Dear Travel Agent: A Niche or Specialization Can Actually Help You

You take a deep breath and turn on your laptop. It’s a new day and another opportunity to sell and market your travel services. Instead of feeling excited, you’re frustrated and struggle to stay motivated.

You may feel like giving up and going back to the career you had before becoming a travel agent. The only problem is that you love travel and want to share your passion with others. You want to create experiences they’ll never forget, from wine tasting excursions to hiking through a rainforest.

But you don’t want to ‘sell travel’ just for the sake of selling. So, what should you do?

You could think about your previous vacations. Why? Because you’ll discover that you love a certain type of travel that others probably do too.

Keep reading to why you’ll want to choose a travel niche or specialization and how it can actually help you connect with clients and keep them coming back.

Why Travel Agents Want to Choose a Niche or Specialization?

Choosing a specialization may not feel right, but think about this: Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals specialize. Here’s why you should consider a travel niche.

Share Your Passion

Whatever niche or specialization you choose, you should love it. Why? Because clients will feel your passion and want to book travel with you – people want to work with those who are authentic. If the only reason why you chose to sell wedding destinations is because you think you can make a lot of money, you’ll give off an insincere vibe and repel people. If you love a particular travel niche, you’ll most likely succeed at selling and marketing it.

Be Seen as an Expert

As a generalist, you risk being seen as a “Jack or Jill of all trades and master of none.” When you specialize, you’re considered an expert. If you specialize in one of the following niche travel markets, honeymoons, culinary trips to France and Italy, or whatever you’re passionate about, you can position yourself as the “go-to” travel agent. Not only does this make it easier for people to find you, but it’s easier to position you and your business’s unique selling point.

“We book many vacations to young families. Having 5 and 7 year old boys really lets me understand what my young families are looking for in a vacation, while many people run to see the Spa at the resort, I head over to the Baby/Kids club to check out the program, check out kids menus and how strong the lock is to the balcony on the swim-up suite.” – Roy Gal

Easier to Market and Sell

You probably didn’t think choosing a niche could make it easier for you to market and sell your travel services, but it does. Whether you sell group travel or medical travel, you’re laser-focused on one area. This simplifies the design of your digital and print marketing materials. When people visit your social media networks or website, they’ll know exactly what you sell – they won’t be confused or overwhelmed with options.

“I decided to focus on honeymoons because that’s often the first time a traveler is open to working with an agent, they are willing to spend money, and they value the advice/assistance of an expert. Plus, it’s a clearly defined group that I can target with marketing efforts. That focus led me to join a local wedding group, which has become a major part of my success — they are trusted colleagues I can bounce ideas off of, create partnerships with, refer clients to, and receive referrals from.” – Ann Nealon Petronio

So, Are You Building a Profitable Travel Business or Hobby?

If you’re a travel agent who’s uncomfortable with selecting a niche, consider that your focus may be too scattered if you don’t – your business may not grow like you thought it would.

Keep in mind that you could “marry” two or three niches. For example, you may sell ocean cruises, but you could add river cruises. This makes sense because it’s still within the “cruise” family.

As a travel agent, ask yourself if you’re currently building a profitable business. If not, a niche could make a difference. Also, consider joining a travel host agency because you can connect with seasoned professionals who’ve “already been there and done that.” Their expertise can help you grow your business quicker than you may have thought possible.