Travel Agencies: Toward Protecting Travel Consumers from Online Travel Agency Scams

Abstract

Traditional travel intermediaries have always been the "go-to guy" for arranging travel services, and with the internet, consumers today can make independent purchasing decisions. However, many consumers fall prey to the travel scams of "travel agency sharks" on the internet. How does one distinguish between a legit travel agency and a fraudulent one? Moreover, what is the impact of these scams on the sector? The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to find ways to curb this corrosion. The study followed a qualitative approach, and the population included n=19 travel agencies registered with the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. The results indicate that the travel agency operation still needs strict regulations, and there is also a great need for education and awareness on the side of the consumers in terms of the services of a travel agency. This study contributes to the gap that exists in travel agency literature, research on online travel agency frauds and possible mitigating factors.

Keywords

• agency
• fraud
• internet
• travel agency
• tourism