Every year many new travel businesses emerge, attempting to entice customers to book with them. It is a highly competitive industry and one that can be incredibly difficult to succeed in, but with the right things in place, many companies do flourish and grow from strength to strength.
For this article we have spoken to three successful travel business owners who have given us three tips for those looking to start up a new travel business.
Have a Good Website – Christos, Cyplon Holidays
When booking holidays, customers like to do their research. They like to spend time browsing, searching for the best deals and being drawn in to destinations and accommodation options. It is vital that travel companies have a website that shows off their travel services to their full potential.
Certain things are very likely to put customers off a website and force them to give their business elsewhere. This includes:
– A website that is not user friendly.
If it difficult to navigate around the pages of a website then customers are likely to give up.
– Not enough information
If the pages do not provide enough information then customers are less likely to trust the company.
– Not enough pictures
People are very visual about booking holidays and want to see plenty of pictures so that they can really imagine somewhere.
Avoiding these pitfalls by having a great looking and well designed website could be the difference to whether you make it or break it as a travel business.
Know Your Destinations – James, Ampersand Travel
When people are booking a holiday, the chances are that they do not know the destination that they are looking at all that well. If you are selling yourself as a travel business then it is critical that you know your destinations inside out. You will need to ensure that you are ready for any questions that potential customers may ask and feel confident that you can give representative information on destinations and accommodation options so that you sell the right holiday to the right customer.
If you become experts in your destination then customers will trust you and you will find that they recommend you and make further bookings, both of which will help your business grow and succeed.
3. Consider Working From Home – Richard, Navigator Travel Insurance
If you are starting out and are just a small operation that doesn’t need a shop front then working from home can be a great option. Nowadays a home office can be just as effective as a rented office space. Everything you would have in an office such as computers, printers and phone lines can be installed at home and with fast broadband connections available in most places you can be certain that you will always be well connected. Furthermore, as well as saving the rent that you would spend on an office, working from home also enables you also save money by not having any commuting costs.