Tag: travel agent university

TravClan plans to onboard two million travel agents, Hospitality News, ET HospitalityWorld

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TravClan plans to onboard two million travel agents, Hospitality News, ET HospitalityWorld

TravClan plans to onboard two million travel agents, Hospitality News, ET HospitalityWorld

TravClan, a B2B Travel Platform aims to onboard more than two million travel agents/companies across more than 100 countries doing business of 10 billion dollars on the platform. Starting with just ten employees in October 2018, the company clocked INR 100 crore in sales run rate by December 2019. Even in the wake of the pandemic, TravClan continued growing and we are a 60-plus team today. Recently, the travel platform launched the B2B flight booking and hotel booking platform for agents. ET HospitalityWorld spoke to Arun Bagaria, Co-founder, TravClan to know more about the company.

ETHospitalityWorld (ETHW): Tell us about your business model
Arun Bagaria (AB): TravClan is a disruptive B2B Travel Platform bringing in the technology-driven transformation to the US $100 billion offline travel market in India and South-East Asia. TravClan empowers travel agents by helping them generate more business by building their online presence and enabling travel agents to book flights, hotels, holidays with suppliers across the world at best B2B prices. TravClan offers a number of advantages to traveling agents and helps them accelerate their growth as a service provider. The company provides agents with online stores that offer instant bookings and help them market their business on social media. It is a comprehensive B2B platform selling flights, hotels and packages. The company offers Fintech solutions for the travel agents such as overseas payments, enables credit, Forex cards and insurance etc.

ETHW: How has the pandemic impacted your business?
AB: The pandemic has made an adverse impact on the entire travel ecosystem. International tourism, especially from India, is at a standstill and at present, even domestic tourism is limited due to the second wave of the disease. However, we have been constantly progressing as a brand and building infrastructure, bringing travel agents and suppliers on board. We are preparing a robust B2B community that will stand to gain from the best prices and holistic services offered by TravClan. The future of travel is going to be primarily dependent on 2 factors: travel agents and digital technology and we are bringing these two factors together. In the wake of the pandemic, we continued to innovate and launched a platform where travel agents can setup their online website in a few clicks. Right now, we have recently launched a feature that allows customers to view vaccine availability info in their locality on agents website in an easy way.ETHW: How the platform is profitable for travel agents? How many do you have onboarded as of today?
AB: TravClan offers unmatched benefits and services for travel agents. We are empowering offline agents by providing them with a fully functional website to market their packages through social media, receive bookings and payments online. Furthermore, we also offer the best price deals on flights and hotels through direct access to suppliers. Receiving payments from customers and paying to suppliers digitally are two major challenges for all travel agents, and we have resolved these through our integrated payment solutions. Thus, TravClan has emerged as the one-stop platform that resolves all problems faced by travel agents and provides them with great growth opportunities for the future. We have built a strong content and community in travel by helping agents stay updated with travel news and upskill themselves by attending webinars hosted by various Tourism Boards on TravClan. These community led initiatives have helped us grow through word of mouth. We have already onboarded more than 10,000 travel agents and our aim is to take the number to 2 million plus in the years ahead.ETHW: What makes you stand out from others in the market?
AB: Our holistic product offering right from helping in lead generation to creating invoices and collecting feedback from customers and covering every aspect of the travel business, is unique and disruptive in the industry. Our technology is transforming the $100 billion-plus offline travel market in India and South East Asia by bringing technology to the travel agents in a seamless and holistic manner. Starting with WhatsApp groups in late 2018, TravClan has already emerged as a major B2B platform. It has become the platform of choice for travel agents and helps them generate leads online, create their website, planning packages and itineraries and offering the best prices for global hotel bookings as well as flight tickets. Unlike other aggregators and B2B players, TravClan is focused on empowering the travel agents and giving them technology-driven solutions to fuel their growth. We also offer Fintech solutions for payments overseas to the suppliers and for receiving payments from their customers.

ETHW: What are your expansion plans?
AB: TravClan has shown incredible growth right from the outlet. Starting with just 10 employees in October 2018, the company clocked INR 100 crore in sales run rate by December 2019. Even in the wake of the pandemic, TravClan continued growing and we are a 60-plus team today. Recently, we launched our B2B flight booking and hotel booking platform for agents. TravClan aims to onboard more than 2 million travel agents/companies across 100+ countries doing business of $10 billion-plus on the platform. We will become the biggest B2B travel company in the world and enable all our partners to harness their maximum growth and revenue generation potential.

  • Published On May 26, 2021 at 03:31 PM IST

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Waukesha woman creates travel agency | Waukesha Co. BusinessNews

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Waukesha woman creates travel agency | Waukesha Co. BusinessNews

WAUKESHA — A Waukesha woman decided to travel a new path, which included going into business for herself.

Emily Schultz, the owner of Magic Mom Travel, launched her agency in June.

Previously she worked as a travel agent for seven years, serving the southeastern Wisconsin area. Schultz enjoyed making new connections through servicing clients’ vacations.

Waukesha woman creates travel agency | Waukesha Co. BusinessNews

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“After seven years I was doing things all on my own. I had my client base and it was going well,” Schultz said.

She then made the decision to launch Magic Mom Travel.

Schultz specializes in Disney and Universal Studio destinations. She also books cruises, Hawaii, Mexico, and Caribbean travel.

Before she got into the travel planning industry, Schultz was a hair stylist. She was going to Disney World all the time and soon people were turning to her for help with travel plans.

“I love going there and my friends were coming to me all the time for advice. I was helping them plan their trips but not working with an agency,” she said. After a while she felt she should be doing this professionally.

