Tuesday, 7 August 2018
While many travel agents focus their attention on leisure travellers, some build businesses by arranging travel for a very different client base. Some agents specialise in cruising, others in corporate bookings and some in booking groups.
School groups, dance troupes, family reunions and sports teams – there are many different types of groups that travel domestically and internationally for work, leisure and educational experiences. For savvy agents with experience in booking groups, specialising in groups represents a golden opportunity to run a successful business that is not only financially rewarding but also highly gratifying.
Putting together itineraries for groups requires patience, diplomacy, great communication skills and the ability to organise and multitask like a pro. It’s certainly not for everyone, but for experienced travel agents with the know-how and energy to put into booking groups, the sky really is the limit!
Meet Groups specialist Karen Coates
“You can’t really compare working for yourself to working for someone else. It motivates me to strive to do better”
Specialising in running group tours for the performing arts, self-confessed ‘dance mum’ Adelaide-based Travel Counsellor Karen Coates had decades of experience in the travel industry before deciding to run her own business with Travel Counsellors.
Seeing a gap in the market for a personalised travel booking service tailored specifically to dance groups, Karen made the leap and built a unique travel business that catered to this need. With many happy customers from schools and dance studios, Karen gets joy and fulfilment out of facilitating unforgettable travel experiences for young people and their families.
Karen’s business not only manages the booking process from start to finish but also offers fully escorted tours run and managed by her own handpicked team. By utilising group airfare and hotel rates, Karen is able to provide her clients with very competitive prices while setting a fair margin for her business.
Priding herself on providing personal touches to group bookings, Karen utilises the support and structure offered by the Travel Counsellors brand, while embracing the autonomy and freedom she has to run her business in the way she wishes.
Watch this video to see Karen’s thriving travel business in action:
Karen’s client testimonials glow with praise and appreciation for the high level of service she provides – something that is hard to deliver when working in a traditional retail travel agency. At Travel Counsellors, agents are encouraged to go above and beyond for their clients and it’s for this reason that agents like Karen flourish once they take the step to join the Travel Counsellors family.
If you want to give your clients the very best service in the business, then find out how to become a Travel Counsellor HERE.
