UK Ferry Tickets

Buying habits may have changed, but the traditional glossy travel brochure is almost as popular as ever.

A few years ago, many industry experts felt the days of the brochure were numbered. Typically, people went into a travel agent, took a few brochures, went home to study them, and then went back to the agent to book. So, with a drop off in people going to agents, the theory seemed sensible.

But it hasn’t really happened. Around 150 million brochures are printed every year, down from a high of around 200 million annually, but still a hefty number.

These days, people buy on the Internet and then order a brochure from that company, or go into a travel agent to try to find one.

They want to be able to show off to their friends and browse the details of their holiday at leisure.

Many consumers also feel more comfortable booking with an operator that prints brochures. It’s almost as if it makes the company feel more real, rather than just a website floating around cyberspace.

Meanwhile, travel agents had planned to just print of sections of a brochure for people to take home. But it doesn’t look very professional and hasn’t really taken off.

Tour operators don’t like wastage but they’re quite happy for people to take home thick brochures full of lots of holiday ideas, because something might just take their fancy. Also, at around £1 per copy, brochures are still the cheapest way for companies to sell their products.

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Wednesday, May 30th, 2007