonesia has experienced significant growth, particularly following the post-COVID-19 recovery and the rise of the creative economy. As the sector rebounds, travel agencies play a crucial role in facilitating domestic ticket sales and travel packages. Traditional travel agencies, such as PT Anta Express Tour & Travel, face competition from online booking platforms, which calls for a study on the unique value offered by travel consultants in enhancing customer experiences and the sales process. This study aims to explore the role of travel consultants at PT Anta Express Tour & Travel in domestic travel ticket sales. Using a qualitative research approach, data was gathered through direct observation, semi-structured interviews, and a review of relevant literature. The findings highlight four key roles played by travel consultants: providing personalized advice and recommendations, managing bookings, resolving issues, and delivering customer service. Additionally, three main reasons were identified for why customers still prefer using travel consultants: convenience, access to exclusive offers, and ongoing support during the trip. The study concludes that travel agencies can maintain their competitiveness by focusing on personalized services that appeal to specific customer segments, particularly those who value professional advice and human interaction in their travel planning. Therefore, traditional and online booking channels can coexist in the future, serving different market needs.

Solutions to insufficient incentives for developing green tourism by travel agencies: government intervention

PurposeThis research aims to develop an improved model with government intervention and find the government policy for developing green tourism to induce the travel agencies have incentives to produce green tourism products.Design/methodology/approachThis research employs Stackelberg game theory to study two travel agencies in the horizontal direction of the tourism supply chain. Two deterministic, price-sensitive linear demand functions are utilized for these two different tourism products to derive possible analytical solutions.FindingsNo travel agency is willing to produce green tourism products without government intervention. The solution proposed in this paper is that a government should subsidize green travel agencies for their production of green tourism products, and create a tax for non-green traditional travel agencies for the production of non-green traditional tourism products. The amount of government subsidies for green tourism products plus the tax on non-green traditional tourism products equals the difference in unit cost of the two products. The travel agency that produces green tourism products has incentive to produce if there is government intervention.Practical implicationsThis paper provides the stakeholders with three practical implications. The first one is that the amount of subsidy for green travel agencies can be paid by taxing non-green ones. This is the optimal solution. The second one for both the tourism sector and government is that technological innovation in cooperation between government and tourism industry such as low-carbon technology is critical to reduce the cost difference between green travel agency products and non-green ones. The third one is that green travel agencies that produce green tourism products can also fulfill their corporate social responsibilities and enhance their social image.Originality/valueThis paper is unique in that it develops a model to resolve the problem of insufficient incentives. In terms of government intervention, this article also considers tax policy in addition to subsidy policy which is different from previous literature.

Trends In Tourism Recommendation Systems: A Review

Tourism Recommendation Systems (TRS) are increasingly important in the tourism industry to provide personalized recommendations based on diverse tourist preferences. Technology and big data have transformed TRS from traditional travel agencies to modern digital platforms, enabling the processing of vast amounts of user-generated data for precise recommendations. The study aims to identify strengths and weaknesses within existing TRS frameworks and techniques, propose recommendations to mitigate these weaknesses, and provide insights for practitioners and researchers. Key findings are the effectiveness of personalized and context-aware recommendations, the importance of multimodal data integration, the need for ethical and fair recommendation practices. Future directions in TRS research should focus on exploring and developing explainable AI and transparency, personalization at scale, enhancing multimodal recommendation capabilities, and ensuring ethical and fair recommendation. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of contemporary TRS methodologies and provides actionable insights for enhancing TRS performance. By addressing current trends and proposing recommendations for future research, this paper aims to advance the field of TRS and improve travel experiences for tourists.

