How a new Travel Agency can compete in the Market (2023)

In every business there are always few big players that dominate the overall market. It is never easy to beat them. The big players have spend millions on marketing campaigns already and offer exclusive things to their loyal customers so its just not possible to enter market  one day and win it the next day.

Like every other business same are the dynamics in travel business and whether you like it or not these are the trends every new travel agent has to face. When you start your own travel agency you have to fight with all this, with all that you have and it needs patience.

Over the past few decades the digital travel sales have increased. When you start with your new travel agency you will have many new and many already established competitors. Not to forget this point that people normally prefer the old brands and agencies. So it is definitely going to be a tough job for a new travel agent to get noticed in the crowded market.

Whenever travelers want to plan out their vacation they simply hit the search engine and it is always tilted towards the big players of the market because they have investing in it from long. The search engine always get directed towards the old one so how can you get them directed towards you? What can you do to catch the vacationers and travelers attention? 

There are always some winning strategies to cope up with such situations – let us help the new travel agents with some strategies that can help them compete with the big players and stand on their feet.

Branding

It is more important than you can even imagine. It is important for every type of business. Before going in the market practically it is really important to create a perception of yourself and the services you offer. Effective way to create a positive perception and win customers is through high quality visuals – impressive logo design above everything else.

After brand logo, the business cards newsletters, brochures, itineraries and everything else should have a brand consistency. It is through these things that you gain peoples interest and you convey your brands message positively. A good branding exercise is a must!

Loyalty program for the customers

Whenever someone gets in touch with you it is your job to engage them on any pretext and develop their interest. The more you involve them the more they become friendly and comfortable with you. It is really important for you to gain their trust. Send them offers, discount plans or general information of their interest. Being active travel agent you should not only connect with your customers before their trip but it is more important for you to connect with them after their trip.

Connect with them after a few days of their trip and get the feedback so that you can fill in the gaps next time and also that they feel you are concerned. This is what will bring them back to you for their next trip. Don’t just leave your customers. Unforeseen events can happen in any event, if anything like that happens, be very apologetic towards your customers. Happy customers bring you referrals and referrals are like backbone to any travel agent.

Have a custom – easy to use CRM

Customer relationship management software that is user friendly and cost effective is a must for any entering travel agent in the market. There many many benefits of good CRM software for your business. Good CRM will help you run your newly established office in a very organized manner with very less staff.

It will help you manage you office work from anywhere anytime thus improving your efficiency towards your customers. The more satisfied your customers are the more you are close to your success. One of the best custom travel CRM software are being offered by PHP travels – Check their offerings and subscription plan as per your need and give it a try.

Enter as “low price travel agent”

In the market most of the big players who are already big brands, they charge huge amounts for their services. They charge their commission matching their big brand names. Being a new travel agent if you want to compete with the big players you should enter with lower price range and by keeping your margin very low and gradually you can increase your margins. This is what any travel agency does.

Your lower price creates your positive impression on your customers mind by remembering you as “low price travel agent”. This strategy makes you win many customers specially those who are planning travels in certain budget and have limitations. Whenever they will have a need they will contact you. 

Offer something unique

You travel plans should be better than the big players. They should have better design, impressive itinerary and have some free goodies. Such exclusive things will help you stand out in the market. While offering exclusivity and better design, you should not compromise on your margin, which is already kept very low being a new travel agent.

Whenever customers are looking for a travel plan they always get hands on multiple travel plans from various travel agents and then they compare them before deciding one. So your research on plan and its design is really important. On the basis of your travel plan design you are being judged – it needs to be amazing. 

Find your niche

Travel niche means to be specialized in certain demographic area. By finding your niche it means to be very clear about what you are selling. You should never try to sell anything that you are not very sure about. So before selling anything you need to do proper research, know the products you sell inside out and then decide on what destinations and products you are selling.

For example, if you want to excel at holiday plans – stick to it – that is your niche – don’t try destination wedding with new client. One single travel agency can not offer everything. Every successful travel agency is limited to certain niches. “We do not sell travel. We sell our knowledge, experience, and service; and we then provide travel,” said Geoff Millar at Ultimate All Inclusive Travel Inc.

In order to be a successful travel company it is important to develop your business in a specific niche market. The more unique your travel niche is, the more better. “Sell what you know and stay away from what you don’t,” said Lindsay Foerster of Foerster Travel Inc. 

Instead of offering services for several destinations, you should focus on a few destinations only. Over the time you will become specialist on your niche and will develop your strong network on those destinations. If you do this Soon you will be drawing buyers.

Follow these strategies and go win the travel markets!