Why UK Corp Travel Agencies May Lose Business to U.S. Rivals
Photo Credit: One agency boss believes some corporate travel specialists in the UK will collapse, leaving a gap that bigger U.S. technology players may fill. Unsplash / Nik Shuliahin
Skift Take
A snapshot of two UK independent agencies highlights the wider sector's struggles, but the fight is far from over.
For all the talk of “support bubbles” in the UK, where certain households are permitted to mix during lockdown, there’s been little consideration for the travel industry’s own support bubbles — those independent travel agencies that prop up airlines and airports.
There’s a fragmented business travel landscape across Europe with hundreds of smaller travel management companies happily cohabiting with the mega agencies. In the UK alone, there’s at least 200 companies.
That number could shrink, however, leaving a gap the bigger U.S. technology travel players, such as TripActions, or even the likes of Google or Amazon, will be more than happy to fill, according to one agency boss.
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"The travel industry is going to come out in a very different shape and size," said Mark Colley, managing director of Kent-based Sunways Business Travel. "But it’s important we still hav