Optimizing Brand Awareness and Purchase Intent in Travel Agents: Communication Strategy through Social Media Marketing

High demand of tourism services in Indonesia has increased the number of travel agency businesses. However, conventional travel agencies must face difficulties by competing with Online Travel Agents (OTAs). This study aims to investigate the impact of communication strategy using the AIDA model on social media marketing strategies in enhancing brand awareness of traditional travel agencies and purchase intention. 420 respondents who have acquired conventional travel agency services via social media filled out the e-questionnaire and became the sample of this study. Data analysis was done using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. This study found a positive relationship between communication strategy using the AIDA model and its impact on social media marketing. A positive correlation between brand awareness and purchase intention to social media marketing was also found. The findings of this research can be utilized by traditional travel agents to reorganize their marketing strategies through social media to increase brand awareness and purchase intention so that they will be able to compete with OTAs.

Effect of Empowerment on Perceived Person-Environment Fit and Work Engagement: Focusing on Online Travel Platform Employees

Purpose - COVID-19 has dramatically changed the business landscape, and the travel industry is no exception. The industry is undergoing a paradigm shift to the platform business, and traditional travel agencies are moving their businesses to online platforms. However, in this irreversible global paradigm shift, it is not easy for travel companies to hire and retain employees, especially companies in the IT sector. Studies typically study consumers, such as selection attributes and satisfaction with travel platforms. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been almost no studies on employees. This study explored how the empowerment of online travel platform employees influences their perceived person-environment (P-E) fit and work engagement.
 Design/Methodology/Approach - We analyzed data from 352 employees of 26 domestic online travel platforms who were surveyed in January and February 2021. After coding the collected data, we analyzed it using frequency, exploratory factor, reliability, correlation, and multiple regression analyses using IBM SPSS Statistics, ver. 20.0.
 Findings - First, enhancing the meaningfulness of work and organizational autonomy influences personjob (P-J) fit and person-organization (P-O) fit. Second, enhancing the meaningfulness of work significantly influences vigor, dedication, and absorption in terms of work engagement, while organizational autonomy significantly influences work engagement vigor. Third, P-J fit and P-O fit influence the vigor of work engagement, and P-O fit influences dedication and absorption.
 Research Implications - This study demonstrated that the empowerment of travel platform employees can improve perceived P-E fit and work engagement. Thus, if organizations guarantee some degree of empowerment, employees will be energized and engaged more in their workplace. Finally, this helps expand the scope of online travel platform research from the perspective of personnel organization.

The Relationship between Traditional Travel Agencies Website Design on Customers' e-Loyalty

The website for a traditional travel agency is important as it is assumed that customers make purchases through a travel agency website, they trust for their tourism products and services. A pleasant website design may lead the online customers to continue to be loyal. This leads to the purpose of this study which is to understand further the relationship between website design on the customers’ e-loyalty. An online survey was completed by 87 Malaysians who have made travel-related purchases on any traditional travel agency website in Malaysia. Analyses of reliability and descriptive analysis were performed on all scales. Testing research hypotheses was done using regression analysis. Results showed that website design and its factors were positively related to customers' e-loyalty. Information design, navigation design, and visual design were these predictors' order of significance in relation to each other. Information design was found to have the strongest relation whereas visual design was found to have the least relation towards customers’ e-loyalty to the traditional travel agency website. The findings of this study prove that it is crucial to assist the traditional travel agencies to improve their website design in order to achieve the desired outcome for the agency

Efektivitas Pemberian Alokasi Kamar pada Biro Perjalanan Wisata: Kasus di Hotel The Kuta Beach Heritage Bali

Despite the rapid development of online travel agents who market hotel rooms via the internet, traditional travel agencies also still play an important role in marketing and booking hotel rooms. As The Kuta Beach Heritage hotel still utilizes and uses room marketing channels through offline travel agencies. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of providing room allocation or room allocation to travel agents at The Kuta Beach Heritage Bali. The data used is secondary data in the form of production from each travel agency and given room allocation. While the primary data was obtained through interviews with various related parties at the hotel. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results showed that the utilization of room allocation by the travel agency had not been maximized or had not been able to achieve the target given by the hotel, which was 60%. The practical implication of this research is the need for innovative efforts to increase the production of room nights by both hotels and travel agencies

The Effects Of Corporate Websites Usability Of Travel Agencies On Their Technological Capabilities

