The U.S. Travel Agent Landscape in 2025

Explore the full 2024 landscape of U.S. travel agents, including how many operate, what they earn, key industry trends, and the latest inbound and outbound travel data. Understand why agents still matter and how the travel economy is shifting in 2025.

BRANDUSA

8/7/20253 min read

a woman riding a horse with an american flag on its back
a woman riding a horse with an american flag on its back

The U.S. Travel Agent Landscape in 2025: A Definitive 2024 Overview

Introduction

The U.S. travel agent industry is evolving but there are concerns it is shrinking in 2025.
In this blog, Antravia looks at 2024 and looks ahead to 2025.
For 2024, despite rising DIY platforms, agents had a strong recovery in 2024, adapting quickly across business models. This post blends market sizing, agent types and earnings, travel flows (domestic, inbound, outbound), booking strategies, and why agents remain an irreplaceable force for both travelers and suppliers.

1. Industry Size: How Many Travel Agents Operate in the U.S.?

  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 58,250 employed travel agents in 2024 - but that only includes payroll employees.

  • The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) represents 190,000 travel advisors, including self-employed and hosted agents — a much bigger figure reflecting the modern reality.

  • The number of operating travel agency businesses remains in the thousands, though storefront closures persist.

2. Agent Business Models in 2024

  • Traditional and Hosted Advisors: Most independent agents now operate under host agencies, gaining access to tools, systems, and supplier contracts while retaining autonomy.

  • Franchise/Home-Based Sellers: Networks like Cruise Planners empower thousands of home-based agents, enabling entrepreneurship with corporate support.

  • OTAs & Aggregators: Platforms like Expedia and Booking.com drive huge volumes—though less personalized, their scale influences agent competition and consumer behavior.

  • TMCs (Travel Management Companies): Corporate clients rely on firms like CWT or Amex GBT for compliance, analytics, and business-class complexity.

  • Luxury Travel Designers & Influencers: High-touch planners charge planning fees and deliver curated, concierge-level services, often leveraging personal branding.

3. Agent Earnings: The 2024 Snapshot

  • The average salary for salaried agents reached approximately $50,040, per BLS.

  • Self-employed agents show variation: many work part-time or as side hustles, while elite luxury advisors, especially those charging fees, reach six-figure incomes.

  • Industry-wide, air ticket bookings via agencies exceeded $99 billion, signifying robust transactional volume.

  • Gross bookings across travel agency channels surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

4. U.S. Travel Market Overview: Domestic, Outbound & Inbound (2024)

Domestic & Outbound Travel

  • American travelers logged over 107 million international trips in 2024, a 9% increase year over year.

  • Over 800 million airline passengers flew domestically, with flight volumes nearing 2019 benchmarks.

Inbound Tourism

  • Incoming international visitors totaled approximately 77.7 million, up 17% from 2023, reaching just 2% below the 2019 high.

  • Visitor spending hit $181 billion, though arrival volumes remain about 9% under pre-pandemic levels.

  • In December alone, international travelers spent $12.6 billion (up 11% year-over-year), including $3.3 billion on air fares and $6.3 billion on education, health, and short-term worker activities.

Economic Impact

  • Total 2024 travel spending reached $1.3 trillion, generating $2.9 trillion of economic output and accounting for 2.5% of U.S. GDP.

  • The sector supported 15 million American jobs, with international inbound travel a significant driver.

5. Booking Complexity & Agent Value

Travel booking has become increasingly layered:

  • Cruise consolidators, multi-leg itineraries, dormancy in group pricing, and complex net rates demand expertise.

  • Agents deliver time savings, access to upgrades and perks, and crisis navigation — especially valuable for multi-destination, high-touch, or corporate trips.

  • Even as DIY tools proliferate, agents continue to fill gaps in personalization, reassurance, and logistical finesse.

6. Inbound Tourism Headwinds (2025 Outlook)

  • Political tensions and visa policy shifts contributed to a projected $12.5 billion drop in international visitor spending in 2025, with inbound numbers falling.

  • Other analyses estimate up to $29 billion in lost tourism-related economic output, particularly affecting border and rural destinations.

  • Travel to the U.S. is experiencing cooling enthusiasm due to higher visa costs, reduced tourism promotion funding, and adverse geopolitical perceptions.

Conclusion

In 2024, U.S. travel agents charted a resilient, dynamic comeback across a fractured market. Their relevance is clear: whether booking luxury journeys, managing corporate travel, or simplifying inbound tours, agents provide nuanced value that automated platforms can't replicate. In a shifting landscape, strategic financial planning, supply partnerships, and operational finesse will define the most successful advisor businesses.

Sources & References

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