Travel agents are responsible for helping travelers select and organize a trip according to a specific budget. They can be found in both brick-and-mortar establishments and online. The travel agency industry's global revenue was estimated at over 355 billion U.S. dollars as of March 2025. As of that month, roughly 572,000 businesses operated in this market, with employment reaching approximately three million.

In 2023, the number of businesses in the travel agency services industry worldwide increased sharply over the previous year, recovering from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, this industry recorded approximately 553 thousand companies in 2023. This figure was expected to reach an estimated 589 thousand in 2024.

As of October 2024, the market size of the travel agency industry in the United Kingdom totaled 29.4 billion British pounds. Meanwhile, businesses in the sector numbered close to 5,000. Travel agencies vs. tour operators Another large tourism-related industry is the tour operator sector. As of October 2024, the market size of the tour operator industry totaled over 17 billion British pounds. Meanwhile, there were 25,885 individuals employed in the sector, which, was less than half the number of those working in the travel agency industry. What are the leading travel agencies and tour operators in the UK? As of January 2025, the leading travel agent based on the number of outlets in the UK was Hays Travel, with nearly 500 stores, followed by TUI with more than 300 stores. On the other hand, Jet2holidays was the leading operating ATOL-licensed tour operator in the United Kingdom, with over six million passengers licensed as of January 2025.

A 2023 global survey examined which technologies were expected to have the biggest impact on leisure travel agencies over the next 12 months. Data analytics was predicted to have the biggest impact on such companies in the coming year, with 43 percent of respondents stating that this was the case.

The market size of the online travel industry worldwide increased sharply in 2023 compared to the previous year. After falling to 226 billion U.S. dollars with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the online travel market's global revenue bounced back in 2022, then grew further in 2023, exceeding 600 billion U.S. dollars. This figure was expected to grow steadily in the following years, reaching an estimated 838 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. What are the leading online travel companies worldwide? When looking at the market capitalization of leading online travel companies worldwide, Booking Holdings reported the highest figure in 2024, ahead of Airbnb and Trip.com Group. The firm, which owns brands like Booking.com, Kayak, and Priceline, also topped the ranking of the leading online travel agencies (OTAs) worldwide based on revenue in 2023. Expedia Group, which operates brands like Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo, reported the second-highest revenue that year. How big is the global travel and tourism market? According to Statista Market Insights, the travel and tourism market’s revenue worldwide – including hotels, package holidays, vacation rentals, camping, and cruises – amounted to almost 880 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. When breaking down global travel and tourism revenue by sales channels, the leading role played by the online market is clear, with online transactions generating over two-thirds of total sales value.

The market size of the travel agency sector in the United States reached approximately 42.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. This shows an increase of around 7.7 percent over the previous year's total of approximately 39.64 billion U.S. dollars.

The market size of the online travel agency industry in the United Kingdom reached approximately one billion British pounds as of January 2023. As of that month, 714 businesses operated in that market, employing roughly 3,323 people.

As of May 2023, over 58 thousand adults were employed as travel agents in the United States, an increase of nearly five thousand from the previous year. The number of people employed as travel agents in the U.S. fluctuated over the past eight years.

As of April 2024, the travel agency industry in Europe recorded roughly 76,000 businesses and contributed to approximately 280,000 jobs. Overall, this industry generated revenue of around 86 billion euros.

This statistic shows the revenue of the industry “travel agencies“ in the U.S. from 2012 to 2017, with a forecast to 2024. It is projected that the revenue of travel agencies in the U.S. will amount to approximately 22,9 billion U.S. Dollars by 2024.

