Tanzman visits Hawaii every few months, making a point to try out
new restaurants, attractions and activities.
“There’s no way I can sell and be on top of things if I don’t
know what’s going on,” she noted.
Tanzman’s definition of “what’s going on” includes where to find
Hawaii’s best mahi-mahi burgers; which shrimp truck to buy from
when driving around Oahu; where to find the best
walkways to the beach and which market near the University of
Hawaii is a sure bet.
“I walk my client through the entire experience and provide
details they will never find on the Internet,” said Tanzman.
As a result, Tanzman says her clients “get so excited they can’t
wait to go on vacation.”
Another result is that referrals from satisfied clients provide
Tanzman with a steady stream of Hawaii business. Other agents in
her office are just as dedicated to their particular destination
specialties, which include Africa, India and Australia.
“The most important thing I say to my agents is ‘never stop
learning.’ I encourage them to take all the classes that they can
and travel whenever they can, in order to constantly perfect their
expertise,” Tanzman added.
Clearly, the right education and training is key to becoming a
successful niche travel planner. But, you also need to be proactive
in searching out, developing and keeping niche travel business.
That’s true for even the most seasoned members of the business.
Exotic destinations and themed vacations
are popular agent specialties.
Douglas Barr, with PNR American Express Travel in Marina del Rey,
Calif., has been in the travel-selling business for decades, all
the while involved in agent education.
“Without question, the trend now is to specialize,” said
Barr.
But, what does he advise for agents who haven’t yet targeted the
right specialty?
“Opportunities are everywhere,” said Barr. “Just this morning, I
got an invitation to a gay and lesbian marketing event. A lot of
people in that community are older, have lots of disposable income
and certainly love to travel. So, it is definitely an area of
business I’ve been developing. Another area is opera and classical
music tours,” said Barr.
For other agents, niche specialties have a way of presenting
themselves. Raschinna Findlay is a luxury travel specialist with
Protravel International in Beverly Hills, Calif. A former model,
Findlay is also a certified diver. “In the early 1990s, I had a lot
of friends who were scuba divers who were interested in traveling
to nice places. That’s when I got the idea to specialize in scuba
diving trips,” said Findlay.
Findlay’s scuba trips have ventured to the Great Barrier Reef,
Belize, Cayman Islands, Grand Turk, the Red Sea and other exotic
locations.
“When I first started with this specialty, they were just scuba
diving trips. Now, the scuba diving is in combination with
something else. But, the unifying theme of the trips is that people
want to connect with the environment,” said Findlay.
Since Findlay deals with an upscale clientele, it’s not unusual
for her to book unique scuba adventures, such as a recent yacht
charter in Greece for six certified divers.
Word of mouth and referrals are key to Findlay’s success.
“It definitely helps to have a background in the particular
niche that you’re selling. People like experience and knowledge,
and it helps if your specialty is unique,” said Findlay.
When it comes to unique niche travel products, it’s hard to beat
what Sarah Kozer has in mind. Kozer hopes to turn her experience
and exposure as a finalist on the hit television show, “Joe
Millionaire,” into a travel business. She plans to offer tours
hosted by reality stars, in order to capitalize on the huge
popularity of the genre. The tours will travel to the locations
where the reality shows took place. For example, Kozer herself will
lead a tour to the French chateaux country where “Joe Millionaire”
was shot. Kozer has already studied to become a travel agent, and
points out the logical connection between reality shows and the
travel business.
“Reality shows are popular because of the exotic locations they
feature. So many people have asked me about the locations we
visited in ‘Joe Millionaire.’ They want to experience the same
restaurants, the same wine tastings and other fabulous aspects of
France. That’s where I got the idea of starting a travel business
that specializes in these hosted theme tours. We’re not only going
to incorporate the locations, but also some of the activities from
the shows, as well,” said Kozer.
Does that mean Kozer’s clients will be eating bugs on a desert
island? Not necessarily, but Kozer is definitely working with one
of the contestants from “Survivor.” So, stay tuned.
Small Steps Are Fine
Admittedly, not everyone is lucky enough to have an exotic,
made-for-television specialty fall into their lap. But, agents do
have plenty of traditional resources. Organizations such as CLIA or
The Travel Institute offer a veritable alphabet soup of
accreditations. It makes sense to search for that perfect niche in
a category where there’s already a wealth of education and
training. CLIA, for example, has built up the biggest inventory of
training in the business.
“Even though cruise specialists have been around for a while,
there are still opportunities for agents. There aren’t yet enough
cruise specialists to satisfy the needs of the general community,”
said Mancini.
CLIA’s Sharak adds that sub-specialties within the cruising
category are gaining in popularity.
“We’ve seen forays into micro categories, such as luxury cruise
specialist. And, I think we’re likely to see additional niches
within the cruise arena, such as ecotourism or enrichment cruises,”
said Sharak.
Sharak adds this tip for agents looking for a “niche within a
niche” in the cruise market: “We now have a number of river vessels
and sail-assisted vessels under the CLIA umbrella. They offer a
unique and distinctive product, and are different from the larger
ships that many agents have focused on.” Anita Pagliasso, owner and
president of Ticket to Travel, a home-based host agency in San
Jose, Calif., encourages all of her agents to specialize in either
a destination or a supplier.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re going to work from home or brick
and mortar. Examine what it is that you like to do and what you
have a passion for. It can be baking, reading, scrapbooking or
playing cards. Try to use all the connections you have to build a
base. And, once you know what you want to specialize in, allow at
least a year to advertise, market yourself and build up the
business,” said Pagliasso.
She adds, “I think the airlines did us a favor when they cut out
commissions. It allowed us to focus on areas that we might not have
focused on before.” Gail Bradley, the gospel-music cruise seller
from America’s Vacation Center, believes its important for agents
to be persistent, but also to have patience. “I’ve been thinking
about the gospel music cruises since the early ’90s. There’s a
certain scariness about expanding your business in a new and
different way. That’s why most people will take small steps,” said
Bradley. “Agents should remember that the Internet makes it
possible to market to people from around the world. If there is
something you already have an expertise in and if you’re excited
about it, then you’ll be 100 times better at selling it. I really
think there is a niche out there for everyone.”
