The most commonly asked questions about Travel Trade
Some common questions businesses have when first engaging with Travel Trade.
What is the travel trade?
The Travel Trade are mostly intermediaries who connect members of the public with travel experiences. This includes people such as tour operators, travel agents, wholesalers, group travel and coach operators and destination management companies.
They act as an intermediary between you and the customer.
What is inbound tourism?
Inbound tourism refers to all international tourists entering the country.
We promote North Yorkshire to international visitors through working with the travel trade, who will then book visits to North Yorkshire for their customers.
This is usually part of a larger itinerary exploring other areas of the United Kingdom.
The main differences between domestic visitors and those from international markets are that international visitors tend to have limited knowledge of England, particularly outside of London and therefore are likely to be unfamiliar with North Yorkshire. The costs of marketing to these audiences can be significantly higher compared to marketing to domestic audiences, which is why engagement with travel trade is important.
Why should I work with the Travel Trade? (i.e. what’s in it for me)
There are many benefits to working with the travel trade:
Reach more customers
Travel trade isn’t trying to take away your bookings. It is just another way to get business and income.
Work with others to reach international markets
It can be difficult to reach international markets without using intermediaries (the travel trade) already have connections in those countries.
Increase your bookings
If you’re not at capacity throughout the year, the Travel Trade is a great way to increase your bookings and bring customers without you having to put in a lot of work!
You only pay for those who visit
If you get no travel trade visitors, there will be little to no cost for you. However, Travel Trade operators may expect discounted rates to build on their commission.
You may opt to develop your provision for inbound visitors with photography, multilingual materials or similar, and such costs should be considered as part of developing your business towards travel trade engagement.