ABSTRACT The effects of technology on the tourism industry are increasing day by day. Especially in the travel sector, technology has given rise to fierce competition. The emergence of travel organizations that run all the transactions related to travel online causes agencies to be disadvantaged in the competition. The success of traditional agencies in the competition is proportional to their technological capabilities. This research aims to test a model that shows the impact of the corporate websites usability of travel agencies on their social media, e-mail and e-commerce use. The study was designed in the form of quantitative research, and the data were collected through surveys. The study population consists of the traditional travel agencies operating in Istanbul. 433 face-to-face questionnaires conducted with the managers of these agencies were analyzed. According to the results of the research, the corporate websites usability of the agencies explain their use of social media, e-mail and e-commerce. Corporate websites usability of businesses contribute positively to social media, e-mail and e-commerce activities.

Exploring the Factors Influencing the Selection of Traditional Travel Agencies: A Case of Banjarmasin, Indonesia

Highly developed online facilities by travel agents have grown drastically over the past years. Internet is taking over the businesses of traditional travel agents in their existing as well as emerging markets. Due to the dynamic and diverse nature of technology, the travellers are seeking to optimize their travel attitude in an effective manner while implicating several threats. Amidst all changes, this study investigated the attitude of Indonesian travellers visiting traditional travel agents. A self-administrated online survey was used to collect the data from local travellers of Banjarmasin, Indonesia. A sample of 277 respondents showed a significant relationship between the expertise of travel agents, handling capacity, technological adoption towards visiting traditional travel agents. Interestingly, the social interaction factor has no significant influence. Further, the analysis identified that secure transaction shows a partial mediating effect between travellers visiting traditional travel agents and their habitual selection behaviour. The results of the study indicate that Indonesian travellers have an overall positive attitude towards traditional travel agencies due to their expertise and handling capacity of travel services. An important finding reveals transactional security as a vital factor in habitual selection behaviour of Indonesian travellers. In future, there is a necessity for a holistic approach towards the understanding of both demand and supply perspectives of travel services.

Service commission contract design of online travel agency to create O2O model by cooperation with traditional travel agency under asymmetric information

To improve the competitive advantage of online travel agencies (OTAs), the O2O model is achieved by service cooperation with traditional travel agencies (TTAs). The design of a service commission contract is studied when TTAs' service capability type is symmetric and asymmetric information, and the properties of optimal service commission contract are analyzed. Further, the impacts of asymmetry information on the profit of OTA, TTA are compared and also illustrated by a numerical example. Some management implications for OTA establishing service cooperation, including (1) OTA designs service commission contracts by considering different incentives of fixed payment and service commission coefficient to TTA with different service capability; (2) the fixed payment “upward distorted” and service commission coefficient “distorted downward” should be considered under asymmetric information; and (3) because the existence of asymmetric information always leads to the damage of OTA's profit, OTA encourages the TTA disclosure private service information before service cooperation. • TTAs' offline service as an important factor in OTAs O2O model. • Applies the asymmetry information theory in travel agency. • Differentiates and motivates different types of TTA through separation contract.

Optimal Service Commission Contract Design of OTA to Create O2O Model by Cooperation with TTA under Asymmetric Information

This paper studies the service commission contract of an online travel agency (OTA) to integrate the online to offline (O2O) model by cooperation with a traditional travel agency (TTA) under asymmetric information. The principal-agent models are established with symmetric and asymmetric service information, respectively. Further, the impacts of asymmetry information on the revenue of the OTA, TTA, and the whole O2O model and the properties of optimal commission contract are analyzed. The paper notes management implications: (1) OTA designs service commission contracts by weighing the fixed payment and service commission coefficient for different incentives to TTAs with different serviceabilities and (2) because the existence of asymmetric information always leads to the damage of OTA’s expected revenue, OTA should encourage the TTA to disclose private service information.

