A Market Growing More Concentrated and More Demanding

One of the central points in the session is that the independent travel intermediary does not disappear, but the conditions under which it operates continue to change. Drésin points to consolidation across European aviation and distribution. As airline groups become larger and agency networks also merge in order to gain scale, the market structure moves toward fewer players with greater negotiating power.

He describes this development as bringing both advantages and pressure. Larger networks can improve service quality, create consistency, and provide broader solutions for consumers and corporate travelers. At the same time, larger suppliers can exercise stronger control over distribution. In that setting, access to inventory, commercial terms, and technology adoption become increasingly important for smaller market participants.

Drésin also notes that change affects participants differently. Financial capacity and operational readiness vary across the market. As a result, scale functions as both an advantage and a factor that shapes how quickly different parts of the sector can adapt.

From NDC Promise to Operational Reality

The discussion also addresses how New Distribution Capability develops in practice. Drésin states that NDC is presented as a framework for better retailing and richer supplier offers. In theory, it enables airlines to present more dynamic products and ancillary services. In practice, he says that implementation has created additional complexity for many travel agents.

He describes fragmented workflows, different technologies that do not always communicate effectively, and significant integration costs. In his account, the issue is not simply the presence of new interfaces. It is whether comparison, booking, servicing, and support continue to function consistently across the customer journey. When agents must work across multiple systems to compare offers, the process becomes more difficult.

Drésin links this issue directly to service. He notes that moving content from traditional distribution channels into newer interfaces does not by itself resolve the operational requirements that accompany bookings. In his view, retailing changes become meaningful when they are matched by dependable servicing, particularly when disruptions occur and human support is required.

Artificial Intelligence as a Force Multiplier for Human Expertise

When the discussion turns to artificial intelligence and agentic systems, Drésin presents AI as a technology that changes workflows without removing the role of travel agents. He says that travel agencies have been under technological pressure for more than twenty five years and describes the sector as highly reactive to new developments. In that context, he expects AI to affect the business, particularly through automation and service enhancement.

He also states that AI can support more personalized service. His example focuses on customer profiling, where travel behavior differs across business and leisure contexts. In that sense, AI functions as a tool for organizing preferences, improving responsiveness, and helping agencies tailor offers and communication more closely to the traveler.

At the same time, Drésin distinguishes between different parts of the market. Larger groups may be able to automate more tasks because they have greater scale and investment capacity. Smaller and mid sized agencies may use AI in more focused but still practical ways, such as improved chatbots, automated messaging during disruptions, and more detailed customer service support.

Throughout the discussion, he presents AI as an opportunity. Its effect depends on implementation, investment, data access, and the continued role of human judgment in service delivery.

Data Architecture Determines Strategic Advantage

A recurring point in the conversation concerns data. Drésin states that AI cannot function effectively in travel distribution without access to timely, connected, and usable data across modes and suppliers. He refers to the need to collect and organize information from airlines, rail, accommodation providers, car rental companies, insurers, and other travel services.

The discussion therefore moves from the application layer of technology to the underlying architecture that supports it. Data interoperability, multimodal integration, and digital booking and ticketing are presented not as abstract policy themes, but as operational requirements for more integrated travel distribution.

Drésin refers to the role of European institutions in promoting multimodal mobility and digital booking and ticketing regulation. In his account, these efforts are important because closed systems and fragmented data environments limit both integration and the practical usefulness of AI. He presents this regulatory movement as part of a longer process that can support more connected travel distribution over time.

The Continuing Role of the Travel Advisor

Another theme in the session is the continuing role of the human advisor. Drésin says that travel professionals create value through guidance, personalization, and service, not only through repetitive administrative work. As automation takes over more routine tasks, he describes the visible role of the advisor as becoming more consultative.

He also distinguishes between selling a product and providing a service that meets the traveler's specific needs. In that context, he refers to the American use of the term travel advisors and describes the work as helping customers find the right experience and enjoy the holiday with the appropriate level of service.

The discussion also includes indirect distribution. Drésin states that indirect distribution remains useful for airlines and says that more cooperation between suppliers and intermediaries would be welcome. The relationship is presented as both collaborative and complex, with continued room for improvement in how the different parts of the ecosystem work together.

Why Regulation Remains Important

The conversation closes on the role of regulation. When asked to choose between a seamless technology stack and a fair regulatory environment, Drésin gives priority to fair regulation. He states that without a level playing field, many of the changes under discussion would remain concentrated among a limited number of players.

In his description, regulation is linked to access, service, and consumer outcomes. As consolidation, capital requirements, and platform influence increase, the regulatory framework becomes one of the factors that shapes how broadly the benefits of technological and commercial change can extend across the market.

A Market in Transition

This session at 1TourismWorld describes European travel distribution as a market in transition. Drésin presents a sector shaped simultaneously by technological change, operational demands, consolidation, and regulation. In his account, the role of the travel agent changes, but it remains relevant.

The discussion identifies several factors that affect this transition, including dependable servicing, data readiness, investment capacity, interoperability, and the relationship between suppliers and intermediaries. European travel distribution is presented as becoming more connected and more integrated as these developments continue.

Taken together, the discussion provides a structured view of how European travel distribution is changing and which operational and regulatory factors shape that change, while also showing that the sector continues to adapt and develop new capabilities.