You travel a lot, is it to run work errands or intentionally want to enjoy a vacation? With these various activities, of course, you see an opportunity that can be used according to your passion, namely traveling. One such opportunity is to become a travel agent. The question now is "How To Start A Travel Agency?".

Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has subsided, it has indeed made people want to enjoy travel, and for those who do not want to be busy with things related to accommodation constraints, using other parties is the solution.

how-to-start-a-travel-agency
(Photo: handy.de)

It can be recognized that the existence of a travel agent, will help a country's economy because it has an important role in the tourism industry. With the existence of a travel agent, of course, it can help tourists to make vacation plans.

What is the Difference Between Travel Agencies and Travel Agents

Before discussing how to start a travel agent business, knowing what a travel agent is is important to understand.

Travel agents are business activities that organize trips where they are engaged as intermediaries in selling and taking care of services.

Also read: Travel Agency Boston.

It should be understood that this travel agency is very different from a travel agency because so far there are still many people who equate travel agencies with this travel agency.

The main difference between the two lies in the business license, including:

  • Travel agencies have permits with a wide scope including the sale of tour services, tour planning, and tour service operators who move by service contracts made based on agreed programs or listed on the brochure of the tour package product.
  • Travel agents only obtain permission to act as retailers of various tourism products (services) that have been mandated or based on designated agencies.

From this, it can be seen that it turns out that travel agents only function as intermediaries or only as organizers and travel agencies have the task of providing all information related to the world of tourism especially tourism itself.

How To Start Your Own Company As A Travel Agent

Having a passion in the field pursued is certainly a fun thing. What about travel agents?

From the various information obtained, it turns out, that anyone can start a travel agent business even with minimal capital, this is also due to making their travel agent very simple and practical.

The key to success in opening a travel agency is to be diligent and brave to face challenges.

There are several steps to build a travel agent, including:

1. Make a Travel Agent Name, Profile and Business License

The first step to building a travel agent is to make the name simple and easy to remember and recognize. This name usually consists of only one or two simple but meaningful words. You can take the name from the term traveling and even tourist attractions.

Make this business profile like a business proposal that you will offer to clients. Fill it with vision and mission information, images, to business advantages. Finally, just register a business in licensing to avoid legal problems.

2. Determine Business Focus

In this case, you can start focusing your business on local tourism in the United States itself, after progressing you can develop it just by stepping into international tourism access. This is the business focus that you must make at the beginning so that it is easy to determine the destination and map the tour package later.

It also doesn't hurt if you want to focus on direct business for local and international tours. As long as the business network is adequate and you are ready to make more tour packages, it certainly doesn't matter.

Having this business focus will also make it easier for you to design a business profile. Business focus can determine the vision and mission of your business.

3. Create an Attractive Tour Package

A travel business is a business that has products in the form of services, namely tour packages. Of course, this product must be made complete and as attractive as possible. How to determine this tour package can be adjusted to the network you already have.

There is nothing wrong if you also make a group tour package of up to 10 people more. Just make sure in this tour package all activities attract attention and are often the target of travelers.

4. Make Attractive Travel Promos  

The secret of a successful travel agent business is known to travel lovers, the way that can be done is through promotion. As a new business, you must be able to attract the attention of consumers through attractive holiday promos that are not inferior to competitors.

Starting from discount promos, and free ticket management to cashback promos if you buy a package within a certain period. You can apply all kinds of promos to introduce your business to the public.

5. Business Marketing

Tour packages and promos have been made, the next is to consider the marketing strategy. With the presence of the internet, everything can be easy including advertising. In marketing tour packages and promos, you can rely on social media and other online media.

Advertise, create accounts, websites, and much more which makes it easier for people to get information related to your business. You could say How to create your successful travel agent depends on the marketing strategy applied.

6. Provide Optimal Service

Services are the main products you offer, therefore the services provided must be optimal. Starting from consumers ordering or wanting to get information about packages. Service while running a vacation until the service after the tour is over.

7. Add Business Network

You do create your own travel business, but in the process, it cannot be separated from the help of others. How to create your successful travel agent is to expand business networks or cooperation.

Don't forget that travel agents also need connections to transportation rental services, lodging, to networks to tourist attraction managers. The more networks, the more information related to traveling services you can get faster.

That's a little information about "How To Start A Travel Agency". Hopefully, this information is more or less useful for those of you who want to know how to start a travel agent business.