sample business plan for travel agency

Travel Agency Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Travel Agency Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Travel Agency business plan.

We have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their travel agencies.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Travel Agency business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

My Itinerary Travel Agency is a new travel agency located in Boca Raton, Florida. The company is founded by Sandra Rodriguez, an experienced travel agent who has gained valuable knowledge on how to run a travel agency during the past ten years while working at Fun Destinations Travel Agency. Now that Sandra has experienced managing a travel agency, she is ready to start her own company, My Itinerary Travel Agency. Sandra is confident that her organizational and communication skills, combined with her understanding of business management, will enable her to run a profitable travel agency of her own. Sandra is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of running a travel agency – sales and marketing, vendor relationships, customer relationship management, budgeting, and financial reporting.

My Itinerary Travel Agency will provide a full suite of travel planning services for individuals nationwide through its sophisticated online platform and accompanying customer app. My Itinerary Travel Agency will be the go-to travel agency for personalized service, convenience, and expertise of its travel agents. The company will be the ultimate choice for customer service while offering the best travel accommodations available.

Product Offering

The following are the services that My Itinerary Travel Agency will provide:

• Airline travel bookings
• Tour and travel package sales
• Accommodation reservations and bookings
• Cruise bookings
• Car rental reservations
• Travel ticket sales and reservations
• Tour ticket sales and reservations

Customer Focus

My Itinerary Travel Agency will target individuals nationwide who are looking for personalized and convenient travel planning services. The company will target vacationers, tourists, and business travelers who are seeking the best deals on premium accommodations. No matter the customer, My Itinerary Travel Agency will deliver the best communication, service, and the best prices.

Management Team

My Itinerary Travel Agency will be owned and operated by Sandra Rodriguez. Sandra is a graduate of Florida University with a degree in business. She has over ten years of experience working as a travel agent for another local agency. Sandra will be the company’s chief executive officer. She will oversee the travel agency staff, manage customer relationships, and build vendor relationships.

Sandra has recruited sales and marketing expert, Sara Anderson, to be the company’s chief marketing officer and help oversee travel agency’s sales and marketing activities. Sara will handle all branding, marketing, advertising, and outreach for the company. She will also create and maintain the company’s online and social media presence. Sara has a Master’s degree in Marketing and has nearly ten years of experience working as a marketing director for a leading travel industry corporation.

Success Factors

My Itinerary Travel Agency will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Skilled team of travel agents combined with the latest technology in the industry will allow the company to provide its clients with personalized service and modern convenience to make planning their trip easy and efficient.
• The members of the leadership team have long standing relationships with a large pool of vendors, allowing them to provide clients with the best deals possible on premium accommodations.
• The company offers a variety of modes of communication to better serve more clients’ preferences. Customers can speak with a travel agent in person, via telephone, video call, email, or chat through the website or app. Support is available 24/7 to ensure all clients’ questions and concerns are promptly attended to.

Financial Highlights

My Itinerary Travel Agency is seeking $290,000 in debt financing to launch its travel agency. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the office space, and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff and marketing expenses. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Office build-out: $110,000
• Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $70,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $90,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for My Itinerary Travel Agency.

Company Overview

Who is my itinerary travel agency.

My Itinerary Travel Agency is a newly established travel agency in Boca Raton, Florida. My Itinerary Travel Agency will be the first choice for anyone seeking a personalized approach, 24/7 support, and streamlined technology to make trip planning easy. The company will serve customers nationwide from their headquarters in Florida.

My Itinerary Travel Agency will be able to guarantee the best deals possible thanks to the leadership team members’ long standing relationships with a large network of vendors in the hospitality, transportation, and entertainment markets. The company’s team of highly qualified travel agents will provide personalized service to each client, removing the uncertainty and hassles associated with finding and booking the right accommodations.

My Itinerary Travel Agency History

My Itinerary Travel Agency is owned and operated by Sandra Rodriguez, an experienced travel agent who has gained valuable knowledge on how to run a travel agency during the past ten years while working at Fun Destinations Travel Agency. Now that Sandra has experienced managing a travel agency, she is ready to start her own company, My Itinerary Travel Agency. Sandra is confident that her organizational and communication skills, combined with her understanding of business management, will enable her to run a profitable travel agency of her own. Sandra is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of running a travel agency – sales and marketing, vendor relationships, customer relationship management, budgeting, and financial reporting.

Since incorporation, My Itinerary Travel Agency has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered My Itinerary Travel Agency, LLC to transact business in the state of Florida
• Has identified the ideal location for the company’s office and is in the process of securing a lease
• Reached out to numerous contacts to include transportation, hospitality, and entertainment companies to begin securing vendor contracts
• Began recruiting a staff of accountants, travel agents, and other office personnel to work at My Itinerary Travel Agency

My Itinerary Travel Agency Services

• Airline travel comparisons and bookings

Industry Analysis

The U.S. travel agency industry is valued at $48.5B with more than 90,600 businesses in operation and over 318,600 employees nationwide. Factors currently driving industry growth include an increase in domestic tourism and travel for overnight trips, vacations, and business purposes. More domestic travel typically results in more consumers using travel agencies to book their trips. The travel agency industry can be segmented by brick-and-mortar establishments or online businesses. The global market size for the online travel agency segment reached $432B last year and is expected to rise as more people use the internet to book their trips. The travel agency industry relies heavily on the use of technology. Industry operators must stay up-to-date on the latest travel technology in order to remain competitive in the market.

One of the most significant hurdles for travel agency operators is attracting customers in the age of do-it-yourself booking. Now that customers are able to book many of their travel accommodations themselves, travel agents must be able to demonstrate why booking with them is a better option. Some ways industry operators can add value are by providing personalized services, promotional discounts, and helpful information about accommodation options.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

My Itinerary Travel Agency will target individuals nationwide who are looking for personalized and convenient travel planning services. The company will target vacationers, tourists, and business travelers who are seeking the best deals on premium accommodations. No matter the customer, My Itinerary Travel Agency will deliver professional communication, service, and the best prices.

The precise demographics for Boca Raton, Florida are:

Customer Segmentation

My Itinerary Travel Agency will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Individuals and families planning a vacation
• Business travelers
• Individuals and families in need of accommodations for events such as weddings, reunions, or conventions

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

My Itinerary Travel Agency will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Fun Destinations Travel Agency

Fun Destinations Travel Agency is one of the largest and oldest travel agencies in Florida. The company was founded in 1958 in Boca Raton with one small office location. Now, the company has over 50 locations throughout multiple states. Fun Destinations specializes in booking accommodations for family vacationers. The company books accommodations near key family destinations such as theme parks, resorts, and tourist attractions. Fun Destinations is family owned and operated so the founders are familiar with the hassles associated with planning a family vacation. For this reason, Fun Destinations focuses on booking the best family-friendly accommodations so its clients can relax and enjoy the family fun.

Best Fit Vacations Travel Agency

Best Fit Vacations Travel Agency is a small travel agency catering to Boca Raton locals from its central office and nationwide clients via its online booking platform. The company was established in 1995 with the mission of providing vacation accommodations that will be “the best fit” for every client. Best Fit Vacations is owned and operated by industry professionals that have extensive experience working with vendors to negotiate the best deals for clients. The company strives to get the lowest prices for every booking and regularly finds additional savings and discounts other agencies might not know about.

Trustworthy Travel Agency

Trustworthy Travel Agency is a Boca Raton, Florida-based travel agency that provides superior service to its consumers. The company is able to provide a wide variety of travel accommodation bookings for customers in the area. Trustworthy Travel Agency has three locations throughout the state and operates an online booking platform for nationwide travelers. Customers can book online or over the phone at their convenience. The company uses an algorithm that finds the lowest prices on travel, lodging, and other accommodations across the country.

Competitive Advantage

My Itinerary Travel Agency will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

My Itinerary Travel Agency will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• My Itinerary Travel Agency offers the best deals through its extensive vendor network.
• The company offers personalized customer service, a variety of communication modes, and 24/7 support.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for My Itinerary Travel Agency is as follows:

Social Media Marketing

The company’s chief marketing officer will create accounts on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. She will ensure My Itinerary Travel Agency maintains an active social media presence with regular updates and fun content to get customers excited about traveling.

Professional Associations and Networking

My Itinerary Travel Agency will become a member of professional associations such as the Travel Agency Association, American Travel Agents Society, and the Florida Travel Industry Association. The leadership team will focus their networking efforts on expanding the company’s vendor network.

Print Advertising

My Itinerary Travel Agency will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events. The company will also invest in professional ads to place in travel magazines and local publications.

Website/SEO Marketing

My Itinerary Travel Agency’s chief marketing officer will design the company website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that My Itinerary Travel Agency is able to provide. The website will also list testimonials from happy customers.

The chief marketing officer will also manage My Itinerary Travel Agency’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that when someone types in a search engine “best travel agency” or “travel agency near me”, My Itinerary Travel Agency will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of My Itinerary Travel Agency will be on par with (and often lower than) competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing the company’s services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for My Itinerary Travel Agency.

Operation Functions:

• Sandra Rodriguez will be the chief executive officer for the company. She will oversee the travel agents, vendor relationships, and customer relations. Sandra has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Sara Anderson – chief marketing officer who will oversee all marketing strategies for the company and manage the website, social media, and outreach
• Tom Brown – accountant who will provide all accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting for the company
• Christopher Jones – lead customer support manager who will directly oversee all customer support activities

Milestones:

My Itinerary Travel Agency will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

12/1/2022 – Finalize contract to lease the office

12/15/2022 – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the My Itinerary Travel Agency management team

1/1/2023 – Begin build-out/renovation of the office, and purchase office equipment and supplies

1/15/2023 – Begin networking at industry events and implement the marketing plan

2/15/2023 – Finalize contracts for initial vendors

3/15/2023 – My Itinerary Travel Agency officially opens for business

Financial Plan Business Plan FAQs

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for My Itinerary Travel Agency are the commissions earned as a percentage of bookings from vendors and fees charged to customers for consultations and services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff a travel agency firm. The expenses will be the payroll cost, utilities, greenhouse equipment and supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Average accommodations booked per month: 9,000
• Average commissions per month: $15,000
• Overhead costs per year: $640,000

Financial Projections

Income statement.

Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement

What Is a Travel Agency Business Plan?

A travel agency business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your travel agency business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your travel agency business plan using our travel agency Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Travel Agencies?

There are a number of different kinds of travel agencies , some examples include: independent agency, host agency or franchise.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Travel Agent Business Plan?

Travel agencies are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.  This is true for a travel agent business plan and a tour and travel business plan.

What are the Steps To Start a Travel Agency Business?

Starting a travel agency business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Travel Agent Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed business plan for your travel agency  that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your travel agency business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your travel agency business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Travel Agency Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your travel agency business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your travel agency business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Travel Agency Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your travel agency business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your travel agency business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful travel agency business:

• How to Start a Travel Agency Business

Free Travel Agency Business Plan Template

This article contains affiliate links. It won't cost you anything extra, but we may be compensated a small amount for referrals. You can read our full (and I daresay the most fun)  affiliate disclosure here .

Okay, okay. I know you’re crazy thrilled that you’ve found a free travel agency business plan template for your agency! I promise we’ve got a super razzly-dazzly one that will help you craft THE BEST travel agency business plan out there. So we’ll have you download your free travel agency business plan template in just a second, and then we’ll walk you through the different pieces of the business plan in the article.

Sound like a (business) plan?!

What Is the Purpose of a Travel Agency Business Plan?

Here's a sneak preview of what you can expect from HAR's business plan below. (Need no convincing? Download it here .)

Business plans got their start as a way for banks to vet new businesses before deciding to give them a loan. After all, people that have thought long and hard about their business and taken the time to painstakingly write down all the steps and intricacies have a higher likelihood of success.

Now when it comes to travel agencies, you may think having a business plan is overkill or outdated. Sure, if you’re opening a storefront agency or a franchise you may need some capital from the bank/investor so a business plan may be a necessity. But now that most agencies are home-based, the median start-up cost for a non-franchise travel agency is $1,000 . If you’re not getting a loan, do you really need a business plan?

Where did that $1,000 number come from? Not from thin air . . . find HAR's data here!

If you’re starting a travel agency, here’s a few reasons why creating a travel agency business plan might be helpful to you:

• Practical: it will help you feel prepared and confident as you make important business decisions.
• Inspirational: it will help remind you what it is that inspired you to start a travel agency and what kind of impact you hope to have on your clients. The kinds of things that will remind you why you started all these shenanigans when logistical tasks like taxes get boring or complicated.

The other thing a travel agency business plan can do? It will help you describe your agency—the service you provide (do you have a niche?), the market in which you’re operating, the money you need to get started and keep going, and the people you need to help you get there (accountants? Sub agents? Bookkeeper? Web Developer?) In short, it can help you feel prepared and confident, and our free travel agency business plan is going to help you with that!

Download HAR’s Free Travel Agency Business Plan Template

We have a handy dandy (and free) travel agency business plan template for YOU, dear reader! Yay, it is the companion to this article.

We’re offering our travel agency business plan template free (no catch) because we want your new business to be off to the best start possible!

Alright, now you’ve downloaded our free travel agency business plan template, great! We’ve already filled it out for our fictional travel agency, Corona Travels , and now we need to work on personalizing this business plan to your travel agency.

To update your personal business plan template with your brilliant ideas, all you'll need to do is delete the sample description provided in the template and add in your own material! In the next section, we walk you through each part of the business plan. I recommend that as you read through the article, you compare the sections of the travel agency business plan template. That way, you'll have an explanation for each part with an example.

Let’s jump in and start tailoring the business plan template to your travel agency!

Hold up. Still need to get your agency set up? We have just the thing.

Now, a business plan template may feel like you're getting ahead of yourself if you haven't named and/or registered your business yet! If you still need to take strides to get your agency off the ground (your agency, name, niche, registration, host affiliation etc.) we have a course that will fast-forward that process.

Check out HAR's 7 Day Set Up Accelerator course to get your agency set up faster so you can start monetizing sooner! The course is written and taught by HAR Founder, Steph Lee, and professional Educator, Bridget Lee. It includes nine chapters with 70+ instructional videos, course quizzes, peer accountability, and monthly meet-ups with HAR members and industry experts.

Now, let's go over the business plan!

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 1: Overview

The overview is like an executive summary that briefly summarizes all aspects of your travel agency business plan. You can think of this as the “elevator pitch” of your travel agency business plan. Oddly enough, I like to do these summaries last, since then you’ll have all the info at your fingertips that you'll need to summarize.

So what details are you filling out in this first part of the travel agency business plan?

• Name of Your Business: Not sure what your travel agency name is yet? We can help you with that .
• Location: Is it your house? A PO box? A storefront? Your sister’s basement?
• Your Travel Niche: Specializing as a travel agent is more important than ever. Selling travel is about much more than booking. It’s also about bringing knowledge, expertise, access, and resourcefulness to the table—all the qualities that help separate you from an OTA (online travel agency).

Read here if you want help developing a niche of your own!

• Your Target Client: Luxury? Families? LGBTQ? Cruisers? Boomers or Millennials? Honeymooners? Foodies? Who do you imagine your client to be and how will this shape the way you develop your travel agency?
• Your Competition: Another way to look at this is, who are your industry peers? What might your customers consider if they don’t use you as a travel agent? (Try to think beyond OTAs like Expedia.)
• The expertise of Management Team: Okay, so your management team might be you and the office dog (we know who’s the alpha in the office!). But even if that’s the case, this section is an opportunity to reflect on your strengths as a travel agency owner.
• Financial Projections: Unless you’re coming into the industry with a book of business, this might seem intimidating. It’s hard to know what to expect right? But the good thing is we have an amazing resource for you: “ Travel Agency Startup Costs and Earnings: What to Expect ” Wow! Who knew?!
• Travel Agency Mission Statement: This will help you remember why you did this in the first place, and remind you what kind of impact you hope your business will have on others! Warm fuzzies, right?!

And hey, we’re done with Part 1!! Just like that. ;)

I know you can barely contain your excitement to start reading about our next section, business foundations !

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 2: Business Foundations

This section of your travel agency business plan provides background information on your agency. If you’re brand-spanking new, much of this information will be provided in the overview. If your business has roots, it may be a little more complex.

This section can include:

• Legal Structure : What type of business is your agency? LLC? Sole Prop? S Corp? Has it changed over time?

If you are just starting and aren’t sure what type of business you want, check out this resource on how to choose a travel agency business structure

• Agency Founders and Their Role in the Formation of Your Travel Agency : Who are the founders and what are their roles?

Ah, that was a nice and easy section, wasn’t it? Now we need to start getting real. Yes, folks, the well-loved travel agency business plan template goes OCD in the next section!

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 3: Product or Service

This section is where the rubber hits the road with your niche and will help you begin to think about developing preferred supplier relationships with your travel agency.

• Products/ Services Provided: This may seem obvious—you sell travel! But if you’re considering providing other services (even if it’s a future goal), it will be important to consider that too. In addition to planning and booking travel, this may include: Coaching clients to book their own trips; trip consultations; wedding planning; providing education, training or mentorship to other agents; facilitating educational webinars (etc.); speaking at industry events.
• Sales Projections: This is hard if you haven’t booked any travel yet. But consider what kind of travel you want to sell. How many clients are you booking? How many trips do you aim to sell weekly/monthly/annually?

This is a good opportunity to make financial goals for your travel agency. What kind of annual income are you aiming for? How much would you have to sell in one year to reach that?

If you are providing multiple services as a part of your travel agency business, what is the breakdown among those different services?

You can see how Madeline Jhawar breaks down her earnings by services in this article here

• Industry Projections for Your Travel Services: We’ve done a lot of legwork for you on this one in our travel agency business plan template. But, if you want to add more, imagine this as describing the industry viability to someone who is not within the industry. What influences demand for your travel services? How is the health of the travel industry overall? Check out HAR's latest income survey results !

Now that you’ve dug into the details in this section, let’s move into the next section of your travel agency business plan that doesn’t tax your brain. It’s about management structures and it’s equal parts easy and boring (#honest).

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 3: Management Structures

This will be a very fast exercise if you are opening your agency alone :). If you’re working for yourself, you may also want to consider outside organizations that influence your business:

• If applicable, which host agency/franchise do you belong to?
• If you or your host belongs to a consortium, which one?
• What travel organizations are you a part of? (i.e. ASTA, IGLTA, PATH, CCRA etc.)
• Since you are an independent agent, these outside organizations won’t have a direct stake in your business, but they may influence your day-to-day operations in some way.

If you're flying solo, you can probably stop here! But if you have or want to take on sub agents or employees you’ll want to do the above, and you’ll also need to go into more depth with your travel agency management structure below:

It’s important to avoid misclassifying employees as independent contractors because it can get you in deep trouble with IRS. Read up here to learn the difference .

• If applicable, create an organizational chart of your travel agency. You can think of this as a business version of a family tree. This will help you visualize who the players are and what roles they serve to your agency.
• What value do the different management positions add to your travel agency?
• What are the responsibilities of their positions?
• Describe other ICs or employees/ positions and their responsibilities. How will they complement what you do for your agency? (i.e. Sell a different type of travel under your brand? Work on sales? Bookings only? Administrative assistant?)
• If you have sub agents or employees, break down overall payroll expenses. What is their compensation? A commission split? A base salary? A combination of the two? Will you provide any bonuses or benefits if you have employees?
• Do you anticipate future additions to your staff?

Phew! That was a long one. Well, you certainly nailed it. Kudos!

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 3.2: Who Is Your Office Mascot?

This is probably the most important factor in building a business plan. How the heck are you going to get up and work every morning without a dog pushing their cold nose into your face, or a cat trying to use your neck as their personal radiator?

Still with me? Okay, no more goofing off. Just wanted to throw in a fun interlude . . . I’ll get back to business now.

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 4: Marketing Strategy

This section of your travel agency’s business plan will help you clarify some of your marketing goals in the long term.

• Who are your major clients? Include names, location, and what kind of travel they prefer. What was the sales volume for each customer? Have they provided referrals for your business?
• Who are prospective clients? Who might be other potential travel clients for you? Parenting class members? Your yoga class? Regulars at your favorite bookstore? Do you have a way to informally see how they might respond to your travel services?

Marketing Plan

What is your marketing plan? Consider things such as:

• Your pricing. For example, if you want to charge fees.

Not sure where to start with fees? Go here first

• How do you want to market to clients? Online, at wedding expos, in line at the grocery store?
• What region do you want to target and if you want to target clients outside your locale, how do you plan to do so?
• What is the flow of your services during planning, travel and post-trip? How do you plan on getting feedback from your customer once the travel is complete?

We have a few forms resources to help you with your workflow!

• What are your marketing priorities ? Networking? Referral? Online? Social media?

If you’re not sure where to start, this is the way into our rabbit hole of marketing resources .

• Sales Strategy: Now that you have a list of potential clients and a marketing plan, how will you reach out to prospective clients? Host a cocktail hour? Send a mailing? Go to networking meetings? Do you need to outsource or delegate any tasks to help you with your sales efforts?

