If you’re someone who loves travel, meticulous planning, and helping others have great experiences, consider becoming a travel agent and starting your own business.
Becoming a travel agent can be fairly inexpensive, as business ventures go, and you can often get away with limited staff and little upfront cost. That being said, success largely depends on finding the right niche in a fiercely competitive market, given the rise in online direct to consumer travel booking sites. So, if you want to be successful, you’ll want to focus a lot of your effort into your market research, branding, and marketing. You’ll need to know who needs your services—your target market—and what they’ll be willing to pay. If this sounds right up your alley, keep reading. I’ve interviewed several founders of successful travel agencies for their advice on everything you need to get started, and I’ve also included plenty of links and resources to help you work through the process of starting your own travel business. Step 1: Create a plan for your travel business Make no mistake: No matter what industry you’re in, a business plan is essential. You may not need a formal business plan if you’re not seeking a loan or investment funding for your business, but don’t skip it. Write a Lean Business Plan instead. You can do it in less than an hour. Writing a business plan is scientifically proven to help you grow faster, so don’t skip this step. Step 2: Conduct market research and find your niche What kind of travel agency do you plan on starting? Moreover, what kind of travel business does the industry or your local community actually need? “When you launch a travel business, the most important thing to do is to provide a valuable service,” says Jacquie Whitt, owner of Adios Adventure Travel. Step 3: Develop a brand as a travel agent Once you’ve determined what the market looks like and what specific niche you’ll be filling, it’s important to get down to the nitty-gritty of creating a strong brand image. As the travel industry is so competitive, having a well-developed brand will help your business stand out. How do you want your customers to feel when they visit your website, view your advertising, or use your services? Step 4: Deal with the legal side A travel business is, for the most part, a fairly simple one to set up. Unlike starting a brewery or starting a dispensary, there isn’t a lot of legal red tape when it comes to becoming a travel agent and starting a travel business. Determining if you’ll require licensing In most locations, you won’t need any specific licenses or certifications, but licensing requirements will vary by state and country. Step 5: Determine your funding strategy How do you plan to fund your new travel business? Luckily, your starting costs should be fairly low: You won’t have expensive equipment to buy, and you probably won’t need extensive space in the beginning. If you’re hoping to become a travel agent working out of your own home, you may not even need office space at all. Step 6: Choose a location and hire employees Next, you’ll want to make a plan for the logistics of opening your travel business to the public. If you’re starting a travel agency and require office space, this section will likely be more relevant than if you plan to work as a travel agent out of your home. How many employees will you need to hire? You may not need any to start, until you decide to expand your operations. Step 7: Market and launch your travel business Marketing will likely be where the majority of your initial funding budget goes, as it’s an important area to focus on when becoming a travel agent and starting a travel business. In fact, it’s a good idea to come up with a marketing plan as soon as possible. Know more travel agency business visit : http://www.travelbookingagent.in/
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There are many reasons why a career in the travel industry can be fulfilling, rewarding and fun.
