Research Papers

Non-Members ASTA's White Papers and Research Reports are available for sale though our ASTA Store.

ASTA's research reports include both research conducted by ASTA and research commissioned from third parties. The Travel Agency Benckmarking Series are based on surveys conducted with our Research Family panel of agencies. Recent research commissioned by ASTA includes the 2009 Packaged Travel study co-designed with PhoCusWright and conducted by PhoCusWright.

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• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007

• May 7, 2010 — 2009 Global Distribution System Report
  As travel distribution continues to change, the GDS suppliers have felt much pressure to change with the times or become obsolete. The three GDS providers have been moving forward with plans to add...
  
  
• April 16, 2010 — 2009 Technology & Web Usage Report
  The 2009 ASTA Technology and Web Usage Report covers issues including the use of technology, internet usage for research, internet booking patterns, and website design and usage.
  
  
• January 14, 2010 — 14th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study - Full Report
  The 14th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study of Community Marketing (CMI) contains a detailed statistical analysis of the 4,700 gay and lesbian consumers who reside in the United States. The report includes CMI’s annual gay and lesbian destination rankings, effects of the recession, and a list of the top travel brands outreaching to the market.
  
  

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• November 18, 2009 — International Travel: Non-Resident Inbound Visitations Trend Overview
  Non-resident inbound visitations to the U.S. has grown over the past 20 years, but there have been shifts in the originating countries.
  
  
• November 18, 2009 — International Travel: U.S. Resident Outbound Visitations Trend Overview
  In the past 20 years, the number of U.S. resident outbound visitations has been fluctuating. Overall, there has been growth in outbound visitations and some shifting in where U.S. citizens visit.
  
  
• November 16, 2009 — 2009 ASTA Travel Agency Business Trends Report
  The Agency Business Trends Report looks at changes agencies made to weather the past year as well as changes planned for the future. The report benchmarks plans for operations and employment for leisure and corporate agencies.
  
  
• November 11, 2009 — 2009 NACTA Independent Agents Report
  This report shows several shifts in the independent agent population, specially in what is the primary source of income for agents.
  
  
• October 27, 2009 — 2009 Supplier-Travel Agent Relationship Marketing Report
  A strong relationship between suppliers and travel agents is imperative if both sides want to increase their businesses. This report found that agents that engage in a preferred supplier relationship often do so based on the supplier’s reputation and quality of their product.
  
  
• August 12, 2009 — 2008 Marketing & Customer Retention Report
  This report will assist agencies in understanding how well they are retaining clients, what marketing vehicles have been most successful, and how many new customer leads they should be generating a month.
  
  
• July 22, 2009 — 2008 Travel Agency Service Fees Report
  The decreasing availability of air commission revenue forced agencies to begin charging service fees for air tickets to cover their costs and ensure profitability. Over time, agencies have expanded their service fees in terms of the amounts charged and the number of services for which they charge professional fees. A free 3 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• July 7, 2009 — 2008 Labor & Compensation Report
  ASTA conducted this labor and compensation study to assist travel agencies in benchmarking their compensation, benefits and hiring practices. This information can be used to benchmark your own compensation and benefits, and may help you improve your hiring practices. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• June 11, 2009 — U.S. Packaged Travel Landscape 2006-2010
  The study examines growth of the packages travel industry between 2006 and 2010. Specific segments are also broken out including escorted tours, packages, FIT and group.
  
  
• May 28, 2009 — 2008 Financial Travel Benchmarking Report
  The Financial Benchmarking report gives an agency the ability to analyze their business against norms in the industry. The report looks at productivity per agent, revenue versus sales, revenue yield by different revenue sources, operating expenses, and ratios like revenue per FTEs. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• February 26, 2009 — 2008 Global Distribution System (GDS) Report
  The report reveals that while the use of a Global Distribution System (GDS) declined in the past nine years, the vast majority of agencies still use a GDS system. For some key segments, like air, the GDS remains the primary booking medium despite distribution changes. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• January 7, 2009 — 2008 Technology and Web Usage Report
  The results of the Technology and Web survey reflect that most agencies are very comfortable with standard technology. However, they have not embraced Web 2.0 marketing techniques yet. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  

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• December 16, 2008 — 2008 NACTA Independent Agents Report
  The 2008 NACTA Independent Agents survey shows several shifts in the independent agent population. Selling travel is the primary source of income for only 34.3% of respondents.
  
