TORONTO — At a time when an ACTA survey shows that travel agents “see direct booking with suppliers taking precedence over booking via global distribution systems over the coming decade”, Open AXIS Group has released a white paper that provides an in-depth look at Distribution 2.0 for travel agents.

The survey for ACTA was conducted by Ontario’s Georgian College for Distinctive Travel Planner Services (DTPS) of Vancouver.

“Survey respondents do see a major change in the technology they use with most predicting direct and online booking engines will dominate travel planning by the end of the decade. Global Distribution Systems won’t disappear but about two thirds of respondents believe they will be making bookings predominantly directly with suppliers within the coming decade,” said DTPS.

Coincidentally, Open Axis was releasing ‘Distribution 2.0, Direct Connect and Travel Selling: A Reference for Travel Agents’, a white paper available for download at www.openaxisgroup.org/whitepaper-download.html.

The new white paper expands on the topic of Distribution 2.0 addressed in the Open AXIS Group white paper released eight months ago. The in-depth publication provides a refresher on the Distribution 2.0 model as well as a guide for travel agents looking for answers regarding the latest technological innovations in travel distribution. As the travel distribution landscape continues to modernize, the Distribution Gap between the Direct Channel (www.supplier.com) and the Indirect Channel is growing. Distribution 2.0 tackles that disparity by improving workflows and ultimately increasing value to all parties along the travel supply chain, according to the group.

Jim Young, Executive Director of Open AXIS Group, explained the motivation for this white paper. “Without a doubt, the most common question I am asked by travel agents is, ‘What is Distribution 2.0 and what are the implications for an agency like mine?’ We know there is interest from travel agents, but we also know there is a lot of rhetoric from both sides surrounding this distribution debate. The goal of this white paper is to provide a fact-based resource for travel sellers seeking to explore the Distribution 2.0 model.”

According to ARTA Canada president Bruce Bishins, ARTA Canada has been the only agency association, along with ARTA U.S., which has advocated the benefits and need for alternative distribution platforms, including Direct Connect, and is an allied member of the Open AXIS Group, the industry association at the forefront of this initiative.