Here are our Top 10: 1. You Have Always Wanted to Travel – Now is the time to start! You can see the world. Take time to study destinations, learn about cruise lines and tour operators, hotels & resorts and then put it to work for yourself. Take advantage of travel agent discounts, upgrades and perks when you travel. 2. You have a passion for travel – If you are already fortunate enough to have the lifestyle and freedom to travel, what better way to continue but with far less cost to you. Travel agents are provided intriguing travel opportunities at discounted rates so you can continue to travel but also increase the number of trips you take and expand the types and number of destinations you explore. 3 You are already helping your friends and family with their travel planning – We estimate that at least 50% of the new home-based travel agents who join the Prestige Agent Network are ‘pied pipers’ for their group of friends and family members. So many possibilities – family reunions, weddings, class reunions, graduation cruises, honeymoons, family vacations and get togethers! It is always more fun traveling with those you know so why not make money for your efforts, too! 4. You are interested in applying your social media and technology skills to a fun business – Gain a competitive advantage by promoting your travel business with a savvy technical approach and a hands-on, personal social media marketing campaign. Are you on Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Pinterest? LinkedIn? The list goes on and on. Most people out there are on as many as 30 different social media platforms and the point is we are all using social media. If you are good at this, you can do well. If you don’t know social media, there are many ways to learn about it. 5. You are seeking new opportunities for growth and enjoyment – Feeling a bit bored with your usual routine and lifestyle? Looking for a new passion and reason to get excited and motivated? Travel may be the answer as it will broaden your horizons and your view of the world while inspiring you to live a more fulfilled life. 6. You are tired of your 9 to 5 job – Developing your home-based business as a travel agent with Prestige Travel Network can provide you the option of saying good-bye to the drudgery of your 9 to 5 job. Set your own hours, work at your own pace and be your own boss. The fact that you can make your decisions, mistakes and successes is very rewarding compared to having your work life dictated by someone else. 7. You would like to earn additional income – Whether you are working at a full-time or part-time job or perhaps you are taking a break from the work force, becoming a travel agent can be a rewarding and profitable home-based business. You research travel, work with your friends and other travelers you know, you book their travel and then you wait for your monthly commission checks to start flowing in. 8. You enjoy people and would like to expand your own personal network – If you are social, genuinely enjoy talking with people, and more importantly, place value on your services and knowledge, you will be admired and much appreciated by your clients. You will meet and speak with all types of people and learn to make the perfect ‘connection’ so you can guide them to the best vacation offers. If your clients are happy you will be happy as well! 9. You have time on your hands and you want to fill the void with a rewarding activity – Maybe you are out of work temporarily, on short or long-term disability, you just had a baby, you are recovering from surgery, or you are in-between jobs and you can’t stand sitting at home all day on the sofa….you are getting bored! It would be a perfect time to learn about becoming a home-based travel agent and start reaching out to your friends & family to offer your advice, services and travel planning expertise. 10. You want a home-based business which is relatively easy to develop and grow – It’s easy to find customers. Customers are the most important asset of any business and getting them is a challenge many small businesses face, however, when you own your own home-based travel business the world-at-large is your customer base. This makes finding customers infinitely easier than in other types of businesses. You can develop clientele without ever meeting your customers face-to-face! You can take reservations from local customers, from national customers, and from international customers. And, you can do it any time of the day or night. Do drop us a email with your/company profile to [email protected] For Agent / Distributorship : Call Us : +91 9540-06-22-44 Visit website: http://www.travelbookingagent.in/ Are you interested in starting a travel agency online for FREE? If YES, here is a complete guide to starting a travel agency from home with NO money and no experience.
Okay, so we have provided you an in-depth sample travel agency business plan template. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample travel agency marketing plan backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for travel agencies. In this article, we will be considering all the requirements needed to become a travel agent and start a travel agency. So put on your entrepreneurial hat and let’s proceed. All over the globe finding a reliable means of transportation has been a thing of importance. It is no wonder that the government of the United States of America have continued to work at having a top notch transport system for its citizens. The travels and tourism industry of which travel agencies belong to is a big and profitable industry in the United States of America and of course all across the globe. The travels and tourism industry provide jobs directly and indirectly to countless numbers of entrepreneurs all over the globe. The opportunities that is available in the industry cuts across service deliveries and product sales et al. One thing is certain, it is a fact that the travels and tourism industry is not all about tourists but also about all those who travel from one country to another, from one city to another for various purposes and with the help of traveling agencies. This is why any investor or entrepreneur who is looking towards starting a business in the travels and tourism industry should consider starting a travel agency. Know more details visit : http://www.travelbookingagent.in/ If you set up a travel agency you can look forward to do some brisk business. It offers you good money and a secure future. With an increasingly well-off middle class, the country is witnessing a sudden spurt in tourism activities. As the saying goes, you need to make hay when the sun shines; the time is ripe for you to venture into this business in India.
