If asked to name industries most affected by the Internet since the 1990’s, most people would think of online retailers like Amazon – draining sales away from small and large store-based retailers; or perhaps the music industry – careening from vinyl to CD’s, CD’s to mp3s and ultimately to Spotify. Both are good answers. Another answer might be storefront travel agencies; certainly the widespread acceptance of online travel agencies (OTA) transformed the agency business model. However, the ultimate fate of the traditional agency remains an open question. Ironically, technology – which crippled the travel agency twenty years ago – may be the very thing that saves them in the 21st century.