Are you ready to head on over to that travel agency business plan template you have a love-hate relationship with? Good, because you’re gonna read all about Corona Travels marketing strategy and how they plan on closing the leads they get . . . and maybe you can steal some of Sol’s ideas for your agency. :)

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 5: Technology

What kind of tech do you need to help your agency get up and running, and what technology will you need to keep your travel agency machine humming? You don’t need everything at once, but you’ll want to have an idea of what you need to reach some travel agency milestones you’re going for.

You might want to consider things like:

• Travel Agency Website
• Read up on different website options for agencies
• Customer Relations Management (CRM):
• ClientBase Online
• Online Scheduling Tools:
• Itinerary Builders:
• Axus Travel App
• Payment Processing (for fees)
• Quickbooks Payments (use this link for 50% off first SIX months -- normally it's 3 months)
• TESS (built into CRM)
• Travel Joy (built into CRM)
• WixPayments
• Bookkeeping and Accounting
• Google Sheets ( part of Google Workspace )
• Mac Numbers
• Quickbooks Online / Quicken (use this link for 50% off first SIX months -- normally it's 3 months)
• Quickbooks Online (use this link for 50% off first SIX months -- normally it's 3 months)
• Booking tools
• Google Workspace : We have an exclusive 10% off promo code for Google Workspace! Just fill out the form and we'll send you the code.
• Office equipment
• Fax: FaxZero
• Scanner: Scanner Pro ($3.99 in Apple App Store)
• Scanner: Tiny Scanner (Google Play Store)
• Business Card Scanner: CamCard (Free on Apple App Store | .99 on Google Play Store )
• Forms / E-signatures*
• JotForm (free plan allows e-signatures)
• RightSignature
• Email Automation
• Sendinblue (that's what we currently use, and I highly recommend it!)
• Active Campaign
• Constant Contact
• Online Meetings / Video Conferencing
• Google Meet (part of Google Workspace )
• Secure Password Manager (also known as The Handiest Thing Ever )
• Mileage Tracking
• MileIQ (Free but if you ever decided to upgrade, use this link for 10% off paid plans)

Just because it’s technology, it doesn’t mean it has to be state of the art or über fancy. You can pick and choose where you want to allocate your financial resources on tech: I’ve spoken with several travel agents who swear by a combination of sticky notes, physical calendars, and Excel spreadsheets.

Think about which of these technologies you really need. If you go with a host agency or consortium, which of these technologies do they provide? Looking forward as your business grows, which technologies do you anticipate you’ll want to phase in?

Choosing those technologies was fun, wasn’t it? But now we need to iron out how you’re going to run the agency. So let’s move into the next section of your travel agency’s business plan template and make sure you’re running a tight ship!

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 6: Operations

Developing a plan for travel agency operations will help you understand how to ensure your business runs smoothly, in addition to understanding the capacity of your travel agency. For this section of your travel agency business plan you’ll want to consider:

• What is your sales volume compared to your sales capacity? How much travel can you actually sell in the time you want to spend working to sell travel?
• Who are your preferred suppliers? Who are your host or consortium’s, preferred suppliers? How do these suppliers (and your host) disburse commissions and on what timeline? How does this impact your bookkeeping and workflow?
• If you are booking groups, plan ahead. Are there any special cruise sailings or new ships you want to block space for? Is a resort opening a new property that you’re excited about and might be in high demand? Is there a new exciting product coming up that you want to get ahead of?
• In order to find out about some of these opportunities, what travel publications do you want/ need to subscribe to? (*Ahem* Make sure HAR is one of them!!) How are you utilizing your host or consortium resources to stay ahead?

OMG. OMG!!! That’s right, keep that grin plastered on your face because we’re entering the final leg. You did it!

Travel Agency Business Plan, Part 7: Administrative Support

As a business owner, there will be a lot of external organizational support as you go. First, we’ll focus on financial logistics. What are the business names (or contacts) and addresses of some of your administrative support? This may include:

• Your bank/ banker
• Accountant and/or Bookkeeper
• Host agency or consortium
• Legal counsel/ lawyer

See our updated list of travel industry lawyers here!

Congratulations. You Have a Travel Agency Business Plan!

Seriously, that was INTENSE. Give yourself a huge pat on the back. Creating a business plan for your travel agency ain’t for the faint of heart, but you did it.

Go ahead and tell us about your process. Was our free travel agency business plan template helpful? Did it help to think things through and write a business plan for your agency? Was it a waste of time? Most importantly, what kind of office pet do you have and what sort of moral support do they provide?

Comment below!

*Editor's Note: This article was originally published on April 16th, 2019. We updated it on the publish date listed on the article!

About the author

Join 40,000 agents and sign up for our monthly newsletter

Travel Agency Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their travel agencies. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a travel agency business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Travel Agency Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your travel agency as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Travel Agency

If you’re looking to start a travel agency or grow your existing travel agency you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your travel agency in order to improve your chances of success. Your travel agency business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Source of Funding for Travel Agencies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a travel agency are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable. But they will want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business.

The second most common form of funding for a travel agency is angel investors. Angel investors are wealthy individuals who will write you a check. They will either take equity in return for their funding, or, like a bank, they will give you a loan.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

Your travel agency business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of travel agency business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a travel agency that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of travel agencies.

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the travel agency industry. Discuss the type of travel agency you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of travel agency you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types:

• Commercial Travel Agencies : this type of travel agency caters to business travelers. These agencies specialize in tracking down deals for business travelers to help companies manage travel costs.
• Online Travel Agencies : this type of travel agency exists only in cyberspace. They provide clients with the convenience of online booking and discounts that are available only to professional travel agencies.
• Niche Travel Agencies : this type of travel agency provides clients with specialized knowledge of a region.
• Membership Associations : Memberships associations give travelers access to the organization’s travel planning services for the cost of an annual membership rather than charging per transaction. This type of agency offers the most benefit to frequent travelers.

In addition to explaining the type of travel agency you operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new location openings, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the travel agency business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the travel agency industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards glamping, it would be helpful to ensure your plan calls for plenty of luxury camping packages.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your travel agency business plan:

• How big is the travel agency business (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your travel agency. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your travel agency business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: sports enthusiasts, soccer moms, baby boomers, businesses, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of travel agency you operate. Clearly baby boomers would want a different atmosphere, pricing and product options, and would respond to different marketing promotions than businesses.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most travel agencies primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

Finish Your Travel Agency Business Plan in 1 Day!

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your business plan?

With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other travel agencies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes customers making travel arrangements themselves at home. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who travels uses travel agency services.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other travel agencies with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be travel agencies located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better travel packages?
• Will you provide products or services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to book your offerings?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a travel agency business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of travel agency that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to regular accommodation and transportation booking, will you offer items such as tour packages and excursions?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the packages you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your travel agency. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your travel agency located next to a heavily populated office building, or highly trafficked retail area, etc. Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers.

Promotions : the final part of your travel agency marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Making your travel agency’s storefront extra appealing to attract passing customers
• Distributing travel brochures outside the travel agency
• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Social media advertising
• Local radio advertising
• Banner ads at local venues

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your travel agency such as serving customers, procuring supplies, keeping the office clean, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to serve your 1,000th customer, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch a new location.

Management Team

To demonstrate your travel agency’s ability to succeed as a business, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in the travel agency business. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in travel agencies and/or successfully running retail and small businesses.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you serve 50 customers per week or 100? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your travel agency, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a travel agency:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment like computers, website/platform, and software
• Cost of marketing materials and maintaining an adequate amount of supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your store design blueprint or location lease.

Travel Agent Business Plan Template PDF

You can download our travel agent business plan PDF to help you get started on your own business plan.  

Travel Agency Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your travel agency is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the travel agency business, your competition and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful travel agency.

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Travel Agency business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.  

Click here to see how Growthink’s business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

• Sample Business Plans
• Transportation, Logistics & Travel

Travel Agency Business Plan

Are you a travel enthusiast and want to establish your own travel agency?

Well, if yes, then it’s an exhilarating journey of stepping into a world brimming with adventure and discovery.

But in the midst of this excitement, it’s necessary to lay the groundwork for a successful business out of a hobby. It demands a strategic roadmap – writing a proper travel agency business plan .

So, our travel agency business plan serves as the compass that directs you through all the intricacies of the industry and helps you pay attention to every detail of the business plan.

As you delve into this step-by-step guide, you can explore how to write your own business plan that sets the stage for sustainable growth and leaves a mark on potential investors or readers.

Without further ado; let’s dive into the art of crafting your travel agency business plan.

Key Takeaways

• Create a compelling executive summary for your travel agency’s identity, vision, mission statement, and core values.
• Showcase your business goals, market opportunities, and marketing plan to attract potential investors or partners.
• Highlight the range of travel services you’ll provide, including specialized offerings that place your agency ahead of competitors.
• Give valuable insights into everyday business operations, from booking management to customer service protocols.
• Provide a detailed financial plan to illustrate a clear understanding of your travel agency’s financial health and expected growth trajectory.
• Thoroughly analyze the industry and competitive landscape to uncover the latest trends and customer preferences.
• Utilize modern and cost-effective business plan software for writing and maintaining business plans.

Why do you need a travel agency business plan?

In reality, every established or emerging business requires a well-written business plan. It is not just a document; it’s a strategic blueprint, offering you a roadmap to make informed business decisions.So, starting your travel agency business greatly benefits from having a well-thought-out business plan like any other business.

Attracting Investors

Whether you’re looking to secure a loan or attract potential investors, a detailed business plan is truly helpful. It shows your agency’s capital cost & revenue potential and summarizes the profitability for angel investors.

Strategic Direction

An actionable plan provides a comprehensive view of your travel agency’s goals, offered services, and strategic steps you will take to achieve success. Also, it indicates a thorough understanding of your target audience and top competitors.

Risk Mitigation

Drafting a professional business plan serves as a foundation for a successful business and helps you identify potential risks & challenges in the market. Through careful planning, you can create effective strategies to overcome obstacles.

Operational Guidance

A well-crafted business plan offers an internal guide that ensures your team understands and aligns with the overarching business objectives, encouraging a cohesive and immersed work environment.

Now, let’s move forward to write a successful business plan for a travel agency.

How to write a business plan for a travel agency?

1. get a business plan template.

Before you start writing a travel agency business plan, it’s highly advisable to get a business plan template first!

It’s like having a valuable toolkit for your business planning endeavors. It not only streamlines the business plan writing but also ensures that you describe all the essential sections.

It offers a structured framework that helps you organize your thoughts effectively to draft a strategically sound business document according to your specific needs and preferences.

Beyond that, a quality business plan template lays the foundation for a comprehensive, professional business plan that highlights your business idea and vision to attract potential investors.

If you’re in search of a polished template, consider Upmetrics’ sample business plan template and ensure that you won’t overlook any essential points in your plan.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free travel agency business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

• Fill in the blanks – Outline
• Financial Tables

2. Draft an Executive Summary

An executive summary is the first and foremost section of any business plan. It offers a quick overview of your entire travel agency business plan.

If your first few pages are compelling enough, potential investors or loan officers will find the document intriguing and delve further into your plan.

Your executive summary should be clear, concise, and engaging if you’re looking for investors or loan sanctions, as it will grab their attention and make a strong impression.

To draft an effective summary, start with a concise description of your travel agency business, covering its name, concept, location, objectives, and unique aspects. Refer to the below example:

Next, explain what sets you apart and share insights about your service offerings, target market, and ideal customer base. Also, highlight marketing materials, current trends, and potential growth opportunities.

Lastly, give a summary of critical financial figures in terms of projected revenues, profits, and cash flows for the initial 3-5 years. From that, you can address funding needs and resources.

A business plan is a professional, living document that you should update regularly to reflect changes in your business.

3. Provide a Company Overview

Now, it’s time to draft a company overview section that provides a more detailed description of your travel agency.

It could be commercial travel agencies or online travel agencies. Share your agency’s founding story and the individuals behind its inception.

Try to explain your business legal structure(S-Corp, Limited Liability Company, or sole proprietorship), and describe the physical location of your travel agency.

Subsequently, highlight your vision and mission statement in this section to define your identity and core values. This serves as a brand story that your customers can connect to.

Take reference from the below example describing the mission statement of the travel agency:

• Internally we intend to create and nurture a healthy, exuberant, respectful, and enjoyable environment, in which our employees are fairly compensated and encouraged to respect the customer and the quality of the service we intend to provide.
• In addition, follow-up will be mandatory to ensure customer satisfaction and make any improvements as recommended by the customers in the future. 
• We seek fair and responsible profit, enough to keep the company financially healthy for the short and long term and to fairly remunerate employees for their work and effort.

Discuss a little bit more about your business background information and how your travel agency works. Try to give answers for when you start your business and how you have set your office space.

In addition, highlight any milestones you have accomplished, such as the number of clients served, positive reviews, new travel agency openings, etc.

4. Conduct an Industry and Market Analysis

An industry and market analysis section is one of the most important ones in your travel agent business plan. It explores your specific niche within the industry and the geographic background where you wish to operate.

So, take some time to go further and find more accurate information, such as who are your target customers & top competitors, what are the current trends, and whether the tourism market is increasing or decreasing.

Market Size and Growth Potential

Conduct a complete market analysis to study the market size and explore growth potential areas for travel agencies. Assess the total revenue generated within the travel industry and identify the emerging trends.

Customer Analysis

Examine your target market in detail, including demographics, travel behaviors, and customer preferences. Understand your ideal clients and tailor your services to satisfy their specific needs.

Do thorough customer research and understand how your target audience plans and experiences trips. This can help better customize packages and offerings to meet your clients’ needs.

Want help writing a target customer segmentation for your travel agency business? Use Upmetrics AI writing assistant now and easily draft your business plan sections:

Competitor Analysis

As a travel agent, assemble a list of direct and indirect competitors in the travel agency industry. You can consider both classic brick-and-mortar travel agencies and online travel agencies.

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor, including service offerings, tour packages & quality, customer reviews, and marketing strategies.

Understanding these competitor factors will help you determine areas where your travel agency can differentiate itself and stand out in the competitive landscape.

Execute a SWOT analysis to find internal strengths & weaknesses of your travel company and external opportunities & threats in the travel industry.

Take reference from the below example showing a SWOT analysis for an XYZ travel agency business:

Based on SWOT analysis, formulate strategies to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate threats to outline competitive advantage.

Some extra tips for drafting this section of your travel company business plan:

• Use reputable sources to gather data, including industry reports, market research studies, and surveys.
• Be specific and provide detailed info wherever possible.
• Include charts and graphs to demonstrate your key points.
• Keep your target audience in mind while documenting the business plan.

5. Propose Your Service Offerings

Next, define the scope of your service offerings and clarify how they meet the diverse needs of your clients.

It must be informative, precise, and client-focused, as it is a detailed breakdown of different services that your travel company offers your customers.

As a travel agency, detail your service offerings, such as bookings, accommodations, vacation packages, international/domestic trips, custom-made business trips, or any cruise bookings.

Effectively disseminate your travel services with a detailed description of what it entails, service specifications, precise pricing plans, or any client reviews.

Here, you can take a reference from the below example to illustrate travel agency services:

1 . Guided Tours

Our guided tours are led by knowledgeable local guides who provide valuable insights into the culture and history of each destination.

Price: Varies by destination, starting at [$50] per person

Specifications: Group sizes are limited to 15 people, and tours typically last 2-3 hours.

2. Accommodation Booking

We offer a range of accommodation options, from luxury hotels to charming bed and breakfasts, ensuring our clients have a comfortable stay.

Price: Varies by location and accommodation type, starting at [$100] per night

Specifications: Accommodations are vetted for quality, safety, and comfort.

Not only that, describe any specialized services in your travel agency business plan template that set your travel agency apart so investors can quickly understand your business scope.

In addition to planning & booking, highlight additional services (trip consultations, wedding planning, speaking at industry events, providing training to other travel agents) and mention third-party partners(if any).

6. Outline a Sales and Marketing Plan

Comprehensive sales & marketing efforts can help your business grow by leaps and bounds. Carry out market analysis and develop clear sales and marketing strategies for reaching your target customers.

For travel agency businesses, explain your preliminary approach and promotion tactics to acquiring either local or international customers.

Also, discuss affordable/high-quality travel packages you provide, their prices, and hassle-free transactions at the point of sale. Here are some of the sales and marketing strategies for travel agencies:

Unique selling proposition

Emphasize the agency’s capability to offer personalized customer service, a variety of communication modes, and 24/7 customer support. Present exclusive access to unique destinations, experiences, and special perks.

Pricing Strategy

Implement a flexible and competitive pricing plan that caters to a diverse client base. It allows the agency to adapt to market dynamics, provide value to customers, and uphold a profitable business.

Take reference from the below example written using Upmetrics’ travel agency business plan template:

Offline strategies

Create visually appealing brochures and distribute print materials to local businesses, travel agencies, and strategic locations. Implement a referral program and try to provide discounts or exclusive festive offers.

Social Media Marketing

Utilize social media platforms(Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to highlight travel packages, engage with the target audience, and build a community around travel enthusiasts.

Content Marketing

Create a content marketing strategy comprising blog posts, travel guides, and visually appealing content to encourage potential customers to consider your agency for their travel needs.

Collaborations

Partner with local businesses, hotels, and travel-related service providers to promote your service offerings. Attend travel fairs, trade shows, or community events to network with potential clients.

7. Introduce Your Team

The management team section offers an opportunity to showcase your strength as a travel agent. It should include a thorough plan for your travel agency’s key managers, employees, or sub-travel agents.

Mention their roles & responsibilities or relevant experience in the related fields or travel agency industry. Also, highlight their expertise that contributes to your agency’s success.

Try to break down overall payroll expenses, such as how much their compensation, commission split, base salary, or whether you will give any bonuses or benefits to your employees.

If you need to hire employees or a travel agent, emphasize how many individuals you will need and how much you will pay them.

This can provide brief details to the investors and help them understand what exactly you plan to staff your agency and pay your employees.

If applicable, you can also design an organizational chart for your travel agency. This can help you demonstrate who your key members are and what roles they serve in your travel agency.

8. Outline Business Operations

Now, it’s time to develop an in-depth look into the day-to-day functions of your travel agency. Paint a picture of seamless operations and ensure that your business runs smoothly.

Describe the entire operational cycle of the tour business, including staffing, how bookings are managed, customer service procedures, technology used, and safety measures for handling unforeseen circumstances.

Include the below subsections in your travel agent business plan operations section:

Highlight the number of employees required, and opening hours, and briefly outline the responsibilities of each team member and training programs. Refer to the below example written using Upmetrics AI assistant :

Customer Service Procedures

From pre-travel assistance to emergency response, prioritize customer satisfaction, efficient techniques, and effective client communication to ensure a positive and stress-free travel journey.

Equipment & Technology

Explain what kind of equipment & technology you will need to run your travel agency. Include a brief idea of how you will reach some travel agency milestones and look forward as your business grows.

You might consider below things:

• Office equipment(Telephone, fax, or scanner)
• Travel agency website
• Booking tools
• Itinerary builders
• Customer Relationship Management(CRM)
• Invoicing and payment processing tools

9. Prepare Financial Plan

Currently, you are in a business planning stage, but dedicating some time to putting together the most realistic financial projections is very crucial.

Having a well-structured and in-depth travel agency financial plan will help you show the tentative spending as well as the revenue forecasts and budgets if your travel company is seeking funding from investors.

In this section, you will need to make a few assumptions that will greatly affect the financial statements of your agency. Take a look at the below table to make important assumptions:

Mention all the below financial aspects in your travel agency business plan:

• Income statement (Profit and loss statement)
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheet
• Sales forecast
• Break-even analysis
• Business ratios
• Investment strategies
• Exit strategy

From the above financial statements, you can identify the startup funding needs and evaluate the funding resources for your agency, such as bank loans, angel investors, crowdfunding, or personal savings.

Well, keeping a realistic financial report in your hand not only helps you demonstrate your agency’s fiscal health but also emphasizes its sustainability.

However, calculating all the financial elements from scratch can be overwhelming. But don’t worry; consider Upmetrics’ financial forecasting tool .

All you have to do is fill in all the details you have and let the tool calculate financial factors, and create visual reports for you. No manual data entry, placing Excel formulas, or designing graphs—nothing.

Here’s an example of a projected balance sheet for the next 3 years using Upmetrics:

Download a travel agency business plan template

Need help writing your travel agency business plan from scratch? Well, here you go; download our free travel agency business plan template now and get started.

This modern, user-friendly business plan template is specifically designed for travel agencies. With a step-by-step guide and example, it helps you write a professional plan without missing any crucial steps.

Simply import data into your preferred editor and start writing!

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Start preparing your business plan with AI

Finally! With the help of our sample business plan template, you know how to write a travel agency business plan. So, you are one step closer to starting your travel agency business confidently- pretty exciting, right?

But you know what else is more exciting? Your business planning process can be even smoother than this. Yes, you heard it right; it’s possible with the help of Upmetrics AI Assistant.

So, don’t wait, and start planning now !

Related Posts

RV Park Business Plan

Airline Business Plan

Business Plan Writing Guide

Successful Business Plan Examples

Car Rental Business Plan

Airbnb Business Plan

Frequently asked questions, where can i find a free travel agency business plan template.

