How digitisation is simplifying travel booking process for travel agents?
Technology has made life easier for everyone, including the travel industry. Gone are the days when flight / train tickets were booked offline, hotels had to be called for bookings and holiday packages were constrained by delays from suppliers at various places. While customers have started adopting technology, travel companies are at the forefront of leading the change. Travel agents are leading the way by embracing digital platforms that simplify their entire business operations from search to book to pay to customer support and are growing their business.
Travel agencies continue to dominate the travel market. According to a report by Redseer, there are over 250,000 travel agent businesses catering to a USD 40 billion offline market in India. This number is expected to grow to USD 65 billion by 2025. Travel agents have evolved from simply selling tickets to becoming travel planners. With seamless online booking processes and digital payments becoming the norm, customers now spend more time consulting travel agents for advice on new destinations and planning personalized vacations. Travel agents utilise the internet to showcase their services and allow customers to make purchases online.
More options and better margins
In the past, large OTAs dominated the scene as they had deep pockets to deploy cutting-edge technology. However, with the emergence of B2B travel platform, the arena has become democratic. Travel Agents can now scale their operations, at reduced costs, and focus on core business activities with the work going majorly online. B2B platforms provide completely modern websites with inbuilt features like flight, hotel and holiday booking with complete ease and customisation to travel agents. This also brings in an opportunity for freelance agents who can work alongside bigger agents while gaining access to a wider range of travel opportunities, building their professional network and working on a flexible basis.
Expanding customer base
By establishing their online presence, travel agents can now reach beyond their local markets. Travel agents have now started to tap into social media to generate demand from new customers for their services. Through their websites, they can showcase their services, expertise, and customer testimonials to a global audience. By sharing content, reviews and recommendations, travel agents are spreading more awareness and driven by word of mouth, growing their business further. This has allowed them to cater to build a larger client base and thus expand their business.
Personalised services for guests
Personalisation is easy and quick in the digitisation era as customer preferences can be added to their holiday packages and altered without the hassle of making physical calls every time and being in the destination. The rise of tech enabled B2B platforms providing end to end on ground travel services have enabled travel agents to be able to provide personalised accommodations, private vehicles, custom food and sight-seeing opportunities as well as flexible itineraries to their customers.
Reliable supply
Access to real-time information has made travel agents more reliable. Travel Agents can now access real-time flight schedules, hotel availability, pricing information, and customer reviews, allowing them to make more informed recommendations to their clients. Online transactions have simplified the booking process for travel agents. They can now make reservations for flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel services directly through online platforms, eliminating the need for manual paperwork and phone calls.
Automation and efficiency
Digitisation has automated various processes in the travel agent industry, including booking management, customer relationship management (CRM), and payment systems. This automation reduces manual work, streamlines operations, and allows travel agents to handle more bookings efficiently, thereby increasing their capacity to serve more customers.
Digitisation has for sure revolutionised all aspects of the business for travel agents, from acquiring customers to booking a personalized experience and also ensuring the trips are seamless for them. By embracing digital technologies, travel agents can expand their online presence, improve marketing strategies, streamline operations, access global inventory, collaborate with partners, utilise data insights, and enhance customer service and thus providing happy experiences to their clients. By leveraging these opportunities, travel agents can grow their business and thrive in the evolving travel industry.
The author is Co-Founder & CEO, TravClan
