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Travel Advisors Are Thriving, Not Dying: New Data

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Predictions that travel advisors would vanish in the age of online booking platforms have proven wrong. Far from disappearing, the profession is growing.

The global market for travel agency services is projected to reach USD 776.2 million by 2030, increasing on average by about 6.9% per year from USD 521.5 million in 2024, according to a new report from Market Glass, Inc.

Of that total, full-service global travel arrangements are projected to reach USD 494.2 million by 2030, growing at about 5.6% per year. Additional travel services are expected to expand at 9.3% annually.

“The complexity of modern travel—especially multi-destination, luxury, medical, and corporate trips—continues to sustain demand for human expertise and customized service,” according to Market Glass. The report notes that advisors have benefited from moving beyond one-size-fits-all offerings as experiential, wellness, adventure, and sustainable travel grow in popularity. It also highlights "t he complexity of international regulations and visa policies is nudging even millennials and Gen Z toward guided planning."

The US market is valued at USD 142.1 million in 2024, China is set to reach USD 159.8 million by 2030 (10.5% annual growth), and Canada is also seeing healthy growth, though the report summary did not provide specific Canadian figures.

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Chris Daniels

Though he’d only flown a handful of times as a kid, Chris Daniels’ career has since taken him around the world — from Grand Cayman to Hong Kong. It’s now brought him to the team at Open Jaw. As a former contributing editor at Hello! Canada, he brought the magazine’s food and travel pages to life, covering star-studded events in the Caribbean and US, interviewing celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Giada De Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse. He also worked at Time, contributing to its coverage of the US Open tennis tournament in New York City. Fun fact: While much of the world baked bread during the pandemic, Chris and his wife had a beach house built on the Honduran island of Roatan. Called Casa Coral Dreams, they now rent the tropical escape to visitors from around the globe.