62% of travelers expect to use a travel advisor to plan and book most of their trips — up from 47% a year earlier (Internova Index). The channel is growing too: US travel agency gross bookings rose 6% in 2024 to about $125 billion (Phocuswright). Every number below names its source, its sample and the date we checked it. The review counts in the first section are ours, and the two computations in the government section are our arithmetic on Bureau of Labor Statistics inputs — each is marked where it appears.
Facts checked on . Prices and features may change. Reviewed by Pablo Bravo.
We only publish figures we verified at the source: the survey publisher’s own release, a trade-press report on it, or government statistics. Each line names where the number comes from, the sample it was measured on, and the date we fetched it. Figures we could not verify are not on this page. One number on this page is ours: on 2026-10-19 we counted the 46 most recent public reviews of leading itinerary tools — Travefy (10 most recent of 22 G2 reviews, none newer than May 2023, plus all 20 Capterra reviews), Safari Portal (10 most recent of 84 G2 reviews) and Vamoos (6 of 7 G2 reviews; TravelJoy’s single G2 review is not retrievable in full and was excluded) — and tagged each review for the themes in the first section. A review counts once per theme; tags were applied to the text visible on the public pages. We also pull in US government figures: they come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for travel agents (page last modified August 27, 2026), re-checked on 2026-10-21; the two rows marked “our computation” are arithmetic on its published figures.
What agencies’ own reviews say about itinerary tools
Our own count: the most recent public reviews of the itinerary tools agencies compare most — what they mention, and what they never mention.
59%
of recent public reviews of leading itinerary tools mention clients viewing their trip in a mobile app (our count of 46 reviews on G2 and Capterra).
27 of the 46 most recent public reviews of Travefy, Safari Portal and Vamoos name the traveler-facing app as the way the itinerary reaches the client. The app is table stakes; the buying decision happens around it.
of those reviews still name PDF or printed documents as part of itinerary delivery — 4 of 46.
It appears as praise (’you can easily print their itinerary’) and as a complaint — one reviewer wants the PDF to look as pleasing as the online version. Documents remain the fallback channel for clients who never open the app.
of the reviews mention offline access — 2 of 46 — the difference between an app that works abroad and one that needs signal.
59% of reviewers discuss the client app; almost none discuss whether it works without connectivity. Both offline mentions were for Vamoos, a delivery-focused tool. When you compare tools, ask in writing how the app behaves with no signal — hotel basements, cruise cabins and rural routes are where a client app either works or embarrasses your agency.
of the reviews complain about price for small agencies — 6 of 46, every one of them on Travefy (4 on G2, 2 on Capterra).
None of the 46 reviews named per-user pricing as the structure of the problem; the complaint is the level. The disclosure is part of the claim: we build Viaondo, and it costs $50 a month flat for the whole agency — client count never changes the bill.
Demand: the share of travelers who expect to plan and book through a professional, and the generation asking loudest.
62%
of travelers expect to use a travel advisor in planning and booking most of their trips (Internova, 2025 Internova Index).
Up from 47% a year earlier, per Travel Weekly’s report on the Index. The same release says 70% of respondents used an advisor for their most recent international trip.
of Gen Z and Millennial travelers say they want to use a travel advisor (Chase Travel survey, first presented at the Forbes Travel Guide Summit in Monaco).
The generation that grew up booking everything on an app is the one asking for professional help, citing access to exclusive deals, help with high-demand periods and the growing complexity of planning.
Complexity is the product: what surveys say travelers struggle with and what they would pay to avoid.
44%
of travelers say they feel more overwhelmed by trip planning today than in the past (Chase Travel survey).
Among those overwhelmed travelers, 49% downgraded their trip, 37% postponed it and 23% canceled it — planning complexity costs bookings before it costs satisfaction.
of travelers describe the booking process as moderately or very complex, and nearly two in three use four or more platforms to book one trip (Accenture, Win the AI agent, win the traveler).
The same survey found 66% believe complexity has caused them to miss better travel options they might otherwise have found.
of travelers would accept a more expensive option if it significantly reduced the time and effort needed to plan and manage their trip (Accenture).
96% said they would switch away from a preferred travel brand if another option offered a significantly easier and faster experience — ease is a market of its own.
people in the US worked as travel agents in 2025, earning a median $50,160 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Most work for agencies and many are self-employed; the BLS projects little or no employment change over 2025–35. Bookings grow while headcount does not — the agencies that scale are the ones that automate the work.
Travel agent salary and job outlook: what US government data says
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 61,500 US travel agents in 2025, with median pay of $50,160 (May 2025). Pay spread is wide: the top 10% earned over $76,660 and the bottom 10% under $34,610 — a 2.2× gap by our computation. Through 2035 the BLS projects about 5,900 openings a year, essentially all of them replacements. Projections run 2025–35; figures checked 2026-10-21.
