Are you planning start a travel business?

 

 

Marketing Strategy For Your Online Travel Agency

 

Now a days each and every person used to travel and stay most days around the world assisted by travel related business, commercial and holiday tours etc. Most people dependent on travel and tourism agencies for facilitating their complete travel and Stay.

A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism related services to the public on behalf of suppliers such as activities, airlines, car rentals, cruise, hotels, railways, bus and package tours.

The travel agency business has changed a lot in the current era. The travel agencies no longer just inform the clients about the availability of the flights, their schedule, issue the ticket and get a commission from the airline.

Nowadays with the availability of online travel agency software, customers can book online. That is why most of the travel startups are following the OTA model.

Our online travel software, new doors leading to profit have been opened for travel agencies. You can turn to customized package tours, holiday packages, hotel packages, tours for your locale or some specific places, and so on.

You can concentrate on pilgrimages, leisure travel, business travel or any niche ones. You select your sector and then you can start your own travel agency with your suitable offerings.

 

Travelopro is a travel portal development company that can help you set up the right presence of webpage. OTAs are basically a marketplace of Hotels where the property owners list and sell their website while on the other hand, the marketplace owner charges a commission on their website.

OTA, in general, is represented by large travel agencies who are selling travel products from across the globe. Such OTA is either connected to the GDS system or individual airlines from a long time.

Travel startups who want to start this online business incompetent to all the large travel management companies can build their own online reservation system with any travel product with the help of our company.

A solid business plan is essential for succeeding as a travel agent. The more work you put into planning your business, the better your chances are for success. Investors will also be more likely to smile upon you if you have an attractive, well-thought-out plan in place.

To start an OTA there are many things that are to be done. Here is the list of some of the most important tasks you will have to do that is, create a website for your marketplace, Partner with as many sellers as you can, Market your business. Launching an OTA website is very easy if you opt for Travelopro.

With our marketplace, you will be able to develop a website, for an online marketplace of hotels and rooms. Admin has the right to grant access to Sellers/Hoteliers to add and sell hotel rooms and earn a commission for bookings made by customers through the website.

 

Some of the functions of our Marketplace are: 

 

 

• Admin can create/delete sellers on the marketplace,

• Admin can manually or automatically approve/disapprove seller request, 

• Admin can allow/disallow sellers to agree to the terms and conditions, Admin will be able to manage seller profiles,

• Admin can manage seller hotels,

• Admin can manage seller room types, 

• Admin can manage commission rate and tax distribution, Admin can manage seller orders,

• Admin can manage and add different payment modes for sellers, 

• Admin can allow Sellers to use multiple languages in Marketplace, 

• Admin can manage various mail configuration settings, 

• Admin can view the complete earnings of the hotel marketplace as well as seller wise earnings in the back-end, 

• Admin can manage seller settlements from the back-end. 

 

In addition to creating a niche travel agency, independent travel agents need to become experts in the areas where they are sending clients. If a customer is traveling to Belize, the agent should know all there is to know about the culture, the events happening during the client’s travel and unusual activities available to make the vacation more exciting.

An independent agent often offers to book tours and excursions prior to the client’s arrival so they can stay relaxed and worry free, with no concerns other than getting to the activity on time. One of the most eminent things to remember as a travel agent is that good customer service will grow your business faster than anything else.

Being available for your clients and being on top of the great deals is a very important. Getting to know your clients and the types of travel that interest them most will allow you to match them with travel deals when they become available.

This is a win-win for both traveler and the agent! You can have a great start in the travel industry by partnering with Travelopro Company which can provide you invaluable information and the right tools to help you develop a successful career in the travel industry.

 

 

A travel agency is very easier to start online, but there is fierce competition to tackle. Many established companies and new entrants are your direct competitors in this field.

So, to start an online travel agency, you have to cover it’s all the important aspects cleverly and strategically. A well-thought-out marketing strategy can give your business a roaring start. If you are really interested in setting up an online travel agency, plan its every little aspect in advance.

Do not start anything in a hurry as it may prove to be costly at the end in many ways. So, the planning will depend a lot on the type of business you choose if you want to go for a step-by-step approach to move up gradually from one stage to the other, then the planning will be a lengthy process.

Your approach should be flexible to accommodate any new development and unforeseen events. A business plan made well ahead of starting an online business will be your guiding force. It will not let you divert much from the set path. This helps you to manage your limited resources as well.

