Southland's travel agencies come and go.

Southland's travel agencies come and go

Nine of the 25 companies on The List of largest travel agencies in Los Angeles County were not part of the Business Journal survey of the industry two years ago.

The changes reflect what has happened in the travel business in recent years as well as the recession, said local industry officials.

"Quite a few agencies have closed but probably just as many have opened or have merged," said Ken Phillips, director of corporate communications for Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays in Westlake Village. "It's been a very difficult business to be in the last couple of years. It's become extremely competitive and on top of that because of the economy and the (Persian Gulf) war."

On the 1989 List, Pleasant Hawaiian was the largest travel company in the county, based on the number of employees, but it has been replaced by Carlson Travel Network, which in 1989 operated as Ask Mr. Foster and was in the second position.

Pleasant Hawaiian is a family-owned business, but Carlson is part of Minneapolis-based Carlson Cos. Carlson has 18 offices in Los Angeles County that sell both leisure and corporate travel. Pleasant Hawaiian is a wholesale company that sells package tours through travel agents to Hawaii.

Among the changes are the addition to The List of American Express travel agencies. American Express is now the fourth largest travel company in the county. In the 1989 ranking, American Express did not appear on The List.

Most of the changes from 1989 to 1991 were among the smaller companies that made The List. Travel companies that did not appear on the 1989 List, in addition to American Express, are American Tours International, Revel Travel Services, Archer Travel Service, Pacifica Plaza Travel, National Travel Service, ANA Hallo Tours and Cal-Mart Travel Service.

Among the more significant deletions from the 1989 report is Hemphill Harris Travel Corp. of Encino, which unexpectedly closed down in late 1989, stranding dozens of clients around the world and state investigation. No charges have ever been filed against the owners of the company.

John Evatz, executive vice president of Hoffman, The Travel Management Co. (the third largest company in the county), said many retail agencies have merged in recent years in order to compete in the corporate travel field.

"There is still room for small agencies if they can offer good service but most corporate accounts are interested in price and the only way you can do that is with volume. Corporate accounts are looking for a pricing package and sometimes the only way small agencies can offer that is by consolidating their operations," he said.

PHOTO : Jackie Cremidas: District director for The List's new No. 1 company