Explore Travel Agency Stats on Industry Trends, Bookings, Sales, Fees & More!
In 2020, the world travel and tourism sector suffered a massive loss of nearly $4.5 trillion due to COVID-19, with accommodation and travel agencies seeing the sharpest decline in turnover during the first lockdown, falling to 9.3% of their February levels in May 2020. Many high street travel agents were forced to close numerous stores, and remote home working has changed how some travel agents operate.
What is clear is that, although the industry took a huge hit now travel has opened again there is a bigger demand for travel agents and the support they can provide for any travel issues or cancellations customers may face and they offer a bigger peace of mind for those booking travel.
Read on for more on this industry as we take a dive into the statistics below.
KEY TRAVEL AGENT STATISTICS:
The travel agency market in the UK totaled £29.4 billion in 2024.
There were 5000 travel agency businesses in the sector in 2024.
The global travel agency industry's revenue is estimated at over $355 billion as of March 2025.
The tour operator industry totalled over £17 billion in 2024.
In January 2025, the leading travel agent was Hays Travel, which had nearly 500 stores, followed by TUI, which had over 300 stores.
Jet2holidays was the leading ATOL-licensed tour operator in the UK, with over 6 million passengers licensed as of January 2025.
In 2024, the traditional travel agency market reached a market size of $149.14 billion.
This market is projected to reach $157.74 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%.
The traditional travel agency market size is expected to increase to $195.5 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5%.
Online channels, including OTAs (online travel agencies), generated roughly 70% of the total travel and tourism revenue in 2024.
OTAs' gross bookings exceeded $150 billion and a market share of 22% in 2024.
Booking.com dominated the European hotel industry with 69.3% market share, followed by Expedia Group at 11.5% in 2024.
Booking Holdings (which own Booking.com) had the highest revenue among OTAs, reaching almost $24 billion in 2024.
77% of online hotel bookings in Europe came from OTAs in 2024.
26% of travellers said they used an OTA to research flights, and 36% said they used OTAs for booking flights.
In the UK, traditional travel agencies employed approximately 54,229 people in 2024.
In 2024, the traditional travel agency market reached a market size of $149.14 billion.
This market is projected to reach $157.74 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8%.
The traditional travel agency market size is expected to increase to $195.5 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5%.
In the UK, traditional travel agencies employed approximately 54,229 people in 2024.
In January 2025, the leading travel agent was Hays Travel, which had nearly 500 stores, followed by TUI, which had over 300 stores.
In 2024, Hays Travel Limited saw significant growth, with a turnover of £457.44 million.
Gross sales reached £2.55 billion, a 17% increase compared with 2023.
Hays Travel reported a net profit of over £50 million.
Abta’s 2024 Holiday Habits report found that the proportion of 18-24-year-olds booking with a travel agent had risen from 26% in 2019 to 48% in 2024.
In 2024, 55% of young families were also booked with an agent.
58% of Baby Boomers used travel agents to book their trips in 2024.
The "World's Leading Travel Agency" for 2024, according to the World Travel Awards, was Regency Travel & Tours.
Over 3,000 travel shops remained operational in March 2025.
Although online travel agents continue to dominate the travel industry, traditional travel agents still have their place, with the market projected to reach $157.74 billion in 2025. Baby Boomers remain the biggest generation to book through traditional agents; however, increasing global travel and preference for personalised and luxury travel continue to support the need for a traditional in-person experience.
The growth forecast can be attributed to growing post-pandemic travel demand, increasing middle-class populations, and rising interest in experiential travel. For travelers seeking more complex travel plans, the benefits of using traditional travel agents include expertise, valuable insights, and guidance when booking unique or customised trips.
The number of consumers now booking through a travel company is at its highest point in the last three years, reports the American Society of Travel Agents.
The proportion of direct website bookings fell from 79.2% in 2017 to 66.7% in 2018, while marketplace bookings increased to 9.1%, from 3.2%.
In addition, agent, affiliate and local tourist office bookings also increased from 17.5% to 24.3% in the same time period.
Of those who have been previously been on a cruise, 35% booked their most recent trip through an agent.
Airline ticket sales through traditional agencies grew by 1.8% from August 2015 through to August 2016.
With the industry expected to generate $17.3 billion by 2020, up from about $12.2 billion in 2010, travel agency revenue looks to be growing over time. The American Society of Travel Agents reports that the number of people booking through agents is at its highest point in the last three years, which suggests the number of agent bookings is also experiencing growth.
Additionally, airline ticket sales through traditional agencies have seen a relatively recent increase of 1.8% from August 2015 – 2016. This could mean that agent sales are growing in line with the increase in bookings and the industry as a whole.
Sources: Findabusinessthat, Hotelmarketing, Trekksoft, Thinkwithgoogle, Dcsplus
On average, 78% of travel agents’ revenue was made up by commission, with 22% generated by service charges.
53% of agents did not charge a fee in 2018.
In 2016, the average fee for corporate air was $33.
The top 5 hosted agent service fees were for domestic air (55.7%), international air (51.5% FIT (28.7%), rail (15.9%) and air-inclusive packages (15.3%).
According to the 2018 Hosted Travel Agent Fee Report, the top hosted charges were for domestic air, international air, FIT (Flexible Independent Travel), rail and air-inclusive packages. This provides good insight into how they make their money, however, surprisingly 53% of agents did not charge fees in 2018. Commission and charges aside, the agents make money through pricing up fares, commission and for the bigger agencies, compensation awarded for reaching pre-determined sales goals.