There are various online platforms where you can find free travel agency business plan templates. Consider a reputable business planning website—Upmetrics, which offers free templates to help you get started.

What should be included in a travel agency business plan?

A comprehensive travel agency business plan should include below key components:

• Executive summary
• Company overview
• Market research and industry analysis
• Services offered
• Sales and marketing strategy
• Management team
• Operational plan
• Financial plan

How often should i update my travel agency business plan?

It is advised to regularly update your travel agency business plan to reflect changes in the market, industry trends, and business growth. Review and update your plan at least once a year or more often if there are significant changes in your business.

What financial projections are necessary for a travel agency business plan?

Make sure that you include the following financial factors in your travel agency business plan:

• Startup costs
• Revenue projections
• income statement (Profit and loss statement)
• Projected cash flow

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

Plan your business in the shortest time possible

No Risk – Cancel at Any Time – 15 Day Money Back Guarantee

Create a great Business Plan with great price.

• 400+ Business plan templates & examples
• AI Assistance & step by step guidance
• 4.8 Star rating on Trustpilot

Streamline your business planning process with Upmetrics .

Item added to your cart

Here is a free business plan sample for a travel agency.

Have you ever envisioned launching your own travel agency but feel overwhelmed about where to start? You've landed in the perfect spot.

In the following paragraphs, we will guide you through a comprehensive sample business plan tailored for a travel agency.

As an aspiring entrepreneur, you're likely aware that a meticulously developed business plan is crucial for achieving success. It serves as a roadmap, outlining your vision, objectives, and strategies for your venture.

To craft an effective plan swiftly and with ease, you can utilize our travel agency business plan template. Additionally, our specialists are on hand to provide a free review and refinement of your plan.

How to draft a great business plan for your travel agency?

A good business plan for a travel agency must reflect the unique aspects of the travel industry.

To start, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive overview of the travel market. This includes up-to-date statistics and identifying emerging trends in travel, as illustrated in our travel agency business plan template .

Your business plan should then articulate your vision clearly. Define your target market (such as adventure travelers, luxury vacationers, corporate clients, or budget backpackers), and establish your travel agency's unique value proposition (specialized tours, personalized itineraries, eco-friendly travel, etc.).

Market analysis is the next important section. This requires a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape, travel trends, and consumer behavior.

For a travel agency, it is essential to detail the services you plan to offer. Describe your range of travel products - package tours, custom itineraries, travel insurance, booking services - and explain how they cater to the preferences and requirements of your target customers.

The operational plan is also vital. It should outline the location of your agency, the structure of your customer service and booking system, partnerships with travel providers, and the logistics of trip planning.

For a travel agency, it is important to highlight your expertise in destination knowledge, customer service excellence, and the ability to handle travel disruptions.

Then, delve into your marketing and sales strategy. How will you attract and retain clients? Consider promotional tactics, customer loyalty programs, and cross-selling opportunities (such as travel insurance or add-on excursions).

Embracing digital strategies, like maintaining a robust website or an active social media presence, is also critical in the digital age.

The financial plan is another crucial component. This should include your startup costs, revenue projections, operating expenses, and the point at which you will break even.

In a travel agency, margins can vary widely depending on the type of service, so precise financial planning and a solid understanding of your profit centers are essential. For assistance, refer to our financial forecast for a travel agency .

Compared to other business plans, a travel agency's plan must pay special attention to global travel trends, currency fluctuations, and the impact of international events on travel.

A well-crafted business plan will not only help you clarify your strategy and vision but also attract investors or secure loans.

Lenders and investors are looking for comprehensive market research, realistic financial projections, and a clear operational strategy for managing a travel agency.

By presenting a thorough and substantiated plan, you showcase your professionalism and dedication to the success of your travel agency.

To achieve these goals while saving time, you can complete our travel agency business plan template .

A free example of business plan for a travel agency

Here, we will provide a concise and illustrative example of a business plan for a specific project.

This example aims to provide an overview of the essential components of a business plan. It is important to note that this version is only a summary. As it stands, this business plan is not sufficiently developed to support a profitability strategy or convince a bank to provide financing.

To be effective, the business plan should be significantly more detailed, including up-to-date market data, more persuasive arguments, a thorough market study, a three-year action plan, as well as detailed financial tables such as a projected income statement, projected balance sheet, cash flow budget, and break-even analysis.

All these elements have been thoroughly included by our experts in the business plan template they have designed for a travel agency .

Here, we will follow the same structure as in our business plan template.

Market Opportunity

Market data and figures.

The travel industry is a dynamic and lucrative sector with significant growth potential.

Before the pandemic, the global travel and tourism market was valued at approximately 9.25 trillion U.S. dollars. While the industry faced a downturn due to COVID-19, it is expected to recover and grow in the coming years, driven by pent-up demand and increased consumer confidence.

In the United States alone, the travel and tourism industry contributes substantially to the economy, with millions of international and domestic travelers spending billions annually.

These figures underscore the travel industry's resilience and its critical role in global economic development.

The travel industry is experiencing a transformation, with current trends shaping the future of how people explore the world.

Sustainable travel is becoming increasingly important, with travelers seeking eco-friendly options and destinations that prioritize conservation and community impact.

Personalization and unique experiences are also in high demand, as travelers look for tailor-made itineraries and off-the-beaten-path adventures.

Technology plays a pivotal role, with virtual reality previews, mobile booking, and AI-powered personal assistants enhancing the travel experience.

Health and wellness tourism is on the rise, with destinations offering retreats and activities focused on physical and mental well-being.

Lastly, the demand for flexible booking options and comprehensive travel insurance has grown, as travelers seek security in uncertain times.

These trends highlight the evolving preferences of modern travelers and the need for travel agencies to adapt and innovate.

Success Factors

The success of a travel agency hinges on several critical factors.

Exceptional customer service is paramount, as personalized attention and expert advice can differentiate an agency in a crowded market.

Offering a diverse range of high-quality travel packages and services that cater to various preferences and budgets is also essential.

A strong online presence, with an intuitive booking platform and engaging content, can attract and retain customers in the digital age.

Strategic partnerships with reputable service providers, such as hotels and airlines, can enhance the value proposition and provide competitive pricing.

Lastly, the ability to adapt to industry changes and embrace new trends, such as sustainable travel and wellness tourism, is crucial for long-term success.

The Project

Project presentation.

Our travel agency project is designed to cater to the needs of modern travelers who seek unique and personalized travel experiences. Situated in a convenient location with a strong online presence, our agency will specialize in crafting tailor-made itineraries for individuals, families, and groups. We will focus on providing exceptional travel packages that include gluten-free dining options, ensuring that travelers with dietary restrictions can enjoy their journeys without compromise.

We aim to offer a seamless travel experience, from the planning stage to the return home, with an emphasis on customer satisfaction and attention to detail.

Our travel agency is set to become a go-to resource for those who value health-conscious travel options, as well as for adventurers looking to explore the world with the assurance of their dietary needs being met.

Value Proposition

The value proposition of our travel agency is centered around delivering personalized and health-conscious travel experiences. We understand the challenges faced by travelers with dietary restrictions and are dedicated to providing gluten-free solutions as part of our travel packages.

Our commitment to customization, combined with our expertise in identifying gluten-free friendly accommodations and restaurants, offers peace of mind and an enjoyable travel experience to our clients.

We are dedicated to creating travel itineraries that not only meet the dietary needs of our customers but also enrich their lives through cultural immersion and adventure.

Our agency strives to be a leader in the niche market of health-conscious travel, offering innovative solutions and educational resources that empower our clients to travel freely and safely.

Project Owner

The project owner is a seasoned travel professional with a passion for exploring the world and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by travelers with dietary restrictions.

With years of experience in the travel industry and a personal commitment to healthy living, the owner is well-equipped to guide the agency in providing top-notch, gluten-free travel experiences.

Driven by a vision to make travel accessible and enjoyable for all, regardless of dietary needs, the owner is dedicated to building a travel agency that stands out for its personalized service, health-conscious options, and commitment to customer satisfaction.

With a blend of industry knowledge and a personal touch, the project owner is the driving force behind this innovative travel agency, aiming to transform the way people with dietary restrictions experience the world.

The Market Study

Market segments.

The market segments for this travel agency are diverse and cater to various customer needs.

First, there are adventure seekers looking for unique and off-the-beaten-path travel experiences, who value personalized itineraries.

Next, there are luxury travelers who desire premium, all-inclusive vacation packages with high-end accommodations and exclusive services.

The market also includes budget-conscious travelers who seek affordable yet memorable trips, often in groups or as solo travelers.

Finally, corporate clients represent a significant segment, requiring professional travel arrangements for business trips, conferences, and team-building retreats.

SWOT Analysis

A SWOT analysis of this travel agency project highlights several key factors.

Strengths include a knowledgeable team with expertise in travel planning, strong partnerships with service providers, and a commitment to customer satisfaction.

Weaknesses might involve the volatility of the travel industry, dependency on economic factors, and the challenge of maintaining competitive pricing.

Opportunities can be found in the growing trend of experiential travel, the potential for digital marketing to reach a global audience, and the ability to offer niche travel packages.

Threats include unpredictable global events affecting travel, such as pandemics or political instability, and the intense competition from online travel agencies and direct booking platforms.

Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis in the travel agency sector indicates a highly competitive landscape.

Direct competitors include other local and online travel agencies, as well as larger travel companies with extensive marketing budgets.

These competitors strive to capture the attention of various traveler demographics by offering deals, loyalty programs, and comprehensive travel services.

Potential competitive advantages for our agency include personalized customer service, unique travel packages, expertise in niche markets, and strong relationships with reputable service providers.

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of competitors is crucial for crafting strategies that emphasize our unique selling propositions and foster customer loyalty.

Competitive Advantages

Our travel agency's competitive edge lies in our personalized approach to crafting travel experiences that resonate with individual client preferences.

We offer tailored travel solutions, from adventure tours to luxury getaways, ensuring that each trip is a perfect fit for our clients' desires and budgets.

Our dedication to customer service excellence allows us to build lasting relationships with our clients, securing repeat business and referrals.

We also pride ourselves on our insider knowledge of destinations, which enables us to provide exclusive experiences not readily available through other channels.

You can also read our articles about: - how to start a travel agency: a complete guide - the customer segments of a travel agency - the competition study for a travel agency

The Strategy

Development plan.

Our three-year development plan for the travel agency is designed to cater to the evolving needs of modern travelers.

In the first year, we will concentrate on building a robust online presence and developing personalized travel packages that cater to niche markets, including eco-tourism and adventure travel.

The second year will focus on establishing partnerships with airlines, hotels, and tour operators to offer exclusive deals and expanding our service offerings to include corporate and group travel.

In the third year, we aim to enhance our customer service with the introduction of a mobile app for itinerary management and real-time travel assistance, as well as exploring the possibility of opening branch offices in key cities.

Throughout this period, we will remain dedicated to providing exceptional travel experiences, maintaining strong customer relationships, and staying ahead of industry trends.

Business Model Canvas

The Business Model Canvas for our travel agency targets a diverse range of customers, from solo travelers and families to corporate clients and adventure seekers.

Our value proposition is centered on delivering tailor-made travel experiences, exceptional customer service, and competitive pricing.

We offer our services through a user-friendly online platform, complemented by personalized consultation from our travel experts.

Key activities include travel planning, booking management, and customer support.

Our revenue streams are generated from service fees, commission from partners, and premium travel package sales, while our costs are associated with marketing, technology infrastructure, and staff salaries.

Find a complete and editable real Business Model Canvas in our business plan template .

Marketing Strategy

Our marketing strategy is built on creating memorable travel experiences and establishing a reputation for reliability and customer satisfaction.

We plan to engage with our target audience through storytelling and sharing travel success stories across various digital platforms.

Partnerships with travel influencers and the use of targeted advertising will help us reach a wider audience.

We will also offer loyalty programs and referral incentives to encourage repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Lastly, attending travel expos and networking events will allow us to build industry relationships and stay connected with market trends.

Risk Policy

Our risk policy focuses on mitigating risks associated with travel disruptions, customer satisfaction, and industry volatility.

We will offer flexible booking options and comprehensive travel insurance to protect our clients against unforeseen events.

Regular training for staff on the latest travel advisories and safety protocols will ensure informed and safe travel planning.

Prudent financial management and maintaining a diversified portfolio of travel products will help us navigate economic fluctuations.

We will also secure liability insurance to cover any potential travel-related disputes, prioritizing the safety and satisfaction of our clients.

Why Our Project is Viable

We are committed to launching a travel agency that adapts to the dynamic preferences of today's travelers.

With our focus on personalized experiences, customer care, and strategic partnerships, we are poised to capture a significant share of the travel market.

We are enthusiastic about making travel planning seamless and enjoyable, contributing to memorable journeys for our clients while growing a successful business.

We are flexible in our approach and ready to adapt to the ever-changing travel landscape, looking forward to a bright future in the travel industry.

You can also read our articles about: - the Business Model Canvas of a travel agency - the marketing strategy for a travel agency

The Financial Plan

Of course, the text presented below is far from sufficient to serve as a solid and credible financial analysis for a bank or potential investor. They expect specific numbers, financial statements, and charts demonstrating the profitability of your project.

All these elements are available in our business plan template for a travel agency and our financial plan for a travel agency .

Initial expenses for our travel agency include securing a prime location for our office, investing in robust travel booking software, creating an engaging website for online reservations, obtaining the necessary licenses and insurance, training staff on various travel destinations and customer service excellence, as well as costs related to brand creation and launching targeted marketing campaigns to reach our ideal clientele.

Our revenue assumptions are based on a thorough analysis of the travel market, considering trends in tourism, consumer vacation spending habits, and the unique value proposition of our personalized travel planning services.

We anticipate progressively increasing sales, starting modestly and growing as the reputation of our travel agency strengthens and our customer base expands.

The projected income statement indicates expected revenues from our travel booking commissions, service fees, and customized travel packages, minus the costs of operations (staff wages, office rent, marketing, utilities, etc.).

This results in a forecasted net profit essential for assessing the long-term viability of our travel agency.

The projected balance sheet reflects assets specific to our business, such as office equipment, software, and prepaid travel inventory, and liabilities including debts and anticipated operational expenses.

It shows the overall financial health of our travel agency at the end of each fiscal period.

Our projected cash flow budget details incoming and outgoing cash flows, allowing us to anticipate our financial needs at any given time. This will enable us to manage our finances effectively and maintain a healthy cash reserve.

The projected financing plan lists the specific financing sources we plan to use to cover our startup expenses, such as business loans, investor capital, or personal savings.

The working capital requirement for our travel agency will be closely monitored to ensure we have the necessary funds to finance our daily operations, including marketing efforts, office expenses, and staff salaries.

The break-even point specific to our project is the level of sales needed to cover all our costs, including startup expenses, and begin generating a profit.

It will indicate when our business is expected to become financially sustainable.

Performance indicators we will track include the profit margin on our travel packages, the customer satisfaction rate to gauge service quality, the liquidity ratio to assess our ability to cover short-term obligations, and the return on investment to measure the efficiency of our capital invested in the agency.

These indicators will help us evaluate the financial health and overall success of our travel agency.

If you want to know more about the financial analysis of this type of activity, please read our article about the financial plan for a travel agency .

• Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
• Opens in a new window.

Travel agency business plan template + PDF

This guide introduces a specialized AI Business Plan Generator template, meticulously crafted for entrepreneurs aiming to start or develop their travel agency business. Please note that the names and financial data in this example are entirely fictitious, employed just to demonstrate the planning process. These scenarios are thoughtfully constructed to show how you can customize your own AI-generated Travel Agency Business Plan, tailoring it to the specific demands of your travel agency venture.

To facilitate easy customization, we provide a 'Travel Agency Business Plan PDF' for download. This document is a crucial resource for entrepreneurs intent on devising a powerful and successful strategy for either initiating or expanding their travel agency. The 'AI Business Plan Generator' serves as a comprehensive guide, offering profound insights into the travel agency industry. It supplies you with the critical tools needed for efficiently running and growing your travel agency business.

How this travel agency business plan sample was created

Effortlessly develop a tailored business plan for your travel agency with our AI Business Plan Generator. Simply click 'Generate your business plan' and respond to a series of straightforward questions about your travel agency venture. Our cutting-edge AI technology will interpret your answers to create a business plan that precisely matches your travel agency's objectives and needs. This process is quick and efficient, typically taking just 5-10 minutes, and results in a thorough, well-organized plan. Our platform allows you to adjust and fine-tune the plan, ensuring it perfectly aligns with your distinct vision. Once finalized, your plan is ready for download, providing a clear, detailed guide for starting and growing your travel agency. Leverage our AI business plan generator, specifically designed for travel agency businesses, to streamline your strategic planning.

Travel agency business plan sample

Executive summary, business description, market research and analysis, swot analysis.

• Organizational Structure and Management Team

Products or Services

Marketing and sales strategy, operations plan, financial projections, risk analysis.

DreamScape Travel Agency is a dedicated travel company catering to the luxury and adventure travel needs of middle to upper-class adults aged between 25 and 60. The Agency takes pride in offering individualized, convenient and comprehensive travel planning services which include flight bookings, hotel reservations, curated sightseeing and adventure packages, and robust travel insurance packages. Our unique value proposition lies in our personalized service, competitive pricing and unrivaled commitment to customer satisfaction.

DreamScape operates as a hierarchical organization under the expert supervision of CEO Jack Patterson, a veteran with over two decades of experience in the travel industry. Our well-structured management team also includes Olivia Edwards, CFO, holding an MBA and 15 years of financial management experience, Thomas Perez, Chief Marketing Officer with a PhD and 12 years in the field, Carly Evans, the General Manager, armed with a degree in hospitality management and 10 years of experience, and Megan Smith, Director of Operations, holding a decade-long experience in travel agency operations.

Our main competitors in the market are Wanderlust Travel Agency, Gateway GlobeTrotters, Fantasia Voyages, Adventure Awaits Travel, and Journey Joy Travel Agency. Despite their presence in the market, we believe our unique infusion of personalized service and diverse packages, coupled with aggressive marketing and committed customer service will ensure we carve our own niche in the robust travel industry.

Our marketing and sales strategy will leverage digital platforms for reaching out to our target market. This includes robust online advertising, engaging social media campaigns, informative email newsletters, and participation at local events. Sales will be conducted through our user-friendly website, telephone bookings, and our conveniently located branches in major cities.

Operational efficiency is at the heart of our business model, with our offices operating six days a week from 9 am to 6 pm. Our versatile team comprises of 10 travel consultants, 2 marketing staff and 1 diligent accountant. The daily operations revolve around consultation, meticulous planning, streamlined booking, promoting irresistible travel packages and attending to customer queries.

Financial success is our definite goal, with ambitious projections set for the next five years. We aim to achieve a turnover of $450,000 in Year 1, and progressively increase it to $1,300,000 by Year 5.

We are acutely aware of the potential risks in this industry and have robust mitigation and contingency plans for each. These include proactive planning for economic downturns through lobbying for affordable travel options and diversification of our travel packages. We also plan to offer insurance for holidays and provide flexible rebooking options to combat the risk from natural disasters and pandemics. Fierce competition prompts us to continually innovate and persistently offer superior customer service, while technology failures will be addressed by maintaining a technically sound IT team.

We are confident of our growth, backed by our business acumen, and look forward to creating an indelible mark in the realm of travel planning and service.

Travel agency business plan pdf

Business Name: DreamScape Travel Agency Location: New York, USA

DreamScape Travel Agency is a licensed and registered travel agency based in the vibrant city of New York. The agency was established in 2005 to provide clients with tailored, high-quality travel solutions, including flight bookings, accommodation reservations, tour package creation, and travel insurance arrangements. The business operates in the growing industry of travel and tourism, specifically focusing on luxury travel and adventure tourism sectors.

Over the past 16 years, DreamScape has evolved from a small start-up to a well-respected and successful travel agency with a stellar reputation. The agency was created with the purpose of filling the gap in the market for tailored, personalized travel services. Its aim was to provide a seamless and unique travel experience that takes care of all planning and logistics, leaving the customer free to enjoy their trip fully.

Our mission is to provide our customers with exceptional travel experiences, excellent service, and expansive travel opportunities while maintaining a commitment to our core values of integrity, quality, and innovation.

DreamScape operates as a corporation under the ownership and leadership of our CEO, Mr. Jack Patterson. As a corporation, DreamScape benefits from financial advantages such as limited liability, tax benefits, and an increased capacity to raise capital.

Our business has significant long-term potential. The travel and tourism industry may be affected by economic downturns or global events, but it is characterized by resilience, bouncing back after periods of decline. Despite current challenges, the long-term outlook for the industry remains positive, with expected global growth as people continue to place high value on travel experiences. DreamScape is poised to capitalize on this growth given our high degree of customer loyalty and satisfaction and our strong relationships with industry partners.

In terms of future plans, DreamScape aims to expand the range of services we offer and expand geographically to cater to customers in new regions. Strategies to achieve these goals include boosting our online presence, leveraging partnerships with hotels and airlines, and developing innovative new packages that cater to emerging trends in travel. We firmly believe that with our strong foundational roots and strategic planning, we will continue to rise as a strong player in the travel and tourism industry.

