How to Keep Up With The Travel Big Boys

In the years before the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel industry was dominated by a small number of big-player travel agents - think Thomas Cook or Lunn Poly.

Then we had a global pandemic that shut down everything and made mincemeat of the travel and hospitality sector worldwide.

One benefit of the pandemic and associated lockdowns was the acceleration of digital transformation across every conceivable industry, including the travel sector.

Fast forward a year or two, and online travel agencies were springing up all over the internet. They ranged from the digital presence of the bigger travel agencies to small niche travel agents who were happy to tailor their offerings to a specific demographic.

These newer and smaller travel agencies faced a significant problem if they wanted to compete with the travel behemoths online - technology.

How to compete with the big boys…

Historically, if you wanted to start selling holidays, flights and villas, you’d need deep pockets and a lot of time, as creating your online travel agency could take a while. 

Legacy software is overly complex, expensive and doesn’t interact well with other software, though many companies, large and small, still use it. Having your own software developed is even slower and more expensive.

So what’s the alternative?

Digital travel brands need to be agile and use sophisticated technology that allows them to compete while keeping their costs under control.

No-code travel technology can give everything you need and more without breaking the bank and can be installed and earn you money in less than a week.

It’s an innovative technology that lets you build your travel website without knowing anything about computer programming or software development. Instead, use drag-and-drop prebuilt blocks or widgets to create powerful, advanced applications. 

Customisable travel booking widgets, search boxes, flexible layouts, dynamic offer boxes and payment infrastructures that get you up and running quickly and inexpensively. 

How are travel agents competing with the industry giants?

Protected Trust Services has appointed us to help its members become “genuine competitors with larger players”.

We aim to help agents scale their businesses at low cost by connecting them with suppliers worldwide.

PTS chief executive Daniel Landen said: ‘The synergy between both technologies will create a technological solution for UK travel agents like no other. All PTS members will now have full access included within their membership.’

Mark Sutton, PTS Managing Director, added, ‘Appointing Travelgenix allows PTS members to connect with thousands of suppliers worldwide, scale travel bookings easily at a fraction of the cost, and become a genuine competitor with larger players.’

‘At PTS, our primary focus is for our members to encourage freedom, flexibility and trust. This is undoubtedly our next step forward to support PTS members with our wide portfolio of supportive services.’

Chillmix, an LGTBQ+ tour operator and PTS member who has integrated both systems, was enthusiastic about the PTS/Travelgenix partnership. 

McDonald, Chillmix MD, said, ‘Travelgenix has been a game changer for the Chillimix team. The speed of the system allows our teams to build packages quickly for our customers.’

Want to compete with the major travel companies? Contact Andy at andy@travelgenix.io. to discover how we can help.