1. To improve their services and regain market share, do you think online travel agencies should increase the amount of personalization they offer customers? Why or why not? What other solutions could they try?
2. What would an online agency need to know about you to help you plan a vacation? How much and what kind of information would you be willing to provide, and why?

For the first time in several years, the online travel industry has recorded a drop in the number of shoppers. Although online travel bookings are still expected to follow the trend for all e-marketing sectors and grow annual revenue by at least 10 percent, the percentage of Internet users who booked trips online declined from 68 to 62 percent in one recent year. A nearly corresponding increase in the number who reported booking offline suggests people are traveling in the same numbers but not booking online as frequently.
Other studies show that travelers who do book online are often booking directly through hotel Web sites, particularly for economy chains like Choice Hotels and Best Western, rather than using online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, and Orbitz as frequently. These agencies appear to be losing ground on two fronts.