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Concerns About Travel Agent Distribution System by Suppliers

January 24, 2013 in George's Observations by George

A session at the prestegious NY Times Travel Show revealed concerns about the Travel Agent distribution system by Travel Suppliers. It seems Travel Suppliers are concerned that consumers are having a hard time finding Travel Agents. No longer located in store front locations, home based travel agents must be diligent in marketing online to find new clients.  John Lovell, CEO of Vacation.com stated “Consumers are having a hard time finding the travel agents. It comes down to social media and where that’s going. For today’s agents, a key issue is making themselves visible to – and connecting with – travelers. Travel Agents need to be in every distribution channel out there.”

A commitment to gaining the travel knowledge and inside information to call yourself a travel expert is imperative. Consumers can probably find a website that will beat your price. You must provide additional value that the consumer cannot.  Larry Pimentel, CEO of Azamara Cruise line said:  “The most successful sellers are educated about what they’re selling. You can’t win with low price. To succeed, all branches of the travel industry must refocus on consumer needs. The consumer must win – or we all lose.”

What this tells me is that a dedication to Travel Content  Marketing has never been more important for the success and survival of travel agents and suppliers. Reaching out to consumers with quality, well written and informative content on blogs, websites and forums is critical. This is the way to be found and relevant in the travel distribution system  

– Thoughts?

 

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Looking for a New Career?

November 11, 2011 in George's Observations by George

 

Monkey Island Hotel Vietnam

Monkey Island Hotel Vietnam

To anyone who is contemplating a career (or 2nd career) as a travel agent, I would say welcome to an exciting and fun industry. You will use your enthusiasm, creativity, insight and business acumen to build a successful travel practice. However, like every other business in today’s world it is extremely competitive. You must be serious about how much work and effort you are willing to put in. Extreme dedication to customer service is absolutely critical.  The Internet has created the need to specialize. You must become a expert in some travel niche whether that is a destination, mode of travel (cruises, trains, tours, etc) or specific group or people. The key is that the Internet allows you to craft your client mix via target marketing.  

I would also advise to check out training provided by travel industry sources. There are three industry sources to help you with the travel industry knowledge you will require to successfully establish a travel practice.

* CLIA – This is the cruise industry organization that offers travel agent education – Here is the link: http://www.cruising.org/travelagents

* The Travel Institute – This is a travel education organization that encompasses the entire industry. They offer hundreds of courses and trainings. Here is the link: http://thetravelinstitute.com/

* ASTA - The American Society of Travel Agents is the leading advocacy group for travel agents. They have a very large library of webinars and training. Personal Note: I have produced 2 webinars on SEO and Online Marketing for ASTA. Here is the link: http://www.asta.org/Education/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1681&navItemNumber=610

* Vendor Training – Almost all of the major tour and cruise vendors provide training and marketing assistance. Contact your preferred travel and cruise vendor sales departments to inquire how they can help you generate sales.

For a complete guide about branding yourself as a travel expert online I would suggest you take a look at my FREE e-Book “Travel Agents Attack Online Marketing.” You can download the e-book from: http://www.travelblogproject.com   

Enjoy the journey,
George

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The Travel Blog Project Reaches the Halfway Point

March 18, 2011 in George's Observations by George

Today marks the Travel Blog Project’s 50th edition of The Daily Post. The project has over 200 travel agents signed up to receive the daily marketing information. This is a global effort with travel agents from all over world are participating. We have agents from the U.S.A., Africa, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe and the United Kingdom.We have been creating blog posts around a weekly theme for 10 weeks. In the beginning of the project, the themes were mostly to establish you as a knowledgeable specialist in your travel niche. We started by creating posts about the great aspects of your favorite destination or mode of travel. We also created posts about how you help people plan their vacations with a few client case studies. We spent quite a bit of time on creating a library of blog critiques of hotels, cruise ships and destinations that are perfect content for re-purposing on your websites and Facebook Fan pages.

We have spent quite a bit of time on search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. We began our SEO education by focusing on keyword phrases. We discussed how to research keyword phrases and what makes a good phrase. We also discussed how to use targeted keyword phrases in the title and within the post to increase online traffic.

We have examined Facebook business fan pages and how to create a professional looking site. We created a custom “welcome” tab and loaded a sales image on the left column of the fan page.

Twitter has also been a major effort of the Travel Blog Project. We have discussed Tweeting techniques and how to use Hashtags (#) and Retweeting to get more followers.

