Customer insights of sustainability and responsibility in leisure travel intermediation in Finland

Abstract

Travel intermediation has changed almost totally after the introduction of the Internet and electronic market places supported by it. One of the main questions is that what is the role of traditional travel intermediaries in the dynamic and information rich environment where end-users and service suppliers can connect with each other without the third party (Novak & Schwabe, 2009). According to a few authors there should still be a need for traditional travel intermediaries, but they should be able to reposition themselves by giving added value to their customers, and not only acting as ticket reservation or ticketing offices (Dilts & Prough, 2002; Alamdari, 2002; Cheyne, Downes & Legg, 2005). There have been several studies to understand the future of traditional travel intermediaries with high street offices (e.g. Castillo-Manzano & López-Valpuesta, 2010), but how can they remain competitive and viable in filling the changing needs of more sophisticated customers.