Entering the travel industry, we find ourselves amidst incredible diversity and competition. The industry, based on various estimates and reports, currently racks up global earnings of around 700 billion U.S dollars and shows a steady growth rate of approximately 4.4% annually. Secular trends point to an increasing desire for more unique, personalized, and adventurous yet luxurious travel experiences. This particularly appeals to our target market, middle to upper-class adults aged 25-60.

The global travel agency market size circulates around $116 billion, and it's expected to grow at a CAGR of around 4% until 2027, predominantly driven by the escalating desire for both domestic and international travel experiences. In the U.S alone, there's a potential target market of roughly 150 million people matching our demographic focus.

Concerning the industry's needs and demands, our market research suggests that customers are increasingly looking for packages that offer unique life experiences, rather than traditional sightseeing. These include cultural interactions, culinary adventures, eco-tours, wellness retreats, and adrenaline-fuelled activities. Additionally, consumers demand easy digital access for planning and booking these services.

On scanning the existing competition, namely Wanderlust Travel Agency, Gateway Globetrotters, Fantasia Voyages, Adventure Awaits Travel, and Journey Joy Travel Agency, a few key highlights emerge. Wanderlust and Gateway Globetrotters have a more extensive market share due to their long-standing presence and credibility. Fantasia Voyages taps into the niche of magical experiences, while Adventure Awaits caters to adrenaline junkies specifically. Journey Joy Travel Agency's strength comes from its strong digital presence.

However, most of them lack a distinctive combination of luxury and adventure which we aim to offer. Moreover, their weaknesses range from sub-par website experiences to less emphasis on personalized services.

Prevalent barriers for us entering the market could include stiff competition, the time-consuming process of acquiring a trustworthy reputation, and an immense requirement of building robust relationships with key hospitality industry players. However, we believe that our competitive pricing aligned with personalized and hassle-free travel experiences can help us navigate these obstacles.

In conclusion, through diligent market analysis and strategic positioning, DreamScape Travel Agency has the potential to penetrate and thrive in the travel agency market, fulfilling the growing needs of experience-centric, luxurious, and adventurous travel planning.

Travel agency business plan template

Organizational structure and management.

The organizational structure of DreamScape Travel Agency is essentially a well-defined hierarchy to ensure smooth and efficient operations. The CEO, Jack Patterson, leads the company with years of extensive experience and knowledge in the travel industry. Directly reporting to him are three Regional Managers, each overseeing ten Branch Managers who supervise a group of Travel Consultants. These consultants are in charge of customer service and booking travel for clients.

CEO Jack Patterson, with 20 years of experience, has guided the company through the ranks of the competitive travel market. He is well versed in leading strategic initiatives, enforcing an efficient operational structure, and nurturing relationships with global partners.

Reporting to Patterson is our CFO, Olivia Edwards. With an MBA and 15 years of experience in finance, she guides economic strategy, capital allocation, risk management, and financial planning.

Thomas Perez, Chief Marketing Officer, holds a PhD in marketing and a decade of experience. His role includes leading our strategic marketing vision, digital initiatives, and customer acquisition and retention.

Carly Evans, the General Manager, comes from a strong hospitality background. Carly's role involves maintaining the superior quality of services and cultivating a client-oriented culture within the organization.

Our Director of Operations, Megan Smith, has ten years of experience in the travel industry. She's responsible for overseeing daily business activities, improving overall business functions, managing budgets, enhancing efficiency, and driving business growth.

The next critical aspect of our organization is staffing requirements. We have projected a stair-step growth in our headcount over our first five years, growing from an initial 15 members to 47 by the end of the fifth year. This includes travel consultants, marketing personnel, financial advisors, operations personnel, and human resources.

Human Resources at DreamScape is responsible for talent acquisition, orientation, and training, cultural development, conflict resolution, compliance with legal and ethical standards, and employee engagement programs.

Occasionally, the agency outsources specialized tasks to external consultants. We maintain relationships with a pool of consultants consisting of marketing experts, IT experts, HR trainers, and legal advisors.

DreamScape's success is a fruit of its structured organization, exceptional team, and effective management. We provide an encouraging, career-boosting environment to help every individual grow and ensure that our clients receive premium, stress-free travel solutions.

DreamScape Travel Agency is in the business of creating unparalleled travel experiences. To achieve this, we offer a wide range of services, including but not limited to flight bookings, hotel reservations, transportation, sightseeing packages, and travel insurance. The services are offered both standalone and bundled, depending on the preferences and needs of the client.

What separates our travel planning services from our competitors is our commitment to personalization and luxury. Our expert travel consultants meticulously plan each detail to create uniquely tailored luxury and adventure travel experiences.

Currently, the company is in the phase of expanding its services both in range and quality. We're continuously sourcing new travel destinations, maintaining close relationships with global partners, and training our staff to effectively deal with emerging challenges in the ever-evolving travel industry.

Furthermore, DreamScape Travel Agency is the proud holder of various intellectual property rights. We have a registered trademark on our company name and logo. Aside from that, our custom-developed travel packages and luxury travel experiences are protected by copyright law.

Our production process is centralized around our travel consultants. Once a client contacts us with their travel needs, a dedicated travel consultant evaluates their requests, provides suggestions to enhance their travel experience, and constructs a personalized travel package. Once the client approves, the consultant coordinates with suppliers, books the required services, and keeps the client updated throughout the process. After-sales service is also an essential part of the operation where clients are requested to provide feedback that helps align our services with their expectations even better.

Suppliers greatly influence the travel industry. As such, DreamScape maintains relations with a broad network of suppliers, including airlines, hotels, car rentals, and local tour operators, among others, both domestically and internationally. They have been carefully selected based on the quality of services they provide, their ability to meet client needs, and their willingness to form long-term beneficial relationships. To give our clients the best experiences, we always strive to work with suppliers who share our commitment to quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.

Overall, DreamScape Travel Agency is excited about the future. We plan to continue evolving, expanding, and improving our services to ensure we are providing our clients with the very best in luxury and adventure travel experiences.

Business plan for a travel agency

The financial plan outlines the monetary resources and financial development of DreamScape Travel Agency. Over the next 5 years, we plan to firmly establish our business in the industry and increase our market share. Our financial plan includes projections for growth, detailing income, cash flow, and break-even analysis.

Year 1 will see an initial investment used primarily for marketing campaigns, developing partnerships, and improving infrastructure. We project a first-year revenue of $450,000. Although this is relatively modest, it is a necessary building block for what's to come.

We expect considerable growth in Year 2 with projected revenue of $600,000. The increase will come primarily from greatly expanding our customer base using highly targeted marketing tactics in addition to repeat business. During Year 2, we'll continue to refine our services and enhance customer satisfaction.

Year 3 will continue the upward trajectory in our revenues, with a target of $800,000. We'll also diversify our service offerings, opening new income streams to complement our core travel agency service.

The growth trend continues upwards in Year 4, with a revenue target of $1,000,000. This will be driven by both new sales and repeat business brought about by continuous customer service improvements.

By Year 5, we aim to conclusively pass the $1,000,000 mark in revenues, targeting $1,300,000. We will achieve this by continuing to diversify our offerings, improving operational efficiency, and growing our customer base, made possible by maintaining high customer retention rates.

The DreamScape business model is inherently scalable, which allows for high levels of growth with minimum additional overhead. We believe that this financial plan is both highly achievable and also relative conservative as we secure our place in the travel agency market.

DreamScape Travel Agency will reevaluate these projections annually to account for the ever-changing travel market fluctuations and trends. Our financial plan seeks to carry us towards a strong growth path that will help us secure a strong position in the travel industry.

The Operations Plan for DreamScape Travel Agency outlines our daily processes, including production, delivery of services, quality control, inventory management, and supply chain, to provide the best experience for our customers while maintaining efficiency and profitability.

The daily operations involve tasks carried out by our staff: travel consultations and advisories, development of custom travel packages, bookings and reservations for transportation and accommodations, promotional activities for various packages, handling customer queries, and so on.

On the production front, our Travel Consultants are responsible for planning and designing travel packages based on needs and preferences expressed by the clients. We also leverage our close relationships with global partners and vendors to deliver diverse and unique travel experiences.

Customer service is crucial to our operation, so we have established rigorous quality control measures. Service reviews and customer feedback are continually monitored to identify bottlenecks and make necessary improvements. Training and development programs for staff ensure we maintain a high level of service and meet travel industry standards at all times.

Managing our inventory, which includes various travel packages, hotel bookings, and airline seats, involves maintaining a balance between demand and supply. It’s done by consistently monitoring fluctuations in travel trends, ensuring we have enough popular offerings available, and updating the inventory in real state.

Supply chain management for a travel agency means managing relationships with various service providers, such as airlines, hotels, local transport providers, and tour operators. We ensure that we partner with reliable providers who offer high-quality service and share our commitment to customer satisfaction.

Physical facilities include our main office that houses administrative staff and several branches where our travel consultants are based. The offices have been designed keeping in mind the comfort of our staff as well as walk-in customers. Equipment needs mainly comprise of latest computer systems, reliable internet access, and state-of-the-art telecommunications system for efficient communication.

We ensure that our facilities and equipment are up-to-date to enable smooth operation, facilitate communication between various departments, and support top-grade service delivery. With a professionally executed Operations Plan, we aim to establish effective and optimal procedures in all areas of our business.

Travelling agency business plan

DreamScape Travel Agency projects a significant increase in sales over the next five years due to an aggressive marketing strategy and an increase in the scope of services. We estimate sales of $450,000 during the first year, with a year-over-year increase by at least 20%. By the fifth year, we project sales to reach approximately $1,300,000.

Our profit and loss projection shows a net loss of around 5% in the first year due to initial investment in marketing, operations, and staff training. However, as sales rise and operations mature, we expect to become profitable by the second year, with net profit margins around 8%. This would indicate a profit of $48,000 in year two, rising progressively to reach an estimated profit of $104,000 by the fifth year.

Our cash flow projection factored in all incoming revenue from sales and outgoing expenses, including COGS, administrative costs, salaries, and marketing expenses. After meeting all these obligations, we anticipate positive net cash flow from the second year onward.

The balance sheet projection sees our assets - equipment, accounts receivable, and cash, increase with the growing business. Simultaneously, liabilities, comprising of accounts payable, loan repayments, and salaries, are expected to be effectively managed and ultimately reduce, owing to an enhanced cash flow situation.

The break-even analysis indicates that DreamScape needs approximately 75 clients per month to cover our fixed and variable costs, based on an average package price of $500. This indicates we need to reach out to a vast pool of our targeted population and convert at least 3% into clients.

Assumptions underlying these projections include a steadily growing economy, stable vendor relationships, successful marketing strategy, and an increase in the population's propensity to travel.

While these projections provide a solid starting guide and set a target for our business, DreamScape understands the importance of monitoring actual progress against these estimates and adjusting the business model accordingly.

How to create a business plan for a travel agency

At DreamScape Travel Agency, we understand that business has inherent risks, and we have identified potential roadblocks that may come our way. We have also developed strategies to mitigate these risks and contingency plans to ensure our business remains robust and resilient in any scenario.

Market Risks: A significant slump in the travel industry, driven by factors like international crises or economic recessions, could seriously impact our business. To mitigate this risk, we plan to diversify our portfolio to include local or budget-friendly packages that would be appealing even in an economic downturn.

Operational Risks: Service disruptions, including problems with bookings or negotiations with suppliers and partners, can compromise our customer experience. To combat this, we maintain strong relationships with multiple reliable partners and continually monitor the quality of our services.

Financial Risks: Unexpected costs or diminished sales could potentially cause financial strain. We maintain tight control over our expenses, and our conservative financial projections leave room for unexpected costs. Regular financial audit and control are in place to monitor sales performance and budget maintenance.

Competition Risks: The travel industry is fiercely competitive, and new players may arrive with innovative offerings. To guard against this, we aim to continually innovate our services and maintain superior customer service, which would heighten our reputation and improve customer loyalty.

Technology Risks: Failures in our IT systems can result in service disruptions or security breaches. Regular system audits, backup systems, and an in-house IT team can ensure we are ahead of any technology-related problems.

Legal Risks: Changes in laws or regulations could impact how we operate. To mitigate this, we utilize legal advice to stay aware of relevant local and international laws and adjust our operations as needed.

Insurance: Aside from traditional business insurance, we also heavily consider liability insurance to maintain a safeguard against possible claims resulting from accidents, injuries, or negligence that can happen during a trip organized through our agency.

Above all, we believe that going into each venture and project prepared and with our eyes wide open to the inherent risks involved helps us better navigate and strategize. As such, regular risk evaluation and revision of mitigation strategies are a part of our operational mandate.

Travel agency financial plan

More business plan templates.

Grocery store business plan

Nail salon business plan

Liquor store business plan

How To Write a Travel Agent Business Plan + Template

Creating a business plan is essential for any business, but it can be especially helpful for travel agency businesses who want to improve their strategy and/or raise funding.

A well-crafted business plan not only outlines the vision for your company, but also documents a step-by-step roadmap of how you are going to accomplish it. In order to create an effective business plan, you must first understand the components that are essential to its success.

This article provides an overview of the key elements that every travel agency business owner should include in their business plan.

Download the Ultimate Business Plan Template

What is a Travel Agency Business Plan?

A travel agency business plan is a formal written document that describes your company’s business strategy and its feasibility. It documents the reasons you will be successful, your areas of competitive advantage, and includes information about your team members. Your business plan is a key document that will convince investors and lenders (if needed) that you are positioned to become a successful venture.

Why Write a Travel Agency Business Plan?

A travel agency business plan is required for banks and investors. The document is a clear and concise guide of your business idea and the steps you will take to make it profitable.

Entrepreneurs can also use this as a roadmap when starting their new company or venture, especially if they are inexperienced in starting a business.

Writing an Effective Travel Agency Business Plan

The following are the key components of a successful travel agency business plan.

Executive Summary

The executive summary of a travel agency business plan is a one to two-page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan.

• Start with a one-line description of your travel agency
• Provide a short summary of the key points in each section of your business plan, which includes information about your company’s management team, industry analysis, competitive analysis, and financial forecast among others.

Company Description

This section should include a brief history of your company. Include a short description of how your company started, and provide a timeline of milestones your company has achieved.

If you are just starting your travel agency, you may not have a long company history. Instead, you can include information about your professional experience in this industry and how and why you conceived your new venture. If you have worked for a similar company before or have been involved in an entrepreneurial venture before starting your travel agency firm, mention this.

You will also include information about your chosen travel agency business model and how, if applicable, it is different from other companies in your industry.

Industry Analysis

The industry or market analysis is an important component of a travel agency business plan. Conduct thorough market research to determine industry trends and document the size of your market. 

Questions to answer include:

• What part of the travel agency industry are you targeting?
• How big is the market?
• What trends are happening in the industry right now and, if applicable, how do these trends support the success of your company?

You should also include sources for the information you provide, such as published research reports and expert opinions.

Customer Analysis

This section should include a list of your target audience(s) with demographic and psychographic profiles (e.g., age, gender, income level, profession, job titles, and interests). You will need to provide a profile of each customer segment separately, including their needs and wants.

For example, a travel agency’s customers may include individuals, families, or corporate clients.

You can include information about how your customers make the decision to buy from you as well as what keeps them buying from you.

Develop a strategy for targeting those customers who are most likely to buy from you, as well as those that might be influenced to buy your products or travel agency services with the right marketing.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis helps you determine how your product or service will be different from competitors, and what your unique selling proposition (USP) might be that will set you apart in this industry.

For each competitor, list their strengths and weaknesses. Next, determine your areas of competitive differentiation and/or advantage; that is, in what ways are you different from and ideally better than your competitors?

Marketing Plan

This part of the business plan is where you determine and document your marketing plan. Your plan should be clearly laid out, including the following 4 Ps.

• Product/Service : Detail your product/service offerings here. Document their features and benefits.
• Price : Document your pricing strategy here. In addition to stating the prices for your products/services, mention how your pricing compares to your competition.
• Place : Where will your customers find you? What channels of distribution (e.g., partnerships) will you use to reach them if applicable?
• Promotion : How will you reach your target customers? For example, you may use social media, write blog posts, create an email marketing campaign, use pay-per-click advertising, launch a direct mail campaign. Or you may promote your travel agency via word of mouth or PR.

Operations Plan

This part of your travel agency business plan should include the following information:

• How will you deliver your product/service to customers? For example, will you do it in person or over the phone only?
• What infrastructure, equipment, and resources are needed to operate successfully? How can you meet those requirements within budget constraints?

The operations plan is where you also need to include your company’s business policies. You will want to establish policies related to everything from customer service to pricing, to the overall brand image you are trying to present.

Finally, and most importantly, in your Operations Plan, you will lay out the milestones your company hopes to achieve within the next five years. Create a chart that shows the key milestone(s) you hope to achieve each quarter for the next four quarters, and then each year for the following four years. Examples of milestones for a travel agency include reaching $X in sales. Other examples include adding new products/services, hiring new employees, and so on.

Management Team

List your team members here including their names and titles, as well as their expertise and experience relevant to your specific travel agency industry. Include brief biography sketches for each team member.

Particularly if you are seeking funding, the goal of this section is to convince investors and lenders that your team has the expertise and experience to execute on your plan. If you are missing key team members, document the roles and responsibilities you plan to hire for in the future.

Financial Plan

Here you will include a summary of your complete and detailed financial plan (your full financial projections go in the Appendix). 

This includes the following three financial statements:

Income Statement

Your income statement should include:

• Revenue : how much revenue you generate.
• Cost of Goods Sold : These are your direct costs associated with generating revenue. This includes labor costs, as well as the cost of any equipment and supplies used to deliver the product/service offering.
• Net Income (or loss) : Once expenses and revenue are totaled and deducted from each other, this is the net income or loss

Sample Income Statement for a Startup Travel Agency

Balance Sheet

Include a balance sheet that shows your assets, liabilities, and equity. Your balance sheet should include:

• Assets : All of the things you own (including cash).
• Liabilities : This is what you owe against your company’s assets, such as accounts payable or loans.
• Equity : The worth of your business after all liabilities and assets are totaled and deducted from each other.

Sample Balance Sheet for a Startup Travel Agency

Cash Flow Statement

Include a cash flow statement showing how much cash comes in, how much cash goes out and a net cash flow for each year. The cash flow statement should include:

• Cash Flow From Operations
• Cash Flow From Investments
• Cash Flow From Financing

Below is a sample of a projected cash flow statement for a startup travel agency.

Sample Cash Flow Statement for a Startup Travel Agency

You will also want to include an appendix section which will include:

• Your complete financial projections.
• A complete list of your company’s business policies and procedures related to the rest of the business plan (marketing, operations, etc.).
• Any other documentation which supports what you included in the body of your business plan.

Writing a good business plan gives you the advantage of being fully prepared to launch and/or grow your travel agency. It not only outlines your business vision but also provides a step-by-step process of how you are going to accomplish it. This will give you a much better chance at success than going into business blindly.

While it may seem like a daunting task, if you take it step-by-step and include all of the necessary information, you will be well on your way to having a successful travel agency.  

Finish Your Business Plan in 1 Day!

Wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your business plan?

With our Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

Travel Agency Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Whether you are looking to start a travel agency from the ground up or simply update your current business plan, the #1 Travel Agency Business Plan Template & Guidebook provides a comprehensive resource for entrepreneurs. The intuitive step-by-step guidebook walks through the process of creating and organizing a business plan that will make launching and running a successful travel agency easier than ever before. With expert tips, financial analysis templates, and more, this Travel Agency Business Plan Template & Guidebook provides all the tools necessary to create the perfect business plan.

Get worry-free services and support to launch your business starting at $0 plus state fees.

• How to Start a Profitable Travel Agency Business [11 Steps]
• 10+ Best & Profitable Travel Agency Business Ideas [2023]

How to Write a Travel Agency Business Plan in 7 Steps:

1. describe the purpose of your travel agency business..

The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your travel agency business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers’ problems. It also helps you identify what makes your business different from others in its industry.

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

Here is an example of a purpose mission statement for a travel agency business:

Our mission at [Travel Agency] is to provide customers with the hassle-free and cost-effective travel experience that best meets their individual needs and exceeds their expectations. We strive to make travel an enjoyable and memorable experience for each and every one of our customers.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Travel Agency Business.

The next step is to outline your products and services for your travel agency business. 

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my business?
• What are the products and/or services that I offer?
• Why am I offering these particular products and/or services?
• How do I differentiate myself from competitors with similar offerings?
• How will I market my products and services?

You may want to do a comparison of your business plan against those of other competitors in the area, or even with online reviews. This way, you can find out what people like about them and what they don’t like, so that you can either improve upon their offerings or avoid doing so altogether.

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your travel agency business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals. 

A good marketing plan for your travel agency business includes the following elements:

Target market

• Who is your target market?
• What do these customers have in common?
• How many of them are there?
• How can you best reach them with your message or product?

