Changing market trends: How technology and global conditions affect the Canadian Travel Industry - ARCHIVED

This article looks at how the growing popularity of Internet reservations is affecting Canada's travel arrangement and travel accommodation industries. While few tour operators perceived their growth was dampened by Internet reservations in 2003, nearly two-thirds of travel agencies felt that Internet reservations were detrimental to their business. As Internet-savvy travelers become more comfortable assembling their own travel packages on-line they are increasingly bypassing travel agencies, especially those with no Internet presence.

The article also suggests that, along with a sharp decline in the number of foreign tourists visiting Canada, the greater prevalence of Internet reservations dampened room prices and operating profits from 2001 to 2003 for traveler accommodations providers, particularly non-affiliated ones.