# Travel Agents

US SOC code 41-3041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/41-3041

Also called: Travel advisor, Travel consultant, Travel planner, Cruise specialist, Honeymoon planner.

## In brief

BLS counted **103,840** US travel agents in May 2003, its first May survey, and **55,110** in May 2025. Median pay was **$50,160** a year in May 2025. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **59,150**, in May 2024. The last full technology era for travel agents: Mobile booking apps + Airbnb + stabilized niche positioning, 2010 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (+0.2%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **56.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.099** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.099. BLS counted **64,250** of these jobs in May 2013 and **55,110** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Travel Agents employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1841
- Latest US employment: 55,110 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $50,160 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +0.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [28]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 64310)
  - Employment, 2020: 17,695. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [7]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 64310 Travel counsellors, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$42,800. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [13]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 64310 Travel counsellors, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 26 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1972 | 45,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia / ASTA [1] |
| 1985 | 103,000 (estimate) | $17,000 (estimate) | Est., Sabre (employment) [2]; Est., BLS OOH (pay) [8] |
| 1999 | 111,130 | n/a | BLS OEWS 1999 [3] |
| 2003 | 103,840 | $27,150 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 90,500 | $27,640 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 88,590 | $28,670 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 87,600 | $29,210 | BLS OEWS May 2006 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS 2006 (pay) [8] |
| 2007 | 85,580 | $30,130 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 86,420 | $30,570 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 76,990 | $30,790 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 70,930 | $31,870 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 67,490 | $33,930 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 64,680 | $34,600 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 64,250 | $34,530 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 64,750 | $34,800 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 66,560 | $35,660 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 68,680 | $36,460 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 67,330 | $36,990 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 69,480 | $38,700 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 66,670 | $40,660 | BLS OEWS May 2019 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS May 2019 (pay) [8] |
| 2020 | 55,180 | $42,350 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 37,190 | $43,810 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 53,180 | $46,400 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 58,250 | $47,410 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 59,150 | $48,450 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 55,110 | $50,160 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (92)

### Employment series

1. [American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) — "History of ASTA" (organization founded 1931, membership growth through 1970s pre-deregulation era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Travel_Advisors), Wikipedia / ASTA
2. [Sabre — "Sabre history: from SABRE to global travel marketplace" (1976 expansion to travel agents, 50,000 agencies using Sabre by mid-1980s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_%28travel_reservation_system%29), Wikipedia / Sabre
3. [BLS OES 1999 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes99nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

8. [BLS OOH — Travel Agents (historical context; GDS-era commission structure: estimate for the GDS-era median, mid-1980s agents earned commission-based income approx $17k on ~$170k annual ticket sales)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/travel-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

14. [Wikipedia — Thomas Cook (founding July 5, 1841; first tour Leicester to Loughborough; Cook & Son formal partnership 1872)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cook), Wikipedia
15. [Wikipedia — American Express (traveler's checks 1891; travel division established 1915)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Express), Wikipedia
16. [Wikipedia — American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA founded April 20, 1931 as American Steamship and Tourist Agents Association)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Travel_Advisors), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia — Sabre (travel reservation system) (historical context: pre-GDS airline reservation process, 90-minute booking times, Sabre development origins 1953-1960)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_%28travel_reservation_system%29), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia — Travelocity (founded 1995-96 by Sabre Corporation; "first website allowing consumers to purchase travel tickets without human help")](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelocity), Wikipedia
19. [Wikipedia — Expedia Group (Expedia founded as Microsoft division, launched October 1996)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedia_Group), Wikipedia
20. [Wikipedia — Priceline.com (founded 1997 by Jay S. Walker; launched online 1998; "Name Your Own Price" model)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priceline.com), Wikipedia
21. [BLS OES 1999 national estimates (flat file): 41-3041 Travel Agents, 111,130](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes99nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [BLS OEWS May 2006, national cross-industry estimates (flat file): 41-3041 Travel Agents, 87,600](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Wikipedia — Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA; founded 1975; 13,000+ travel agency members, 50,000+ individual travel agent members)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_Lines_International_Association), Wikipedia
24. [Wikipedia — Travel agent (current market segmentation: luxury travel, corporate bookings, cruises, specialized travelers)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_agent), Wikipedia
25. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Travel Agents (COVID-19 employment impact; employment collapse 2020)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/travel-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Mindtrip (mindtrip.ai) — AI travel planning platform; raised $7M; partners include Priceline, TripAdvisor, Google Places, Viator; conversational itinerary generation](https://mindtrip.ai), Mindtrip
27. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 41-3041 Travel Agents (2024-34 projections: +2.2% employment change)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Forecasts and exposure studies

28. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 41-3041 Travel agents (2025: 61.5 thousand; 2035: 61.7 thousand; +0.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
29. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 41-3041 Travel Agents: probability 0.099, rank 168 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
30. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 41-3041.00, human-rated β 0.563)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

31. [Wikipedia — Thomas Cook (July 5, 1841 first tour; Leicester to Loughborough; 485 passengers; one shilling)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cook), Wikipedia
32. [Wikipedia — American Express (Traveler's checks launched 1891; J.C. Fargo's 1888 European trip; travel division established 1915)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Express), Wikipedia
33. [Wikipedia — American Society of Travel Advisors (founded April 20, 1931 as American Steamship and Tourist Agents Association; renamed 1944 and 2018)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Travel_Advisors), Wikipedia
34. [Wikipedia — Sabre (travel reservation system) (1953 origin conversation; 1957 development agreement; 1960 first prototype; 1964 full launch)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_%28travel_reservation_system%29), Wikipedia
35. [Wikipedia — Travelocity (founded 1995-96; "first website allowing consumers to purchase travel tickets without human help"); Wikipedia — Expedia Group (launched October 1996 as Microsoft division)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelocity), Wikipedia
36. [Wikipedia — Travel agent (commission elimination by airlines; shift to fee-for-service model post-2002)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_agent), Wikipedia
37. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Travel Agents (COVID-19 employment impact; 2020 employment collapse)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/travel-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
38. [Mindtrip (mindtrip.ai) — AI travel planning platform; $7M raised; partnerships with Priceline, TripAdvisor, Google Places; conversational itinerary generation (2023)](https://mindtrip.ai), Mindtrip

### Predecessors & successors

39. [Wikipedia — American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA founded 1931 as American Steamship and Tourist Agents Association — reflecting steamship-era origins)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_Travel_Advisors), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Travel Agents (41-3041.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/41-3041.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Travel Agents: -26% projected employment decline 2024–2034](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/travel-agents.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Phocuswire — OTAs captured 48% of leisure travel bookings in 2025 (Jan 2026)](https://www.phocuswire.com/ota-market-share-leisure-travel-2025), accessed 2026-05-24
- [TravelAge West — How AI changed the travel agency model in 2025: top agents serve 3× more clients with AI (Feb 2026)](https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/General-Travel/How-AI-Changed-Travel-Agency-Model-2025), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Skift — Inside the $2.4 Billion Agency Powering Luxury Travel's Elite Advisors: luxury advisor networks vs. OTAs (2026)](https://skift.com/2026/04/23/global-travel-collection-luxury-advisor-network/), accessed 2026-06-22
- [Travel Weekly — ASTA survey: luxury cruise agents report record revenues as AI disrupts commodity booking (Q1 2026)](https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/ASTA-survey-luxury-cruise-agents-record-revenues-2026), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Goldman Sachs — The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth (2023)](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent.html), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Sabre — Sabre Red 360: AI-enhanced GDS platform for travel agent booking and content (2025)](https://www.sabre.com/products/sabre-red-360/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Travefy — Branded client portal and document delivery for travel advisors (2025)](https://travefy.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Navan (TripActions) — AI assistant for corporate travel and expense management (2025)](https://navan.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SAP Concur — AI-enhanced business travel management and expense automation (2025)](https://www.concur.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.