The travel industry is estimated to contribute about $16 trillion to global GDP, highlighting that more people will be traveling in the coming years. Travel enthusiasts search for tricks to make their travel planning and execution easier. The process of booking tickets, finding decent accommodation, and all other travel related arrangements can be overwhelming for them. At this point, they seek help from travel agents and tourism companies. There are various advantages of booking with a travel agent, and those perks double when the assigned agency uses online travel solutions.
Personalized booking portals and heightened customer experience make the secret sauce for travel agencies to outshine their competitors. Using the right tech-driven tools makes all the difference in the competitive travel industry. Let us throw more light on how travel agencies can use tech travel solutions to better serve their customers.
Advantages of booking with a travel agent
Travel agencies make booking efficient for travelers by using online travel portals that assist in quick ticket and restaurant bookings. They partner with multiple airlines, hotels, hostels, transport service providers, and restaurants. Travel agencies use these partnerships to get supplementary discounts, exclusive travel packages, and offers. They employ advanced technology to make travel experiences worth remembering. Below are the top benefits of using a travel agent:
- Access to exclusive offers and discounts
- Streamlined booking experience
- Proper refund policies to save customers from any fraud
- Well-researched catalog for travel assistance
- Easy and convenient multiple payment modes
Types of online travel solutions used by travel agents
Travel agencies use modern tech solutions to better assist their customers. Online travel portals and mobile apps have taken the travel market by storm for offering unparalleled ease to travelers. These two are popular online travel solutions aimed at providing convenience. Let us better understand how these tech products assist travel agencies:
1. Online travel portals
These portals are primarily designed for browsers and are accessed on different devices like laptops, mobile phones, tablets, etc. They provide booking options, travel packages, and site-seeing details from various sources. Their key features include flight booking, hotel reservation, taxi rental, travel packages, adventure packages, etc.
2. Travel mobile apps
The benefits of travel mobile apps are similar to those of online portals. The only difference is these apps are accessible on smartphones with some offline functionality as well. Users receive timely alerts and notifications of their bookings. Map guides and personalized recommendations are other advantages of travel mobile apps.
Benefits of using travel solutions for bookings
1. Policy compliance
Travel solutions assist in reducing the administrative burden of travel agencies by ensuring all bookings are made in an authorized manner. The agency is alerted when a booking does not comply with the regulations or in cases of policy breach. This keeps the travel agency safe from unnecessary legal issues and fines. Policy compliance is supremely crucial in today’s market when almost every travel agent is utilizing travel solutions.
2. Detailed analytics
Businesses heavily rely on data to expand their profits. Travel solutions collect data on various stages of bookings, which helps identify customer behavior and booking patterns. Travel agents and managers can use this data to create customized travel packages, find cost-saving opportunities, and make cost-efficient budgets. This data not only financially benefits the agency but also ensures that users get the best offers and discounts on their bookings.
3. Risk management
These solutions keep the travel agency safe and secure by providing timely updates on weather disruptions and other risks. For example, a user books a vacation to an island where the warning of heavy monsoon has been given. Travel portals provide advanced information for such scenarios so that users can make informed decisions. These portals also offer emergency communication features and GPS trackers in case the traveler wants to share their live location with their family or friends.
4. Error-less booking experience
This is another benefit of using a travel agent. Travel agencies receive multiple booking requests in a day. Manually doing all these bookings can lead to errors, which can cause severe reputation and monetary damage to the agency. An online travel booking portal automates this process. It notifies the user when wrong information is fed into the system, reducing the chances of errors. They also provide automatic itinerary generation and instant booking options to save time.
5. Safe payment methods
Making online payments is still a skeptical task for some people who prefer to pay travel agents offline. But these ticket booking portals are safe. Customers can make payments using credit cards, debit cards, internet banking, etc. since there are multiple gateways to choose from. Advanced encryption and fraud detection methods are used to make sure the payment goes through safely.
6. Customized packages
Travel solutions help agencies create customized packages for their customers. They can utilize analytics to get better insights into their customers’ needs and requirements. This allows them to make tailored travel packages with exclusive discounts. Agencies can bundle distinct services into one for higher customer satisfaction.
Wrapping up
Customers understand the advantages of booking with a travel agent. However, the market is highly competitive, and travel agencies should embrace tech advancements to reach more customers. Using an online travel solution like ticket booking portals and travel mobile apps is an efficient way of turning a travel business profitable. These online solutions streamline the booking process, reduce errors, make payments secure, and provide an overall impressive experience to the users. Get in touch with a professional like TBOHolidays for an exclusive travel booking portal.
Advantages Of Booking With Travel Agents FAQs
No, travel agents use online booking portals that offer tickets at convenient prices that are affordable to their customers.
These portals simplify the work of travel agents by enabling quick ticket booking, enhanced user experience, and quick problem resolution.
Yes, running ads for third-party service providers and other companies is a common method of generating extra income. Travel agents can easily track and manage ads on these portals.
Pratyush Kumar Srivastava is a seasoned expert in B2B travel writing with years of experience in the industry. With a deep understanding of the intricacies of travel technology, supplier relationships, and market trends, Pratyush offers valuable insights to help businesses optimize their travel booking strategies. Passionate about innovation and efficiency, he is dedicated to guiding travel agencies through the complexities of modern distribution channels to achieve growth and success.
