Host Agency or Travel Agency?
Gateway Travel | Host Agency | Travel Agency
Our owner which you can find on our team page was not born of the travel industry. His previous experienced included financial advisory, management, and international sales. Knowing the difficulty in finding the perfect host agency, or travel agency to fit your needs it crucial when developing your business.
During his three year tenor at Gateway Travel, he has come to understand the travel industry and realizes the many questions you may face when decided what is best for you.
Do you need a company with great training, support, community? Maybe all of the above? Here are a few definitions and questions about what you may need to ask yourself and what type of agency you’re looking for.
A host agency is basically an umbrella. You have a travel agency and you want someone or a company, for that matter, to come along side of you and help you with all the connections you need to make. It could be supplier relationships, higher commissions, a larger community of professional travel agents, or a variety of other travel agency, business related attributes.
To find the right agency, making a list of your top priorities is the first step. At Gateway, we believe in making goals for yourself. This is the perfect opportunity for that. Before you choose the right agency, create some business goals that you’d like to reach and find the right Host Agency that will help you find it.
The largest difference is that a Host Agency will allow you to be who you want to be. You can have your own name, develop your business in whatever direction you want it to go, and have autonomy and freedom in marketing.
Defining a Travel Agency is much easier. You may even already have one of these. A travel agency as a company that sells travel. This travel could be Cruises, destination packages like Walt Disney World, or International luxury travel. It could also be focused more on corporate travel such as hotels and flights. Knowing what type of travel you want to sell will help you find the right travel agency to fit your needs.
A HUGE difference between a host agency and a travel agency is this: If you join a travel agency, you are tied to them. You must use their name, their logo, designs, tools, all of the above. You lose creativity, which may be best for you depending on how many creative bones you have in your body.
Here are a list of questions you may want to ask yourself before choosing.
Do you want employees?
Do you want to grow beyond your own personal capabilities?
Do you want personal relationships with vendors and suppliers?
What kind of work schedule do you desire?
Do you want or crave social interaction with other Travel Professionals?
Do you enjoy doing all the dirty work? (Accounting, sales, marketing etc.)
What gives you a headache that you may want someone else to take care of?
What are the benefits of working with a Host Agency?
Each and every Host Agency and Travel Agency offer their own benefits and incentives. Some focus on commission, some focus on support, some offer leads to help you build your business and some focus on marketing and back-office assistance. The question that you may need to ask yourself is, what area(s) of your business do you need support with in order to grow and prosper?
Do you need help with your Social Media marketing? Do you need help communicating with suppliers? Whatever you are looking for, I guarantee you that there is a Host Agency that offers it and more. There is a perfect fit for you out there, rest assured.
The benefits of working with a Host Agency extends far past these few examples. It brings your business to the next level and helps you learn about your own limitless capabilities.
Lucky for you we are both! We’ve developed a hybrid, so to speak. We have a Host agency and a travel agency. If you want a travel agency with all the branding included, you got it! If you want someone to tell you what to do and where to go and how to do it when you get there, we have you covered. Our sales with our travel agency cover our Florida destinations like Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World.
However, if you want a host agency and be given the autonomy to run your business how you want and sell what you love, you’ve also come to the right place. Most people in our Host agency sells cruises, FIT, group travel, and a variety of others like luxury and adventure travel.
With both agencies, we focus on culture. Every Host and Travel agency has the tools you need. If not, then they aren't worth your time. Most have great commissions, as well. However, we believe the difference comes with agency culture. We believe that if we develop a culture that focuses on encouragement, winning attitudes, and above all, helpfulness and rewards, that everyone will be successful.
The most important question you should ask yourself is this, "Am I picking the agency that fits my needs?" Figure out your needs and find an agency that fits them. It’s that easy.