The average fee in 2016 for corporate air was $33 according to the ASTA Service Fee Report. This provides an idea of roughly what agents can make per booking through these extras.
SOURCES – Hostagencyreviews, Statista
The most commonly cited reason for why travel operators are bouncing back is that they help customers to save time.
They can save customers on average $452 per trip as they have access to exclusive deals.
63% of people say that the overall travel experience is improved by working with a travel company.
66% believe travel operators help travellers avoid costly inconveniences and mistakes such as choosing the right airport.
It’s unlikely that travel companies would be popular if they provided no benefits over other booking methods, so what are the travel agency advantages that continually sway customers away from booking directly? In recent years and based on a survey of 14000 households, the American Society of Travel Agents,(ASTA), found that when asked why they are bouncing back, the most commonly cited reason was that they save customers’ time. In today’s busy society, it’s unsurprising that this is such an important factor to trip planners, as spending a long time can lead to frustration. Being able to outsource this to an agent would be a benefit to many.
The ASTA survey also found that around two-thirds of people believe that one of the benefits of a travel operator is that they help travellers avoid costly mistakes when booking. With holidays and travelling experiences being highly anticipated and often expensive, travellers will do all they can to steer clear of potential issues and inconveniences. Outsourcing the booking to a travel expert like an agent can put customers at ease.
Another benefit is that a travel company can help people book specific, tailored experiences for their travels. This is something that 55% of Millennials are taking advantage of as they strive for “transformative travel” that will change them for life.
Sources – Vox, Hotelmarketing, Dcsplus
In 2020, the world travel and tourism sector suffered a massive loss of nearly $4.5 trillion due to COVID-19.
More than 43% of travel agencies said that they had laid off or furloughed three-quarters or more of their staff.
Accommodation and travel agencies saw the sharpest decline in turnover during the first lockdown, falling to 9.3% of their February levels in May 2020.
As of June 2021, revenues for travel agents and tour operators were consistently down between 86-90% each month since February 2020.
26,800 travel agents and tour operator staff were still on furlough on July 31, 2021.
57% of SME travel agents said they would not be able to survive more than 3 months based on June 2021 trading conditions and Government support.
A huge number of businesses had to close during and post-COVID-19. Lack of revenue and high demand for refunds has taken its toll on many traditional travel agencies.
UK-based STA Travel was forced to close in mid-2020, closing more than 50 shops.
Australian travel agency Flight Centre closed 421 out of its 740 stores.
German tour operator TUI closed 166 stores throughout the UK and Ireland in 2020, and a further 48 in 2021.
British travel company Hays Travel closed 89 of its stores following the UK’s third national lockdown in early 2021.
Upside Business Travel was the first major business-focused travel agent to go out of business when it ceased operations in 2021.
Since vaccinations and travel restrictions eased the industry has started to recover, but with some changes.
76% of travel agents saw an increase in customers in 2021 compared to before the pandemic, with 81% saying they were hearing from customers who had never used a travel agent before.
27% always or often used a travel agent prior to the pandemic. But 44% said they were more likely to use a travel agent after the pandemic is over.
As of 2023, there are over 400,000 people employed in the Travel Agencies industry in the US.
The market size of the travel agency industry worldwide reached 475 billion U.S. dollars as of January 2023.
Roughly 201.4 thousand businesses operated in this market, while this industry employed approximately 2 million workers.
Covid had a catastrophic impact on travel agents, with the industry coming to a halt in 2020.
Where a huge amount of job losses and furloughs took place, those left in the travel agency industry were left to deal with the fallout of cancelled trips and refunds, putting a huge amount of pressure on those still employed.
Travel agencies used various tactics to deal with the outbreak.
- 74.8% preferred to reduce costs.
- 48.8% started to operate in non-tourism areas.
- 39.1% focused on digitalization
- 27.3% used methods such as changing the business market and product portfolio.
It has been determined that Covid-19 causes a decrease of 81% or more in the turnover of most of travel agencies (59.5%).
Due to the uncertainty, COVID brought with it, travel agents have become planners and providers, offering customers more security if things go wrong with a trip. Most customers expect travel agents to have a plan if things go wrong and manage issues for them, taking the worry and pressure off.
It’s been suggested that travel agents are now increasingly playing the role of a crisis manager. Some companies even offer 24-hour text messaging support to help serve this demand.
Staff furloughs and remote working has allowed for an increase in independent travel agents. Many travel professionals have adapted to this new environment by working for independent contractor companies or choosing to join host agencies.
Traditional travel agencies may have made a comeback in 2021, but they are still facing many problems. With most consumers opting to book through online OTAs. In 2021, the online travel industry generated revenue worth more than $800 billion, with two-thirds of revenue in the global travel and tourism industry coming from online sales.
Although physical stores are declining, traditional companies are offering online services and support. However, competing for this business online will be tough and they will need to ensure they offer a quick, seamless, and easy journey for customers to book and browse online. Travel agencies have had to evolve, but with the rise of issues COVID caused, the services they can offer customers have increased.
Sources: Travel Perk, Statista, AA, Aerospace, ONS, ResearchGate, TTGMedia, National Geographic,
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