6 Ways To Grow Your Travel Business
Chances are you became a travel agent because you love to travel and you have always been the “go to” person to plan vacations for your family and friends. You thought, “why not make some money doing this since I’m always doing it for free?” and the excitement of exploring new destinations pulled you in. If you look at it from that lens, we really do have the best job in the world.
Little did you know that becoming a Travel Advisor means you wear MANY different hats, some of which might not fit so well. You just want to plan fun vacations, but find yourself having to be a marketing expert, a sales whiz, an accountant, a therapist…the list goes on. As you get busier, it becomes more difficult to master all of these things to actually grow your business and generate a sustainable income. Sigh…that’s a lot!
Good news is if you focus on a few key things to grow your travel business, not only will you see more zeros in your bank account, but you will also find that you have more time on your hands in the long run. Let’s take a look at a few ways to do that…
Build a Strong Online Presence
Having a strong presence online is essential to being visible to your audience. Most importantly is a professional website to direct your clients to. You want somewhere to showcase your services, highlight testimonials and provide valuable information to your target audience. Keep it simple, clean and easy to navigate.
Having a social media presence will help you share the content on your website to a larger audience, increase visibility and attract potential customers. Pick one or two platforms to focus on and keep it simple. Also utilize a variety of digital marketing strategies, such as email marketing, social media advertising, and search engine optimization, to reach a wider audience and attract more clients.
Offer Unique & Personalized Services
Set yourself apart from the online booking agents and focus on the unique value you provide to your clients. Travelers love personalized experiences, customized itineraries and insider knowledge about their destinations that only you can provide. Take the time to build a relationship and get to know your clients so you can make each trip distinctive to them.
Attend Travel Industry Events
These are a great way to network with other professionals and learn about new trends, products and opportunities in the industry. This also shows your clients that you are taking the time to expand your knowledge of the industry and bring them the most up to date information. While there, share your experience on social media to connect with suppliers and generate buzz around the latest travel trends and hot destinations.
Build Relationships
This business is all about relationships! Developing relationships with suppliers will help you negotiate better pricing, create packages and get exclusive deals for your clients. When the suppliers and BDMs know who you are, they are more likely to work with you on any specific requests your clients may have or invite you to collaborate on upcoming projects and events.
Building strong relationships with your clients is important to develop trust so they come back to you again for future vacations and also refer you to everyone they know. Do this by providing excellent customer service, following up after trips and going above and beyond all expectations. Having a loyal customer base is key to growing your business.
Leverage Reviews & Testimonials
Positive reviews are GOLD and can build trust and credibility with potential customers. After your clients return home, follow up with them asking for a review with photos of their vacation. You can then use this on your website and social media to show potential customers how great your services are. Make it easy for them by giving them some prompts to answer or an easy form to fill out. Also encourage your clients to leave reviews on popular review sites such as Google or with your consortia.
Charge Service Fees
This is an easy way to bring in more revenue to your business and establish your value as a Travel Advisor. Changes are you offer a wide variety of services outside of simply booking travel packages for your clients. You act as a personal concierge providing insights on destinations, recommendations for excursions and dinging and developing customized itineraries. All of this takes a lot of time and effort, which is why you should be compensated for your services.
Overall, growing a travel agency business requires a combination of strategic planning, marketing, and exceptional customer service. By implementing these strategies, travel agents can increase their visibility and attract new customers, while also building loyalty and repeat business from existing customers.
what do you need to grow your travel business?
We are all at different places in our businesses and each have unique needs to grow to the next level. Take this short quiz to find out what’s the next best step for you to take to grow your business!
I’m Sarah McGovern, a Travel Advisor, business owner and mom based in Connecticut. When I’m not traveling or hanging out with my family, I’m helping other families create meaningful connections through travel. I have developed systems and tools to build my business and now I want to help others do the same. I’m on a mission to empower other Travel Advisors to grow their business with simple strategies and strengthen the travel industry overall.
free masterclass coming in april 2023
This valuable masterclass will give to the tools to:
Understand Your Value as a Travel Advisor
Attract Your Ideal Clients
Get Comfortable With Rejection
Develop a Solid Client Onboarding Strategy
Create Daily Habits to Improve Confidence
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! You don’t want to miss it!