Coopetition Between TTA and OTA Based on Multinomial Logit Choice Model

This paper proposes a framework to analyse the impact of online travel agency (OTA) when it steps into an original market of a traditional travel agency (TTA). Based on the multinomial logit choice model, the demand model and the profit model are presented. Then, the demand squeeze, the total demand increase and the cooperation range of wholesale price are analysed. From the analysis, the results indicate that: (1) OTA can increase the demand of the whole market while it squeezes the demand of TTA; (2) The demand squeeze, total demand increase and the range of cooperation wholesale price are all positive with the perceived value from OTA and negative with the perceived value from TTA. (3) The more immature the market is the more necessary for TTA to cooperate with OTA. In addition, numerical example and sensitivity analysis of perceived value and price are presented to illustrate the demand squeeze, demand increase and cooperation range of wholesale price.

Online consumer behaviour and its relationship to website atmospheric induced flow: Insights into online travel agencies in Indonesia

The emergence of online travel agents is a phenomenon that affects the traditional travel agents. Competition among online travel agents is an exciting area to study. This research aims to examine factors that have impacts on flow experience and how the flow experience along with shopping enjoyment and online store intimacy can influence consumers’ purchase intention in the context of online travel agents in Indonesia. This research is conducted using survey research with adequate research interference where the researcher uses controlled participant that meet with specific criteria such as a specific age band. The findings of this study show that design atmospherics have the positive impact in increasing purchase intention for online travel agents in Indonesia.

Revisiting the quality-value-satisfaction-loyalty chain for corporate customers in the travel agency sector

Most traditional travel agencies offer their services to corporate clients, although literature focuses on end customers. This paper addresses this research gap, but also aims at bridging the gap between B2C and B2B literature. Specifically, the authors revisit the Quality-Value-Satisfaction-Loyalty chain, a well-established postulate from the B2C literature in tourism, but adding Trust and Commitment as mediating variables between Satisfaction and Loyalty to adapt the chain to the B2B context. Using PLS-SEM, the analysis of data confirmed the Service Quality - Customer Value - Customer Satisfaction - Trust/Commitment - Customer Loyalty chain for corporate customers.

Principal–Agent Relationship Within a Cruise Supply Chain Model for China

Changes in travelers’ booking habits and the evolution of technology have come to threaten the existence of traditional travel agents (TAs). However, the cruise industry still relies heavily on TAs as its main distribution channel. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the networks, relationships, and power distribution between cruise companies and TAs using a triangulation method via a tourism supply chain model. Principal–agent (P-A) theory was taken as the framework to describe various parties’ relationships and roles. Several TA business models were identified, including group blocks (i.e., guaranteed and nonguaranteed) and charter cruises (i.e., retail for resale and corporate; meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions). Results show an imbalance of power between parties due to unique business practices and customer preferences in Mainland China. Principals (i.e., cruise companies) were found to rely excessively on agents (i.e., TAs) to create demand, with the growing number of cruise lines leading agents to overpower principals. The alliance among TAs further affected the principal–agent relationship. A refined tourism supply chain model tailored to the cruise industry is thus proposed herein; this cruise supply chain model simplifies the complicated business network relationships between cruise companies and TAs in China.

Survival and competitiveness of traditional travel agencies in Malaysia: a qualitative enquiry

Purpose Empirical evidence is insufficient to explain which factors contribute to the survival and competitiveness of traditional travel agencies (TTAs). Malaysian TTAs are rather slow in information communication technology (ICT). However, several initiatives by the government were directed to enhance ICT adoption. Furthermore, the non-ICT factors to remain competitive by the TTAs were not sufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to close the gap by examining the perceived factors that influence the survival and competitiveness of Malaysian TTAs. Design/methodology/approach This study used qualitative multiple case studies method to ensure that the issues were explored through multiple lenses. Semi-structured interviews and direct observation are used to collect data from 15 TTAs and industry experts in Malaysia. Findings This study found that the key to remain competitive and relevant is to co-exist with technology and embrace proactive strategies (i.e., competitive aggression, public relation, dependence development, smoothing, cooperative, and manoeuvring strategies). Originality/value Travel and tourism industries have long been acknowledged to provide an impetus for the economic growth of developing and developed economies. TTA is the key component in the global tourism activities in promoting tourism products and services. However, they are threatened by the continuous growth in ICT. Past literature reviewed TTAs that operate in the highly competitive and volatile environment due to various external forces such as technological advancement, fierce competition from the virtual travel agencies and global economic condition. This study provided empirical evidence contributed to the survival and competitiveness of TTAs in Malaysia.