We have focused on communicating the value that you as a travel agent provide to the vacation planning process. We have discussed submitting press releases, how to write them and I provided a number of websites to submit them for free.

For the last couple weeks we have been conducting a SWOT analysis examining your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Our focus has been to build on your strengths and turn negatives into positives. The main theme to the Travel Blog Project has been that positioning yourself as an expert in a travel niche is the main defense against threats and a way to build upon your strengths. We also made the point that the main threat to travel agents not making a commitment to use the marketing opportunities available to you to their fullest. Thus, the main threat is inaction.

We have had guest articles for The Daily Post from established travel celebrities like Richard Earls. We have also had some participants write some of the best articles with awesome ideas and a lot of enthusiasm for this industry.

One of the best aspects of the project has been the collaborative learning and sharing that participants have done by posting in the TBP Knowledge Center. We have posted some of the topics in The Daily Post.

We now close the first half of the Travel Blog Project and look forward to the second half. Hopefully, this has been a good learning experience for all.

Enjoy The Journey!
George

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The Travel Blog Project is now live and looking for 100 or more travel agents to participate.

December 5, 2010 in George's Observations by George

100 TRAVEL AGENTS BLOGGING & SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING FOR 100 DAYS

The Travel Blog Project is a Collaborative Online Marketing Effort for Travel Agents.

The Travel Blog Project is now live and looking for 100 or more travel agents to participate in a 100 day blogging and social media marketing effort. Agents that participate in the Travel Blog Project will brand themselves online as travel experts in their niche through blogging, social media posting, email campaigns and search engine optimization of their websites.Each weekday participating agents will receive “The Daily Post” which will provide the theme of the day to create four or five sentences around and then post on their Blog, Facebook or Twitter. We will individually and collectively develop travel agent best practices to generate sales using the Internet and social media. Success will be measured by number of leads, new email addresses and web traffic to the agent’s blog and website. George Oberle, founder of the Travel Blog Project stated “The travel agent industry is once again at a turning point. Suppliers are questioning the power of travel agents to adapt to new online marketing channels in the effort to generate sales. Yet, travel agents have an incredible opportunity to sell ‘better travel’ simply by telling their story consistently through posting on their blogs, social media sites and sending bi-monthly email campaigns.”

Many travel agents are either unsure how to get started branding themselves online or lack the discipline or creativity to post on a regular basis. The Travel Blog Project will provide the structure, consistency, posting ideas and themes to help travel agents become better online marketers.

Oberle further said “Travel Agents are not insignificant! They are the most powerful marketing force in travel. Yet, the game has changed and agents know it. Marketing travel is now a multi-channel online effort including blogging, social media posting, websites and email. The key to building a thriving travel practice is communicating the unique value YOU provide on a consistent basis to as many people as you can by methodically increasing your online footprint.”

Participation in the Travel Agent Blog Project is FREE! Travel Agents must have or be willing to create a Blog, Facebook business fan page, Twitter account and spend at least 15 minutes per day posting to them. To sign up for the Travel Blog Project, visit www.TravelBlogProject.com

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Google’s Travel Plan is Becoming Clear

July 21, 2010 in George's Observations by George

The travel industry is consumed trying to figure out Google’s master travel plan after their recent acquisition of ITA Software. However, if you go back a couple months and look at another less publicized acquisition by Google of the social travel guide www.Ruba.com the plan begins to take shape. Ruba is a user-generated travel guide and trip planning website that integrated with ITA’s direct-connect booking engine provides a huge opportunity to change the game in travel. 

I stumbled upon Dean Horvath’s blog post about this topic. He is pretty much right on target in my view. Read it for yourself: www.ReinventingTheAgent.com

While social media sites like Ruba and other user-generated review sites are nothing new, the combination of social travel planning and direct connect is. With ITA’s direct connect and social travel planning the future is becoming more in focus.

George

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Google, ITA Travel & You

July 6, 2010 in George's Observations by George

Much is being written about Google’s recent purchase of ITA Software. ITA created the travel booking engine many corporations and online travel websites use. The thing that makes ITA different is that it uses direct connections to suppliers rather than going through the GDS systems like Sabre and Apollo. The GDS systems are extremely expensive for the suppliers and are quite limiting because the software was written 20 or so years ago.

