business Essential news, comment and analysis
Number of travel agencies and employees
80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 100,000 10,000 20,000 0
2016 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 est
15,000
EMPLOYEES IN AGENCIES IN 2016
68,514 (FORECAST) 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
2016 est
1,500 2,000 10,000 515,593 5,000
TOTAL TRAVEL EMPLOYEES IN 2016
(FORECAST) Agent numbers lead recovery Government figures give cause for cautious optimism, reports LEE HAYHURST
The number of travel agents in the UK will recover to near pre-recession levels next year, according to figures obtained exclusively by Travel Weekly.
An analysis of Office for National
Statistics data carried out for Travel Weekly sister publication Travolution shows there were
66,224 agents in the UK last year. This is forecast to rise to 68,514
in 2016, about 1,000 shy of the 69,471 recorded in 2008 at the start of the downturn, and a significant improvement on the
nine-year low in 2013 of 59,289. The data shows overall staff numbers at agencies employing between 50-999 people have recovered beyond pre-recession levels, while smaller firms and those with 1,000-plus staff have yet to catch up. The number of travel agencies
employing fewer than 10 people slumped to below 3,000 in 2010 from 3,345 in 2008, but has since recovered to 3,575 in 2015 and a predicted 3,800 in 2016. A similar recovery has been
70
travelweekly.co.uk 25 February 2016
seen in enterprises with 10-49 employees, although the numbers are much smaller with 390 last year rising to 405 in 2016. The total number of travel agencies in the UK last year stood
at its highest level for which Travel Weekly has data, breaking the 4,000 mark for the first time. The figures show tour operator numbers and employment fared even better than agents during the recession, weathering the downturn better and recovering earlier. In 2008 there were 1,590 tour
operators with 18,757 staff; by 2011, after two successive years of falls, there were 1,615, with 19,090 employees. In 2015, there were 1,920 tour operators and 22,215 employees, and in 2016 that figure is forecast to top the 2,000 mark, with employees rising to 23,364. The data, which revealed the
travel sector employed 504,006 people in the UK in 16,452 companies in 2015, was compiled for Travolution’s annual analysis
of technology spend. › Innovation Report, page 68
3,000 0
2016 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 est
15,000 4,000 300,000
Number of tour operator firms and employees
25,000 2,500 5,000 23,364 EMPLOYEES IN
TOUR OPERATORS IN 2016
(FORECAST) 500,000 400,000
Number of travel industry firms and employees
600,000 20,000 200,000
Total travel industry businesses
Number of tour operators
Number of travel agencies
Travel agent employees
Tour operator employees
Total travel industry employees
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