2.2×
the pay gap between the top and bottom 10% of US travel agents: the highest-earning 10% made more than $76,660 in May 2025 and the lowest 10% made less than $34,610 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics; the ratio is our computation).
Most agents earn near the middle: the median is $50,160 a year. For a small agency owner, the spread reflects client book size and repeat revenue more than hours worked — and the tools that let one agent serve more clients are the ones that change the math.
job openings for US travel agents are projected per year, on average, over 2025–35 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Employment itself is projected to show little or no change over the decade, so essentially all of those openings are replacements, not new jobs — churn of roughly one job in ten each year (our computation from the two BLS figures). Agencies mostly refill seats rather than create them. If you are hiring to replace someone who left, compare the leading itinerary tools before you post the vacancy.
of US travel agents work in travel arrangement and reservation services — the industry travel agencies belong to — and another 12% are self-employed (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025).
The occupation and the agency channel are nearly the same thing — and the software choice is made at the agency level, not imposed by a parent brand. Whether you run one seat or ten, one decision outfits the whole team: trips, documents and the client app in one place that stays in sync, offline included.
Adoption inside the channel, and the line travelers draw around AI.
59%
of travel advisors have used AI platforms or tools, up from 41% a year earlier (Travel Weekly / Phocuswright 2025 Travel Industry Survey).
42% of agency owners and managers already use AI for marketing material and website content. The tools are arriving; most agencies still run trips through the same manual steps.
of travelers would fully delegate payment execution to an AI agent (Accenture B2C Traveler Survey).
87% are open to collaborating with an AI agent on flights and hotels, but control at the point of purchase stays human — the same line that keeps judgment, accountability and error prevention in the advisor’s column.
Reviews say the client app is expected (59% of 46 recent public reviews mention it) and offline is forgotten (4%) — asking each vendor, in writing, how their app behaves with no signal is the cheapest question that separates one itinerary tool from another.
Demand is real and measurable: two 2025–26 surveys put advisor demand at 60% and 62% of travelers. Quote the survey and its date, not the vibe.
94% of travelers call booking complex, and 91% would pay more for less planning effort. Selling judgment and ease — not access — is what clients buy.
The channel grows faster than travel itself ($125B, +6%) while agent headcount stays flat (61,500, BLS). The agencies that grow without adding staff run on better tools: see itinerary software for travel agencies and the buyer’s guide.
AI adoption inside the channel climbed 18 points in a year, and clients now expect AI-speed answers. Agencies that pair advisors with automation sit ahead of both curves — how Viaondo compares with Travefy shows one such setup.
Travel agency statistics: questions worth asking
What do travel agencies say about itinerary software pricing?
In the 46 most recent public reviews we counted on 2026-10-19, 13% complained the tool was expensive for small agencies — every one of those reviews was about Travefy. No review named per-user pricing as the problem. Our own disclosure: we build Viaondo, it costs $50 a month flat for the whole agency, and the bill never grows with client count.
Are travel advisors making a comeback?
The numbers say demand kept climbing rather than came back: 62% of travelers expect to use an advisor to plan and book most of their trips (Internova, 2025 edition) and 60% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers say they want one (Chase Travel). A TDC/Ipsos study of 1,209 Canadian leisure travelers (February 2026) adds the why: travelers name sound judgment and accountability, reassurance and error prevention, real-world destination expertise, and help navigating growing complexity as what they buy from an advisor.
How many travel agencies are there in the US?
There is no current official count of travel agencies; the US Bureau of Labor Statistics counts people instead — 61,500 travel agents in 2025, most working for agencies and many self-employed. Treat any source quoting a precise number of agencies with suspicion and check who counted them and when.
How much do travel agents earn?
The median US travel agent earned $50,160 a year in May 2025 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). The spread is wide: the lowest-earning 10% made under $34,610 and the top 10% made over $76,660 — a 2.2× gap by our computation. Inside travel arrangement and reservation services, the industry agencies belong to, the median was $49,650.
What do travelers pay advisors for?
Judgment, accountability and fewer mistakes. 44% of travelers feel more overwhelmed by trip planning than they used to (Chase Travel), 94% call booking moderately or very complex (Accenture), and among overwhelmed travelers 23% have canceled a trip outright. The TDC/Ipsos study above names expertise, error prevention and complexity as the reasons travelers turn to advisors.
Do travel agents use AI?
Mostly for content and marketing so far: 59% of advisors have used AI tools (Travel Weekly / Phocuswright, 2025) and 42% of agency owners and managers use it for marketing material and website content. Adoption is climbing fast but trip operations remain largely manual — which is where tools like ours sit.
Turn the numbers into booked trips
Viaondo gives your agency a branded, offline trip app for every client at one flat price of $50 a month, plus VAT where it applies. Start the 14-day free trial and give travelers an easier way to travel.