A new website claims it can help travel agents and operators who struggle for visibility on search engines, or who are denied access to comparison sites.
The Holidayhub is the brainchild of Robin Alterman, a director of interline travel provider Caribbean Unpackaged, who had become frustrated by the lack of online marketing opportunities available to his company.
"Getting seen in a crowded market place was very hard. I was spending a lot of money on Google ads but online advertising was attracting a lot of low quality clicks to my site, with web visits lasting a few seconds, and I couldn’t even get a call back from price comparison sites. I just didn’t feel like we were getting value for money," he said.
Recognising that many other independent agents and small operators face the same problem, he came up with the Holidayhub concept.
Customers are invited to post their holiday requirements on the site for travel consultants to view.
Agents can respond and provide quotes but will have to pay £10, plus VAT, if they want to reveal their identity to potential customers to take the process further and potentially complete a sale. At present there is no sign-up fee.
Bookings will not take place on the Holidayhub website, but directly with the travel consultants, so there is no commission to pay.
"For travel consultants, the Holidayhub is a cheap cost effective way to get promising holiday inquiries, and to be rewarded for providing quality customer service. The website will give them access to a wider audience which values their expertise and quality service," said Alterman.
He said the site was also designed to help customers navigate their way online, with so much information now available.
"We found that people struggled online if their requirements were slightly unusual, or their family size didn’t conform to the nuclear standard. If you know exactly where you want to go, and you have the right amount of kids at the right ages, you might find the right deal online. However, if you don’t fit the profile I am frequently told it’s a real struggle.
"People just don’t have the time to plough through the internet to sort their holiday these days, they really do need travel agents, but finding one with the right expertise can be hard."
Similar to the likes of Airbnb, travel consultants will be reviewed for their service. Once they receive five or more reviews, these will be viewable on the site, allowing agents to build up service profiles which they can showcase on the Holidayhub website.
