That will clearly have an impact. Gurassa also thinks digital television could be important for the travel industry. Digital television channels want to charge too much to travel operators - either in terms of a fee or in terms of a percentage of sales. If this continues, the travel industry will be able to offer better deals to PC users than television users. The jury is still out on how much demand there will be for online booking by business travellers.
Large companies have in-house travel departments or contract out travel booking to a travel agency.
Yet the people booking travel for the busy executive may well want to use the internet whether they are personal assistants, secretaries or travel specialists. Executives may also want to check whether the arrangements offered by their travel department are the best. Staff at one large stockbroking firm complain that too often their travel plans are arranged for the convenience of the travel department and to maximise discounts on volume booking. But it is the brokers who end up having to hang around for four hours in Los Angeles airport on a flight back from Australia. The internet could put power back into the hands of the business traveller.