While Google getting into the travel business is indeed a big deal, there is another aspect to consider. I stumbled upon an article on CNN written by Mashable’s Pete Cashmore that really caught my eye. Cashmore says Google is also working on a creating a social networking site similar to Facebook. Wow! Combining a Google booking engine with a Facebook style social network has huge ramifications. Think about the combination of a social network, online user-reviews and a direct link booking engine that could be adapted to book anything from airline flights to vacation rentals to restaurant reservations and ski passes. Now consider if this was integrated in a social network setting that embraced the Google Wave where people comment in a live, shared space on the web discussing and working together with each able to add richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, each and more. This is the future my friends.

Is there a spot for outside entities to play too? Consider that Google’s main source of revenue is Adwords pay-per-click advertising. The Wall Street Journal posted an article that said 10% of all Google search queries are travel related. My guess is that they will definitely create an environment to maximize AdWords pay-per-click revenue. But the playing field will be very different than simply search. George

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2010 Travel Predictions

January 1, 2010 in George's Observations by George


2010 Travel Prediction #1:
Mid-market Travel Deals & Luxury On-Sale Travel Market explodes.

2010 Travel Prediction #2:
Rack Rate Luxury Travel fails miserably. If its not a deal, It won’t sell.

2010 Travel Prediction #3:
Business Meetings explode in 1st half.

2010 Travel Prediction #4:
To compete in the Meeting Planning market…you MUST offer an on-line registration system.

2010 Travel Prediction #5:
Sorry, for this one…. Drug violence in Mexico impacts tourism.

2010 Travel Prediction #6:
Hawaii begins a slow rebound. Finds ways to sell the experience giving vacationers a reason to go back to Hawaii.

2010 Travel Prediction #7:
Travel Agents find new on-line methods to provide value and communicate their knowledge.

2010 Travel Prediction #8:
Travel Agents find new new online and offline innovated revenue streams.

2010 Travel Prediction #9:
Smaller & Independent Travel Agents have their biggest year EVER because of Technology & Creating Better Websites.

2010 Travel Prediction #10:
Travel Agents are encouraged to post On-line Reviews as the sites find ways to provide credibility.

2010 Travel Prediction #11:
RV Camping Resorts begin offering Rental RV’s parked on the grounds so people can save the cost of owning.

2010 Travel Prediction #12:
Clothing Optional Resorts increase in popularity as people shed fake status and seek substance.

2010 Travel Prediction #13:
Day Spas evolve more into mini-resorts. Begin to provide resort experience. National chains begin to appear.

2010 Travel Prediction #14:
Las Vegas comes back with a vengeance. Vegas finds a way to market itself as the #1 US Fun destination.

2010 Travel Prediction #15:
The world calms down a bit. Surly the terrorist must know that if Obama fails, the extreme-right comes to power.

2010 Travel Prediction #16:
Club Med grows in popularity by figuring out how to market itself as a Family Bonding Experience.

2010 Travel Prediction #17:
Vacation Rentals increase in popularity as more owners seek revenue flow & families seek a bonding experience.

2010 Travel Prediction #18:
Girlfriend & Best Friend getaways increase….Married couple getaways increase MORE!.

2010 Travel Prediction #19:
Travel Agents learn that increasing their “on-line footprint” is the path to success. www.ReviewResorts.com

2010 Travel Prediction #20:
The economy rebounds in 1st quarter, Flat in 2nd quarter, begins sinking in 3rd & keeps sinking in 4th quarter.

2010 Travel Opportunity:
Increase your Online Footprint –> Post Resort & Cruise Reviews at: www.ReviewResorts.com

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FREE Travel Promotion on the Internet

September 22, 2009 in George's Observations by George


Recently, I put together a press release about our site-makeover and new posting modules for www.ReviewResorts.com. Fully expecting to pay for publishing my press-release but not really knowing which site to post it on, I did a Google search for Press Release. One of the top listing was a site of the top 50 FREE press release web sites. I guess I’m as bad as everyone, but the magic word FREE caught my attention. I clicked and indeed found 50 web sites that publish press releases for FREE. Readers of this Blog know, I have been an evangelist of increasing your online footprint. I am now in the process of gathering 20 or so web sites that I am posting free press releases. FREE ADVERTISING!  Neat huh?

It also follows my advice to Travel Agents to increase your online footprint by finding as many ways get your web link and e-mail posted as possible. You also brand yourself in the process of posting. In the case of www.ReviewResorts.com we offer you the opportunity to post resort and cruise reviews FREE. This allows you offer your expertise and destination knowledge as a travel expert. For us, your reviews provide a professional voice to validate the user-posted reviews. 

