How to Start a Travel Agency in 2019

If you had said you were planning to start a travel agency in 1989, you would have been entering a bustling market with plenty of opportunities. However, it’s a completely different story 30 years later. Travel agencies have been usurped by major booking sites like Expedia and Priceline, so there seems to be no room for smaller agencies today.

But there is still a small niche you may be able to squeeze into if you want to start a travel agency in 2019. You just have to know how to navigate the current landscape.

Choose the Right Niche

Not all niches in the travel market will be successful—if you’re looking to do an online booking agency, for example, you’re probably going to struggle, due to the hundreds of prominent booking agencies that already exist online.  

This is where market research comes in. Do your best to find a gap in the travel industry that’s not currently being addressed. Read forums, for example, to find complaints from individuals who are struggling to book their own travel. You might find that honeymooners are struggling to find affordable romantic getaways or that business people need a better way to book work travel.

One of the best ways to establish a niche is to choose a destination to specialize in, such as the Caribbean or Western Europe. This gives you a super targeted niche that will help you stand out against agencies that cover all travel opportunities, which can be overwhelming to your target clientele.

There’s a niche out there—you just need to find it and fill it.

Handle the Startup Details

Once you’ve chosen a market that you’re confident will succeed, it’s time to start your business. This will require financing, insurance, licensing, office space (if applicable) and a business plan. Be precise with these details as mistakes can create huge, expensive problems down the road.

You might consider seeking the help of a business consultant at the beginning. With such a competitive market, you can’t afford to make mistakes when starting out. It will be well worth the expense to have a professional help you plan your business.

Use Branding to Get Your Name Out There

Here comes the most prominent challenge of starting a travel agency in 2019: getting your name out there. Many of your target clientele will be unaware that a travel agency of your caliber even exists, so although they might be interested in what you have to offer, it does you little good if they can’t find you.

It all starts with creating a strong brand. You’ll need a catchy business name, a logo, a website, social media pages, and other features that will give your company the opportunity for a strong online presence.

Then, put your best marketing foot forward. You’ll want a combination of online and print advertising, regardless of whether you’re an online business or a brick and mortar business. Social media, particularly Instagram, is a great place to start. You can advertise affordably and gain a strong following as long as you post consistently and understand your target audience.

Attend Trade Shows

You’ll likely have great success when presenting your new business at a travel trade show. Thousands of people attend these trade shows in search of exciting destinations, more affordable travel, deals, and vacation packages.

Since you’re competing against big-name brands, you need a way to stand out. Start with your booth. A customized canopy with your logo on top will make it easy for people to see your booth from across the hall. You’ll also want to offer giveaways or a game that will attract people to your booth so they can learn more about your organization.

Even if you don’t sell anything at these trade shows, it will create brand permanence so that the next time a customer is ready to buy a service you offer, they’ll think of you.

Work Alongside Major Booking Sites

There’s no way that your service will instantly become more popular than major booking sites. You might be able to grow it to that level, but for the time being, these organizations are not your direct competitors. So, instead of working to beat these companies, work with them.

Offer a super-specific niche that these companies won’t see as threatening. Then, try to integrate their services into your own. For example, you might not offer flight or hotel bookings. Instead, you only offer packages of activities to do while you’re in a certain destination. You can direct customers to visit another booking site like Hotels.com or CheapOAir.com to finish their package.

They aren’t in direct competition with you and recognizing these sites that people are familiar with can make your brand seem more authoritative. You might find that working with these booking sites is what carries your business to success.