More Than Travel. It's a Business.
Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when a travel professional helps someone plan a trip? The travel industry combines travel, sales, marketing, customer service, relationships and entrepreneurship. This page will help you understand how the business works before you decide what role—if any—you want to play in it.
What Is a Travel Business?
At its core, a travel business helps connect travelers with travel products and experiences. But operating the business involves much more than choosing destinations. It requires learning how the travel industry works, understanding customers, developing supplier knowledge, marketing services, managing relationships and providing customer service.
A Travel Advisor Is Also Building a Business.
Travelers see the vacation. The business owner sees everything required to help move that vacation from an idea to an actual experience.
A travel professional may spend time learning about destinations and suppliers, talking with clients, researching options, marketing the business, following up with prospects, maintaining customer relationships and managing business operations.
That means someone considering this industry should think beyond "I love to travel." A better question is: "Would I enjoy helping other people travel while learning how to operate and grow a customer-focused business?"
Who Makes the Travel Industry Work?
Travel is an ecosystem. Understanding the major participants makes it easier to understand where a travel advisor fits.
Travel Suppliers
Cruise lines, hotels, resorts, tour companies and other travel providers create and deliver travel products and experiences.
Travel Industry Networks
Host agencies, consortia and other industry organizations can provide infrastructure, relationships, technology, training or access depending on the business model.
Travel Professionals
Advisors work with travelers, learn products, develop customer relationships and help connect clients with travel options.
Travelers
Individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations purchase travel experiences based on their needs, interests and goals.
What Does a Travel Advisor Do?
The role can vary depending on the advisor's business model, customers and specialty. In general, travel professionals combine travel knowledge with customer service and business development.
What Might the Work Involve?
How Does Money Move Through the Travel Industry?
Understanding the difference between the price of a trip and the revenue earned by a travel business is an important business fundamental.
Purchases Travel
The customer purchases an eligible travel product or experience.
Provides the Experience
The cruise line, hotel, resort, tour company or other supplier provides the travel product.
May Be Paid
Depending on the supplier, product and arrangement, eligible travel sales may generate supplier commission.
Receives Its Share
How compensation is divided depends on the advisor's specific agency, host or business arrangement.
There Is More Than One Way to Operate in Travel.
One of the first things an aspiring travel professional should learn is that the industry contains different business and agency structures.
Agency Employee
Some travel professionals work for established travel companies as employees rather than operating an independent business.
Independent Advisor
An independent advisor may operate a business while working through a host agency or other travel-industry relationship.
Independent Agency
Some entrepreneurs eventually develop their own agency structure and take on additional operational responsibilities.
Six Areas Every Aspiring Travel Entrepreneur Should Understand
Learning destinations is only one piece of the puzzle. A sustainable business also requires customers, systems and business skills.
Travel Knowledge
Learn destinations, suppliers, travel products, terminology and industry processes.
Customer Experience
Learn to listen, communicate, set expectations and build strong client relationships.
Marketing
Develop ways to attract attention, communicate value and stay visible to potential travelers.
Sales
Learn how to ask questions, understand needs, follow up and help customers make decisions.
Business Operations
Understand record keeping, processes, technology, organization and basic business responsibilities.
Relationship Building
Develop repeat customers, referrals, community connections and professional relationships.
You Don't Have to Sell Every Kind of Travel.
A travel niche is a particular type of traveler, destination or travel experience that a business chooses to understand especially well.
Specialization can make marketing clearer because instead of trying to speak to everyone, the business can create useful information for a particular audience.
An advisor can still serve travelers outside a niche. The niche simply provides a clearer place to focus learning and marketing.
A Business Needs More Than a Booking Link.
One of the biggest lessons in entrepreneurship is that opening a business does not automatically create customers. People first need to discover the business, understand what it offers and develop enough trust to start a conversation.
Travel marketing can include social media, educational content, email, referrals, community relationships, networking, websites, local visibility and direct conversations with potential travelers.
Strong marketing is not simply posting travel deals. It is consistently giving the right audience useful reasons to know, remember and contact you.
Skills That Matter Beyond Travel
Building a travel business can involve many of the same practical skills used across entrepreneurship and other customer-focused businesses.
Listen carefully and communicate clearly.
Create positive, professional client experiences.
Help the right audience discover your business.
Understand needs and guide buying conversations.
Manage information, tasks and follow-up.
Use digital tools to support the business.
Build trust, referrals and repeat business.
Think through challenges and customer needs.
Travel Business Myths & Reality
Understanding what a travel business is—and what it isn't—can help you make a more informed decision.
What People Sometimes Assume
What to Expect Instead
Questions to Ask Before Getting Started
Don't begin with "How fast can I sign up?" Begin with questions that help you understand the business and whether it aligns with your goals.
Learn First. Build With Purpose.
You do not have to understand the entire travel industry at once. Build your knowledge one step at a time.
Understand
Learn how the travel industry and common business models work.
Explore
Learn about niches, customers, suppliers and different paths in travel.
Develop Skills
Strengthen marketing, sales, customer service and business skills.
Decide
Evaluate your goals and decide whether a particular travel-business path makes sense for you.
Building a Business in Travel
A practical introduction to the industry, business fundamentals and questions to ask before getting started.Start With the Beginner's Guide
Want to go deeper? Download the free Beginner's Guide to Building a Business in Travel and continue learning at your own pace.
Interested in How Shonna Built Her Travel Business?
Learning about the travel industry and learning about a specific business opportunity are two different things.
If you're an adult who has reviewed the fundamentals and would specifically like information about the travel-business model Shonna uses, you can request additional information and ask questions before deciding whether it aligns with your goals.
Learn first. Ask questions. Then decide.
REQUEST BUSINESS INFORMATION →Questions People Often Ask
A travel advisor may help clients explore travel options while also handling business activities such as customer communication, research, marketing, follow-up and relationship building. The exact role varies by business model and specialty.
Compensation varies. Eligible travel products may generate supplier commissions, and some businesses may use other permitted fee structures. How revenue reaches an individual advisor depends on the supplier, agency, host and specific business arrangement.
A host agency is an established travel agency that can provide independent advisors with access to certain industry relationships, systems, technology, training or support. Services, fees, commission arrangements and requirements vary among hosts.
Personal travel and operating a travel business are not the same thing. Firsthand destination experience can be useful, but the business itself involves learning, customer service, research, marketing, sales and business operations.
Previous business experience can be useful, but business skills can also be learned. Someone new to entrepreneurship should expect to develop skills such as marketing, customer service, sales, organization and financial responsibility.
No. A travel business is a business, and business results depend on many factors including customers, sales, expenses, time, skills, marketing and the specific business arrangement. There is no guaranteed level of revenue or income.
Learn how the business works, understand the costs and responsibilities, ask questions about any specific business arrangement, consider how you would find customers and compare those requirements with your own interests, time and goals.
Don't Just Start a Travel Business. Understand It.
Learn the industry. Understand the customer. Develop business skills. Ask good questions. Then decide what path makes sense for you.
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