  
• November 25, 2008 — 13th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study – 2008 Abstract Exclusive for ASTA Members
  ASTA partnered with CMI to assure their 13th Annual Gay & Lesbian Tourism Study would include insights that would be useful to ASTA's membership in serving the LGBT community. The resulting study is very useful for ASTA members interested in better understanding their opportunities in the gay and lesbian market.
  
  
• September 8, 2008 — 2008 Travel Agent Usage and Fee Sensitivity Study
  ASTA has commissioned a study with the travel industry’s leading consumer research firm, D.K. Shifflet & Associates (DKS&A), to obtain the industry’s first look at how consumers perceive and value travel agency service fees.
  
  
• August 22, 2008 — 2007 Travel Agent Service Fees Report
  The decreasing availability of air commission revenue forced agencies to begin charging service fees for air tickets to cover their costs and ensure profitability. Over time, agencies have expanded their service fees in terms of the amounts charged and the number of services for which they charge professional fees. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• June 24, 2008 — 2008 Supplier Travel Agent Relationship Marketing Report
  ASTA conducted its annual Supplier – Travel Agent Relationship Marketing survey to assist travel agencies and suppliers in understanding and benchmarking typical agency-supplier business arrangements. This 18-page report was conducted in March 2008 using the ASTA Research Family. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• May 9, 2008 — 2007 Labor & Compensation Report
  ASTA conducted this labor and compensation study to assist travel agencies in benchmarking their compensation, benefits and hiring practices. This information can be used to benchmark your own compensation and benefits, and may help you improve your hiring practices. A free 2 page summary is available to all members, a full report is available for purchase.
  
  
• April 29, 2008 — ASTA Green Guide for Supplier Members
  The ASTA Green Guide for Supplier Members provides educational material on understanding and marketing green travel to travel agents and agencies. The report highlights best "green" practices and marketing tips as well as information on becoming an official ASTA Green Member.
  
  
• April 29, 2008 — ASTA Green Guide for Travel Agent Members
  The ASTA Green Guide for Travel Agent Members provides educational material on understanding and marketing green travel. The report highlights best "green" practices and marketing tips as well as providing information on becoming an official ASTA Green Member.
  
  

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• November 19, 2007 — 2007 Technology & Web Usage Report
  ASTA conducted this annual study to better understand changes in technology and web usage by travel agents. Survey data was collected through the 2007 ASTA Research Family in June 2007. This 23-page report covers issues ranging to use of technology, internet usage for research, internet booking patterns, and Web site design and usage.
  
  
• November 6, 2007 — 2007 NACTA Independent Agents Report
  The Independent Agents report profiles Independent Agents and provides data on their experience in the travel industry, how they book travel, how they split commissions if they have a host agency, changes in their overhead costs, what their revenue share across travel segments, and much more. The report gives you the information you need to better understand the Independent Agent's business operations and their place in the travel market.
  
  
• July 20, 2007 — Why Students Do Not Choose Travel As A Career
  The ASTA Foundation funded a research study by The State University of New York at Morrisville. The report provides insights as to why students do not choose travel as a career.
  
  
• March 1, 2007 — 2006 Supplier - Travel Agent Relationship Marketing Report
  ASTA conducted its first annual Supplier – Travel Agent Relationship Marketing survey to assist travel agencies and suppliers in understanding and benchmarking typical agency-supplier business arrangements. This 20-page report was conducted in September 2006 using the ASTA Research Family. This report includes survey data on preferred supplier relationships, booking channels used, incentives and the usefulness of supplier education programs.
  
  
• March 1, 2007 — 2006 Technology and Web Usage Report
  This 26-page report was compiled to help agencies evaluate their business practices in regards to technology, the internet and Web sites. It includes benchmarking data on Internet sites, online booking rates by travel segment, website practices (designing, maintenance, updating), website features, and website generated business. Trends in usage are also covered.
  
  
• February 1, 2007 — 2006 ASTA GDS Report
  This popular report delivers provides the most up-to-date information on GDS system usage by travel agents. The report looks at market share, costs, contracts, incentives, penalties, and more.
  
  
• February 1, 2007 — 2006 Financial Benchmarking Report
  This survey found that agencies have changed their business model by shifting revenue sources and decreasing operational expenses. In analyzing reported revenue data, you can see the shift to service fees for some products as commission income has decreased.