Schultz credits the Waukesha Small Business Association with helping start Magic Mom Travel.

“They helped me a lot with setting up. It can be overwhelming. Having them there is very reassuring, she said.

She enjoys meeting new families and her goal is to build more relationships as she builds her business.

A travel agent’s advice

Schultz encourages people to give travel agents like themselves a try. There is a myth that travel agents cost a ton of money and they are out to get people to spend more.

“When there are new promotions released, I go through every single reservation to see if I can find one that fits,” she said.

For her clients, she insists on a consultation call first. She said it gives potential clients an idea about her personality and a better feel for the trip they want to take.

“My experience and attention to detail can help save you time, money, and hassle.

“I have been serving the southeastern Wisconsin area for many years, and have enjoyed making new connections through servicing my client’s dream vacations,” she said.

Schultz said he is finding many people preferring travel agents over third-party online travel booking. There are often perks a travel agent may be aware of or specials that other places such as third-party sites may not know about or access to. A travel agent knows about fees a resort might charge.

“There is a ton of information online and it can be overwhelming when you search for Mexico and get 1,200 hotels,” she said.

A travel agent also knows how to filter out hotels that aren’t great. Schultz said he can tell clients what hotels are recommended.

A travel agent helps clients to narrow down the list and the ones that are a better fit for the client and their family, she said.

During the pandemic, some third-party sites weren’t as reliable with getting guests’ refunds, according to Schultz.

“Anyone who booked with a travel agent was more protected and had someone advocate for them,” Schultz said.

She said she has noticed an increase in people booking with travel agents.

“It isn’t just because someone will advocate for you but will also do the dirty work of staying on the phone for hours on hold,” Schultz said.

The mom and travel agent have dealt with recent news about flight cancellations due to pilot shortages and other factors.

“It is hard to get hold of airlines because they are understaffed. It is long holding time. I really push travel insurance,” Schultz said.

Travel insurance wasn’t something pushed on vacation packages until the pandemic started. “It gives that peace of mind when people are traveling if their flight gets delayed or needs reimbursement on rental cars if they have to drive there,” she said.

Travel insurance has helped her to assist clients with travel headaches and assist the guests in their situations.

A travel agent will also keep up to date on travel restrictions and what is changing. This is especially helpful for people who book cruises since there are rules and regulations that are constantly changing.

Schultz said her clients are also asking about coronavirus vaccine and mask mandates.

“I wouldn’t say it is swaying people one way or the other. A lot of people really just want to get out,” she said.

For more information https://magicmomtravel.com.

Planning a trip? Here’s why you should use a travel agent

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Let’s cut to the chase: after a long break from vacations, Canadians are ready to travel. However, there are some concerns travelers have before hopping on their next flight. People want to make sure the places they visit are safe, they want to understand if there are any pandemic restrictions, and they want to have a great plan for their time.

While you can find a lot of that information online, here are five reasons working with a travel agent is a smarter way to book your holidays this year.

Get the latest travel advisory info

It’s no surprise that travel advice and advisories have changed a lot over the past few years. Between vaccination records, proof of testing, and quarantine requirements – just to name a few – it can be difficult to know what you really need to do before leaving your home country and entering your destination. Luckily, travel agents can help you navigate these needs.

CAA Travel Consultants are CAA Travel SMART certified, meaning they have all the tools needed to take the stress out of planning your post-pandemic trips.

Get first-hand advice

Like anything else, if you don’t do something regularly, you might be a bit rusty the first time you do it. And traveling is no different.

For travel agents, traveling is quite literally part of the job. Not only do they keep up to date on trending destinations and must-do activities, but they’ve also traveled with current restrictions and know what you can expect. Agents are always happy to share their stories and experiences about different locations and vacation types, whether it’s onboard a cruise through the Mediterranean, on a guided safari tour, or where to go for a taste of authentic local cultures.

Have somebody look out for your best interests

Even the best laid plans can take a left turn sometimes. But if something comes up before you leave, while you’re away, or even after you’re back home, a travel agent is always there to help.

Need to cancel your trip? Did an emergency come up and you need to change your plans? Do you need help contacting the airline or hotel when you’ve returned home? Your travel agent will be the one to jump into action, make calls on your behalf, and even wait on hold until they get the information you need.

Save time and money

Yes, you can find some good deals online for traveling. However, travel agents have countless resources and contacts in the travel industry, and they know how to research, plan, and book travel arrangements. All the knowledge ensures you’re getting the best travel options at the best price. If there are new promotions or offers, they know about them. And perhaps more importantly, they know how to get those promotions for you.

On top of industry sales, CAA Travel Consultants help CAA Members get exclusive benefits with preferred travel partners, all around the world. Plus, you don’t have to spend hours trying to find the right deals; your travel agent does all the heavy lifting for you.

Get the travel insurance you need

Beyond getting the best price on a personalized vacation package, travel agents will make sure you have the right insurance for your trip, including coverage for emergency medical, trip cancellation, and trip interruption.

Your credit cards and group plans may offer some insurance benefits, and a travel agent will identify the shortcomings to get you top-up coverage for your adventure. That might include rental vehicle damage, pre-existing conditions, or adventurous air activities. If you aren’t sure exactly what coverage you’ll need, that’s exactly why you should talk to a travel agent before planning your trip.

These are just a few reasons you should book your trip with the help and guidance of an experienced travel agent, but really, the ultimate reason is that you deserve an amazing trip. It’s been a long time since any of us could travel freely, and a travel agent will go the extra mile to make sure your next adventure is the best it can possibly be. Happy traveling!