5 Common Mistakes OTAs commit and steps to avoid them

1
5 Common Mistakes OTAs Commit Steps to Avoid
Them
2
(No Transcript)
3
The Statista report from 2015 to 2018 shows
approximately over 69,000 adults were employed as
travel agents in the United States alone. Another
report stated that the Global Travel Agency
Services Industry has generated revenue amounting
to 307 Bn US in 2019 and employed 1,212,670
staffs in all. This is but a fraction of the
bigger picture. Well! The whole purpose of
giving these statistical data is to offer a clear
vision about the travel and tourism industry
which has become congested with small and medium
agencies as well as individual agents who are
competing with the bigger brands to survive the
overly-crowded ecosystem. After all, starting an
online travel agency is not like having a piece
of cake and retaining its position in the market
is tougher than cracking the hardest code.
Although travel agency software services have
made it possible for travel businesses to waive
off discrepancies, cumbersome tasks, and blunders
caused by human errors, winning the hearts of the
whimsical customers is always difficult and
exasperating. The present market scenario,
therefore, leaves no scope for committing
mindless errors at all. Here is a list of five
common mistakes online travel agencies make while
setting up their travel business.
4

• 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid
• Identifying the fitting software for travel
  agency may not be the end of your preparation if
  you fail to avoid committing the following five
  common mistakes.
• Not thinking out-of-the-box
• The highly saturated market will be a tough place
  to survive, so is the travel industry, today.
  And, if there are too many competitors in the
  area of your interest, which of course, there are
  and the above statistics attest to that, it
  implies that you have to start thinking
  out-of-the-box. Provide them with tailor-made
  high-quality travel packages that are far better
  than your competitors.
• 2. To wait for luck is the same as waiting for
  death
• You must be familiar with the popular saying,
  Time and tide wait for none. In business too,
  great opportunities dont come everyday,
  likewise, you can never have full claim over your
  unique business idea for long unless you have
  worked on it or owned a patent right over it. If
  you are thinking about a certain business plan,
  then do remember someone somewhere is also
  conceptualizing a start-up along your line of
  thought or a tad better. If you are afraid to
  take risks then discard your idea of launching a
  venture altogether. Else, do not wait too long to
  launch your business.

5
3. Lost focus on target customers It is highly
imperative to understand your target market
because modern millennials expect personalized
services from the e-tailers. In fact, a report by
Accenture shows that 65 of consumers are more
willing to buy from a retailer that remembers
their past purchase and provide relevant
suggestions. At the initial stage, it is better
to decide your target audience and do your
homework such as familiarize yourself with their
likes and dislikes, so that you can design your
market strategies that strike a chord with them
and, in turn, give the much-needed boost to your
online travel agency. 4. Pursuing a passive
business style Never expect your customers to
come running to your business, especially if you
have just launched your online travel agency. No
doubt, it takes time for a business to kickstart
properly and a few more months to reach its
zenith of success. But, opting for a passive
business style with equally passive marketing
strategies will not fetch you enough customers.
If you are expecting them to find you and reach
you, then you are dwelling in a dream world. Time
to wake up and get proactive with your marketing
strategies that click well with your target
buyers. And, do not forget to give that
personalized human touch on your marketing
campaigns! Just remember! You have to convince
them that what you are offering to them is worth
their time and money.
6
5. Trying to go solo Planning everything and
catering to every single responsibility
single-handedly may not be such a great idea.
Irrespective of the fact that a worthy travel
agency software is at your service, still running
a travel agency is not a childs game. And, you
cannot manage every single process alone and in
the absence of a team. It will lead you nowhere.
You need the experience of other professionals to
make your travel agency work effectively even
though you are using a travel agency software for
your online business.
7
Food for your thoughts! Committing to errors is
what makes us humans. But identifying the
mistakes, dealing with each one of them and
resolving the issues makes us winners. Despite
the fact that you hire the best travel technology
company or get yourself the most advanced
software for travel agency, technology can never
replace the power of human brains. Use your
knowledge, rely on your instincts and take
inspiration from market leaders to identify
challenges, common mistakes, and possibilities
that will help kickstart your online travel
agency and help you achieve your goals
successfully. To reach that zenith of success,
you have to explore untouched avenues before your
agency can become a full-fledged brand. The
mentioned five common mistakes are just a
fraction of the bigger picture. Only experience
will teach you the mistakes one can commit or
challenges one encounters while running a
business. After all, in business, if you are not
taking any risk, you are not gaining anything.
8
Source https//medium.com/_at_timothyneeble/5-common
-mistakes-otas-commit-and-steps-to-avoid-them-239b
99d7b4d6