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TORONTO -- Although the Internet has given consumers a chance to book their own airline tickets or make hotel reservations anywhere in the world, travel agents don't need to fear losing their jobs. Their roles may change but their knowledge of the industry will put them far ahead of any Web site around.

"Travel agencies are going to become much more of a consultative travel information network than really booking tickets," says Terry Wellesley, senior vice-president of Toronto-based Diners Club/enRoute, a sponsor of last month's Travel Technology '96 trade show and conference. "There's a ticketless society being gauged for 1997 totally across the board. It's going to change how the travel agency is set up."

Change -- that was the buzzword at the show, which attracted about 250 delegates from Canada and the United States. Be prepared for change, they were told, or risk getting left behind.

In his early morning keynote address, Gregory Conley, the Denver-based general manager of IBM Corp.'s Travel and Transportation Industry division, called on delegates to "wake up" to change. Zero in on new tools that can help shape the travel business, he said, and then customize these tools to create a competitive edge.

"Anticipate change, embrace it, modify your business so you can be bigger and more profitable in the wake of this change rather than being a bystander," he said.

In an interview with Computing Canada, Conley said IBM's labs are working hard right now at "perfecting" voice recognition capabilities to be used as entry devices on computer reservation systems (CRSs). Watch for smart card technology to be paired up with electronic ticketing initiatives, he added. For travel agents, owners and manager, the trick will be to work with the new tools on the market and adapt them to better serve the customer base.

"People will get technology from multiple places -- voice recognition, smart cards, intuitive front-end reservation tools, Internet capabilities -- and build unique capabilities for their business," said Conley. "They won't wait to see what the next release of the CRS product is."

Terry Wellesley said the travel industry has been slow to adapt to the on-line world. Now there's really no choice.

"Technology is moving so fast, it's happening instantaneously and it's scary," he said. "This kind of conference brings that to life big time."

The two-day conference offered delegates many opportunities to prepare for change. Sessions and workshops covered such topics as the more worldly consumer, mysteries of the PC, Internet for novices, how to select an Internet service provider, the good and bad of home pages, and relationships with suppliers.

Conley said there's often a huge wave of hype when a new technology tool arrives, inevitably leading to a trough when the tool doesn't live up to its hype. But that doesn't mean users should discount anything before it's proven.

"Don't be lulled into thinking that some of these tools of change won't have an effect on you," he cautioned. "You could just be in a trough."