This debate has been running since the first travel eLearning module went online in the early 2000s. Proponents of in-person training argue that nothing replaces face-to-face interaction. Advocates of online learning point to the scalability and cost advantages. And increasingly, a third camp argues that both approaches have been overtaken by AI-powered adaptive learning.
Rather than picking sides based on preference, let's examine the evidence. What does the data actually tell us about which approach delivers the best return on investment for travel businesses?
Defining the Contenders
Before we compare, let's be precise about what we're comparing.
In-person training includes classroom sessions, workshops, supplier presentations, familiarisation trips, and on-site mentoring. It requires physical presence at a specific time and place.
Online training covers a spectrum: traditional eLearning (click-through slides with quizzes), webinars, video-based courses, and AI-powered adaptive platforms. For this comparison, we'll distinguish between traditional online (passive, slide-based) and AI-powered online (interactive, adaptive) because the difference in outcomes is significant.
Cost Comparison
In-Person Training
The full cost of in-person training is often underestimated because many expenses are hidden:
| Cost Component | Typical Range (per session, 20 agents) |
|---|---|
| Venue hire | £500-£2,000 |
| Facilitator/presenter | £500-£1,500 |
| Travel and accommodation for attendees | £2,000-£8,000 |
| Catering | £300-£800 |
| Printed materials | £100-£400 |
| Lost selling time (20 agents × 1 day) | £4,000-£12,000 |
| Total per session | £7,400-£24,700 |
| Cost per agent per session | £370-£1,235 |
The lost selling time is the killer. According to ABTA, an average travel agent in the UK generates approximately £200-£600 in gross margin per working day. Every day spent in a classroom is a day not spent earning.
For familiarisation trips — the premium form of in-person training — costs are dramatically higher. TTG Media reports that a typical week-long fam trip costs between £1,500 and £5,000 per participant, plus the lost selling time.
Traditional Online Training (LMS-Based)
| Cost Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| LMS platform licence | £5,000-£25,000/year |
| Content creation or licensing | £2,000-£15,000/year |
| Administration time | £3,000-£8,000/year |
| Lost selling time (significantly less) | Minimal (self-paced) |
| Total annual cost | £10,000-£48,000 |
| Cost per agent per year (50 agents) | £200-£960 |
The cost-per-agent drops significantly, and the lost selling time is minimal because agents complete training between customer interactions. However, completion rates for traditional eLearning in travel average just 20-30%, which means a large portion of that spend is wasted.
AI-Powered Adaptive Learning
| Cost Component | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Platform subscription | £3,600-£12,000/year |
| Content creation (AI-assisted) | £1,000-£5,000/year |
| Administration time (reduced by automation) | £1,000-£3,000/year |
| Lost selling time | Negligible (5-minute sessions) |
| Total annual cost | £5,600-£20,000 |
| Cost per agent per year (50 agents) | £112-£400 |
AI-powered platforms bring costs down further because content creation is faster (AI assists with generation and adaptation), administration is largely automated, and the training fits into micro-moments throughout the day rather than requiring dedicated time blocks.
Cost winner: AI-powered online training, by a significant margin.
Completion and Engagement
Cost means nothing if agents don't actually complete the training.
In-Person: High Completion, Low Scale
In-person training achieves near-100% completion because it's mandatory and scheduled. If you put 20 agents in a room, 20 agents experience the training. That's a genuine strength.
But "present" doesn't mean "engaged." Anyone who's sat through a 3pm supplier presentation on a Friday afternoon knows that physical attendance and mental engagement are different things. The Learning and Performance Institute reports that attention drops significantly after 20 minutes in traditional presentation formats.
And scale is the fundamental problem. A UK travel agency with 200 agents across 30 locations cannot practically deliver regular in-person training to everyone.
Traditional Online: Low Completion, High Scale
Scale is the strength of online training. You can deploy a module to 1,000 agents simultaneously across 20 countries. The problem is that nobody completes it.
The travel industry isn't unique here. LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report found that "lack of time" and "content isn't engaging enough" are the top two reasons employees don't complete online training across all industries.
When training feels like a chore — clicking through slides to reach the quiz — agents do the minimum required and forget the content immediately.
