Travel Agents Evermore in Demand: New Travel Report Released by American Express

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 17, 2014) - Travel agents are more and more in demand by clients -- who are now demanding planning for frequently and for entire vacations, says a new report released by American Express Travel.

The travel company took the pulse of its vast agent community in the U.S. to find out what travelers want and their buying behavior when it comes to travel. According to the report, published this week in Tours.com's Travel-Intel, the spend is up, the volume is up and the need is up, especially after consumers do their own research and find themselves overwhelmed by the options.

Travel-Intel also looks at the unfolding Ebola crisis worldwide and how it is affecting travel. Scanning tour operators and travel agents who offer safari vacations to Africa, Travel-Intel reports that a general lack of geographic knowledge, especially about locations in Africa, is leading to concern and postponements, even though safari destinations in East and South Africa are easily 3,000 miles away from the nearest outbreak. However, increasingly vigilant measures taken at various international airports have not come too soon.

This latest issue of Travel-Intel, the news channel for Tours.com, also puts the spotlight on leisure vacations in demand, especially when it comes to unusual luxury resorts and options for cruise vacations.

It looks at two new resorts to open in South America, specifically Chile and Uruguay where fine art and design is woven into a fabric of refined lifestyles to be sampled. The new Vik Retreats: Viña Vik in Chile and Bahia Vik in Uruguay's Punta del Esta are two new properties adding to the collection of Vik Retreat's rare stays in exquisitely beautiful spots. The retreats join the exclusive Kurtz-Ahlers collection of hotels and resorts.

Also in the headlines are the unusual cruise offerings by Carnival, which is including retro rock concerts by known icons of recent decades with some of its sailings in a program called Carnival LIVE. The upcoming roster includes REO Speedwagon, Kansas, LeAnn Rimes, Trace Adkins, Jewel, Lady Antebellum and Daughtry.

In other departments, Travel-Intel provides readers with a sneak peek at the first of a chain of Virgin Hotels to open around the world: this one launches in Chicago in January with a host of new amenities that challenge hospitality as we know it.

Finally, the field of corporate travel comes under the microscope through a new study conducted by ZS on the future of corporate travel management. Disruptive services such as Uber and Airbnb are challenging the say corporate travel departments are conducting business, according to findings among 100 travel companies.

Travel-Intel goes out weekly to more than 130,000 sellers of travel. It is also posted online at Tours.com and searchable for in-demand topics on tourism.

The publication reports from travel conferences and expos, as well as popular hotels, exotic resorts, cruise ships and travel destinations near and far with stories that feature the latest intel on travel. Current features and archives can be viewed at www.travel-intel.com.

"Travel is a wide and varying business and one of the biggest industries out there. It needs constant attention, whether looking at it from a business perspective, a destination update, hospitality developments, cruise evolutions, even the latest in air travel options. The travel industry does not sleep," says Lark Gould, content director for Travel-Intel and Tours.com.

As a veteran travel journalist who has been covering the travel industry for more than 20 years, Gould puts her incisive perspective into the weekly publication, with features and news updates, and also "packages" issues that detail great travel deals to be found at hotels and resort locations worldwide. Travel-Intel can be viewed as a stand-alone site on Tours.com. Gould publishes travel columns and stories in Larkslist, Barclay's Travel Community, the Washington Times, Travel Market Report and Business Traveler USA.

About Tours.com: Tours.com Since 1995 -- The Only Worldwide Directory of Tours & Vacation -- is the most comprehensive directory of tour and vacation providers searchable by company name, destination and/or activity. Find a Travel Agent Specialist search feature allows one to find travel agents with in-depth knowledge in their chosen specialty. The Travel Resource section includes all the information a travel professional may need from Passport & Visas, Travel Insurance, Accommodations ( B&B, castles, villas and more, etc) Cruises, Barges, Boats, Yachts & Ferries, Rail & Railroad Vacations just to name a few.