Customer base 

• Who are your current customers? 
• Where did they come from (i.e., referrals)?
• How can their experience with your travel agency business help make them repeat customers, consumers, visitors, subscribers, or advocates for other people in their network or industry who might also benefit from using this service, product, or brand?

Product or service description

• How does it work, what features does it have, and what are its benefits?
• Can anyone use this product or service regardless of age or gender?
• Can anyone visually see themselves using this product or service?
• How will they feel when they do so? If so, how long will the feeling last after purchasing (or trying) the product/service for the first time?

Competitive analysis

• Which companies are competing with yours today (and why)? 
• Which ones may enter into competition with yours tomorrow if they find out about it now through word-of-mouth advertising; social media networks; friends' recommendations; etc.)
• What specific advantages does each competitor offer over yours currently?

Marketing channels

• Which marketing channel do you intend to leverage to attract new customers?
• What is your estimated marketing budget needed?
• What is the projected cost to acquire a new customer?
• How many of your customers do you instead will return?

Form an LLC in your state!

4. Write Your Operational Plan.

Next, you'll need to build your operational plan. This section describes the type of business you'll be running, and includes the steps involved in your operations. 

In it, you should list:

• The equipment and facilities needed
• Who will be involved in the business (employees, contractors)
• Financial requirements for each step
• Milestones & KPIs
• Location of your business
• Zoning & permits required for the business

What equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a travel agency business?

To run a Travel Agency business, you will need the following equipment, supplies, and permits:

• Computer and/or laptop with internet access
• Printer/copier/scanner
• Travel Agency Software
• Stationery Supplies (envelopes, notepads, pens, etc.)
• Business cards
• Business License/Permit from your local government
• Travel Accreditation (IATA / CLIA)

5. Management & Organization of Your Travel Agency Business.

The second part of your travel agency business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

This section will cover all of the following:

• How many employees you need in order to run your travel agency business. This should include the roles they will play (for example, one person may be responsible for managing administrative duties while another might be in charge of customer service).
• The structure of your management team. The higher-ups like yourself should be able to delegate tasks through lower-level managers who are directly responsible for their given department (inventory and sales, etc.).
• How you’re going to make sure that everyone on board is doing their job well. You’ll want check-ins with employees regularly so they have time to ask questions or voice concerns if needed; this also gives you time to offer support where necessary while staying informed on how things are going within individual departments too!

6. Travel Agency Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

This section should be broken down by month and year. If you are still in the planning stage of your business, it may be helpful to estimate how much money will be needed each month until you reach profitability.

Typically, expenses for your business can be broken into a few basic categories:

Startup Costs

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a travel agency business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a travel agency business.

Running & Operating Costs

Running costs refer to ongoing expenses related directly with operating your business over time like electricity bills or salaries paid out each month. These types of expenses will vary greatly depending on multiple variables such as location, team size, utility costs, etc.

Marketing & Sales Expenses

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your travel agency business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

A financial plan is an important part of any business plan, as it outlines how the business will generate revenue and profit, and how it will use that profit to grow and sustain itself. To devise a financial plan for your travel agency business, you will need to consider a number of factors, including your start-up costs, operating costs, projected revenue, and expenses. 

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your travel agency business plan:

• Determine your start-up costs: This will include the cost of purchasing or leasing the space where you will operate your business, as well as the cost of buying or leasing any equipment or supplies that you need to start the business.
• Estimate your operating costs: Operating costs will include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, as well as labor costs for employees, if any, and the cost of purchasing any materials or supplies that you will need to run your business.
• Project your revenue: To project your revenue, you will need to consider the number of customers you expect to have and the average amount they will spend on each visit. You can use this information to estimate how much money you will make from selling your products or services.
• Estimate your expenses: In addition to your operating costs, you will need to consider other expenses, such as insurance, marketing, and maintenance. You will also need to set aside money for taxes and other fees.
• Create a budget: Once you have estimated your start-up costs, operating costs, revenue, and expenses, you can use this information to create a budget for your business. This will help you to see how much money you will need to start the business, and how much profit you can expect to make.
• Develop a plan for using your profit: Finally, you will need to decide how you will use your profit to grow and sustain your business. This might include investing in new equipment, expanding the business, or saving for a rainy day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Travel Agency Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a travel agency business.

A business plan for a travel agency is essential for a number of reasons. It will help you to define your objectives and strategies, identify your target market, and assess the potential profitability of your business. It also serves as a roadmap for establishing key relationships with vendors, creating operational structures, and setting budgets. A business plan can also be used to demonstrate your commitment to potential investors or lenders, showing them that you have taken the time to understand the industry and create a realistic plan for success.

Who should you ask for help with your travel agency business plan?

You should ask a professional business consultant or accountant for help with your travel agency business plan. They will be able to provide the knowledge and experience necessary to develop a successful plan that meets your goals and objectives.

Can you write a travel agency business plan yourself?

Yes, it is possible to write a travel agency business plan yourself. Writing a business plan requires in-depth research, a clear understanding of your industry and the ability to articulate your strategies and objectives. This includes creating an executive summary, market analysis, details on the services you offer and a financial forecast. Additionally, you need to clearly define your travel agency’s mission statement and list out any unique features or goals. Once you have researched your industry and developed these key elements of the plan, you may be able to create an effective business plan on your own. However, it may be beneficial to consult with an expert in the field or hire someone to assist in the process.

Related Business Plans

Home Inventory Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Home Inspection Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Home Decor Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Health And Wellness Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Hauling Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Hardware Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Handyman Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Hair Extension Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Handbag Business Plan Template & Guidebook

We're newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

Through meticulous research and firsthand experience, I uncover the essential steps, software, tools, and costs associated with launching and maintaining a successful business. By demystifying the complexities of entrepreneurship, I provide the guidance and support needed for others to embark on their journey with confidence.

From assessing market viability and formulating business plans to selecting the right technology and navigating the financial landscape, I am dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs overcome challenges and unlock their full potential. As a steadfast advocate for small business success, my mission is to pave the way for a new generation of innovative and driven entrepreneurs who are ready to make their mark on the world.

Newly Launched - AI Presentation Maker

Researched by Consultants from Top-Tier Management Companies

AI PPT Maker

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

Top 10 Travel Agency Business Plan Templates with Examples and Samples (Editable Word Doc, Excel and PDF Included)

Siranjeev Santhanam

Traveling is one of humanity's favorite activities. For business, leisure, adventure, or education, traveling allows us to dive into unfamiliar environments and enrich our lives with new experiences, cultures, knowledge, and memories. 

Given the complications and stresses associated with international travel, travel agencies' business has been growing in popularity, evolving and advancing to the changing needs of each generation’s travelers and adapting to the changing market circumstances. Apart from being profitable and economically enriching, the business of travel agencies acts as a crucial intermediary for hungry adventurers worldwide, giving tourists a smoother and more enjoyable experience and bringing income to all relevant partners along the way. 

In this blog, we’re going to be looking at a well-curated Travel Agency Business Plan, complete with an exhaustive list of tools and strategies that you can use to hone your own business prowess if you’re in this market. We will give you a glimpse of ten leading sections of this premium plan, allowing you to see the most vital parts of this template. And when we’re done, we will also discuss two related products in this area. 

Let’s begin. 

Table of contents

• Executive summary
• Company Overview
• Industry analysis
• Customer analysis
• Competitor analysis
• SWOT analysis
• Porter’s Five Forces Framework
• Marketing plan
• Operational plan
• Financial plan

1) Executive summary

Our executive summary section has been tailor-made to showcase the best parts of your travel agency to clients and investors, casting light on all of the vital areas of your business plan. Leave no stone unturned as you navigate through the intricacies of this market to take your firm to the top. Create an aura of credibility and professionalism as you present the core aspects of the proposal through the structured list of subheadings and advance to the next stage of the business. Quick pitch is the first component in the list, followed by the entity and company overview . Use these three major components to curate your image and exhibit your business's most essential details to win the partnerships needed. Lastly, the products and services subsection gives you ample room to dive into your service's specifics and illuminate the pivotal aspects of your travel agency. 

Download now

2) Company Overview

Use the vision and mission of this segment to depict your firm’s ethos and to establish your identity around a socially inclined business value system. Company goals and objectives allow you to hone into the vital metrics of your business framework. Next, the start-up summary section allows you to disclose the company's financial state to cultivate confidence among investors and partners. Products and services offered , together with market gap and business statement , allow you to delve deeper into the revenue-centric features of your business. In contrast, key success factors allow you to energize the foundational elements of your start-up and garner support from financiers.

Here is a comprehensively designed PPT deck that you can use to levy the right conditions for your travel agency business. It comes fully equipped with all of the needs of the industry, allowing you to create a customer analysis, an industry analysis, a competitor analysis, and more. Also present within the template are customizable slides focussing on the financial aspect of the business, the operational dynamics, and more. Download now!

3) Industry analysis

Use the industry analysis segment to build a more precise, data-driven model for your existing business functions, giving your travel firm more extraordinary tenacity in its operations and elevating the chances of success in the long term. The exhaustively rendered segment has many essential subheadings, including market analysis , market trends , major challenges , growth drivers, and geopolitical analysis . These components can be vital tools in your arsenal of data and statistics, giving you a substantive and sufficient view of existing market conditions, the trends prevailing them, and the geopolitical state of the world and better equipping you to make more informed decisions.

4) Customer analysis

The customer analysis segment can be instrumental for any business seeking to cultivate a wide and diverse customer base, making for cleaner, more durable, and more profit-driven operations. This segment is thorough and intensive in its analytic scope, giving you access to crucial subsections such as target market , buyers’ personas, and market sizing . Use these elements to build more detailed and extensive operational guidelines for your travel agency, allowing you to optimize your processes and bridge ties to wider groups of people in the market.

5) Competitor analysis

Our competitor analysis subsection allows you to know your competition, to contrast your own existing business frameworks with theirs, and to win a competitive edge in the market. This subsection will give you a clear picture of the competitive landscape and help you position your offerings as the best choice for your target customers. The two subheadings within this segment are major players and attribute comparison . They are customized to give you the tools to learn about the competition, to probe their existing business structure, market share, revenue, growth rate, employee numbers, and more. Use these analytical tools to identify gaps in the market that are suited to you and distinguish your services from the competitors. 

Are you looking to build a more unique and curated experience for your travel agency customers? Use our culture travel agency business plan template to encourage your travel business and earn more in the long run. Integrated into the vast eighty-slide pack, this template offers tools to evaluate customer profiles, scan critical statistics relevant to the travel business, lay out a compelling executive summary, and more. Explore now!

6) SWOT analysis

Perform a SWOT analysis to develop and implement a more effective business strategy . A SWOT analysis is a framework used to help you discover your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, evaluating them within the current business context. Create a more stringent assessment of the internal and external variables that impact your overall business performance and prepare your operational protocols in response to them. This segment has been customized with some ready-made subheadings you can integrate into your proposal, such as cultural diversity, turnover rate, inefficient management skills, etc.

7) Porter’s Five Forces Framework

Use Porter’s five forces framework to thoroughly analyze your industry, establish the competitive environment of the market and its profitability quotient, and create the right operating conditions for your travel business. This framework has been devised based on the interplay of five primary industrial forces that shape the competitive nature of a business. The five forces in question are competition in the industry, the potential of new entrants, the power of supplies, the power of consumers, and the threat of substitute products. Weaponize this framework to know the vital aspects that shape performance within the travel agency business, thereby devising a competitive strategy that aligns with your existing business ethos.

8) Marketing plan

A marketing plan is a vital piece of any business’s wider promotional efforts, and within the tourism industry, it is paramount to have a strong foothold in this area. There are multiple vital subheadings within this area, which you can use to devise a more robust marketing campaign and elicit more attention from the public. The promotional strategy and the sales and distribution strategy subsections allow you to materialize a more modern promotional drive. In contrast, the pricing strategy section allows you to create optimal pricing mechanisms for good business. And sales funnel enables you to build stronger sales parameters and create more efficient revenue generation models.

9) Operational plan

To succeed as a travel booking company, a sound and effective operational plan is necessary. Use this subsection within our premium PDF to get ahead, basing your operational structure around a more well-thought-out model. The first subheading, business model, comes with the added benefit of a graph table that you can implement to your advantage. Goals to be achieved is the following subheading, and it allows you to organize your existing timeline of events into neatly segregated phases to ensure optimal working efficiency and better management.

10) Financial plan

This section of the template allows you to discuss and disseminate crucial financial information in a more easily digestible manner, organizing your existing business protocols in a superior manner. The subheadings in this section include revenue model and sales forecast , financial assumptions , breakeven analysis , projected profit and loss statement , projected cash flow statement , projected balance sheet , scenario analysis, and DCF valuation .

Upon downloading this premium package, you’re given a complete view of all of the above sections and a few more, giving you all the modern, updated business tactics to get ahead in the travel business, regulating your trip planning, destination management, pricing and more to tailor the suitable business systems for the customer. Now allow us to guide you through two related products in this area. 

FAQs on Travel Agency Business Plan

What is a travel agency business plan.

A travel agency business plan expands on a travel agency's innate goals and strategies, helping to define its business parameters and set competitive standards for the business. Such a plan can be crucial to estimating a firm’s financial performance, projecting revenue streams, gaining funding, and attracting partners and investors. 

How do I start a travel agency business?

Below are the steps to initiating a travel agency business: 

Step 1 – Establish the business frameworks for the agency and file the required paperwork

Step 2 – Establish the needed accounting parameters for the agency and secure the necessary permits and licenses 

Step 3 – Create a marketing and promotional drive and establish your website 

Step 4 – Form relationships with crucial partners to advance the needs of the business, such as hotels, tour operators, cruise lines, etc. 

Is the travel agency business profitable?

On average, the profit margin for a typical travel agency is between 10% to 15%, giving a business in this area significant room for revenue. However, multiple conditions shape the outcome of such a business endeavor, such as location, niche, economic situation, and more.

Related posts:

• Top 10 Catering Service Business Plan Templates with Examples and Samples(Editable Word Doc, Excel, and PDF Included)
• Top 10 Cleaning Service Business Plan Templates with Examples and Samples (Editable Word Doc, Excel and PDF Included)
• Top 10 Resort Business Plan Templates with Examples and Samples (Editable Word Doc, Excel and PDF Included)
• Top 10 Consulting Business Plan Templates with Samples and Examples (Editable Word Doc, Excel, and PDF included)

Liked this blog? Please recommend us

Top 5 Fundraising Plan Templates With Examples And Samples

Top 7 Project Management Milestone Templates with Examples and Samples

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

--> Digital revolution powerpoint presentation slides

--> Sales funnel results presentation layouts

--> 3d men joinning circular jigsaw puzzles ppt graphics icons

--> Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

--> Future plan powerpoint template slide

--> Project Management Team Powerpoint Presentation Slides

--> Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

--> Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

--> Agenda powerpoint slide show

--> Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

--> Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

--> Meet our team representing in circular format

Travel Agency Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

Travel Agency Business Plan Template

If you want to start a Travel Agency business or expand your current Travel Agency, you need a business plan.

The following Travel Agency business plan template gives you the key elements to include in a winning Travel Agency business plan.

You can download our Business Plan Template (including a full, customizable financial model) to your computer here.

Below are links to each of the key sections a business plan for a travel agency: I. Executive Summary II. Company Overview III. Industry Analysis IV. Customer Analysis V. Competitive Analysis VI. Marketing Plan VII. Operations Plan VIII. Management Team IX. Financial Plan

Comments are closed.

Travel Agency Business Plan Home I. Executive Summary II. Company Overview III. Industry Analysis IV. Customer Analysis V. Competitive Analysis VI. Marketing Plan VII. Operations Plan VIII. Management Team IX. Financial Plan

• Write for Us
• Paid Content Solutions

• Company Posts
• ExpertHub Today

Global Capability Centres Boom As They Move Up The Value Chain

Global Tech Companies Are Turning To South Africa For Media And Marketing Expertise

Innovation Summit 2021 Showcases SA’s Top Tech Entrepreneurs

Three customer experience strategies you’re missing, embracing a digital-first world, smbs can have the confidence to thrive, applications for sab foundation are now open, trending tags.

• Paid Content Services

Travel Tour Agency Sample Business Plan

Start-up your travel tour agency with a business plan similar to this detailed example..

Related Topics

Car wash business plan, event planning sample business plan, coffee shop business plan.

Starting your own travel tour agency but don’t know how to compile your business plan? Here’s an example of a dummy company’s business plan to get you thinking about how to create yours.

Travel Tour Agency Business Plan

1. executive summary.

The tourism industry has undergone rapid growth of unsurpassed nature over the last several decades. This has mainly been due to the advent of a ‘borderless’ world and increased information dissemination about the majestic sceneries throughout the world, with the southern African region being no exception.

We are on the brink of penetrating a lucrative market in a rapidly growing industry. The current trend towards an increase in the number of tourists entering the country presents an opportunity for Sephats Tours to penetrate the market.

An opportunity for Sephats Tours’ success exists because the national tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace annually.

Sephats Tours is poised to take advantage of this growth and moderate competition in the city travel portion of the industry, with a dedicated and experienced staff, excellent networking, and effective management and marketing. Sephats Tours intends to provide travel and adventure packages to tourists primarily in the Southern region, but also the whole of Botswana.

Services and products provided by Sephats will initially include pre-arranged tours, custom packages according to clients specifications, travel consultation, and as time progresses making reservations for lodging amongst other related services. Sephats Tours seeks to differentiate itself as the premier adventure mobile operator in the greater Gaborone area.

Our services will be positioned very carefully: They will be of extremely high quality, comfortable, informative and tailored to the clients needs such that they will enable individuals to have a greater appreciation of the natural environment and its intricacies.

Our marketing strategy will be based mainly on ensuring customers know about our existence and the service(s) we fulfill. Hence our intention is to make the right information available to the right target customers. This will be done through implementing a market penetration strategy that will ensure that we are well known and respected in the tourism industry.

We will ensure that our prices take into consideration peoples’ budgets, that these people appreciate the service(s), know that it exists, and how to contact us. The marketing will convey the sense of quality in every picture, every promotion, and every publication.

Our promotional strategy will involve integrating advertising, events, personal selling, public relations, direct marketing and the Internet, details of which are provided in the marketing section of this plan.

It is important to recognise that we do not intend to just take individuals on sightseeing excursions, but also to ensure that they appreciate nature through informative briefings on objects’ origins.

This element will assist in differentiating us from our competitors and contribute towards the development of a sustainable competitive advantage.

Hence we need to engage the right people in the right place at the right time if we are to ensure optimum growth. We intend to develop our team so that our people can grow as the company grows – a mutually beneficial relationship.

We project sales to increase from more than P350,000 (Botswana Pula [P]) the first year to more than P556,500 the second, and P630,000 in the third year.

In a nutshell, we do not just intend to market and sell our service, but to market and sell travel solutions and a total-quality environment. This will ensure we establish a reputable corporate image.

1. Objectives

Our business strategy will revolve around the need to provide quality service to our various target customers, in the process fully satisfying their needs. This shall be undertaken through recruitment of a professional team and the provision of good quality custom-designed travel packages, catering to the client’s particular needs.

With time our marketing campaign will increase the awareness of our services in the various market segments we shall be targeting. This is particularly so with the organisation looking at establishing a clear advantage(s) in an increasingly competitive market.

We will provide clients with the opportunity to focus on their core activities whilst their transportation side needs are fully satisfied. Marketing material shall be professionally done so as to be reflective of our intended image and reputation.

We shall position ourselves as a quality commercial transportation operator that provides customer-need fulfillment, enjoyment, reliability and a good image. We intend to establish a good rapport with all the relevant stakeholders, especially hotels and travel agents.

We also intend to have well-designed brochures and other promotional material that will enable clients to have an understanding of the types of services we offer and advantages of utilising them.

In addition well-done, informative brochures, fact sheets and business cards often have a triggering effect on clients contemplating utilising our services. Hence this will undoubtedly generate increased sales of our service.

In summary we intend to attain the following objectives:

• Continuously provide enjoyable quality excursions/trips on time and on budget.
• Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time.
• Establish a market presence that assures short-term and long-term profitability, growth and success.
• We are fully committed to supporting growth and development in the tourism and overall economy of Botswana.
• Contribute positively to our communities and our environment.

Internally we intend to create and nurture a healthy, exuberant, respectful, and enjoyable environment, in which our employees are fairly compensated and encouraged to respect the customer and the quality of the service we intend to provide.

In addition follow-up will be mandatory so as ensure customer satisfaction and make any improvements as recommended by the customers in future.

We seek fair and responsible profit, enough to keep the company financially healthy for the short and long term, and to fairly remunerate employees for the work and effort.

3. Keys to Success

The keys to Sephats Tours success will undoubtedly be effective market segmentation through identification of several niche markets and implementation strategies.

Along these lines the company intends to implement advertising, personal selling and direct marketing strategies to the target markets.

Our personal selling marketing strategies will rotate around keeping in touch with hotels and travel agencies for major customers, and advertising for more individual customers.

Hence our key success factors will include the following:

• Excellence in fulfilling the promise: We intend to offer completely enjoyable, comfortable and informative travel excursions that will ensure that travelers are thoroughly satisfied and appreciative at the end of their trip.
• Timely response to customers’ requests: We cannot afford to delay our clients for whatever reason, as this will have a negative bearing on our image and reputation, including future business. Hence we need to be continually communicating with the client, including hotels and lodges so as to ensure that we are constantly available to the client meeting their expectations.
• Solid and fruitful strategic alliances : Considering the nature of our services and our relative infancy on the market, we realise the importance of establishing and maintaining fruitful strategic alliances with various stakeholders, including hotels, lodges, and travel agencies, amongst others, so as be assured of a constant flow of customers, fulfilling their needs at every opportunity.
• Marketing know-how: As a relatively new company on the market there will be a need to aggressively market our business and the services we provide so as to be continuously at the top of our prospective clients minds. This will also act as a temporary deterrent for companies contemplating entering our market. Advertising shall be undertaken on a regular basis.

2. Company Summary

Sephats Tours intends to provide individual and group travel to leisure clients.

Services and products provided by Sephats will initially include pre-arranged tours, custom packages according to clients specifications, travel consultation, and as time progresses making reservations for lodging amongst other related services.

Sephats Tours seeks to differentiate itself as the premier adventure travel company in the greater Gaborone area.

As it grows it will take on people and expand into related markets and services. It will also look for additional leverage by establishing relationships and representations with appropriate strategic allies.

1. Company Ownership

Sephats Tours is a Private Limited company incorporated at the Registrar of Companies through the foresight and vision of Mr. X and Mrs. Y. It is a 100% wholly owned Botswana firm.

2. Start-up Summary

Thus far the directors have contributed one hundred and sixty seven thousand pula (P167,000) to purchase a Mercedes Benz mini bus currently in its possession and P30,000 for cash expenses. Total start-up expenses covered (including legal costs, business plan compilation, license costs and related expenses) come to approximately P5,000.

3. Company Locations and Facilities

At present the company offices are located at Plot Number 28338, Block 3, Belabela road opposite Gaborone Television Station, near Hill Crest Primary School.

However, as time progresses the intention is to move into more accessible and attractive offices in a prime area. This regardless of the fact that our type of business is not too dependent on office location and size.

3. Services

Sephats Tours is a travel company that intends to deliver leisure travel excursions to customers. Sephats intends to guide customers in selecting a trip(s) based on pre-defined vacation criteria. This analysis will be based on user profiles, set by the consumers, which includes preferences such as:

• Activities sought
• Destination, and
• Time of Travel

A traveler will hence be able to select areas of interest based on their preferences and subsequently identify destinations to visit.

The intention is to provide customers with access to exclusive travel destinations, service to fully appreciate destinations through information packages, not just sight-seeing, and access to special interest travel according to the group’s/individual’s preferences.

1. Competitive Comparison

There are presently few competitors offering services similar to ours. However considering the pace of change and current growth rate of the tourism industry luring many companies into the sector, this may be short-lived.

Hence there will be a need to not only firmly establish ourselves on the market, but also strongly differentiate ourselves from these other businesses. However on a broader scale our competition comes in several forms:

The most significant competition are hotels and travel agencies offering travel excursions to their clients. They undertake this service in order to establish a competitive advantage over their competitors.

However, instead of directly competing with them we intend to establish good working relationships in the form of strategic alliances such that we are able to offer the service for their clients and thus enabling them to concentrate on their core activities whilst ensuring customers are fully satisfied.

Our key advantage in this regard will be our specialty of the service and hence wide knowledge ensuring customer satisfaction at all times as well as flexibility in providing the service. Existing hotels, lodges and travel agencies may identify the opportunity to diversify into our intended services utilising their current client database.

Naturally, existing clients will be inclined towards utilising these familiar companies due to the fact that a good relationship may have already been nurtured over the years during their business dealings.

This presents a potential challenge to us, as we need to aggressively market our services and expertise in the field. Existing safari operators that mainly focus on the remote environs such as Maun and Kasane are at times able to compromise, offering excursions in and around Gaborone, though very rare. Hence we intend to focus on this market. An analysis of competition is provided in the Market Analysis section of this plan.

2. Service Description

Sephats Tours intends to offer the service and knowledge a discerning leisure traveler seeks whilst on vacation, with the intention of seeing and appreciating the numerous sights in the area.

Keeping in mind the comforts of a tourist, our fleet shall be very well maintained and designed as per customer standard and expectations. However not wanting to limit ourselves we intend to be open to special hire by churches, organisations, groups, schools and sports teams, amongst other related groups.

The game reserves and lodges that we intend to be our main destinations are:

• Mokolodi Nature Reserve
• Goborone Game Reserve
• Gaborone Dam
• The Oodi and Mochudi Craft Villages
• Kolobeng and Thamaga
• Khutse Game Reserve

Below is a briefing of several places of interest and their various attractions.

• Mokolodi Nature Reserve: Set in a wide valley just 10 minutes drive from the city, this scenic reserve offers a well-developed network of game drives and stone and thatch chalets overlooking a water hole. Mokolodi also offers the rare opportunity to track rhino or to walk through the bush with young elephants. These excursions offer excellent photographic opportunities. Evening drives can include a bush braai giving visitors the chance to see the more unusual nocturnal creatures.
• Gaborone Game Reserve: This 550 hectare reserve provides an ideal get-away for tourists who can see a remarkable range of wildlife in the park including rhino, eland, zebra, gemsbok, wildebeest, kudu, ostrich and impala, all on well-maintained bush roads that are designed for easy access. Bird watching in the Gaborone Game Reserve is excellent, particularly along the eastern edge, bounded by Notwane River, and it typifies the incredible diversity of bird life to be found throughout the Gaborone area.
• Gaborone Dam: On the south bank a remarkably rich variety of bird and wildlife can be seen, including herds of impala, kudu and scuttling families of warthog. New picnic sites, which are currently under development will also provide places of interest. The Gaborone Yacht Club is the main attraction on the dam with its swimming pool, bar and wide verandah overlooking the water off a rocky koppie in the middle of the dam which often becomes an island in the wet season.
• The Oodi and Mochudi Craft Villages: In Oodi the main attraction will be the Lenstwe-la-Oodi weavers. In Mochudi apart from traditionally decorated Setswana architecture, the tourists will find the most southerly baobab trees in Botswana and traditional crafts including the Ithuteng Tin Workshop and Ikgabiseng handmade jewelery. The Phuthadikobo Museum in Mochudi will also be an attraction site.

Other sites will include Matsieng Foot Point, Gemsbok National Park, Mabuasehube Game Reserve, Legaga la ga Kobokwe, Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve, Nxaii Pan and Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

Integrating the above places of interest into our tours we intend to be offering the following tours:

• “Capital Crusade” – City Tour: This will be a professionally guided tour around the city centre including visits to the Main Mall, Finance Mall, National Museum, City Council Library, Gaborone Station, and House of Parliament including others. These tours shall be eye opening in terms of the normal Botswana town folk life style providing knowledge and information throughout the guided tour. Included in this package will be refreshments and information folders detailing the main sites and history of Gaborone. This tour will cover approximately 50 kilometers taking about half a day to complete. Cost: PX per person.
• “Cultural Enrichment” – Cultural Tour: This shall involve tours to the main historical and cultural sites in and around Gaborone including Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Oodi and Mochudi Craft Villages, including the cultural dances. This tour shall reveal the ‘Kgotla’ – cultural villages, traditional paintings and art, as well as the traditional lifestyle. Obviously baobabs will make for good viewing. The tour package will include an information folder, guided tour and refreshments. This tour will cover approximately 200 kilometers taking the whole day to complete. Cost: PY per person.
• “The Essence: Past & Present” – City & Cultural Tour: This will be a combination of the cultural tour and city centre excursion. This will be marketed as a “total package” enabling tourists with very little time to appreciate the Botswana lifestyle, both in the present and past. This tour will invariably take the whole day and cover approximately 250 kilometres. The tour package will include the information folder, guided tour, refreshments and a picnic lunch. Cost: PZ per person.

3. Macro-environment

At a large scale research demonstrates that tourism is undergoing a rapid growth of unsurpassed nature. Generally there is a trend towards shorter stays but increased visits, as individuals strive to experience as many cultures as possible, including seeing as many attractions as possible.

Increasingly Botswana is being marketed as “one of the few places in Africa where game sanctuaries have remained completely unspoiled.

A destination that unlocks the mystery of nature – an oasis in a wilderness which is an ideal escape for nature lovers. Very little of this fascinating country has seen human habitation – this is true Africa in all her remoteness and authenticity.

With such marketing in place the number of tourists entering the country is bound to increase, presenting a larger potential market for ourselves. This potential market is what we seek to tap.

4. Sales Literature

The business will begin with a general corporate brochure establishing its position on the market. This brochure will be developed as part of the start-up expenses including the business cards and Company Profile, mainly for the large organisations that often recommend services to potential customers.

Compliment slips are also intended so as to raise awareness of the company and its services. We also intend to have information pamphlets that will provide information on our various tour packages. Literature and mailings for the initial market forums will be very important.

5. Fulfillment

The key fulfillment and delivery will be provided by the employees of the company. The real core value will be professional expertise, provided by a combination of expertise, experience, hard work, and education (in that order). Hence we intend to ensure that the work we undertake is always thorough and relevant to the clients’ needs.

We will turn to reputable companies for supplying the necessary individuals and groups for our services. Hence the need to establish good relationships with our strategic allies.

6. Technology

Sephats Tours will strive to ensure that it contains the latest, or extremely recent personal computer including relevant software so as to ensure that the company is continuously at the forefront in our market arena.

The one certainty in our industry is that technology will continue to evolve and develop, changing what we market as well as how we market it. Our aim will be to be aware of the implications of this new technology and utilizing it in our existing framework where possible. However it should be noted that as we are new on the market it will take some time before we have in place our own website and other multimedia presentations.

With time we also intend to have the latest and most efficient software in place to enable smooth operations.

7. Future Services

In putting the company together we have attempted to offer enough services to allow us to always be in demand by our customers and clients. The most important factor in developing future services/products is market need.

Our understanding of the needs of our target market segments shall be one of our competitive advantages. It is critical to our effort to develop the right new services. In the future, Sephats Tours intends to broaden its coverage by expanding into additional markets.

One of the main services it aims at providing is to become a destination management company that brings alive the magnificence of this country to the traveler. This will be done by co-coordinating the traveler’s entire experience from hotel bookings, safaris and tours, greeting and porter services, and to tour packages and incentives. However in doing so we will strive to ensure that it is compatible with the existing products and company personnel.

As time progresses the intention will to provide a Southern Africa tour package covering the whole of southern Africa.

4. Market Analysis Summary

We are today experiencing a rapid growth in the economy of unsurpassed nature. This has been brought about by, amongst other things, the relaxation of foreign exchange policies and macroeconomic policies geared towards attracting foreign investors into the country.

The fiscal and monetary policies of the government geared towards maintaining growth with social justice have largely contributed towards this, evidenced by our economy averaging a growth rate of 7% since 1990 – very high by international standards.

The current drive and emphasis by the government on diversification of the industrial base away from the minerals sector presents an opportunity for Sephats Tours to make a valuable contribution towards achieving this goal. Having undertaken a thorough and comprehensive research of the market we realized that there was a need for a tourist transport company that focuses on providing leisure excursions to tourists.

Though there are mobile operators currently on the market, some of whom have been in existence for a relatively long period of time, we believe that there is a market need for one that specializes on providing comfortable and enjoyable transport to tourists and visitors.

This, also considering the fact that, potentially Botswana’s richest natural resource, the tourism industry is becoming an increasingly important player in the economy and may in the long term prove even more valuable than mineral resources in earning foreign exchange.

Aware of the fact that operating in such a market is largely dependent on good networking, we intend to establish networks and strategic relationships with various hotels, lodges and travel agents to ensure a steady stream of clients.

However in so doing we intend to ensure that the service we provide is of extremely high quality and comfortable. Our initial overall target market share shall be 10% of the market, mainly focusing on the greater Gaborone area and southern Botswana.

We appreciate that entering such a market is not a ‘bed of roses’ and will require us establishing strong links with strategic partners as outlined previously. Hence we intend to implement an aggressive marketing strategy, well supported by the other business functions.

The above prognosis influenced our decision to enter the tourist transport industry.

1. Market Segmentation

We will be focusing on those foreign tourists seeking leisure travel and excursions whilst on vacation in Botswana, with the intention of letting them see and appreciate the numerous attractions in our country.

Though we realise that the majority of our tourists come from South Africa we shall be mainly targeting those from Europe and the Americas who often do not have transport or adequate knowledge about the country, unlike their South African counterparts who often do. Hence we shall be mainly targeting those who are not that mobile but wanting to see as many sites as possible.

These people often do not want to waste their money on hiring vehicles to move about by themselves, but instead want to be escorted around places of interest by a reliable source. Hence the need to professionally market ourselves and the services we provide, offering a service of uncompromised nature.

2. Target Market Segment Strategy

Our marketing strategy will be based mainly on making the right service(s) available to the right target customer. We will ensure that our services’ prices take into consideration organisations’ and peoples’ budgets, and that these people know that we exist, appreciate the value of our services, and how to contact us.

The marketing will convey the sense of quality in every picture, every promotion, and every publication. Our intension will be to target those individuals and groups looking for leisure activities and places to visit.

We realise the need to focus our marketing message and our service offerings. We need to develop our message, communicate it, and make good on it. The decision to establish strategic alliances with several hotels, lodges and travel agencies is aimed at tapping our target market effectively and efficiently.

2.1. Market Needs

Though the tourism sector has undergone rapid growth over the last decade the vast majority entering this sector have rushed to the North where we have the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and other sites as attraction points.

Very few have focused on south and central Botswana. With this in mind we intend to exploit the untapped market in this area so as to provide our customers with a good service and realize our business objectives.

We understand that our target markets need more than just being shown the areas of interest but also to be informed about their significance and origins. Hence we don’t just intend to provide a service(s), but to provide one of unparalleled nature relative to the market.

2.2. Market Trends

Of all the uncertainty surrounding this industry, one fact is certain: tourism is here to stay. The only question is how large the industry will become and whether it can sustain, if not exceed, its current growth rate. However large the market ultimately becomes, the company strongly believes that travel will be an important component of this market place. Tourism statistics provide a reliable guide as to the size of the market.

According to the latest tourism statistics total arrivals for 1998 amounted to 1,351,798 representing an increase of approximately 12.65% from the previous year. Of the total arrivals in 1998 205,146 (15.2%) were holiday/tourists whilst 319,440 (23,6%) were visitors, both groups of which constitute our target market, totaling approximately 524,586 individuals.

Source: Tourism Statistics 1998 – Central Statistics Office .

ExpertHub Staff

ExpertHub’s team of Staff Writers deliver unique, insightful and curated content from successful business leaders, authors and subject matter experts. This highly-experienced team understands the information that business readers are looking for, what’s unique and impactful, and how to distil key ideas into actionable insights.

Boost Your Income: Five Proven Strategies for Mid-Career Professionals

You’re 40 something, mid-career, and you feel stuck. You need to make more money, but you don’t know how.

How to Make Money by Writing on Fiverr

Are you ready to unlock your writing potential and turn your creativity into cash? Learn how to make money by...

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Start Your Own Hair Salon Business

Are you ready to turn your passion for hair into a thriving business? Follow our step-by-step guide to start your...

Unlock Your Freedom by Joining Laptop Lifestyle

Are you ready to unlock your freedom and join the laptop lifestyle? It's time to find work that ignites your...

• Terms & Conditions
• Data Privacy Policy
• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 ExpertHub.info Revenue Growth Experts

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Remember Me

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Home » Travel & Tourism

A Sample Travel Agency Business Plan Template

A travel agency is a company that provides travel and tourism-related services to individuals, families, groups, and corporate organizations. A travel agency can also provide outdoor recreation activities, airline booking, car rentals, cruise trips, hotels, travel insurance, package tours, guide books, VIP airport lounge access, arranging logistics for luggage and medical items delivery, public transport timetables, car rentals, and bureau de change services.

Available statistics show that the market size of the travel agency sector in the United States fell to 20.69 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, down from the previous year’s total of 56.96 billion U.S. dollars. But the market size of the industry is expected to increase by 38.3 percent in 2023. in 2023, the market size of this sector was forecast to reach 34.64 billion, and $407.7 billion in 2023.

Steps on How to Write a Travel Agency Business Plan

Executive summary.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. is a registered travel agency that will be located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. We have been able to secure all the necessary permits for our facility.

At Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc., our client’s best interest would always come first, and everything we do is guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire professionals who are experienced in the travel and tours industry . Mason Gray is the founder and CEO of Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc.

Company Profile

A. our products and services.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will handle all aspects of travel and tours such as booking flight tickets, securing transit visas, booking shuttle buses or taxi cabs, car rentals, hotel and cruise line bookings, insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books, and sale of foreign currencies.

b. Nature of the Business

Our travel agency will operate both the business-to-business and business-to-consumer business models.

c. The Industry

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will operate in the travel and tourism services industry.

d. Mission Statement

Our mission is to establish a world-class travel agency that will provide professional travel and tourism services to a wide range of clientele both in the United States of America and other parts of the world.

e. Vision Statement

Our vision is to be among the top 3 travel agencies in the whole of the United States of America.

f. Our Tagline (Slogan)

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. – Your Most Reliable Travel Agency!

g. Legal Structure of the Business (LLC, C Corp, S Corp, LLP)

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will be formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC). The reason why we are forming an LLC is to protect our assets by limiting the liability to the resources of the business itself. The LLC will protect our CEOs’ assets from claims against the business, including lawsuits.

h. Our Organizational Structure

• Chief Executive Officer
• Admin and HR Manager
• Travels and Tours Consultant
• Marketing and Sales Executive
• Customer Care Executive/Front Desk Officer

i. Ownership/Shareholder Structure and Board Members

• Mason Gray (Owner and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer) 56 Percent Shares
• Matt Romel (Board Member) 14 Percent Shares
• Daniel Jota (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Verone Lamp (Board Member) 10 Percent Shares
• Cloe Alpha (Board Member and Sectary) 10 Percent Shares.

SWOT Analysis

A. strength.

• Ideal Location for travel agency
• Highly Experienced and Qualified Employees and Management
• Availability of all kinds of travel and tours services
• Excellent membership package

b. Weakness

• Budget limitations
• Inability to properly manage off-peak seasons such as bad winter and pandemics influenced lockdown
• A new business that will be competing with well-established travel agencies
• Inability to retain our highly experienced and qualified employees longer than we want

c. Opportunities

• Excellent location – Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida is a thriving market for travel and tour service.
• Increase in the inflow of tourists to our location
• Online market, new services, new technology, and of course the starting of new markets

i. How Big is the Industry?

The travel agencies industry is worth over $407.7 billion in the United States.

ii. Is the Industry Growing or Declining?

The travel agencies industry is growing. Available data shows that the market size of the Travel Agencies industry is expected to increase by 38.3 percent in 2023.

iii. What are the Future Trends in the Industry

The travel and tour industry is changing, and players in the industry are improvising. No doubt, technology, and social media will change the landscape of the industry going forward.

iv. Are There Existing Niches in the Industry? If YES, List them

No, there are no niche ideas in the travel agency business.

v. Can You Sell a Franchise of your Business in the Future?

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. has plans to sell franchises in the nearest future and we will target the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

• The arrival of new travel agencies within our market space
• Low demand during the pandemic will reduce industry profitability.
• Economic uncertainty
• Liability problems
• The government could change its regulatory status and decide to enforce strict regulations that can strangulate new businesses like ours.

i. Who are the Major Competitors?

• The American Automobile Association (AAA)
• American Express
• Avenues of the World Travel
• Beachfronts Travel
• Frosch Travel
• En Route Travel
• MK All Around Travel, Inc.
• TravelStore
• CruiseOne, Hargarther, Thaler & Associates LLC
• Independent Agency of Avoya Travel
• Cary Travel Express
• CWT Vacations
• Connie Lemmon Travel, an Independent Agency of Avoya Travel
• LoBracco Travel, LLC, an Independent Agency of Avoya Travel
• World Travel
• First in Service
• Bluegreen Travel Services
• CruiseOne – Gary E. Smith & Associates
• My Paradise Planner.

ii. Is There a Franchise for Travel Agency Business? If YES, List them

• The American Express Company
• Cruise Planners
• Dream Vacations
• Travel Leaders
• Expedia Cruises
• Results! Travel
• Tix Travel & Ticket Agency
• Expedia CruiseShipCenters.

iii. Are There Policies, Regulations, or Zoning Laws Affecting Travel Agency Business?

There are no county or state regulations and zoning laws for travel agencies. Players in this industry are expected to work with the existing regulations governing such business in the county or state where their business is domiciled.