AI-Powered: High Completion, High Scale
This is where adaptive AI platforms break the traditional trade-off. TravAI's platform achieves completion rates above 95% because:
- Content adapts to what each agent already knows, so nothing feels redundant
- Interactive, conversation-style formats feel like a chat, not a lecture
- Sessions are designed to last 5-10 minutes, fitting naturally into the gaps between customer calls
- Immediate relevance — agents can see how the content directly applies to their next selling conversation
Completion winner: AI-powered online training (95%+ vs 20-30% for traditional online vs near-100% for in-person but at a fraction of the scale).
Knowledge Retention
Here's where the science gets interesting.
The Forgetting Curve Problem
Hermann Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve — backed by over a century of subsequent research — shows that we forget approximately 70% of new information within 24 hours if there's no reinforcement. This applies regardless of whether the initial learning was in-person or online.
The critical variable isn't how the information is delivered. It's whether it's reinforced.
In-Person: Strong Initial Impact, Rapid Decline
In-person training creates strong memories because of the social context, the novelty of the environment, and the emotional engagement. A brilliant supplier presentation can inspire agents genuinely.
But without reinforcement, that inspiration fades. Research from the American Society for Training and Development shows that within 30 days of a training event, 87% of newly learned skills are lost if not practised or reinforced.
Traditional Online: Weak Initial Impact, Rapid Decline
Passive eLearning creates weak initial memories (it's hard to form strong associations while clicking through slides) and offers no systematic reinforcement.
AI-Powered: Moderate Initial Impact, Strong Retention
AI platforms use spaced repetition — delivering quizzes and reinforcement activities at optimal intervals after initial learning. This technique, extensively validated by cognitive science, can improve long-term retention by 200-300% compared to single-exposure learning.
The roleplay component adds another retention layer. Applying knowledge in simulated conversations creates procedural memory (knowing how to do something) rather than just declarative memory (knowing a fact).
Retention winner: AI-powered online training, thanks to spaced repetition and active application.
Impact on Sales Performance
This is what ultimately matters. Which approach actually drives more bookings?
The evidence here is less clean because few travel businesses run controlled experiments. However, available data points in a clear direction:
- In-person fam trips consistently show a short-term booking spike for the featured destination, but the Tourism Intelligence Network notes that this spike typically fades within 8-12 weeks without reinforcement
- Traditional online training has minimal measurable impact on sales performance, according to Phocuswright's research. Completion of an online module correlates weakly with actual sales behaviour change
- AI-powered training with roleplay and coaching shows the strongest correlation with sustained sales improvement. Businesses using TravAI report an average 35% uplift in sales within the first three months, with 60% cost reduction compared to previous training methods
Sales impact winner: AI-powered online training, with in-person training valuable as a supplement.
The Honest Answer: It's Not Either/Or
The data clearly favours AI-powered online training as the primary method for most travel businesses. It's cheaper, more scalable, more engaging, better for retention, and drives measurable sales improvement.
But in-person training still has a role:
- Relationship building between suppliers and agents benefits from face-to-face interaction
- Complex strategic discussions (e.g., annual planning between a tour operator and key agency partners) are better in person
- Team cohesion for remote workforces benefits from occasional physical gatherings
- Launch events for major new products can generate excitement that digital channels struggle to match
The winning formula for most travel businesses in 2026 is:
- AI-powered adaptive learning as the foundation — 90% of training delivery
- Selective in-person events for relationship-building and strategic engagement — 10% of training delivery
- Real-time AI coaching bridging the gap between training and live selling
Making the Switch
If your business currently relies primarily on in-person training, the transition to AI-powered learning doesn't have to be dramatic:
- Start with your most frequently repeated training content — product knowledge that you deliver to every new starter or every agent annually
- Build interactive, adaptive versions of that content using a travel-specific platform
- Redirect the cost savings from reduced in-person events into platform investment and content development
- Measure the results over 90 days using analytics dashboards
- Expand the digital programme based on what the data shows
Most businesses find that the cost savings alone justify the switch. The improved learning outcomes and sales impact are the bonus.
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This article is part of our Travel Agent Training series. Related reading:
