September 3, 2024, 6:44 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Many travelers have long booked flights and hotels online. But this now also applies to package tours. But which booking method is better – online or at a travel agency?
Not so long ago, package holidays were considered the domain of travel agencies. With the advent of the internet in households, travel agents have gained a competitor. Around 28 million package tours are booked in Germany every year, according to the Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub und Reisen (Holiday and Travel Research Association). This means that they are still the dominant forms of vacation. And the more than 9000 travel agencies are still the most significant booking offices for German package holidaymakers. But even online bookings are increasing. While they only accounted for 11 percent of all travel bookings in 2005, this figure had already risen to 35 percent by 2014.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the two booking channels today? Thomas Dippe from the Alliance of Independent Travel Companies (asr) and owner of a travel agency in Potsdam naturally makes a case for the traditional route: “In travel agencies, customers are advised by expert staff.” Even experienced travel customers can be looked after “far beyond the scope of online offers.” One thing is clear: advice is not available online.
On the other hand, David Armstrong from the management of the bargain portal Urlaubspiraten praises the huge range of offers when booking package tours online. Customers can also book around the clock and access offers from any location.
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Are package holidays cheaper online?
Could the price be an argument? It is a false assumption that package holidays are cheaper online. “The price for the identical tour operator trip is the same everywhere, regardless of whether it’s on the internet at an online travel portal, on the tour operator’s website, in a travel agency, or on a TV shopping channel,” explains Sibylle Zeuch, spokeswoman for the German Travel Association (DRV). “The German Commercial Code prescribes this.” Stiftung Warentest checked this in 2015 and actually found the same prices.
Prospective holidaymakers should take a close look and think carefully here and there: online, for example, travel insurance is cleverly slipped under the radar and added to the travel price as an additional item. However, things are not always transparent in travel agencies either: employees can advertise trips that bring in a higher commission, even if there are cheaper comparable offers. Online travel agent David Armstrong says: “Not every travel agency offers advice that is independent of the tour operator.”
Whether booked online or at a travel agency – there are no legal differences when it comes to package tours. The EU Directive on the legal protection of package holidays, adopted in 2015, underlines the equivalence. “If defects occur, the organizer is always the point of contact,” says Armstrong. “The booking channel is not decisive.”
Many package travelers feel safer if they first obtain information online but then book at a travel agency. This is quite common, confirms Thomas Dippe. However, more and more people are taking online sources for granted, and other travelers’ experiences are freely available. Travelers can quickly find forum entries, reports, videos, or photos from other guests. Holidaymakers are becoming travel specialists themselves – if they want to.
On the other hand, there will probably still be people in the future who appreciate a face behind their booking. And travel agency staff usually have a lot of experience to fall back on. “They are able to find out what the customer really wants,” believes travel agency boss Thomas Dippe.