Why It’s Time for Travel Agencies to Let Go of “Good Enough” and Step Into the Reach They Deserve

If you’ve been running a travel agency for years—or even decades—it’s easy to look at the digital landscape and feel a little overwhelmed. Everything moves so fast and competition is growing.  Big OTAs seem to scoop up every search and get the best visibility on social channels. And your web stats and new leads? Well, I’ve seen those stats. You can view yours right now on Spyfu.

The point then is that our ship can’t sail well, with an anchor dragging on the seabed below. We need to pull anchor, open the sails, and head to where our businesses are meant to be.

Stuck at anchor, you’ll still be asking doubtful questions such as:

      “Do I really need to change what I’m doing? Haven’t I been adapting all along?”

Sure, most travel agency owners and advisors have been evolving with the industry.  You’ve adopted digital tools, including ChatGPT of late, leveraged online lead networks, and innovated with events and incentives. You’ve surmounted the challenge of COVID disruptions, tariffs and immigration blocks, new vendor policies, service gaps, supplier portal changes, customer expectations, and a flood of new digital-first competitors.

It means you have the competence and confidence to capitalize on growth via digital marketing, It’s not a big leap. Especially if you dip your toes and avoid the polar plunge. A managed and measured foray into digital marketing strategies, assets and analysis, can make or break your future. It’s not wise to wait. Not in this era.

Visibility: You’re not Behind—just Under-Discovered

Most agency owners who hesitate with digital marketing aren’t actually resisting change.  They’re resisting risk, feeling judged, and making the wrong decisions.  With any decision you do make for your company, you must be visible to new customers and current customers. Online visibility is the new battleground, because customers gravitate to those that are visible.

Customers today are not that brand loyal. Competitors know that by being persistently visible to travelers online, they can reach your customers, get their email/contact info, and putting together the perfect offer. They can even get word-of-mouth referals!

You’re already delivering what travelers desperately want:

• trust, visions, dreams
• travel products they enjoy
• real expertise
• personal attention and personalized service
• reassurance
• good vibes and someone who genuinely cares
• a human voice in a noisy world

That alone puts you ahead of every OTA and AI travel agency.  The only real gap left is reach and visibility. And that’s solvable. But there’s still a lingering emotional issue — that anchor that won’t let you go free.

Letting Go of “Good Enough” (Why It Feels So Good)

The status quo sometimes hangs on like a rusted, old ball and chain, that we long to be freed of. Letting go sometimes is putting your hands out and opening your fingers and telling yourself to let go. I do it all the time, because everyone, everyday collects more baggage and daily friction. Frustration is a signal to let go. Stuff gets old and it gets in the way.

Sometimes it takes faith in yourself and your company, that you will find the best, high-performing solution. In fact, it is there, waiting for you.

There’s a kind of relief that happens when you finally loosen your grip on the status quo. Not because anything was 100% wrong/failing—but because there’s something better just ahead and you need to spend more time in that hopeful dream. The reward will be more energy, clearer thinking, and a feeling of freedom.  Funny, isn’t that the joy of travel — transformation?

So, let’s not deprive travelers of the wonderful vibe you bring to the travel world.

When travel agency owners allow themselves to embrace modern marketing, they discover:

• more travelers finding them naturally which is more powerful for them
• more travelers finding your brand attractive and “with it” for them
• more of your travel advisors staying active because leads flow in
• more esteem in the wonderful company you’ve built — commitment from everyone
• more confidence seeing the agency show up online and reaching customers (proof of a solid brand to believe in)
• more revenue without more hustle, filling gaps, reaching many different types of travelers and spending more time with qualified customers

Digital marketing isn’t a threat.

It’s the moment where your agency stops hiding and starts shining. You become more congruent with traveler’s own feelings of freedom, progress and overcoming fears.

Travelers Want You—They Just Need to See You

If there’s one message I want every agency owner to hear, it’s this:

Travelers are not running to OTAs because they love them.  They’re running to them because OTAs are everywhere. They are visible, accessible, and ready to transact. They’re not that great really. You can replicate most of what they offer. Travelers often book with the first providers they find, out of laziness. You need these low-hanging fruit.

Sorry OTAs — travelers would rather talk to:

• someone experienced, credible, trusted, and knowledgeable (authorities on travel)
• someone who listens to their personal quirks, thoughts and notions (responsiveness to their dreams)
• someone who can troubleshoot problems/misunderstandings that they have (focus on their specific travel issues)
• someone who personalizes in real time creating a wonderful travel shopping experience (personal caring)

If OTAs dominate online, fewer travelers will be experiencing the best parts of your offer, service, personal orientation, and caring culture. How could they not choose it?   Automated booking via OTAs and AI Travel agencies is alienating — kind of stuck-in-the-mud shopping routine. You can provide more.  Travel shopping should be emotionally satisfying.

But visibility is everything in business. And if you’re only reaching the people who already know you, via disappearing word of mouth, you’re missing thousands—sometimes millions—of travelers who would prefer the way you do business. You’ve missed many more word-of-mouth referrals.  They just didn’t call you because another agency reached them during their travel shopping journey, and won their business. The content they engaged with wasn’t great but not poor enough to lose them.

How many times have you heard the phrase, “success happens by just showing up.”  Aren’t they talking about visibility?

You Deserve Awesome Reach and it’s Time You Enjoyed It

This isn’t about replacing what’s worked for you. It’s about magnifying all of it.  We can present it richly, infusing the love of travel into text, images and video content in a way that both Google, ChatGPT love too. Powerful travel content strategy combined with advanced travel SEO brings enthusiasm into your content creation. You’ll begin doing it more, because now you know someone is going to actually view it, and enjoy it.

Every story you share online…
Every social post…
Every blog…
Every snippet of travel wisdom…
Every trip idea…
Every advisor profile…
Every client happy moment
Every thoughtful insight…

…is an opportunity for someone, somewhere, to say: “Wow. This company is great, exactly who I’ve been looking for.”

A Friendly Invitation to Your Next Chapter

I hope you’re feeling a new vibe about digital travel marketing.  It is time to let your agency be seen and let go of  “good enough.” In fact, once you let go of harmful judgments, you’ll find the digital marketing layer delivering much more than you dreamed of.

In your role, you’re all about smart decisions.  After being inspired by your reach to ideal travelers, you’ll learn (create your digital marketing strategy) how to craft your visibility to refine your access to the best clientele possible.

There’s a world of travelers out there—millions of them—just waiting to fall into the arms of a travel advisor who cares.  They just need to find you!

Learn more about trending travel marketing concepts, events, news and strategy. Then review my travel marketing services which are affordable and flexible. I’m in it to help you win it.