Deciding to set up in the travel industry is a huge statement of intent. You want to provide people with the best possible experiences and spread your reach around the world. You want to jump into an international business like no other. As you can imagine, there are so many aspects to consider before you take that leap. The last thing you want to do is make everything up as you go along. Among the countless decisions to make, plenty will be prefixed by the biggest of questions: The 'How'.
How are you going to project your travel agency around the world? How will you handle bookings? How will you build a thriving, successful marketplace? How do you drive traffic to that marketplace? How do you even get started?!
So. Many. Questions.
Okay, so the last one we recently covered in detail - You can read it here: How to Start a Travel Agency - But what about the rest?...
There'll probably be a point at which you think, "Oh God, I need to build a website. I need to put together a bespoke online marketplace with a bunch of features that have only just come to my attention". In short, this isn't what you signed up for. You don't code, you don't build software platforms. Tourism, not tourism software, is what you want to focus on - You just want to get started in the travel industry.
Unfortunately though, this is the reality for anyone who wants to have an online travel marketplace. If you want to be noticed, let alone successful, there are a bunch of features required to put you on a par with the industry's major players. And even then once you're on a par in terms of features, you'll have to do loads of work to start attracting travellers.
So what can we conclude from this? Well, there are probably two things. The first is that setting up in this industry is far from easy. The second is that setting up and being successful are two very different things. You need to build your marketplace in the right way. It has to be scalable, adaptable, and packed with features to help you sell and grow more efficient over time.
So maybe this all sounds too much. You might have started reading this post with hope in your heart, and now you're starting to realise the scale of the task that's in front of you. But don't get disheartened. We have the solution you need.
Here at Travelshift we've put in years of development to build marketplace software that ticks all the right boxes. From a technical perspective we've got everything covered, including: Proprietary SEO features, Inventory Systems, Localisation Capability, a complete Reservation Platform, and all handy tools you need to build a thriving, mobile-friendly, content-driven marketplace.
And you want to know the best thing? Our software really works. Just look at our Icelandic travel agency, which has quickly become the country's largest and most popular.
The bottom line is this: Partner with us, and all you have to worry about is building up a network of great operators in your chosen niche. Let us take care of all the boring technical stuff while you do what you do best.
Let's take a closer look at what you need as a travel startup, and how Travelshift provides the solutions...
Let's be clear here. You might have the skills to build the shell of a marketplace. Maybe you could even populate it with vendors and make some sales. But if you truly want to drive enormous traffic through your agency and become an established player in your niche, our comprehensive and built-in content marketing tools are the best way to go. On top of proprietary SEO features, Travelshift includes a huge blogging platform that allows you to reach potential customers through their peers.
A big challenge for any agency is attracting vendors to operate within their marketplace. Travelshift helps you do this in two ways.
First, the customizable design allows you to build a platform that looks professional, radiates authority, and quickly puts you on a par with industry leaders. No shortcuts, no tacky looking website pages, no bugs in need of fixing - Just elegant designs that can be tailored to your needs.
Second, and most importantly, our incredibly strong track record will be enough to convince local operators to set up inside your marketplace. Proven success is a selling point, and if you make the most of our many features, there's no reason why you can't build a marketplace vendors will want to flock to. After all, they want to make sales. With Travelshift you'll be in a unique position to make their dreams, not just yours, a reality.
As we've touched on, setting up in the travel industry is daunting enough without you having to whip up your own software. We've been there and done it, and our product is proven. Why put in heavy investment, both in terms of time and finances, when there's a winning alternative? Strong tourism software is the foundation to your success in this industry, but it isn't the most glamorous way to spend your time. Once it's in place, you can concentrate on attracting customers, creating content and winning new partnerships.
If you want to build a travel agency that has the potential to grow on the global stage, your tourism software needs to have the power to do so. This is in terms of scalability, but also in terms of the tools you need to take things to the next level. You need comprehensive features to boost your search engine rankings, localisation tools to help you appeal to audiences around the world, and a range of intuitive solutions to deal with vendors, invoices, reviews and dynamic pricing.
Hopefully some of those points have opened your eyes to the world of tourism software. Getting started in the travel industry doesn't have to be a longwinded ordeal. With our help, you take big steps quicker than you might have imagined.
Get in touch with us today, and let's see if we can help make your travel industry dream a reality.