However to do travel business in India, you need to know the ropes well. Setting up and running a profitable – travel agency has become more challenging and competitive. You need to be very good at marketing. Initially success is hard to come by, but you should bide for your time. A good business plan can help you overcome one obstacle after the other. You can become a recognized travel agent all over the world only if are a member IATA. As a member you have more access to inside information. How to Start Online Travel Business? If you start online travel business, you need to fill up business licenses as required by the government. You must have your own site where people can book flights, cruise trips and even hotels. Unless you promote your site aggressively it may not catch the attention of people. Always specialize in a particular category of travel. This will assure you niche customers. Some such categories include business and corporate travel, honeymoon travel or start adventure travel business only. Investment you need to start your Own Travel Business Like any other business ventures, you will need finance to start your business. An accountant can help you draw a business plan to help you get a loan. You need to approach banks with a credible business plan. You may need the help of a realtor if you tend to lease office space for your venture. What is a Host Travel Agency? How to become an Independent Travel Agent? You also have the option to work independently, but for one of the big agencies. The agency for which you work is known as a ‘host agency’. Here you put in efforts for yourself, but use their facilities like office space, copier machines and fax. You also use their client lists. You would need to pay them ‘rent’ or a commission for every sale you make on your own. This kind of travel business entails less risk. Travelbookingagent.in help you to start online travel agency business with high commission on sale our products and services. Know more details visit our website: - http://www.travelbookingagent.in/ Online Agents strives to give travelers the opportunity to see “the India that Indians know.” And that opportunity starts by offering TBA customers cheap flights to India at better rates than competitors. As the premier TBA agent, providing cheap India flights is our forte. Online Agents having ten years of experience in flight booking’s so it comes as no surprise that his international travel agency specializes in offering the best prices on cheap flights to India, By offering business fares and vacation packages attractive to today’s travelers to India, Online Agents ties to businesses in India companies and International companies too. India is a destination that attracts a variety of travelers, particularly those with a deep sense of spirituality. Online Agents offers special packages and cheap India flights for yoga and meditation vacations. Light-hearted travelers may be interested in exclusive Bollywood packages that take customers behind the scenes at a Bollywood extravaganza filming. Or, perhaps you want to find the best Indian tailor when you arrive in India? After you book your cheap airline tickets to India, ask our Online agent for recommendations. Air India Jet Airways SpiceJet Indigo Airlines Go Air Air Deccan Indian Airlines Jagson Airline Jet Airways Konnect Paramount Airways JetLite MDLR Airlines Air Sahara Alliance Air Aeroflot Airline Ethiopian Airlines Singapore Airlines Air Astana Etihad Airways South African Airways Air Canada Gulf Air SriLankan Airlines Air France Iran Air Swiss International Airlines Air Mauritius Japan Airline (JAL) Syrian Arab Airlines Know more visit our website: http://www.travelbookingagent.in/ BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT OR DISTRIBUTOR Open Your Own Travel Agency, you can book air , rail ,bus, hotel,mobile recharge and holiday packages from us and you will get commission without investment and efforts. India's Fastest growing online Travel portal to provide unique agent & distributor module website that enables an entrepreneur to became a full fledged travel agents overnight. Do drop us a email with your/company profile to [email protected] For Agent / Distributorship : Call : +91 9540-10-22-44 TRAVEL AGENT Travel Booking Agent.in invites Travel Agents everywhere in India. As a Indiafly.com agent, you get following benefits apart from our services. 1. Wide range of services ensuring decent & growing income 2. Future oriented business ensuring sustainable business 3. Relationship Building with your clients 4. Opportunity to spread your business within your city and state 5. Ethical business promises and good technical support 6. Local support by Distributor & indiafly.com advertisements. DISTRIBUTORS TBA invites distributors everywhere in India. We are looking to appoint exclusive distributors at district level across India to expand its channel network with Indiafly.com support. As a TravelBooking Agent.in distributor , you get following benefits apart from our services. 1. Wide range of services ensuring decent & growing income 2. Future oriented business ensuring sustainable business 3. Opportunity to spread and scale up your business 4. Ethical business promises and good technical support 5. Panel to manage your travel agents and provide instant balance 6. Flexibility in managing agency accounts ROLE OF DISTRIBUTORS As a distributor, your role will be to appoint travel agents in all the city, town and village areas falling in the assigned district. Distributor will also be providing fund limit in agents’ user IDs maintained by TBA. Besides it, Distributors will also be promoting various services & ventures of TBA. Contact for Business opportunity for Travel Agent / Distributorship [email protected] Please include company profile. |