Top 5 Niche Markets For Travel Agents

When travelers are looking for a quick vacation getaway or a good deal, most tend to use online booking websites that offer immediate access to rates and direct booking. That part of the travel market is pretty much controlled by a handful of major travel booking websites. We know who they all are.

So where and how exactly do travel agents make their money if so many people are comfortable going online and booking their trips? Well, there are some types of travel arrangements that algorithms are currently incapable of handling. Some travel plans require way more information than just date availability, star rating, and pricing. Here are the top 5 ways travel agents are making their money today.

1. Destination Weddings

The idea of escaping to a warm tropical destination to married under the sunset on the beach has become increasingly more attractive to many couples looking to the tie the knot. Not only can it prove to be a more cost effective option, but also it can be just as, or even more fun, and if it helps the pictures are way more spectacular. When exciting and nervous brides want to ensure their vacation wedding experience goes perfectly, they look to their travel agent. Having a wedding at a resort in a foreign country normally includes making travel arrangements for an average of about 50 people, including small children. This type of planning needs expert and personalized attention. Many travel agents today survive exclusively on destination wedding planning.

2. Corporate Travel

Many big corporations have an entire department dedicated to travel scheduling. The ones that don’t look to independent travel agents to provide this service for their company. Whether it is for annual incentive trips that may include hundreds of people, or it’s to manage the travel scheduling of the companies executives, corporations rely on travel experts to achieve these plans within the specified budget.

3. Bucket List Trips

A bucket-list-trip is usually that one trip you have been planning for a long time, and you will probably only ever get to do it once or a handful of time. When you are ready to take that trip, you want it to be special, and you want it to go well. It's not sufficient to trust just the information you find online. The best way to ensure your trip is planned properly and all the right expectations are set is to enlist the service of a travel agent that specializes in your desired destination.

4. Complicated Itineraries

When a trip itinerary includes multiple destinations, several flight connections, and all the in between details such as transfer services, car rentals, all within a set budget, travelers need someone with the expertise in putting such an itinerary together. Travel agents can be very creative in creating these itineraries, and when worried travelers want to make sure everything is planned properly, they would much prefer to put it in the hands of the experts.

5. Luxury Travel

When you think of the type of people who has the money to book expensive luxury hotels and villas, it’s usually the kind of individuals who has extremely busy lives and do not have the time to sit online and compare prices and read reviews. Money is not an issue for them; they just want to ensure they have the best possible time and they get good value for their money. They like to have the exclusive service and personalized attention. That is why these high-end luxury travelers prefer to use a travel agent when they are ready to have their vacation plans arranged.