Maithe Penaherrera
SHA HF200

“The Rise of the Internet”

The last fifteen years have impacted the hospitality industry in various ways and depending on the side of the industry a person is on, it has greatly impacted their wallet as well. From the view of a consumer, knowledge of the industry has widened and the costs associated with partaking in the hospitality industry, i.e. restaurant dining, booking commercial flights, booking hotel accommodations, etc,. has decreased. However, from the perspective of a person employed in the hospitality industry, the costs associated vary depending on the area of hospitality they work in. Mercedes Flores, former travel agent for Costamar Travel from 1994-1999, describes the changes she experienced at Costamar as the world transitioned into the digital era. Once, many customers would come intro travel agencies for any type of travel service, be it one way personal or business trips to month long all-inclusive vacations. But as the internet became a more readily available resource to the average consumer, the number of customers who came in to Costamar for simple one way or two way flights decreased. Customers who did come in for such flights were of more advanced age, generally because they did not know how to use the internet. In 1999, Mercedes left Costmar. In the year 2000, Costamar became one of the first e-business travel agencies. Mercedes says her location was closed a few years afterward. She currently works as a home attendant. At the earlier stages of direct airline-to-flyer online sales, vacation packages were not as much purchased online as single flights. Therefore travel agencies continued to be a resource for customers looking for vacation packages. Mercedes’ Costamar location found itself in a particular situation since it was located in a sector of New York where the average consumer’s household