According to a survey from Rakuten Insight conducted in June 2023, 78 percent of the respondents in Singapore have used online travel agencies before. In comparison, 37 percent of the respondents in the Philippines and Japan have used online travel agencies as of June 2023. The popularity of online travel The online travel market in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC) has been steadily increasing in the past few years, reaching a market value of over 40 billion U.S. dollars. In Singapore, the gross merchandise value of the online travel sector was expected to further increase to ten billion dollars by 2030. The main reason why Singaporeans used OTAs was convenience, as consumers could book all they needed within a few minutes online. Tourism in the Asia-Pacific region Overall, APAC has a strong international and domestic tourism market. Despite the dip in the market during the COVID-19 pandemic, the region saw an increase in inbound visitor growth again. Furthermore, the expenditure on international tourism in APAC has exceeded 10 billion dollars in certain countries, with China occupying the top spot in 2022.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTAs) conducted in June 2023, around 85 percent of respondents in Indonesia claimed that they had used Traveloka, followed by Tiket.com and Agoda. Traveloka is an Indonesian startup turned unicorn company that provides flight tickets, hotel booking services, and more. Why are online travel agencies thriving in Indonesia? Growing internet penetration and smartphone adoption have fueled the growth of online travel agency (OTA) use in Indonesia. The young, tech-savvy population increasingly prefers the convenience of online travel bookings. OTAs in Indonesia attract users with competitive processes, diverse options, and user-friendly interfaces, simplifying the travel planning process. The rise of digital payment systems and growing trust in online transactions further boost their popularity. As tourism expands, OTAs continue to provide accessible and efficient travel services, solidifying their crucial role in Indonesia’s travel industry. The economic impact of tourism in Indonesia Tourism is pivotal in Indonesia’s economy, contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment. In 2019, before the pandemic hit, the tourism industry accounted for about five percent of the GDP, with international tourists spending billions on accommodation, food, and entertainment. Tourism also supports millions of jobs directly in hospitality and travel services, and indirectly in other sectors such as transportation, retail, and food services. The industry is experiencing a strong recovery post-pandemic, with the government heavily promoting domestic tourism and improving infrastructure. In addition, sustainable tourism is now a key focus. Indonesia aims to balance economic growth with environmental conservation and cultural preservation, ensuring tourism remains a vital economic driver.

Expedia Group accounted for roughly 31 percent of global travel sales in 2020, ranking as the world's leading travel company that year. Booking Holdings followed behind, with a sales share of around 29 percent in 2021.

Travel agencies worldwide Travel agencies facilitate the purchase of travel products between travel providers and customers. Since the advent of the internet, the industry has been divided into two main sectors. There are traditional travel agencies, which are brick and mortar stores where trained professionals deal with customers one to one, and online travel agencies (OTAs), which are e-commerce sites that bypass the need for a personal travel agent and search travel providers using global distribution systems such as Amadeus. As of 2019, the revenue of Amadeus worldwide reached about 6.25 billion U.S. dollars. In that year, more than half of the Amadeus' revenue came from the distribution systems business segment. Although OTAs lack the assistance of a trained professional, they do allow customers to compare travel options themselves.

Travel management American Express Global Business Travel, a travel management company (TMC), ranked third on the list, with gross sales of 34.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Another two TMCs - BCD Travel and CWT - followed on the list. These were also the travel management companies recording the highest share of air ticket transactions in the United States in 2019. TMCs are companies that manage travel programs, policies, and travel & expense (T&E) reporting for businesses.

A 2024 survey in the United States found that, across all ages, the highest share of respondents were not interested in consulting a travel agent when planning a vacation, 45 to 64 years olds were particularly firm on this point with 53 percent saying so. In contrast, only seven percent of adults aged 45 to 64 reported using a travel agent for their vacation planning in the past year.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTA) conducted in June 2023, 44 percent of respondents in China stated that they have used an online travel agency. The most popular online travel agencies in China were Ctrip (Trip.com), Fliggy, and Qunar.

Of the 8,815 travel agency and tour operator enterprises operating in the United Kingdom in 2024, the majority were businesses that employed fewer than five people. That year, enterprises that employed between five and nine people amounted to 955, while there were just 30 companies that employed 250 people or more.

The number of travel agencies in China peaked in 2023, exceeding 39,500. In comparison, there were approximately 13,000 agencies less a decade earlier.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTA) conducted in June 2023, 46 percent of the Thai respondents stated that they have never used an online travel agency. By comparison, 44 percent of the respondents stated they had used an OTA before.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTA) conducted in June 2023, 54 percent of Vietnamese respondents stated that they had used an online travel agency. Approximately 16 percent of them were not aware of what an online travel agent was.

According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTA) conducted in June 2023, 57 percent of female respondents from Vietnam stated that they had used an online travel agency, around six percent higher than the share of male respondents with the same response. Meanwhile, approximately 14 percent of female respondents and 18 percent of male respondents did not know what an online travel agency was.