Travel is one of the great joys in life; if traveling is your passion, consider expanding it with a travel business venture.

Selling yourself is key in any business, but especially so in travel. Crafting an elevator pitch can help create lasting impressions, capture attention and secure repeat business.

Identifying Your Niche

Establishing your travel niche (like spiritual travel) involves investigating various areas of expertise within the industry. It is key that you find a niche that aligns with both your passions and market demands.

Travel niches range from selling “before you die” experiences, arranging tours of botanical gardens and international garden shows, plumeria collecting in Thailand and farm stays as well as planning family vacations.

Once you’ve identified a potential niche, it’s advisable to research its viability by talking to people in the industry, attending relevant events and joining online communities in order to gauge interest. You should also evaluate whether its financial viability and growth prospects match up.

Example: An eco-tourism niche tour operator could be lucrative since it aligns with long-term sustainability trends, while luxury travel niches may attract high-yield clients who prefer staying in luxury vacation villa rental properties and five star hotels. You should also consider getting a crime rate travel report regularly so you can properly inform your clients about their potential destinations.

Getting Started

Establishing a travel agency requires extensive work. First, you must select your type of agency: whether it be traditional brick-and-mortar with an impressive downtown location or online travel services.

Determine whether you will run your business as a sole proprietorship or LLC. A sole proprietorship can be easily created with minimal expense; however, any debts or obligations accrued will fall on you personally rather than being handled through an entity structure like LLCs.

Once your decisions have been made, the next step should be developing your business plan. Doing this will allow you to understand the bigger picture and ensure your goals are realistic; additionally it may attract investors.

Marketing

An effective marketing strategy is key for travel business success. This involves developing a mobile-friendly website, using PPC ads to drive online bookings, and offering referral programs as ways of encouraging repeat business. Furthermore, staying abreast of industry trends is important.

Pricing your travel packages accurately is another essential component of marketing your business. Although this can be a complex endeavor, a few key guidelines can help you develop the optimal pricing structure for your travel business. First, research standard profit margins across various travel products and services so that you know what to expect when negotiating contracts with suppliers, and consider that those who decide to use your services will have other expenses like vacation rentals that they will have to fit into their vacation budget.

Partner with metasearch engines such as TripAdvisor, Trivago, and Kayak as they aggregate deals from both OTAs and supplier sites into one comprehensive listing for travelers to use as they make their decision. Utilizing metasearch engines can help your hotel stand out among larger OTAs while simultaneously expanding reach with potential new customers.

Getting Funded

Establishing or expanding a travel business can be costly, so it is crucial that you know about all available funding solutions and know how to secure them.

Travel startups tend to receive less investment funding from investors compared to other sectors, possibly due to an emphasis on short-term profitability, lack of industry innovation or consolidation by established travel companies.

First step to funding your travel business: create a financial plan. This will enable you to determine if the business will be profitable and how much equipment and staffing will be necessary. For this, estimate fixed costs over three years while projecting revenue projections with spreadsheet software that has built-in formulas. Alternatively, buying into an established travel agency with competitive financing rates might also help.