European travel agents thrive, defying Internet threat

Berlin

THE doomsayers were 100 per cent certain that the Internet would be the death of travel agents.

But in Europe's three biggest economies, the industry is still very much alive and kicking as consumers prefer expert advice and a friendly face when it comes to booking their holidays.

In France, the number of travel agents has held steady for the past five years. In Britain, business is also "buoyant", said Sean Tipton, spokesman for the ABTA travel association.

While he could not strictly say that the number of hi…