Benefits of working with the Travel Trade

Travel Trade could be an important sector for your business. Travel Trade accounts for billions of pounds worth of business to England, making it an important sector to consider for your business.

• Advanced bookings and longer lead times.
• Enhanced distribution channels to market your business, resulting in overall business growth.
• New and repeat business, reaching new customers.
• Increase visitor spend, particularly as international visitors spend on average three times more than domestic travellers on each trip.
• Building strong B2B relationships with buyers, which can lead to long term partnerships.
• One tour operator can sell to many different channels and countries, which you wouldn’t normally be able to reach.
• Concept testing - they can help you develop new products within your business and as a destination.
• Travel patterns of international visitors are not focused on weekends and may level out seasonality problems, which is very different to domestic visitors.
• Working with the travel trade allows businesses and suppliers to spread risk across a range of international markets, this can minimise the impact of any changes happening in the domestic or a single international travel market.
• Working and meeting people from different cultures can be very rewarding and interesting.

Things to bear in mind when working with the travel trade

• The travel trade work ahead and require pricing at least 12-months in advance.
• Don’t increase your pricing to take commission into account, they are only buying your spare capacity.
• Flexibility on minimum night hotel stays helps to encourage overnight stays instead of day-trips.
• It takes time for the travel trade to develop new product.  So be prepared to stick with it and be consistent. It’s recommended that you have a dedicated travel trade contact within your business who can build relationships with the travel trade over time.
• The travel trade, especially in high-end markets, are looking for elevated experiences that are not available to the general public. Can you differentiate yourself and create very special, unique and authentic elements, coupled with knowledgeable guides or staff that offer excellent customer service.
• Showcasing high quality local food and drink, meeting local people and hearing authentic stories are key sales tools for the travel trade.