伝統的旅行会社におけるリアル店舗のサービス・コンセプト サービス品質再定義の試み

伝統的旅行会社におけるリアル店舗のサービス・コンセプト サービス品質再定義の試み

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Travel Supply Chain: A Literature Review

Traditional travel agencies and tour operators are recognized as relevant stakeholders in the tourism distribution chain, even though their role as transforming agents in the achievement of more sustainable tourism is beginning to be accepted. This study aims at reviewing the main topics and the most recent approaches from the academic literature in its analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices developed by these intermediaries. The work has been structured around six recurring themes in most of the studies carried out: the new intermediaries that operate on the Internet; the role of travel agencies and tour operators in tourism sustainability; the influence of the size of the company; CSR as a disruptive innovation in this sector; the potential of the sustainable tourism supply chain; and the motivations and attitudes of the managers of these businesses when they engage with responsibility. This last topic is developed in greater detail since it is closely linked to the previous ones and dictates, in most cases, the meaning and function of the sustainable performance. The conclusions show how tourism intermediaries have only just begun to develop CSR policies, and those that are committed to their implementation mostly opt for actions aimed at the environment.

New digital tourism ecosystem: understanding the relationship between information sources and sharing economy platforms

PurposeThe purpose of this study resides in a better understanding of the relationship between the use of traditional operators, online travel agencies, such as Booking.com and Expedia, comparators, tour operators and traditional travel agencies, airlines, new non-tourist companies like Google and the use of sharing economy platforms to obtain information about a travel destination.Design/methodology/approachApplying an analysis to 13,243 tourists from 19 European countries, a binomial logit analysis was carried out with the latest version of the SPSS statistical analysis program.FindingsThe use of Expedia and Booking.com has a positive effect on the use of sharing economy platforms to obtain information about travel destinations. However, it can also be observed how the use of Google, Facebook, tour operators and travel agencies, airlines and Twitter can have a negative effect.Practical implicationsThe study provides interesting recommendations for destinations to be able to design better marketing strategies which focus on cognitive components of the destination image in different information sources.Originality/valueTourists search for information that helps them make better decisions when it comes to choosing a travel destination and they do so using different channels that have evolved over time. The proliferation of internet platforms has transformed the way tourists search for information and consequently the way the secondary image of destination is formed. The sharing economy plays an important role in this new tourism ecosystem. These new business models, based on platforms, coexist with other traditional information sources, tour operators and travel agencies and airlines. However, previous studies have not inquired about the relationship between them all.

E-Tourism Adoption of the Travel Agencies in Cebu City, Philippines

Information Communication Technology (ICT) plays an active role in the tourism industry. The application and integration of ICT are essential for the success of a tourism enterprise. ICT assists the individual in an enterprise to access information on the World Wide Web in a single click which changes the traditional brick and mortar travel agency operations. Even with the emergence of Technology 50 years ago, Small Medium Enterprises are reluctant to operate and adopt Technology Applications for Technological and Non-Technological Reasons. The study used an adapted research instrument from Davis (1989) and Turban et al. (2008). Principal respondents are the accredited travel agencies in Cebu City as of 2017. Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of Davis (1989), respondents perceived that ICT is useful regarding accomplishing the task quickly, increase productivity and effectiveness and it is easy to use regarding operating and interacting ICT. Respondents would probably use the technology in the workplace for sales and marketing and to recommend the technology to others for Business Operations. However, there is no significant relationship on the ease of use (PEOU) and usefulness to the in the Intention to use. This means that the respondents may or may not adopt ICT because of Non Technological and Technological Reasons.