Marketing Plan

A. who is your target audience.

i. Age Range

Our target market age range covers people that are 18 years and above.

ii. Level of Educational

We don’t have any basic educational qualifications for those who we are targeting; everyone is welcome to do business with us.

iii. Income Level

Anyone who can afford our service fee will be welcome to make use of our travel agency.

iv. Ethnicity

There is no restriction when it comes to the ethnicity of the people that will patronize our travel agency.

v. Language

There is no restriction when it comes to the language spoken by the people that will patronize our travel agency.

vi. Geographical Location

Anybody from any geographical location is free to do business with us.

vii. Lifestyle

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will not restrict any customer based on their lifestyle, culture, or race from doing business with us.

b. Advertising and Promotion Strategies

• Host Themed Events That Catch Attention.
• Tap Into Text Marketing.
• Use FOMO to Run Photo Promotions.
• Share Your Events in Local Groups and Pages.
• Turn Your Social Media Channels into a Resource
• Develop Your Business Directory Profiles
• Build Relationships with Other Businesses in Your Area

i. Traditional Marketing Strategies

• Marketing through Direct Mail.
• Print Media Marketing – Newspapers & Magazines.
• Broadcast Marketing -Television & Radio Channels.
• OOH, Marketing – Public Transits like Buses and Trains, Billboards, Street Furniture, and Cabs.
• Including direct sales, direct mail (postcards, brochures, letters, fliers), print advertising (magazines, newspapers, coupon books, billboards), referral (also known as word-of-mouth marketing), radio, and television.

ii. Digital Marketing Strategies

• Social Media Marketing Platforms.
• Influencer Marketing.
• Email Marketing.
• Content Marketing.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Marketing.
• Pay-per-click (PPC).
• Affiliate Marketing
• Mobile Marketing.

iii. Social Media Marketing Plan

• Start using chatbots.
• Create a personalized experience for our customers.
• Create an efficient content marketing strategy.
• Create a community for our target demography.
• Gear up our profiles with a diverse content strategy.
• Use brand advocates.
• Create profiles on the relevant social media channels.
• Run cross-channel campaigns.

c. Pricing Strategy

When working out our pricing strategy, Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will make sure it covers premium, skimming, economy or value, and penetration. All our pricing strategies will reflect;

• Cost-Based Pricing
• Value-Based Pricing
• Competition-Based Pricing.

Sales and Distribution Plan

A. sales channels.

Our channel sales strategy will involve using partners and third parties—such as referral partners, affiliate partners, managed service providers, marketplaces, or value-added resellers—to market our travel agency.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will also leverage the 4 Ps of marketing which are place, price, product, and promotion. By carefully integrating all these marketing strategies into a marketing mix, we can have a visible, in-demand product or service that is competitively priced.

b. Inventory Strategy

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will operate an inventory strategy that is based on a day-to-day methodology for ordering, maintaining, and processing items in our warehouse. We will develop our strategy with the same thoroughness and attention to detail as we would if we were creating an overall strategy for the business.

c. Payment Options for Customers

Here are the payment options that Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc.  will make available to her clients;

• Payment via bank transfer
• Payment with cash
• Payment via credit cards
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via mobile money transfer

d. Return Policy, Incentives, and Guarantees

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will operate a refund policy but it will be dependent on the service providers we are working with. Please note that service providers such as hotels, airline companies and taxi companies et al will determine the kind of return policy we will operate. Aside from the above, we will be committed to giving out incentives to our loyal customers.

e. Customer Support Strategy

Our customer support strategy will involve seeking customer feedback. This will help us to provide excellent customer service, and understand the needs, experiences, and pain points of our customers. We will make use of effective CRM software to be able to achieve this.

Operational Plan

We plan to expand our revenue by 50 percent in the second year and the plan will include a marketing, sales, and operations component. The operations component of the plan would include organizing regular giveaways and other incentives. These strategies will enable the firm to boost our service offerings and support revenue growth.

a. What Happens During a Typical Day at a Travel Agency Business?

• The office is open for the day’s work
• The walk-in areas, chairs, and tables are properly arranged
• Walk-in customers are attended to
• Deliveries of visas, flight tickets, and hotel bookings are made
• Reports are written and submitted to superior officers
• The facility is administratively closed for the day.

b. Production Process (If Any)

There is no production process when it comes to the travel agency business.

c. Service Procedure (If Any)

When a travel agency is opened and everything is in place, customers either come in to request the services they want or they call or email the travel agency. Once the request is gotten and the service fee is agreed upon, the travel consultant goes to work to deliver on all agreements.

Please note that the travel agency will handle all aspects of travel and tour-related businesses such as booking flight tickets, securing transit visas, booking shuttle buses/taxi cabs, car rentals, hotel bookings, and cruise line bookings amongst many other services.

d. The Supply Chain

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will rely on trusted agents to supply some of the needed supplies (foreign currencies) and we have been able to establish business relationships with key stakeholders in the industry.

e. Sources of Income

• Travels and Tours consulting and advisory services
• Selling traveling-related insurance policy cover, guide books, and foreign currencies
• Booking for flight tickets
• Securing transit visas
• Booking for shuttle buses/taxi cabs
• Car rental services
• Hotel bookings
• Cruise line bookings

Financial Plan

A. amount needed to start your travel agency business.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. would need an estimate of $150,000 to successfully set up our travel agency in the United States of America.

b. What are the Cost Involved?

• Business Registration Fees – $750.
• Legal expenses for obtaining licenses and permits – $7,300.
• Marketing, Branding and Promotions – $5,000.
• Business Consultant Fee – $2,500.
• Insurance – $5,400.
• Rent/Lease – $70,000.
• Other start-up expenses like commercial satellite TV subscriptions, stationery, phone, and utility deposits ($2,800).
• Operational Cost (salaries of employees, payments of bills et al) – $30,000
• Store Equipment (cash register, security, ventilation, signage) – $4,750
• Website: $600
• Opening party: $3,000
• Miscellaneous: $2,000

c. Do You Need to Build a Facility? If YES, How Much Will it Cost?

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will not build a new facility for our administrative office; we intend to start with a long-term lease and after 5 years, we will start the process of acquiring our own facility.

d. What are the Ongoing Expenses for Running a Travel agency Business?

• Utility bills (gas, internet, phone bills, signage and sewage et al)
• Maintenance of facility
• Salaries of employees

e. What is the Average Salary of your Staff? 

• Chief Executive Officer – $62,000 Per Year
• Admin and HR Manager – $42,000 Per Year
• Travels and Tours Consultant – $40,000 Per Year
• Marketing and Sales Executive $40,000 Per Year
• Accountant – $38,000 Per Year
• Customer Care Executive / Front Desk Officer – $32,000 Per Year.

f. How Do You Get Funding to Start a Travel Agency Business

• Raising money from personal savings and sale of personal stocks and properties
• Raising money from investors and business partners
• Sell shares to interested investors
• Applying for a loan from your bank/banks
• Pitching your business idea and applying for business grants and seed funding from the government, donor organizations, and angel investors
• Source for soft loans from your family members and friends.

Financial Projection

A. how much should you charge for your service.

The amount traveling agencies charge their clients depends on the type of services rendered and the commission that the third-party provider is willing to give.

b. Sales Forecast?

• First Fiscal Year (FY1): $250,000
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2): $750,000
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3): $1.2 million

c. Estimated Profit You Will Make a Year?

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. is projecting to make;

• First Fiscal Year (FY1): (50% of revenue generated)
• Second Fiscal Year (FY2): (45% of revenue generated)
• Third Fiscal Year (FY3): (45% of revenue generated)

d. Profit Margin of a Travel Agency Business 

Travel agents’ commissions used to be the bulk of their income but that has shifted. Most travel agents who earn commission by booking tickets on airlines earn 5 percent on domestic flights and 10 to 20 percent on international flights. The commission rates are similar for booking hotels.

Growth Plan

A. how do you intend to grow and expand by opening more retail outlets/offices or selling a franchise.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. will grow by first opening other offices in key tourist cities in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Australia within the first five years of establishing the business and then will start selling franchises from the sixth year.

b. Where do you intend to expand to and why? (Geographical Locations)

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. plans to expand to:

• Los Angeles, California
• Long Beach, Washington
• Newport, Rhode Island
• Chicago, Illinois
• Clearwater, Florida
• Portland, Maine
• Orange Beach, Alabama
• Ocracoke, North Carolina
• Block Island, Rhode Island
• New York City, New York.

Internationally, we plan to expand to Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Mason Gray™ Travel Agency, Inc. intends to build a family business hence our exit plan will be family succession. For that reason, the founder Mason Gray is already grooming his son Merrick Gray to take over from him. Merrick Gray is at the moment being groomed to go through the company’s employment process without any bias.

More on Travel & Tourism

Travel Agency Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Hospitality, Travel & Tourism » Travel & Tour Agency

Are you about starting a travel agency online? If YES, here is a complete sample travel agency business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE.

The line of business (travel agency) is open to both big time investors who have the financial capacity to invest in the travel and tourism industry and also aspiring entrepreneurs who just want to make a living but don’t have start – capital.

As a matter of fact aspiring entrepreneurs who don’t have start – up capital can start out as freelance travel agents if they are diligent enough, they can build a big and well organized traveling agency. Simply put, travel agencies render services that cover all aspect of traveling.

They help their clients in securing visas (especially transit visas), purchase flight tickets, book hotels, book taxi cabs and bus shuttle services and of course make arrangement for site seeing amongst other services.

They work in conjunction with service providers such as airline companies, car rentals companies, cruise lines companies, hotels, railways, tourist sites managers and perhaps interpreters and security agencies ( supply of bodyguards et al for celebrities and other VIP clients).

How Do Travel Agencies Make Money?

The norm in this industry is that, travel agencies make their money via commission they get by offering traveling related services such as booking for flight tickets, securing transit visas, booking for shuttle buses / taxi cabs, car rentals, hotel bookings and cruise line bookings amongst many other services.

Travel agencies also generate incomes from selling of traveling related insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books and through the sale of foreign currencies.

A Sample Travel Agency Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

Statistics has it that as far back as 2009, the total market size for travel agencies in the united states experienced a sharp decline, dropping from an estimate of $17 billion in 2008 to $14.5 billion.

Cruise line booking remains one of the most profitable aspects of travel agencies, as a matter of fact, they handle an estimate of about 77% of bookings in that line of business and also an estimate of about 73% of packaged travel tour as it relate to cruise line services.

It is on record that Brownell Travel which was founded on July 4, 1887 by Walter T. Brownell is the oldest travel agency in the United States of America and it took several years, in the 1920s to be specific for travel agencies to become a popular business that looks promising and profitable.

Available data shows that employment of travel agents is projected to decline 12 percent from 2014 to 2024. This is so because the ability of travelers to use the Internet to research vacations and book their own trips is expected to continue to subdue demand for travel agents.

Since 1995 till date, many airline companies around the globe and most airline companies in the United States of America no longer pay commissions to travel agencies whenever they help clients book airline tickets. What traveling agencies now do is to ensure that they add their commission to the price of the tickets whenever they are selling to their clients.

In recent time, with the advent of the internet and the general public accessing the Internet, many airline companies have started selling their tickets directly to their target market via their online portal. So also it is now easier for other business in the value chain of travels and tours industry to now directly sell their services via their online portal to their target market.

Service providers such as airline companies, car rentals companies, cruise lines companies, hotels, railways, tourist sites managers and perhaps interpreters and security agencies et al. which is why you can’t find any airline company paying commissions to travel agents on each ticket they sold.

No doubt the travel agency line of business cannot be said to be oversaturated despite the challenges most traveling agencies are facing.

The source of the challenges cannot be far – fetched, as a matter of fact, with many people swapping to self-service internet websites, the number of available services and even jobs as travel agents is decreasing despite the fact that there are more travelers than ever before.

Some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own travel agencies could be that the business is easy to set up and the start – capital is indeed affordable; you can actually start your own travel agency business from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is to create an office somewhere in your house.

2. Executive Summary

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is a registered and standard travels and tours agency that will be based in Las Vegas – Nevada.

The company will handle all aspect of travels and tours related business such as booking for flight tickets, securing transit visas, booking for shuttle buses / taxi cabs, car rentals, hotel bookings and cruise line bookings amongst many other travels and tours related services such as selling of traveling related insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books and through the sale of foreign currencies.

We are aware that to run an all – round travel and tour agency can be demanding which is why we are well trained and equipped to perform excellently well. Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is a client-focused and result driven travels and tours agency that provides broad-based experience at an affordable fee that won’t in any way put a hole in the pocket of our clients.

We will offer a standard and professional travels and tours services to all to our individual clients, and corporate clients at local, state, national, and international level. We will ensure that we work hard to meet and surpass our clients’ expectations whenever they hire our services.

At Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC, our client’s best interest would always come first, and everything we do is guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire professionals who are well experienced in the travels and tours industry.

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a firm, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

Our plan is to position the business to become the leading brand in the travels and tours line of business in the whole of Nevada, and also to be amongst the top 20 travels and tours agencies in the United States of America within the first 10 years of operations.

This might look too tall a dream but we are optimistic that this will surely come to pass because we have done our research and feasibility studies and we are enthusiastic and confident that Las Vegas is the right place to launch our travels and tours agency before spreading to other parts of The United States.

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is founded by Chris Williams and family. The organization will be managed by Chris Williams and other members of his family and partners. He has well over 15 years of experience working at various capacities within the travels and tours industry in the United States of America.

Mr. Chris Williams graduated from both University of California – Berkley (First Degree), and University of Harvard (MSc.) and he is a Certified Travel Agent (CTA), a Travel and Tourism Professional (TTP) and he has a Total Travel Certification (TTC).

3. Our Products and Services

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is going to offer varieties of services within the scope of the travels and tours industry in the United States of America. Our intention of starting our travels and tours agency is to make profits from the industry and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the United States to achieve our business goals, aim and ambition.

Our business offering are listed below;

• Travels and Tours consulting and advisory services for individuals and corporate clients
• Selling of traveling related insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books and through the sale of foreign currencies.
• Booking for flight tickets
• Securing transit visas
• Booking for shuttle buses / taxi cabs
• Car rental services
• Hotel bookings
• Cruise line bookings

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision is to build a travels and tours agency brand that will become the number one choice for both individual clients and corporate clients in the whole of Las Vegas – Nevada.
• Our vision reflects our values: integrity, service, excellence and teamwork.
• Our mission is to provide professional and trusted travels and tours services that assist individuals, corporate organization and non-profit organizations in organizing all of their travels and tours.
• We are to position the business to become the leading brand in the travels and tours line of business in the whole of Nevada, and also to be amongst the top 20 travels and tours agency in the United States of America within the first 10 years of operations.

Our Business Structure

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC will build a solid business structure that can support the growth of our business. We will ensure that we hire competent hands to help us build the business of our dream.

The fact that we want to become one of the leading travels and tours agencies in the United States makes it highly necessary to deliberately build a well – structured business from the onset. Below is the business structure that we will build Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC;

• Chief Executive Officer

Travels and Tours Consultant

Admin and HR Manager

Marketing and Sales Executive

• Customer Care Executive / Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Office:

• Responsible for providing direction for the firm
• Creating, communicating, and implementing the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for handling high profile clients and deals
• Responsible for fixing prices and signing business deals
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization
• Reports to the board
• Responsible for booking for flight tickets, securing transit visas, booking for shuttle buses / taxi cabs, car rentals, hotel bookings and cruise line bookings amongst many other travels and tours related services for clients
• Plan, design and produce events while managing all project delivery elements within time limits
• Liaise with clients to identify their needs and to ensure customer satisfaction
• Conduct market research, gather information and negotiate contracts prior to closing any deals
• Provide feedback and periodic reports to stakeholders
• Propose ideas to improve provided services and tourism quality
• Ensure compliance with insurance, legal, health and safety obligations
• Cooperate with marketing and PR to promote and publicize travels and tours events
• Conduct pre- and post – travels and tours events evaluations and report on outcomes
• Research market, identify travels and tours opportunities and generate interest
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Design job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for clients
• Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
• Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
• Ensures operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
• Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carrying out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Oversee the smooth running of the daily office activities.
• Responsible for selling of traveling related insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books and through the sale of foreign currencies.
• Identify, prioritize, and reach out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
• Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with company policy
• Responsible for handling business research, marker surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develop, execute and evaluate new plans for expanding increase sales
• Document all customer contact and information
• Represent the company in strategic meetings
• Help increase sales and growth for the company
• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for the company
• Serves as internal auditor for the company

Client Service Executive / Front Desk Officer

• Welcomes guests and clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the manager in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients
• Receives parcels / documents for the company
• Distribute mails in the organization
• Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

6. SWOT Analysis

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist the firm in building a well – structured travels and tours agency that can favorably compete in the highly competitive travels and tours industry.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC;

Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team that can go all the way to give our clients value for their money; a team that are trained and equipped to pay attention to details. We are well positioned and we know we will attract loads of clients from the first day we open our doors for business.

As a new travels and tours agency, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from corporate clients in the already saturated travels and tours industry; that is perhaps our major weakness.

• Opportunities:

The opportunities in the travels and tours industry is massive considering the number of individuals, families and corporate organizations who travels on a daily basis within the United States and to other parts of the world. As an all – round travels and tours agency, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a travels and tours agency operating in the United States are unfavorable government policies, the arrival of a competitor within our location of operations and global economic downturn which usually affects purchasing / spending power. There is hardly anything we can do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

A common trend in the travels and tours industry is that in recent time, with the advent of the internet and the general public accessing the Internet, many airline companies have started selling their tickets directly to their target market via their online portal.

So also, it is now easier for other business in the value chain of travels and tours industry to now directly sell their services via their online portal to their target market.

The travels and tours industry is in a continuous state of evolution and as such, ground breaking strategies and ideas that are once highly successful are no longer as productive as they were in time past. Close observation of the trend in the industry reveals that the past few years have seen the rise and proliferation of social media and new tech tools.

The trend also extends to increased attention paid to engagement and new market segments, adopting eco-friendly measures and sustainability when planning travels and tours events.

As a matter of fact, social media has now become one of the most important tools travels and tours agencies leverage on to disseminate information about their travels and tours events, interact with clients, solicit feedback, and create year-round engagement with their target audience.

Furthermore, new software apps and emerging technology have made it easier for travel and tours agencies to gather all the needed data and information that will help them plan and project for the future. People that start travel agency can as a matter of fact start the business from a small office space / shared office space and still make headway in the business.

One thing is certain when it comes to travel agency business, you are sure of making profits in form of commissions when you are able to successfully book flight tickets, hotel reservation, taxi cab reservation and any other travel related services for a client. You are going to get your cut as soon as they make payment.

The truth is that, the cost of running a travel agency can be kept to the barest minimum because there are always ways you can cut operational and overhead cost. As a matter of fact, most people that run travel agencies have abandoned the “brick and mortar” agency for a home-based business just for the sole aim of reducing overhead, and maximizing profits.

8. Our Target Market

The demographic and psychographics composition of travel agencies cuts across people from all works of life; there is no clear distinction on those that would naturally need the services of travel agencies. Although a travel agency might decide to concentrate on high – income earning clients, and another travel agency might only concentrate on corporate clients.

The bottom line is that anyone that can afford to travel from one country to another is a potential client for travel agencies.

Although Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC will initially serve small to medium sized business, from new ventures to well established businesses and individual clients, but that does not in any way stop us from growing to be able to compete with the leading travels and tours agencies in the United States.

As an all – round travels and tours agency, Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC offers a wide range of services hence we are well trained and equipped to services a wide range of clientele base. Our target market cuts across people of different class and people from all walks of life, local and international organizations as well.

We are coming into the industry with a business concept that will enable us work with the highly placed people and companies in the country and at the same with the lowly placed people and smaller businesses. Below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically design our products and services for;

• Potential Couples / Young Adults
• Blue Chips Companies
• Corporate Organizations
• Religious Organizations (Pilgrimage journeys et al)
• Political Parties / Politicians
• Households / Families
• The Government (Public Sector)
• Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)
• Sport Organizations
• Entrepreneurs and Start – Ups

Our Competitive Advantage

The level of competitions in the travel agency line of business depends largely on the location of the business and of course the niche of your travel agency. If you can successfully create a unique brand identity for your travel agency or carve out a unique market, you are likely going to experience less competition.

For instance if you are one of the few travel agency in your country or state that handles pilgrimage travels, you are show going to be making constant mega box year after year. This is so because religious faithful are always traveling for pilgrimage journey annually.

Although the competition in the travel agency line of business is not just within travel agencies but also other travel related service providers.

For example, it is now easier for you a traveler to book his or her hotel accommodation, book flight ticket, reserve taxi cab or rent car ahead of his journey from the comfort of his or her home with the aid of the internet simply because most of the service provider are by – passing travel agencies and taking their services directly to their target market.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the travels and tours industry means that we should be able to deliver consistent quality service, our clients should be able to experience remarkable difference cum improvement and we should be able to meet the expectations of both travelers / tourists and our partners (services providers).

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC might be a new entrant into the travels and tours industry in the United States of America, but the management staffs and owners of the business are considered gurus. They are people who are core professionals and licensed and highly qualified travels and tours experts in the United States. These are part of what will count as a competitive advantage for us.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups travels and tours agencies) in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the travels and tours industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis and sign retainer – ship with most of our clients.

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC will generate income by offering the following travels and tours services for individuals and for corporate organizations;

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain; there would always be individuals, families and corporate organizations that would travel on a daily basis within the United States and to other parts of the world.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in the U.S. and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow the business and our clientele base beyond Las Vegas to other cities in Nevada and other states in the U.S.

We have been able to critically examine the travels and tours market and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to startups in Las Vegas – Nevada.

Below is the sales projection for Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC, it is based on the location of our business and the wide range of travels and tours services that we will be offering;

• First Year-: $150,000
• Second Year-: $350,000
• Third Year-: $750,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and natural disasters within the period stated above. There won’t be any major competitor offering same additional services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are mindful of the fact that there are stiffer competition amongst travels and tours agencies and other related service providers in the United States of America, hence we have been able to hire some of the best business developer to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited base on their vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of the organization.

We will also ensure that our excellent job deliveries speak for us in the market place; we want to build a standard travels and tours business that will leverage on word of mouth advertisement from satisfied clients (both individuals and corporate organizations).

Our goal is to grow our travels and tours agency to become one of the top 20 travels and tours agencies in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the Las Vegas but also in other cities in the United States of America.

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

• Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to corporate organizations, schools, households and key stake holders in Las Vegas and other cities in Nevada.
• Promptness in bidding for travels and tours contracts from the government, religious organizations and other cooperate organizations
• Advertise our business in relevant travels and tours magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
• List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend relevant international and local travel and tours expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver quality services to them
• Leverage on the internet to promote our business
• Engage direct marketing approach
• Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to take the travels and tours industry by storm which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our travels and tours agencies.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC;

• Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our brand
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around Las Vegas – Nevada.
• Engage in road show from time to time
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Ensure that all our workers wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company’s logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

Travel agencies also generate incomes from selling of traveling related insurance policy cover, sale of travel guide books and through the sale of foreign currencies. At Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC we will keep our fees below the average market rate for all of our clients by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance.

In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to start – ups, nonprofits, cooperatives, and small social enterprises. We are aware that there are some clients that would need regular access to travels and tours consultancy and advisory services and assistance, we will offer flat rate for such services that will be tailored to take care of such clients’ needs.

• Payment Options

At Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC, our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

• Payment by via bank transfer
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft
• Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

Starting a travel and tours agency can be cost effective; this is so because on the average, you are not expected to acquire expensive machines and equipment.

Basically what you should be concerned about is the amount needed to secure a standard office facility in a good and busy business district, the amount needed to furniture and equip the office, the amount to purchase the required software applications, the amount needed to pay bills, promote the business and obtain the appropriate business license and certifications.

This is the financial projection and costing for starting Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC;

• The Total Fee for incorporating the Business – $750.
• The budget for basic insurance policy covers, permits and business license – $2,500
• The Amount needed to acquire a suitable Office facility in a business district 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) – $40,000.
• The Cost for equipping the office (computers, software applications, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al) – $ 5,000
• The cost for purchase of the required software applications – $2,500
• The Cost of Launching your official Website – $600
• Budget for paying at least one employees for 3 months plus utility bills – $10,000
• Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,500
• Miscellaneous: $1,000

Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need over one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) U.S. dollars to successfully set – up a medium scale but standard travels and tours agency in the United States of America.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC

Chris Williams Travels & Tours, LLC is a family business that will be owned by Chris Williams and family. They are the sole financial of the firm, but may likely welcome partners later which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings
• Source for soft loans from family members and friends
• Apply for loan from my Bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $50,000 (Personal savings $40,000 and soft loan from family members $10,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $100,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

It is easier for businesses to survive when they have steady flow of business deals / customers patronizing their products and services. We are aware of this which is why we have decided to offer a wide range of event planning and other related services to both individual and corporate clients.

We know that if we continue to deliver excellent travels and tours services, there will be steady flow of income for the organization. Our key sustainability and expansion strategy is to ensure that we only hire competent employees, create a conducive working environment and employee benefits for our staff members.

In the nearest future, we will explore the options of either selling out franchise or expanding our scope beyond Las Vegas – Nevada to other major cities in the United States of America. We know that if we implement our business strategies, we will achieve our business goals and objectives in record time.

Check List / Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
• Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed software applications, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
• Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with vendors and key players in the industry: In Progress

Related Posts:

• Hotel Business Plan [Sample Template]
• Amusement Park Business Plan [Sample Template]
• Beach Resort Business Plan [Sample Template]
• Water Park Business Plan [Sample Template]
• Hot Air Balloon Rental Business Plan [Sample Template]

Download WP Travel

Please enter your email to download WP Travel and also get amazing WP Travel offers and Newsletters.

Travel Agency Business Plan: Actionable Steps (2024)

Home » Blog » Travel Agency Business Plan: Actionable Steps (2024)

Want to create an actionable travel agency business plan that will influence your investors to invest in your project?

Then, you are at the right place to find your solutions.

“ Good fortune comes when planning meets with opportunity “ American greatest inventor ‘Thomas Alva Edison’

Planning creates opportunity and with planning and opportunity, you can bring good fortune to your travel agency business with an Online Travel Booking System.

That is why you need to prepare excellent business planning for your agency.

But before we dive into an actionable travel agency business plan; I was curious to know if you have set up your travel websites yet or not.

Are you thinking of creating a travel and tour booking website within minutes, without any hassle of coding and hiring highly paid developers?

Get WP Travel Pro  to start creating a travel booking website instantly.

Little things can matter when you are about to start a tour agency business like using the Best Tour Operator Software that allows you to create a travel website within minutes versus spending money on hiring highly paid developers consuming weeks of time

You may find it useful : How to create a travel booking site with WordPress for free

Table of contents

What is a business plan for a travel agency, importance of a business plan for a travel agency, step 1: executive summary:, step 2: company information:, step 3: offerings:, step 4: market analysis for that particular service:, step 5: plan of action:, step 6: team management:, step 7: financial planning:.

It is a written document where all planning for a travel agency business is included. Like goals and objectives of a business, how to achieve the goals everything included in a business plan.

The business plan changes with time. Like If a company reaches its target then, new targets and goals are set for the business.

A business plan is very important for any kind of business. As nothing goes right without planning. It varies according to the status of a business.

For example, if the company is new then, a business plan will also be short. The business plan increases with the time and prosperity of the business.

Making a business plan is essential before starting a travel agency business. Because, if you don’t set business goals or objectives, then it will be impossible to achieve them.

Your work will be unorganized. Besides, It is important for both small and big businesses. Here is the importance of a business plan:

• You can set targets, goals, and activities to achieve that goal.
• Besides, your work and your employee’s work will be target-oriented, allowing you to achieve it in less time.
• You can also add new targets after achieving old targets in a business plan.
• A business plan will help you to find business opportunities for your travel agency.
• Through it, you can effectively use the available funds for your business.
• It will help you to analyze your marketplace.
• What do your competitors offer and what unique service you can provide to your customers?
• You can also find out the current condition of the travel market.

You may find it useful : Why should you use WP Travel Plugin for your Travel Website in 2024?

Steps to Create Your Travel Agency Business Plan

It is good to start anything with proper planning. Also starting a travel agency business. Achieving success with planning is easier than without planning.

Besides, planning can vary with different travel agency business models. You need to include many things at the time of preparing a travel agency business plan.

The things that you need to include in your travel agency business plan are given below:

The first and foremost thing that you need to include in the business plan is the executive summary. In it, you need to prepare your travel agency goals and objectives, also how to achieve those goals.

Also, you need to prepare some business strategies or factors that will help you to achieve those goals more efficiently and effectively.

Your executive summary is the first focal point of your business. It will help you to work according to your goals and objectives.

Your company’s information is all the information that you will provide for your customers or visitors. It is like the About section of a website.

In this section, you will include your company’s name, status, founding date, also resources, funds, investments, etc.

It is the main part of how you will carry on your travel agency business. How can you manage resources, your current funds, investments, and sales?

Besides, you also have to include detailed information about your company. It can vary according to the size of your company.

For a big company, company information will be large. Moreover, for a new company, it will be short.

Launch your travel agency booking website rightaway

Now after company information, you have to tell about your service. Like what your company is going to offer to the customers? Why it is different than the service of your competitors.

Do you provide a discount on the services? Can your company make a profit with these services? Everything about your service.

You need to analyze your market thoroughly. Make no attempt to research your market or competition. For analyzing the market, you need to find the answers to some questions. Here are those questions-

• What is the most trendy service in the travel agency market?
• Who is your target audience and which country you need to target for your maximum sale?
• What are your competitors doing for providing the best user experience ?
• What business opportunities are available right now?
• How can you outsmart your rivals?

You might be interested : How to become a Successful Travel Blogger

In this part, you will think more about how you can achieve your goals. What are the techniques you need to adopt to achieve it? How can you achieve your business goals and objectives in less time?

A plan of action will help you to achieve your company goals in less time. This can be a promotion giving discounts, email marketing, or anything.

And at the same time, you can do all these at a time. To implement these, you need to set a proper time.

In the end, a plan of action will create many business opportunities that will help you achieve your business objectives and goals.

Useful article: Guideline of a Complete WordPress Tour Booking System

After setting all your business goals, objectives, and tactics now it is time to think about your employees or management team.

How much money you will invest in your management team? How much budget you will set for their training?

What budget have you set for your management team for the next five years? How many employees do you want to hire in each sector? What facilities you are going to provide to your management team?

Decide everything in this part regarding your team management.

Now, it is time to plan for your funds, target sales, profit or loss, and loans. From where you are going to arrange money? Deciding on your target sales and profit is another part of financial planning.

It is the main concern as your business mostly depends on these.

If your business is already going then, what is your current investment and revenue? Include everything that is related to your financial budget.

Without full-proof financial support, your business will remain incomplete.

Get  WP Travel Pro  and start creating your travel and tour booking website within minutes without any hassle of coding.

Yam Bahadur Chhetri is a content writer and vivid contributor to the WordPress community and a WordPress enthusiast with an experience of 7+ years in the relative field. He also loves to develop WordPress Themes, Plugins, and custom WordPress development for clients.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Get WP Travel Pro

Create Stunning , SEO friendly and Fully functional Travel website within minutes . No Coding Required !

Suitable for any

• Travel Agency
• Tour Booking Services
• Travel Bloggers

Drive more Sales and Revenues from today !

$ 99 99 USD per year

📢 Santa has sent the gift for Christmas and New Year sales on all WP Travel Pro plans. 🛍️ Use coupon code "XMAS_NEWYEAR2024" at checkout.

Related posts

WP Travel Pro: Massive Change in Pricing & Add-ons

How to Choose Excellent WordPress Theme Wisely in 2024?

How to contribute to WP Travel translation?

Wp travel modules.

Need more features to save your time and to boost your travel business? WP Travel Pro comes with more powerful modules . While our core travel plugin provides almost all the features that a travel and trekking websites generally needs, our add-ons boost it’s capacity further to make it the best travel engine on WordPress. Whether you want to add new payment method to your site or brush up your trekking listings with beautiful maps show casing your trips, we have all your imagination covered. See all our add ons below to boost your travel website’s features further.

Weather Forecast

Import Export

Partial Payment

Connect with wp travel to join the travel conversation, documentation →.

Explore More

Customer Support →

We are here to help.

Facebook Group →

User Community Forum

Follow On Twitter →

Connect with us on Twitter

On purchase of WP Travel pro .

The best deal you can’t miss for creating a travel website without writing a single line of code.

• Purchase History

Travel Agency Business Plan Template

Trusted by 700+ Downloaders

What You Get

• A compelling & detailed pre-written Travel Agency business plan template in WORD
• A full and automatic Travel Agency financial plan model in EXCEL you can easily customize
• Customized text tailored to the travel agency business
• The ability to paste advanced charts and tables within a click
• No accounting or specialized financial knowledge needed
• A truly cost-effective solution saving you time and money

Travel Agency Business Plan Template Description

Our ready-made Travel Agency business plan package includes all you need to help you plan, execute, fund and launch a successful travel agency. It includes a pre-written business plan template in Word and automatic financial plan in Excel tailored to the travel agency business and which you can customize in just a few hours to make it perfectly suit your own project. Save tons of time and money and take advantage of our ready-made Travel Agency business plan template. Check below the full content description.

Travel Agency Business Plan Document in Word

Our ready-made Travel Agency business plan template is in Word format and includes 24 pages. The document is divided into multiple sections. Each section contains the essential points that are necessary to effectively present your Travel Agency project. Each section and sub-section offers you a sample text that you can easily customize to make your business plan unique. Below is a small extract of your Travel Agency business plan template in Word.

Automatic Travel Agency Financial Plan in Excel

Our pre-populated financial model is in Excel format and includes multiples worksheets. You can easily edit the model’s inputs including changing costs and revenue assumptions to generate pro-forma financial forecasts including P&L, Cash flows and Balance Sheets. Below is a small excerpt of your Travel Agency financial plan in Excel.

This Ready-Made Travel Agency Business Plan is For

• Entrepreneurs wishing to start a Travel Agency business
• Aspiring Travel Agency owners who want to create a business plan fast and easy
• Travel industry entrepreneurs who wish to pitch their project to investors
• Travel professionals who wish to better understand the potential of the opportunity

Immediate Delivery by Email

• Once you complete the order, you will receive an email with links to download your documents
• Your order will contain the full pre-written business plan in Word
• Your order will contain the full customizable financial model in Excel

Your Travel Agency Business Plan Content

Executive Summary:  Our Travel Agency business plan template starts with a compelling Executive Summary. This key section is very important as it summarizes in 1 page your Travel Agency concept. It will introduce your business model, the key people behind the project as well as the unique selling proposition offered by your Travel Agency concept. This section will also mention how market conditions and consumer trends are favorable for launching your project.

The Problem Opportunity: Next, your ready-made Travel Agency business plan will list a number of problems experienced by your prospects in your target market and will show how this presents a unique opportunity for your Travel Agency business. These can include issues such as lack of a particular type of travel agencies in a certain location, low or average quality of service offered by existing players, undifferentiated offering by current actors in the market…etc.

The Solution:  This section explains how your Travel Agency will take advantage of the current problems in the market and will detail your innovative solutions.

Mission & Vision:  Your mission will explain in a couple of sentences your Travel Agency’s business ethos. In other words, it will summarize your unique value proposition and will explain how you are different than the competition. Your vision will explain the long-term plans for your Travel Agency concept. Are you planning to start with one branch today and expand to a multi-branch business model? Are you looking to transform your Travel Agency business into a franchise model?…etc.

Business Model:  This section details your Travel Agency concept using the business model canvas method. In a visually appealing table, we will detail your Travel Agency’s key partners, activities, resources, value proposition, customer segments, customer relationship plan, marketing channels, cost structure and revenue streams.

Products & Services:  Next, we will talk in details about your various travel products and services. We will describe your various tours and package offers, your travel consulting services…etc. We will also provide information about your pricing, commissions and fees by type of products and services.

Market Analysis: This important section describes the various market statistics and consumer trends in the Travel industry and explains how they support your own Travel Agency concept. The purpose of this section is to show that the market conditions are favorable for launching your new Travel Agency.

General Market Trends: In this sub-section of the market analysis, we will discuss the latest general market trends in the Travel industry. We will look at the global industry size, growth rate, growth diving factors and consumer trends.

Local Market Trends: This sub-section explains the local market trends that are relevant to your specific Travel Agency in its specific area of operation.

Target Customers:  In this section, we will describe your various customer profiles by providing information about their demographics, behavior and purchasing habits.

Competitive Analysis:  We will analyze key competitors active in your target market and provide insights about their strengths and weaknesses.

Competitive Advantages: After looking at the competitive landscape, we will then show how your Travel Agency is differentiating itself from the competition through a number of key advantages.

SWOT Analysis:  This section features a 4-quadrant table with explanations about how your Travel Agency intends to leverage its key strengths, mitigate weaknesses, capture opportunities and thwart any future threats.

Marketing Plan : This chapter provides detailed information about your go-to-market strategy. It includes a detailed action plan to help you build brand awareness and generate sales.

Branding & Awareness:  We will describe in this sub-section your choice of key marketing channels to build branding and awareness.

Customer Acquisition:  We will describe in this sub-section your choice of key marketing channels to acquire customers and increase sales.

Operating Plan:  This chapter provides information about your Travel Agency’s opening hours, internal processes and describes the interactions between various key departments and teams.

Management Team:  It is very important to present the key people behind your Travel Agency project and thus we have dedicated a section for this very purpose. It is also important to talk here about the founder’s vision, his past education and professional experience.

Hiring Plan:  No business can succeed without having on board the right team. This section lists all the key positions you plan to hire with information about their salaries and expected start dates.

Key Milestones:  To be able to launch and execute your Travel Agency project, you need to follow a set of actionable tasks with target deadlines. This section serves this purpose.

Financial Plan:  Without a robust financial plan, your Travel Agency business plan would be an incomplete document. This important section provides crucial information about your pro-forma financial projections and shows that you have really done your homework. The data mentioned in this and the following sections will be provided by the dynamic Excel financial model accompanying your Travel Agency business plan.

Projected Revenue:  This module shows your Travel Agency’s revenue projections over the next three years.

Projected Profit and Loss:  This module shows your Travel Agency’s income statement (also called profit and loss statement) over the next three years. Your income statement includes detailed projections about your sales and expenses and shows how your Travel Agency’s revenue is converted into a net profit.

Projected Cash Flows:  This module shows your Travel Agency’s cash flow projections over the next three years. The first year of operation is even detailed on a monthly basis. Your cash flow statement will detail the various cash inflows your Travel Agency will generate from its day to day operations and from funding sources, as well as the various cash outflows required to pay for operating expenses and business investments.

Projected Balance Sheet : This module shows your Travel Agency’s balance sheet projections over the next three years. The balance sheet will provide a summary of your Travel Agency’s short term and long term assets in addition to your short term and long term liabilities and capital.

Profitability Analysis:  In this section, we will provide information about your gross margin, net margin and discuss the profitability of your Travel Agency business.

Funding Requirement:  This module states the amount of funding your need to be able to comfortably launch your Travel Agency business. It also describes the planned allocation of the funds between Opex and Capex.

Conclusion : Finally, we will conclude your business plan by recapitulating the key points that make your Travel Agency project compelling and reiterate the rationale behind your business opportunity.

Why Use our Ready-Made Travel Agency Business Plan?

• Speed & Convenience:  Once you complete your order, you will receive the Travel Agency business plan directly in your mailbox. Since it is already pre-written with fully customizable financials, you will only need to spend a couple of hours to edit it and adapt it to your own project.
• High Quality:  Your Travel Agency business plan has been written by our professional team of business plan writers and experts from the Travel industry. You will receive a professional Travel Agency business plan template ideal for presenting to potential investors or banks.
• Low-Cost:  Our pre-written Travel Agency business plan template is the most cost-effective solution in case you need to build a solid and professional Travel Agency business plan. We are confident you will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars by ordering our premium business plan compared to hiring a consultant or subscribing to complicated and expensive software.

If you have any question regarding our ready-made Travel Agency business plan package,  do not hesitate to contact us , we are here to help.

You Might Also Be Interested in

Event Planning Business Plan Template

Dog Daycare Business Plan Template

Social Media Marketing Agency Business Plan Template

Free Download

Travel Agency - Upscale Business Plan Template

Download this free travel agency - upscale business plan template, with pre-filled examples, to create your own plan..

Or plan with professional support in LivePlan. Save 50% today

Available formats:

What you get with this template

A complete business plan.

Text and financials are already filled out and ready for you to update.

• SBA-lender approved format

Your plan is formatted the way lenders and investors expect.

Edit to your needs

Download as a Word document and edit your business plan right away.

• Detailed instructions

Features clear and simple instructions from expert business plan writers.

All 100% free. We're here to help you succeed in business, no strings attached.

Get the most out of your business plan example

Follow these tips to quickly develop a working business plan from this sample.

1. Don't worry about finding an exact match

We have over 550 sample business plan templates . So, make sure the plan is a close match, but don't get hung up on the details.

Your business is unique and will differ from any example or template you come across. So, use this example as a starting point and customize it to your needs.

2. Remember it's just an example

Our sample business plans are examples of what one business owner did. That doesn't make them perfect or require you to cram your business idea to fit the plan structure.

Use the information, financials, and formatting for inspiration. It will speed up and guide the plan writing process.

3. Know why you're writing a business plan

To create a plan that fits your needs , you need to know what you intend to do with it.

Are you planning to use your plan to apply for a loan or pitch to investors? Then it's worth following the format from your chosen sample plan to ensure you cover all necessary information.

But, if you don't plan to share your plan with anyone outside of your business—you likely don't need everything.

More business planning resources

Industry Business Planning Guides

Business Plan Template

Simple Business Plan Outline

How to Start a Business With No Money

How to Create a Business Plan Presentation

How to Write a Business Plan for Investors

How to Write a Business Plan

10 Qualities of a Good Business Plan

Download your template now

Need to validate your idea, secure funding, or grow your business this template is for you..

• Fill-in-the-blank simplicity
• Expert tips & tricks

We care about your privacy. See our privacy policy .

Not ready to download right now? We'll email you the link so you can download it whenever you're ready.

Download as Docx

Download as PDF

Finish your business plan with confidence

Step-by-step guidance and world-class support from the #1 business planning software

The quickest way to turn a business idea into a business plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

No thanks, I prefer writing 40-page documents.

Discover the world’s #1 plan building software