There are already many other online travel agencies and related businesses operating in every locality. They have already grabbed a fair amount of market share due to their aggressive marketing.

You should do everything to stand out from the competition. A perfect way to make sure this is to offer the services that very few of the agencies are providing to the tourists. But what are these unique services? You need to find it out.

In other words, you should know your niche well to compete efficiently in a given market. Before starting a travel agency, do some market research to know what kind of a travel agency will be serving the people usefully.

There may be a need for an agency that delivers to the traveling needs of married couples who look for a destination adventure honeymoon. Think about such growing travel needs of people in your area and provide them with exceptional services. Overall, you should do something very unique to make a good name for your travel agency in a competitive travel market.

When you start an online travel agency, primarily a travel agency, you should think of using a host agency. A host agency is beneficial when you are searching for a low startup cost and high commissions.

You will get all the administrative support from the agency. But if you are an experienced agent who already has built relationships with the suppliers, then you can go for own accreditation.

Most of the customers and clients are ones who mainly wants to travel to another country. Even though there are domestic agencies, the market is really in international travel these days.

The types of clients an agency might serve to depend entirely on the current market place. Client needs differ from simple vacations to corporate retreats to medical tourism.

Commissions are the way in which traveling agencies have traditionally made the majority of their income. Airlines and hotels would pay agencies a certain fee for utilizing their companies when booking for a client.

With the recent proliferation of the booking system, these businesses are more accessible to consumers and no longer rely on travel agencies to promote their services.

Due to this, airlines and hotels have severely stopped paying travel agencies commissions. As a result, travel agencies have been forced to adapt, focusing less on simple bookings and more on navigating complex itineraries and the legalities of traveling in specific regions or countries.

They have shifted to charging flat rates for reservations and hourly rates for consulting services related to planning travels and navigating legalities. You need to understand the basics. Digital travel now is at the center of the new-age travel industry. So with an only-offline model, you won’t be able to exist for long.

 

How Do Online Travel Agencies Work?

 

Offline travel agencies have seen a huge slowdown in their businesses. So, you need to research the market and first find out who’s your target market. And at the same time, you need to make sure you are available everywhere. If you wish to start with a niche, it won’t be a huge investment.

Having an offline facility will definitely add up to the cost. But in case you wish to start with an exclusive online travel agency, this will help you keep down operational costs.

The requirement of finance will completely depend upon what type of an agency or traveling business you want to run. A brick and mortar agency will require a more massive loan from banks. But an online travel agency can be run with a smaller fund requirement due to low overhead expenses.

However, in both cases, know how you will obtain funding. You need financial help for developing and designing marketing materials like professional webpage design. You need websites for online and offline businesses. Then, funding will be required to source for materials like flyers, business cards, and many more.

Remember that consistent cash flow is essential to meet some unexpected expenses. After you know your niche very well and have a funding strategy in mind, it is now important that you think of creating a brand image.

This is very important as the travel industry is competitive. Your business must stand out. Branding is all about the way you want to make your clients feel about your travel brand.

Traditional retail travel agencies are still an option but during recent changes in the industry (airlines no longer pay commission to travel agents for booking flights) have seen a rise in home-based travel businesses spreading all over South Africa. Many successful small travel agencies or home bases businesses focus on a particular area of the industry.

One of the first requirements to have an excellent brand image is a logo. So, your travel agency’s logo design must be very unique that should clearly stand out from many other logos of similar businesses.

Your target audience will view your logo everywhere on your advertisements, brochures, webpages, etc. Since not many people know your online travel agency, you need to make them aware of who you are and what services you offer.

The only way to make sure it is to launch an aggressive advertisement campaign. Its advantage for your business is that a massive number of people will come to know about your travel agency’s services immediately.

Always keep a brochure ready on your online website. Put the brochure on your webpages so that your visitors can download it to know more about the services of your travel agencies.

To develop a brochure that stands out from your competitors, get some brochure design inspiration by having a look at great brochures of other established businesses.

Also, use email marketing, newspaper ads, and other advertisement means to promote your company. Skills of the people are important because developing a successful travel agency in today’s online-driven marketplace means building relationships with clients to ensure repeat custom.

You’ll need to be driven by good customer service and prepared to go the extra mile at all times, regardless of how you’re feeling that day. You don’t need any trainings to become an online agent; practical experience will help so you could gain more experience working in another travel agency before you start up on your own.

