Personally, I think when it comes to any client thinking things have gone downhill in this industry or anyone "losing interest", there could be several different reasons there.
Of course distance and travelling is a major one, but you know, once I seen post on another site by a guy who lived only 3 hours away from the SP ad he was commenting on.
He literally said in his post "If your ever in my area, I would love to spend time with you". A car and a day off is something I have always had, so its never been a barrier.
I know, not everyone can afford to hop in a car and drive to another province to see an SP, but I guess another another factor is also the individual needs and being compatible
with what your looking for and how bad you want it. If its a simple GFE, getting laid, etc., back before the internet was around, people went to the bar, spent a lot of money
buying some girl drinks all night and they STILL were not guaranteed to get anything out of it. I watched a guy spend 300 in the bar all night trying to pick up a "hot girl" and she
left with some other guy who was sitting quietly in the corner. But I see some guys now who try to get a simple BJ for 20 bucks, but if thats all they can afford or want to spend,
might want to hit the street corners. Again, it all depends on what your looking for and quality. Professional escorts are professional for a reason. The "BS" some clients go through
is only because they either don't have patience to spend a lot of time searching or they are trying to live a champagne lifestyle on beer wages. Back in the 80's an escort for the
night in Vegas was an easy Grand or more. Prices haven't changed much. Sites like BP have opened up "BS" doors that weren't open before. Modern times = review boards.
Myself, I have "special needs" in what I look for. So my searches are even harder than the average client. But through a lot of patience, I usually always find it.