How much has the rise in internet travel sites, i.e. Travelocity, etc hurt the travel agent business?

I would assume there would still be a large market for travel agents, am I wrong?

Actually, it has hurt the travel agent business quite a bit, together with airlines cutting commission rates. Quite a number of travel agents have consolidated or gone out of business.

The ones that remain survive and thrive by specializing in arranging specialized tours or itineraries for travelers, or by retaining large corporate accounts. The key is to find a market need or segment that cannot really be served by internet travel sites or that of airlines' direct websites. This would include customized travel itineraries where local knowledge and contacts will really pay off and whenever there is a need for more personalized service.

If you are looking to get into the travel business, you'd have to do it as an online travel agent. over 20,000 travel agencies went out of business since travel went to the internet, and on top of it the travel agencies stopped paying their employees commissions. I am sort of a travel agent, but online. I have a travel site that is actually my own www.MyTravelTopia.com If it is something that interests you, please send me an email at TravelTopiaInfo@yahoo.com I can get you set up with your own site where you do earn commission. There is even potential to receive bonuses on top of your income of $1000, $10,000, $100,000 or even $1million dollars. Hope to hear from you

The travel industry is a 7 trillion dollar industry and it is expected to double by the end of this decade. So you are correct in thinking that there is a large market still out there for travel agents.