Travel Agents

Richard Branson might be a contender for the king of lechery, and Steve Wynn's sexual harassment scandal didn't come as a surprise to some, but the lawsuit against Travel Leaders Group, if the allegations turn out to be true, is a reminder that you don't have to be a household name to be held accountable.

Travel Leaders Group is clearly playing a scale game, and although Barrhead Travel might be an old-fashioned travel business, at least it still makes money.

Marriott will use its formidable presence in the North American hotel market to squeeze travel agents and meeting planners. The big question is whether competitors will follow suit. Could Marriott be setting the stage for a full-blown commission cut on all hotel bookings that would completely disrupt the travel sellers?

Despite the common misconceptions out there, travelers today—even millennial travelers—are open to using travel agents and consultants, as long as the price is right and trips can still be customizable and unique.

Airlines have learned that standing up to the global distribution system giants can actually yield benefits. It has been a hard-earned victory.

Who needs middlemen distributors? TripAdvisor-backed Viator is hoping that travel agencies come directly to its new platform to find tours and activities to sell to consumers.

Now that Hostelworld has largely finished integrating Hostelbookers, it can turn its attention to developing features that would make it more relevant to users during their travels. None of the initiatives are exactly game-changing, but what the company is hoping is that it will make travelers more likely to click on its app rather than that of a competitor.

A new Virtuoso survey focusing on coveted luxury destinations for fall and the holidays doesn't cover new territory, but some trends are revealed by reading between the lines.

The big are getting even bigger. The combined entity of Travel Leaders Group and Altour will be a strong competitor in the U.S. and abroad.

Over 100 travel agencies have ceased operations in Singapore in the first six months of the year. But a closer look shows the trade is not dying; it is renewing.