IATA Agencies Declined by 11% in Five Years

International Air Transport Association (IATA) travel agency numbers worldwide declined by 11% over five years from a peak of 60,557 in 2006 to 53,914 last year. However, sales through IATA’s Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), which operates in 176 countries and territories worldwide, increased over the same period by 33% from US$187 billion in 2006 to $249 billion in 2011.

Bad debts increased by 119% from $31 million in 2006 to $68 million in 2011 – with unusually high bad debts of $128 million being recorded in 2009.