"The report of (our) death was an exaggeration..."

The travel industry is in an uproar over recent comments by
President Obama, who said “One of the challenges in terms of rebuilding our
economy is – businesses have gotten so efficient, that, when was the last time
somebody went to a bank teller? Instead of using an ATM. Or used a travel agent
instead of going online? A lot of jobs that used to require people have now
become automated.” With apologies to Mark Twain, travel agents are not gone
yet. In fact, according to the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), over
79% of tours and 78% of cruises are booked by travel agents. A recently updated
study by Virtuoso found that the percentage of travelers who were highly satisfied
with their online booking process had declined from 42% in 2003 to 28% in 2010.
Computers and the internet have made many transactions more convenient and
perhaps, more efficient, but the human connection is still important.

If I have to open an account, or there is a problem, I
certainly want to be able to talk with a person at my bank, rather than trying
to figure everything out for myself online.

I like being able to go downtown to shop, rather than
ordering online. I like to see what the shop owners recommend, and I like
having someone offer suggestions and choices.  Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I think others are finding that the internet isn’t the best choice for every transaction.