Substantial Benefits of an Online Travel Portal Development

A paper published by a leading research agency estimated that by 2020, Indian tourism is going to witness a major remodeling and is going to contribute towards 70 percent of the Indian economy. If we conduct detailed research on the tourism trends over the years, it wouldn’t be wrong to mention that the tourism sector has indeed witnessed a major surge, and this trend is definitely going to continue spreading its wings. With such a surge, it wouldn’t be wrong to point out the cutthroat competition in the travel industry and that the field is only for the smartest.

The internet is the keyword here. From flight or train bookings to the place of stay, everything is now an online game and travelers these days are dependent on the internet to plan their travel and the smallest of their plans are based on the insights offered by travel portals. Travel portals these days, have an extensive web of arrangements to cover; flights, hotels, rooms, car rental services, additional services and a lot more. One click and a travel portal can ease these woes for you.

The industry is yet to reach its peak yet the speed at which it has been moving ahead is commendable. The world is a global market and the citizens of this world are in search of an optimized travel package that can suit their travel plans and budgets. This acts as an incentive for travel agents to improve their online presence to provide the best possible services to their clients. An improvised travel portal works to the benefit of both the agent as well as the traveler. Travel agents may pull all their services and display it on their display screen and make it nothing less of a one-stop shop for all their travel essentials. With such refined services in the portal, the travel website is definitely going to garner a lot of attention from prospective travelers and improve business figures. For the prospect, it is where they can search, check and compare travel plans and choose a plan that suits them well.

From local travel agents to the advanced travel and tour agents, there are a lot many reasons for them to opt for a travel portal development.

1. 24*7 Access: Imagine a moment in time when travelers had to physically visit a travel agent’s office to check for ticket availability and wait for their turn to book their tickets. There were no hotel bookings attached to the travel agent’s services and travel plans were made in a haphazard manner. Limited working hours and inaccessibility were issues that had no apparent solution. A rather irritating beginning to the travel process. Well, we have definitely accelerated a great deal from then. Be it booking information or tour plans, they are all just a few clicks away from the potential traveler. Travel portals have the best possible deals (standards with regard to cost and quality maintained) listed and this saves both the time and money of the traveler.2. Customer Support: Travelling these days isn’t limited to a certain time of the day and one may face a lot many issues while traveling across latitudes and longitudes. There is a constant need for quality customer support and this possible only if travel agents develop and maintain a standardized travel portal that has a strong response rate. From support at the time of booking tickets to the check-out time for a package tour customer, it is mandatory for travel agents to be there all the time at the service of their customers.

2. Customer Support: Travelling these days isn’t limited to a certain time of the day and one may face a lot many issues while traveling across latitudes and longitudes. There is a constant need for quality customer support and this possible only if travel agents develop and maintain a standardized travel portal that has a strong response rate. From support at the time of booking tickets to the check-out time for a package tour customer, it is mandatory for travel agents to be there all the time at the service of their customers.

3. Cost Benefits: Deploying a travel portal may be a heavy investment yet it wouldn’t be wrong for one to point out the rate of return the investment attracts. From a customer’s point of view, it is easier for them to select a package or a flight ticket after comparing every probability. From a cheap round trip to a single flight with a stay at a 3-star hotel, there are a great deal customers can search from. For a travel agent, it is possible to cater to the needs of a vast crowd based on cost as well as quality. Discounts, value packages, and loyalty programs; there are many ways in which an agent can pass cost benefits to their customers.

4. Increase customer base: With a lot many opportunities floating in the travel industry, it is common for a lot many to be attracted towards this lucrative business option. It takes a lot of efforts for one to sustain the competition. A travel business has to do everything possible to attract, service, retain and convert a customer into a loyalist. With a travel portal in place, it’s easier for the agent to track the customer’s previous travel details and preferences, the frequency of travel and a lot more. The information received via the system may be used to design a customized offer for the most frequent passengers and it is also a lot easier to plan a loyalty program or a discount plan. With a perfect tracking system in place, it’s possible for an agent to provide specialized services for a category based customer base.

5. Brand Image: With a well-developed travel portal in place, it is possible for a business unit to convert itself into a brand. Be it a portal like ‘booking.com’, ‘expedia.com’, ‘Makemytrip.com’ or ‘airbnb.com, they have evolved into a brand over the years and the common key to their success is the strong web support and consistency in maintaining their plan to become the best brand in their field. There is a lot that is involved in the making of a brand; from a plethora of deals to a fabulous customer support and customized offers. Travel agents simply have to employ these tools to their benefit to become one of the trusted brand names in the field.

Developing a travel portal isn’t a big deal. What is important here is the quality and the level of consistency one maintains. A strong system combined with all the other elements of cost, support, and additional benefits make it a perfect travel solution to the customers.