How to set up travel agency

A travel agency is a company specialised in creating and managing tourist experiences for its clients, acting as an intermediary between travellers and providers such as hotels, car rental companies, airlines and many more.

If you are an entrepreneur and are thinking of how to set up a travel agency, you should consider the planning, strategy and commitment to the project, as well as the means and technology to carry it out, as it can be a profitable and satisfying business.

If you are thinking of working in the service sector, you can study the Bachelor's in Tourism and Leisure Management at Universidad Europea where you will learn about economics, marketing, finance, languages and many more areas focused on the management and direction of companies or your own ventures.

What is a travel agency?

A travel agency is a company associated with the service sector whose main job is to act as an intermediary between its clients and certain travel providers. They help with the organisation and realisation of projects, the preparation of itineraries, the hiring of transport and accommodation and many other things with the aim of offering a complete package according to the client's requirements.

Travel agencies can be established physically or through an online platform, the latter having gained popularity as it is possible to organise a trip without leaving home.

Contact can be made by email or WhatsApp in most cases, allowing the agency's reach to be extended.

What should you consider before setting up a travel agency?

These are some of the essential factors before setting up a travel agency.

• Know the market: market research to see its trends, what kind of trips the target audience you want to focus on is looking for, what the most in-demand trips and experiences are, etc.
• Financial planning: consider the costs involved in this investment, such as website creation, space rental if physical, advertising, employees, among others.
• Marketing strategy: consider the different types of marketing strategies, online and offline, as well as choosing the most appropriate channels of communication for potential customers.
• Alliances: establish good relationships with tourism service providers by negotiating rates and products that give you a competitive advantage over the rest.
• Licensing and legal compliance: comply with all regulations, standards and legal requirements before opening the travel agency.
• Technology and management: having the right technological systems in place, such as booking systems, customer relationship management (customer relationship management), website maintenance, etc.

Steps to setting up a travel agency

These are the steps necessary to setting up a travel agency:

1. Define the market niche you want to target: luxury, family, adventure, a specific country.
2. Draw up a business plan that includes the organisational structure, a market analysis and the respective strategies, objectives and financial plans, as well as future projections.
3. Register the business and obtain the necessary licences. In the case of Spain, it must be registered in the General Register of Tourist Companies in addition to complying with all legal requirements. If setting up in another country, you will need to check where the company will need to be registered and what licenses you may need.
4. Create a website and establish a physical point of sale if desired.
5. Establish relationships with suppliers according to the type of agency to offer attractive and special packages to customers.
6. Digital marketing strategies, using SEO and SEM to give the website visibility.
7. Monitoring strategies to find out how the business is performing, adjust and control each of the actions carried out.

There are many career opportunities in tourism, so if you are interested in this field, at the Universidad Europea you can access its degress in Tourism and study the option you like the most.