Take a look at the review Travel Agent Lauren Liebert posted on the Secrets Silversands Resort near Cancun. Read her review and now click her web link. It posts to www.LaurenLiebert.com because she get’s it. We also post her e-mail address. Lauren knows that for her business to increase, she needs her online footprint to be as big as she can make it.

Simply put, the days of direct mail, phone book and newspaper advertisement are over due to cost and reduced effectiveness. To survive and thrive, small business people must take advantage of free posting opportunities to create the largest online footprint as possible. George

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The Goal for Travel Agencies is to Create as Large an Online Footprint as Possible

September 15, 2009 in George's Observations by George

In years past, small travel companies were at a disadvantage when it came to promoting their businesses. The high cost of phone book ads, newspaper advertising and cadres of sales people armed with expensive glossy collateral material were the way the big got bigger and small travel agencies remained small. But the world has changed in a just a few short years. The Internet has leveled the playing field by bringing many new ways to promote your business FREE. Five years ago avenues such as social media, online communities and travel review sites didn’t exist. These sites with their huge web traffic all provide small business the opportunity to compete on an equal playing field. Competing on price is never a smart move, but communicating knowledge and expertise in a personal way is and social media is a great way to do so.To create an online footprint, think of ways to create an online conversation:

  • Do you use Twitter & Facebook? You know that each of these allows businesses to set up pages and promote themselves…FREE.
  • Do you have a BLOG? This is the cheapest website you will have. Blog software is free from WordPress. You only have to have hosting space which is like $50 a year. Blogs allow you to enter the Blog community, linking and posting comments to other blogs getting more traffic.|
  • Create a travel video and load it on YouTube linking back to your website or Blog.
  • Post resort and cruise reviews on review sites. For my shameless plug…I created a resort review web site called www.ReviewResorts.com We actively encourage travel agents to post resort and cruise reviews FREE. The site gets a lot of traffic from people researching hotels or a cruise. They would see your review with your contact info.
  • Post vacation classifieds on Craigslist and any other travel related site. Once again in my shameless attempt at self-promotion, travel agents can post vacation classifieds on www.ReviewResorts.com FREE!
  • Do you publish Press Releases? Type into Google; Free Press Release and you will find hundreds of sites to publish your press releases
  • Have you thought about creating a Ning community for your particular travel niche? Ning is like a Facebook forum only created and promoted entirely by you. If you cater to a special interest or destination travel market www.ning.com might be your best bet.Once again, the goal is to create as large an online footprint as possible to create momentum for your business.

George

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Is Your Travel Company Ready to Compete in 2010?

September 15, 2009 in George's Observations by George


All indicators are pointing up for 2010. The stock market is now at the same levels it was 2 years ago. Real Estate has regained its footing and is now on the rise in many markets. Travel is also coming out of the abyss as well. This year is and will be a down year for sure as the strong second half, can’t make up for the bad first six months. However, next year promises to be a good year for the travel industry. So my question to you is this; have you planned your online marketing strategy to capture new business?Once upon a time, travel agencies simply took out an ad in the phone book and that’s all they really needed. The real aggressive agencies advertised specials in the local newspaper. The methodical agencies sent out direct mail pieces to get more upscale business because mailers allowed you to detail the finer points of deluxe trips. Now these options are for the most part wasted money. Travel is researched and purchased online.Is your travel web site up to snuff? I read in agreement Steve Cousino’s article “Psst, your site stinks” published on Travel Research Online Article. Steve is a pretty bright guy. He accurately described how travel agents neglect or don’t seem to care about their online presence. I find this strange because travel is now an online product, your knowledge and people skills generally come into play after the customer has researched online. It’s really inexcusable to be in an online business with a bad website isn’t it? With WordPress, Online Agency and other content management systems and a bit of research and custom content written by you, it is very easy to have a very good site.

But what I really find odd is that the type of travel that agents specialize in is generally complicated. It is an accepted fact that the more complex a product is, the more it is researched online and purchased offline. That’s where you come in. You would think agents would put more resources into their sites. It doesn’t have to sell every tour product and every corner of the world. It just needs to convey your knowledge and expertise about your particular niche.

So again I ask; do you have a strategy to increase your online presence? Is your web site up to date, easy to use and professional? Have you researched search engine optimization techniques to get it to place well for keyword phrases that are applicable to your niche? Does it have good content written by you that displays your knowledge and details why it’s in the best interest of people to use your services? Do you post travel and resort reviews on traveler review sites, social networking sites and chat rooms? This is where your customers are. You need to be there as well.

It’s all a puzzle. But is you have all the pieces in place. The puzzle works.

My Two Cents,
George

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