10 reasons why to choose a travel business?
1. No inventory. Operate your business with as little as a phone and a computer.
2. Operate your business from home or with minimal overhead.
3. Sell a product/service that is fun and that you can believe in. Vacations are not a luxury, they are a necessity. It’s an easy sell and everyone loves talking about travel.
4. Low start up costs when partnering with an agency.
5. It’s advantageous to book with an agency vs. the vendor direct. Vendors do not offer consumers better rates than what they allow us to offer to our clients. In most cases, we can actually discount or offer amenities. Not only are travel agent pricing equal or better, we also offer unbiased expertise about the advantages and disadvantages of the clients vacation options.
6. Cyclical clientele. If you take care of your clients, they come back to you. Not only do they come back for future vacation planning, the power of referrals in this industry can really help you establish a large client base.
7. There are many areas of the travel industry to specialize in from cruises, resorts, tours, specialty groups, excursions etc…
8. Travel discounts and perks, including free vacation opportunities.
9. A travel business is scalable depending on your desires and ambitions. Work for yourself, or hire employees and grow your business. You are only limited by your ambition and preferences.
10. Travel and Tourism is the United States largest industry, yet there is still so much more potential. Be a part of it!
Note: 2010 data, updated April 2011
...that travel and tourism is a $759 billion industry that generates a total of $1.8 trillion in economic output in the United States? If one dollar bill equaled a second of time, then $1.8 trillion would equal more than 56,000 years.
...that travel and tourism generates $118 billion in tax revenue for local, state and federal governments? If you place 118 billion one dollar bills end-to-end, they would circle the world 458 times.
...that each U.S. household would pay $1,000 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry? $1,000 will buy about eight weeks of groceries for a family of four and will fill the average car with gas 18 times (assuming a 20-gallon tank at $2.83/gal - AAA yearly average for U.S.)
...that the travel and tourism industry supports 14.1 million jobs: 7.4 million directly in the travel industry and 6.7 million in other industries? You could fill the Louisiana Superdome more than a 101 times over with people directly employed in travel.
...that direct travel-generated payroll totals $188 billion and that 1 out of every 9 American jobs is dependent on travel and tourism?
...that at $134 billion, the travel and tourism industry is America’s largest export industry, bigger than the domestic exports of machinery, computers and electronics, or agriculture? International travelers spent more on their visits to the United States than U.S. residents spent while traveling abroad, creating a trade surplus of $32 billion for the U.S. in 2010.
...that direct spending by resident and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $2 billion a day, $86.6 million an hour, $1.4 million a minute and $24,000 a second?
...that just a one percent increase in U.S. worldwide market share would equate to 9.3 million more visitors, $21 billion more in direct expenditures, 158,000 new jobs, $4.2 billion more in payroll, and $2.5 billion more in federal, state and local tax revenue?
Note: 2010 data, updated April 2011