A few years ago the most exciting thing about taking a holiday was the planning stages: heading down to the local travel agent to amass reams and reams of weighty brochures, bursting with glossy pictures of far off lands and exciting activities. Then the real joy was curling up with a mug of tea whiling hours away browsing said brochures.
But a new survey reveals that travel brochures are a thing of the past, as many companies shift their tours online. In fact it’s said that 88% of travellers never use a traditional travel brochures for their holiday inspiration.
Instead it seems we prefer to spend hours trawling company websites and browsing social media sites for destination inspiration. Rather surprisingly we rely less on recommendations from family and friends.
The travel survey revealed that inspiration comes from newspapers and magazines, which features bang on trend locations and fashionable activities. More than 10% of respondents opt to while away their weekends poring over glossy magazines and newspaper articles.
It’s true that the internet has changed the way we research, the way we buy and the way we travel. But I believe that brochures still have a place in the whole travel process, especially with long haul and specialist destinations. Take a look at the old Pan Am brochures in the picture above – aren’t they just gorgeous? Rather apt that they’re confined to a museum though! Nothing the beats the tangible nature of a brochure, that somehow a laptop or mobile device just can’t replicate.
This comes with the sad news that only 11% of travellers still bother to send postcards – which is a shame as it was such an integral part of my childhood.
What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments below…
