Selling Travel Experiences, Not Destinations: The Way for Travel Agents!

Travellers Have Already Seen the Destination. Are You Ready to Sell the Experience?

When a person wants to have a holiday nowadays, they do not start by going to a travel agent. The first place where they go is Instagram. One reel has the blue waters of the Maldives. One YouTube video has a walk around Paris. A travel influencer recommends an unknown café in Bali. All of these within just a few minutes the traveller has already seen the destination, booked the hotel, checked the prices of the flights and even has a list of places to see. So what should the travel agent offer to them?

Travellers Are No Longer Just Buying a Place

In the past, selling holidays meant just selling the place.

The traveller might have said, “I want to visit Dubai," and the travel agent could then make recommendations on how to reach it, where to stay and what to see and do during the journey. These days, however, the conversation has moved forward. The traveller has already seen pictures of Dubai: the Burj Khalifa setting in the sun, desert safaris and hotel reviews before ever calling the travel agency. What they may not know how to do, however, is how to combine all these elements into a coherent plan of action. That's where the travel agencies come in to provide true value.

From “Where Would You Like to Visit” to “How Would You Like to Feel"?

The best travel conversations don't always start with a place.

Does the traveler need relaxation?

Adventure?

Luxury?

A romantic get-away?

A family vacation where kids don't get bored?

With the purpose of the trip defined, the destination then becomes just one element of the discussion. For instance, two couples planning on holidaying in Bali may need totally different experiences. One couple may want luxurious resorts, private dining experiences and wellness. The other couple may wish for beach club, adventure sports and nightlife. Same destination. Very different experiences. And here is where a travel agent could differentiate from the rest.

Personalisation – The New Competitive Edge

Comparison of prices is easy. Comparison of experience is difficult. A traveler can easily compare rates at hotels on multiple sites on the web. However, the design of a trip which matches the interests, budget and expectations is not easy. A good travel agent can pose questions that algorithms do not:

“Do you like to see everything or travel at a leisurely pace?”

“Would you like to see popular attractions or hidden gems?”

“Does your vacation revolve around sightseeing, leisure or quality time spent together?”

Questions such as these make for better personalisation of an itinerary than simply being a salesperson.

It's Not Enough to Just Increase the Amount of Activities. Increase Their Meaningfulness.

Another misconception is thinking that a better package just implies adding additional activities. Increased sightseeing doesn’t necessarily mean increased quality of the vacation. There may be days when a traveller would prefer spending an extra day in an amazing resort rather than visit 3 different places on that day. There may be days when the local culinary experience may seem more interesting than yet another landmark. There may be days when having a free afternoon may make everything much easier.

It makes the service more valuable.

Travel agencies who realize this can craft travel packages out of moments, rather than destinations.

The Power of Local Knowledge

Here's another field in which travel professionals can really add value. Internet will provide visitors with thousands of options to choose from. But it may not necessarily inform them about how all these options fit together. An agency's local DMC and experienced travel partner can enable them to understand some important practical considerations, like:

Which experiences are worthwhile to include?

How much travel time is required to travel from one place to another?

Which experiences are appropriate for families/couples/groups

What options exist for travelers to explore destinations beyond the usual tourist trail

And many others

All of this will enable them to be confident in selling their products. And confidence is powerful. It enables them to move the discussion from “Can I get this cheaper?” to “What can you recommend?”.

Rather than sending out an extensive list of attractions, put together a package which makes sense. Rather than simply fulfilling the request of the traveller, try suggesting improvements which can be made to their journey. That is what expertise can bring you.

Sell the Story, Not Just the Package

The package looks appealing once the traveller is able to place himself in it.

Compare:

“5 nights in Bali with hotel, transfers and sightseeing.”

with:

“Five days of island experience — leisurely morning walks along the beach, a private sunset experience, a day trip to Ubud and sufficient free time to explore the magic of Bali.” The latter brings a certain image. It gives the traveller something to dream about.

Travellers can use storytelling when preparing proposals, posting on social media, communicating through WhatsApp and presenting packages to clients. As the booking confirmation will never make people think of holidays, the feeling the holiday brought them will.

the future lies in experiential travel

They will keep finding destinations through their computer. They will keep comparing the costs. They will keep watching the reels and reading reviews before taking any action. The travel agent cannot and must not compete with the internet in terms of the information alone. They can provide something much more significant than that: curation, personalization, local knowledge, and reassurance. The destination may well already have been found by the traveller. The chance for the travel agent is to give them a better experience of their destination. As the future of travel sales doesn’t lie in asking:

“Where do you want to go?”

It lies in asking:

“What experience do you want to bring back home?”

A culinary trip?