Strategies for Boosting Sales in the Travel Agency Industry

Growing sales in a tour/travel company is the number one emphasis for any travel agency. However, with the sporadic emergence of new tour/travel agencies each day, competition in this lucrative industry is proving bumpy and overflowing. Each one of these agencies is brushing shoulders for their piece of the cake, with each one trying to outdo the others. Regrettably, a good number of them drift away from the focus while struggling to get their fair share of clients and, instead of engaging new travelers, they overlook those they are serving. To avert this, here are a few guidelines to keep the customer in focus and accelerate sales in your tour/travel agency as you build a reputation that will help you book more trips.

Understanding the Role of Online Travel Agents

Travel agents and OTA’s (Online Travel Agents) are intermediaries in the hospitality industry. The role of these traders is to promote hotels, airlines, and other components of the hospitality industry to their clients. A strong relationship with these intermediaries will ensure that your enterprise is highlighted to their clientele, thus increasing sales. For hotels and airlines, agents allow them to be present in key geographical areas without the costs of HR and infrastructure, but on a commission-able basis, with some agents receiving a monthly retainer. The terms are finalized after discussions.

Today, in the IT age, it's the OTA's who have the clout. As all of us reach out to them to simplify the process of booking air/rail/bus journeys and hotels, an enterprise with expertise in this can save us significant costs in terms of time, energy, and money in trying to locate and organize all the logistics.

Ensuring Best Customer Service and Modern Marketing Techniques

A successful travel agency must ensure the best customer service levels, keeping in mind the competitive environment of this industry. To be successful, an agency needs to cover the following elements:

Acquiring New Accounts/clients: Having a dedicated team for corporate accounts is always beneficial. Sustaining and Servicing Existing Clients: A proactive and aggressive team to manage customer track records like previous travel history, vacations, and other personal traits will be of great help in managing client engagement. Designing Local and International Holiday Packages: This is always helpful in attracting groups and families. A diverse range of vacation packages can appeal to a wider audience. Digital Marketing: With most travel bookings and ticketing trending towards the online platform, having an aggressive digital publicity campaign would be of great advantage. Consider using SEO campaigns with Google, Facebook ads, and active social media presence on platforms like Instagram, Quora, and Twitter. Sharing the website's back-links on various platforms will also help in generating leads.

Conclusion

Staying focused on customer satisfaction and utilizing modern marketing techniques can significantly boost sales for travel agencies. By building customer loyalty and leveraging digital tools, travel agencies can carve a niche for themselves in a highly competitive market. Stay ahead of the game and focus on providing exceptional service and creating memorable travel experiences for your clients.