Page 1 of 9
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 07
August 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 100
Role of Online Travel Agents in increasing the frequency
of traveling habit in Gen Y
Sidharth Srivastava1 ; Vikrant Kaushal2 ; Md. Nurmahmud Ali3
1Assistant Professor, School of Hotel Management and Tourism, Lovely Professional
University Phagwara, Punjab, Pin – 144401, Cont. No: +919041500534.
Email:sidharthsrivastava2011@yahoo.in
2Research Scholar at Central University of Himachal Pradesh, Contact No: +919805982240
Email: vikrant.kaushal@hotmail.com
3Assistant Professor, School of Hotel Management and Tourism, Lovely Professional University
Phagwara, Punjab, Pin – 144401, Cont. No: +919501046327
Email: contactnur23@gmail.com
Abstract
The synergistic interaction between internet
and travel sector in recent times has brought
revolutionary changes in the function of
travel industry & also in the ways of seeking
out information to plan the journeys. Online
travel portals have grown remarkably in
India due to varied socio-demographic and
other changes. In present scenario, some
online travel agents such as Make My Trip,
Yatra.com, Trip Advisor Media Group,
Clear trip, Expedia, Travora Media, and
Must see India are booming in Indian
market. The purpose of this study is to
pinpoint the contribution to the growth of
traveling habits in youth (especially Gen Y)
and their role in increasing the traveler’s
habit. The present research design is
descriptive in nature and youth survey
technique is used to collect the data. To
conduct survey a structured self- administered Questionnaire is being used
and a convenient sampling method is being
followed for the administration of the
survey. The collected data is being analyzed
using both descriptive as well as inferential
statistical techniques. The finding of the
study can provide a valuable source of
information to travel organization which
can improve their service and quality to
convince youth in increasing their travelling
habits through online initiatives.
Keywords: Online travel portals, Gen Y,
socio-demographic.
Introduction
An online travel agent is more like an online
booking resource. It is any website that you
can go to and make travel arrangements,
were you can log in, do multiple searches
Page 2 of 9
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 07
August 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 101
for flights, hotel rooms, car rentals etc. and
place your order online - very
conveniently. Online travel agent booking
sites are helpful in many ways; people can
explore all of their different options for
travel right in one spot. If you are looking
for a flight to Europe, for example, and your
route is flexible, users can map out different
itineraries online. Then, the user can pick
which works best for them and make a
decision about what they want to do. Also,
the user gets exposed to options that they
may not have thought of before; therefore
broadening their horizons of what type of
travel arrangements are available to them.
Another pro for using an online travel agent
website is the wide variety of products that
they offer. Not only can a customer browse
airfare, car rental, and hotel options, but also
travel insurance, airport shuttles, and tour
tickets are available for purchase. This is
very helpful to an online travel planner, as
they can cover most of their travel planning
needs in one visit to a website.
The domain of online travel Agent has
gained significant strength with the arrival
of internet. In a short span of time, Internet
has proved its worth successfully in taping
tourism opportunities utilizing modern
communication technology. It has led to
electronic marketing popularly known as e- marketing or internet marketing. Online
travel Agent is one such natural outcome of
online marketing that boomed in last two
decades. The concept has gained much
attention among modern business
organizations. Savvy organizations are
observing their every move while marketing
services to their customers and are
combining traditional business acumen with
new technology for forging stronger ties
with customers. These organizations have
started using online marketing tactics for
five main reasons that can be expressed with
5 Ss viz. sell, serve, speak, save and sizzle
(Smith and Chaffey 2001). These 5Ss equip
tourism organizations in increasing sales,
adding value, getting closer to customers by
creating a dialogue, saving costs, and
extending the brand respectively. It has been
found that a strong network of online
technologies helps in developing an
environment of spontaneity and
convenience. Customized websites, value- added services, focused marketing, easy-to- use self-service tools, and sophisticated
contact-center solutions attempt to provide
higher user awareness, accessibility and
autonomy. This further provides several
ways to build loyalty. Companies that
develop a well-conceived strategy for
boosting customer loyalty through
technological advancements can achieve
impressive outputs resulting primarily in
reduced customer turnover, cultivated (high- margin) customers, and long-term
relationships all set to benefit the bottom
line (Samuel 2003). In addition, internet
marketing also embraces information
management, public relations, customer
service, and sales under the broader
umbrella of e-commerce. Online travel
Agent has caused several changes in the
tourism industry out of which the main
impact has been on the interrelation between
service providers and traditional
intermediaries (Antoioli & Baggio, 2002).
Page 3 of 9
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 07
August 2015
Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 102
It has offered Tourists, across the globe, a
tool to express their needs, to seek details on
destinations, facilities, availabilities, prices,
geography, and climate information for
diverse tourism products and services.
Moreover, it has given an upper hand to
travel agents while looking for information
or details about tourists, market trends,
service providers, destinations, facilities,
availabilities, prices, tour packages and also
in maintaining direct contacts with their
partners. With its virtue, it has become
increasingly convenient for tourism offices
to search for industry trends, size and nature
of tourism flows, policies, and plans for the
developmental concerns. Unarguably,
Online travel Agent has successfully
emerged as a platform that enables direct
bookings, electronic payments, Business to
Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer
(B2C) trading among product marketers,
travel agents, resellers and customers.
Internet and related developments have been
quite instrumental in growth of online travel
agent and online economy. For securing
better propositions, emerging technology
has always given big leaps to tech savvy
organizations from time to time. Its
contribution in Computerized Reservation
System (CRS) of 70’s, Global Distribution
Systems (GDS) of the 80s and the most
flexible internet and intranet based systems
of the present days is highly significant (E
Business Watch March 2005). Internet
enabled portals launched by various
government as well as private organizations
have offered a wide range of tourism
products and services, viz. airlines, hotels,
restaurants, adventure tours, activity
centers, concerts, festivities, shopping and
many more assortments of services.
Online Tourism has caused several changes
in the tourism industry out of which the
main impact has been on the interrelation
between service providers and traditional
intermediaries (Antoioli & Baggio, 2002). It
has offered Tourists, across the globe, a tool
to express their needs, to seek details on
destinations, facilities, availabilities, prices,
geography, and climate information for
diverse tourism products and services.
Moreover, it has given an upper hand to
travel agents while looking for information
or details about tourists, market trends,
service providers, destinations, facilities,
availabilities, prices, tour packages and also
in maintaining direct contacts with their
partners. With its virtue, it has become
increasingly convenient for tourism offices
to search for industry trends, size and nature
of tourism flows, policies, and plans for the
developmental concerns. Unarguably,
online tourism has successfully emerged as a
platform that enables direct bookings,
electronic payments, Business to Business
(B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C)
trading among product marketers, travel
agents, resellers and customers. Internet and
related developments have been quite
instrumental in growth of online tourism and
online economy. For securing better
propositions, emerging technology has
always given big leaps to tech savvy
organizations from time to time. Its
contribution in Computerized Reservation
System (CRS) of 70’s, Global Distribution
Systems (GDS) of the 80s and the most
