Short answer: US agency air sales set records in 2025 and 2026, mostly through higher fares, with trips growing 2 to 4 percent. The workforce is steady, with most advisors independent. Large TMCs are consolidating, and airline distribution is moving toward NDC and orders, so capacity per person matters more each year.
The numbers for 2026 look strong at first glance. Underneath, they describe a market where each trip earns more and each team carries more.
Are US travel agencies still growing?
Yes, in sales and trips. ARC's agency air sales set an annual record in 2025, and passenger trips rose 3 percent to 292.9 million. The first half of 2026 set another record, up 12 percent, with trips up 4 percent.
Most of that growth is price. In September 2026, agency sales rose 18 percent while trips rose 2 percent, and the average fare was up 20 percent from a year earlier.
Agency sales grew faster than trips
Air salesPassenger trips
How many agencies are there?
A little fewer each quarter. Agency locations reporting to ARC, including online agencies, went from 9,978 in December 2025 to 9,863 in September 2026. Volume is concentrating in fewer, larger offices.
Are travel agents still in demand?
Demand for agency booking holds up, and the workforce is steady. Two counts describe it differently:
- BLS counts 61,500 people whose main job is travel agent and projects little change through 2035. Most of the 5,900 openings a year replace people who retire or move on.
- ASTA counts more than 300,000 advisors, nearly two thirds of them independent contractors, and says agencies sell more than 66 percent of cruises and tour packages.
Both point the same way: growth comes from the people already in the industry handling more.
Who is consolidating?
The largest TMCs. Amex GBT completed its purchase of CWT in 2025, and Long Lake, which calls itself an AI holding company, took Amex GBT private in September 2026. For single-office agencies and multi-branch TMCs, the large players now compete on technology as much as on service.
How is airline distribution changing?
Toward NDC and orders. In September 2026, NDC made up 21.2 percent of ARC-settled transactions. ARC launched orders-based settlement in January 2026 and added payment cards in October.
What should agency owners plan for?
- More work per trip. Higher fares bring more exchanges and credits to track.
- More channels to reconcile. NDC and GDS sales arrive in the same report through different paths.
- Capacity from the same team. With a steady workforce, the next account has to fit into the hours you already have.
Common questions
Are travel agents still in demand?
Agencies booked more air trips in 2025 than the year before, and ASTA says agencies sell more than 66 percent of cruises and tour packages. BLS projects a steady number of agent jobs through 2035.
How many travel advisors are there in the US?
It depends on who's counted. BLS counts 61,500 people whose main job is travel agent, and ASTA counts more than 300,000 advisors, including part-time and independent contractors.
Is the agency channel shrinking?
Agency trips grew 3 percent in 2025 and kept growing through 2026. The number of agency locations reporting to ARC dipped slightly over the same period.
Sources
- ARC, Annual US travel agency air ticket sales (December 2025) ARC
- ARC, Record six-month total (June 2026) ARC
- ARC, September 2026 air ticket sales ARC
- ARC, ARC Connex Orders adds payment cards (2026) ARC
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Travel agents Independent
- ASTA, Statement to the House Subcommittee on Commerce (November 2025) Trade association
- Amex GBT, Long Lake completes acquisition (2026) Company's own claim
Checked on October 28, 2026. Rules change, so check the source before you act on a date or an amount.