You may also find that customer service courses help as they help you develop the skills necessary to build rapport with customers. Travel agents must provide a bond to clients to reimburse any money paid should the company go into administration. This is a legal requirement and must be arranged with either an insurance company or bank.

Joining a trade association is a very wise move – it adds credibility to your business and you’ll find it hard to deal with suppliers and clients without it. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is the most well-known, but also the most expensive, and it c Start-up costs vary but it’s difficult to start a travel agency on a budget because there are costs which can’t be avoided.

Even if you start from home, taking bookings by phone, you’ll need a decent booking system and will need to pay for association membership. There are many things you should get right to successfully run a travel agency.

 

Here are some of them:

 

• Develop favorable relationships and rates with airlines, cruise lines, hotels, and tour operators

• Gain access to favorable discounts open only to established travel agents

• Pay close attention to what sells and ensure your marketing materials reflect your findings

• Understand the most profitable way to sell holidays to your customers e.g. separate airline and hotel, or re-sell a package from another provider

• Pay attention to market trends so you can set the pace e.g. be aware of the best domestic locations if consumers are feeling the pinch.

 

What Are The Benefits Of Partnering With Online Travel Agencies?

 

Businesses are not just built with the help of some marketing campaigns. They are created by building a strong bond with the customers. A solid base of relationships with your satisfied clients and potential clients is the key to run your travel company successfully.

So, even if you have developed some great marketing materials such as flyers with some flyer design ideas to advertise your agency. It’s not enough. Customers want to have some trust in a travel agency first which is an important factor as the agency will be sending them to a place for vacation.

If you have the trust of your clients in your travel services, they will become your loyal customers. You should also engage customers with your business. A way to make sure it is to ask the satisfied customers to share their travel experiences with your audience using your travel website. Ask them to leave their photographs from their journey.

People can see these photos to get inspiration. Blogging is a powerful means of reaching out to people. You can start a blog that contains useful information related to travel and tourism.

One of the main advantages of blogging is that it can show you as an expert on issues faced by the travel industry and business. But write on the problems that your potential customers usually face while traveling.

This a good way to build a strong brand image for your travel agency. You should help your customers in understanding the issues and give them the right solutions.

Another one method to engage potential customers with your online travel business is to invite them to review your services. There are plenty of review sites.

People visit these sites to know the inside story of a business. But if you can provide space on your own website for reviewing your site, your prospective buyers will appreciate it.

Another reliable way to have an insight into your travel niche and also to promote the business is to be a regular visitor to the trade shows and events organized in your town. These shows and functions have not only the crowd but also influential experts from the industry. A little chat with them can give a boost to your online travel agency.

Most importantly, you have an audience of potential clients present in the trade shows and events. Take advantage of this to promote your business.

For example, you can use stickers to market and promote your brand. You can hand out stickers free at the events and shows to give people something to talk about your new business. However, make it sure that your logo design is unique and makes an excellent impression on the potential customers of your services.

There are thousands of websites in any industry and business field on the web. Your new online travel agency also has competition from tons of sites from similar agencies.

People use search engines like Google to find out travel agency services. They are likely to click on the agency site links that they see in the first few search results or the first page. So, if your website does not appear on the top search rankings, you will lose track of them. 

Social media is not just a medium to connect with friends and family, but a powerful medium to start and operate your online travel agency. You can make good use of Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms as a communication tool.

Use this tool as your marketing platform. Tell your customers about the new services, reduction in prices, new packages, etc. You should also add videos, photos, and other content on your social media page.

Also, invite people to share their tour experiences on your pages. So, these are the key points to consider when you are planning to start your online travel agency.

There are many other tips, but these are the necessary things to keep in mind. It is required to have a lot of marketing material including a logo, brochure, business card, etc. for business promotion.

You can crowdsource your design requirements to Travelopro, which is a leading platform which helps you build a travel agency. Use this site to build a travel agency of your own at an affordable price.

When planning your online travel agency, make sure that you know your niche. Study the travel industry, business, and market thoroughly to find out which niche will attract customers.

Use your website, social media, and other tools for business promotion. Engage with your potential customers and interact with them wherever you possibly can. We at Travelopro has got very advanced working professionals with years of experience to help you build the best online travel agency.