A Travel Agent makes arrangements of tickets for travel by air, rail, ship and also makes arrangement of passport and visa etc. Besides, accommodation, tour, entertainment and other tourism related services are provided by a travel agent. In other others, the credit of any successful trip of a customer goes to a travel agent or his agency.
Today, there are many travel agencies and agents around us. But, when we can make online bookings with the help of online travel agencies like makemytrip.com, goibbo.com, yatra.com etc, who would take out some extra time to go to a travel agent physically! So, online travel agents have many advantages with them.
So, if you have a love for beauty around us and want to help others in exploring and enjoying at new places, the job of a travel agent is perfect for you. You can also do it online from your home.
The online travel agents are like high street level travel agents. They are internet-savvy and prefer the clients from digital media. There are several reasons for why you should think of becoming an online travel agent, some of which are as follows:-
- If you are good at interpersonal and negotiation skills, this job is for you.
- Its business gets on peak at least twice a year, during summer and winter vacations. You can earn big profits then.
- As a travel agent, you can enjoy better discounts on trips or even unpaidtrips, which are sponsored by some of the airlines and hotels.
- As an online travel agent, you always have the privilege to work from home.
- You get to learn about new and exciting destinations and travel experiences as well.
- You will be the boss of your own, so you would be able to work as per your own convenience.
- By providing the first deals and more cost savings, you could win more customers.
- As a qualified travel agent, you can liaison with Airlines or Railways, car rentals, hotels and insurance companies and avail exciting commissions.
Qualification and Eligibility:-
A travel agent should be someone who loves to travel and connect with people. So, if you want to become an online travel agent, you must have a zeal for helping other people in getting connected with service providers. In this way, you can help create the first experience for both the parties. For this, you need to execute a synchronized action plan with respect to allied parties like hotels, car rentals, and insurance companies.
As far as your educational qualifications are concerned, there is no educational prerequisite for becoming a travel agent. Besides, you can choose to have a certificate from various online travel agent certification programs. You can opt for a 4 year degree course in Travel and Tourism Management, or complete a certification program from any recognized institute or even start without any formal certification. From any of these courses, you can learn about destinations, hotels, airlines, cruises, travel attractions, and everything associated with travelling. These courses also teaches making a customized itinerary, short listing the first-suited restaurant according to your clients’ needs, and making logistical arrangements for a family trip. It’s just that you should have a love and knowledge for travelling industry.
Become a successful Online Travel Agent:-
You can become a successful online travel agent by following these steps:-
- Focus on the area of your speciality.
- Select a name of your agency.
- For online agency, take a domain name.
- Register your company.
- Define the USP of your company and its structure.
- Decide the amount that you would invest for this venture.
- Do connect with a host agency, that has a good connection with hotels, restaurants, cab operators, and insurance agencies.
- Make use of IT in acquiring knowledge of ticketing tools.
- Launch your business and earn money.
