Ready to embark on an adventure and start your own travel agency? Before you take off, here are three key things you must know.
You’re a nomad at heart and love telling all your travel stories to anyone who’ll listen? Great! Maybe it’s time to open a travel agency and share your stories with all kinds of kindred spirits. But be warned: you’re going to be disappointed if you’re hoping to spend all your time travelling for free.
Operating a travel agency means using your knowledge and expertise to help others; it means acting as a liaison between customers and travel service suppliers. It involves purchasing airline tickets, renting cars and reserving hotel rooms, all in the goal of designing carefree vacations for your clients.
1. Who is your target audience?
To start a travel agency successfully, you have to know who you are targeting. Ideally, you should already be a well-travelled person and have developed a network of relevant contacts. Being part of an association in the field or being friendly with lots of travellers is a good starting point.
You may also choose to specialize in a branch of travel that interests you or that you’re more familiar with. There are many different niche areas, including targeting major European cities, adventure tourism or cruises. It all depends on current market demands.
2. Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit?
You might prefer to launch your own business or simply associate yourself with a recognized travel agency. Either way, you need to have an entrepreneurial spirit, because selling trips and tours requires good salesmanship.
Like any other type of business, your success depends on working a lot of hours, soliciting new clients on a regular basis, developing marketing strategies and having a management plan.
founderIf you’re still tempted by this adventure, take enough time to develop a solid business plan that is supported by real market research. Don’t go into this blindly or you’ll soon founder.
3. Can you find your way through the permit process?
In Canada, every province and territory has its own rules to follow when you start a travel agency. It’s important that you get all the necessary information from your provincial ministries of consumer services and small businesses.
In most jurisdictions, you’ll have to follow these steps to register your business and start operating.
- Apply for a licence, and pass an exam to obtain it.
- Register your business and check the zoning laws in the area where you want to operate.
- Consult a civil lawyer in order to properly complete all the legal steps required to start a business.
- Join the appropriate professional associations so you can assure clients of your standards. For more information, talk to representatives from the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors, the International Air Transport Association, the Air Transport Association of Canada and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.
Just like setting off on a world tour, starting a travel agency requires a great deal of passion and organization. So, do you have what it takes?
