like Priceline and Expedia, and you might see most "inventory" travel (domestic airfares, hotels, rental cars) getting booked online, don't be misled - travel agents are, once again, seen as a vital resource for those travelers planning complex trips and vacations.
(Here's a travel sales fact - travel agents can earn much more by concentrating on cruises, tours, vacation packages and all-inclusive resorts - so that's what we teach - and do!)
The US travel industry is expected to need 50,000+ additional professional travel agents, in all segments of leisure travel sales - retail, wholesale, independent, home based/hosted - over the next 10 years!
Leisure travel has truly become a global marketplace, and the US market remains the top originating consumer market for many destinations and most upscale & luxury leisure travel products.
Selling effectively to this market is absolutely essential to future success as a travel agent. Smart Traveler's experience in training and mentoring new agents will give you an edge on your way to a career in travel.
Since 1988, Smart Traveler has trained, mentored and assisted travel agents to all levels of success in the leisure travel industry.
We help new to the industry travel agents learn the basics, increase their sales, expand their market, create & promote their "brand", and provide the resources to help ensure their success.
With our New Agent Program, we provide all the tools you need to be a professional travel agent, including a hosted website with a domain name that reflects the main focus (your “niche”) of your business - cruises, tours, all-inclusive resorts, or maybe you have a specific market you want to sell travel for (Fitness, Scuba, Chocoholics, Gluten Free, etc.), a Showcase listing in our company owned consumer focused website - OfficialTravelDirectory.com, personalized expert mentoring by travel professionals with extensive industry experience, and hundreds of millions in career leisure travel sales, and we provide you with all the tools you need to get you started!
We believe your best travel sales learning experiences are done "on the job", and our promise to you is to provide you with the mentoring, instruction and training you need to succeed, assisting you with each sale until you feel comfortable on your own. Plus, we provide REAL sales leads, help you convert those leads to REAL sales, giving you REAL income!
After our 12 month "earn as you learn" program, you will be a professional travel agent, ready to take on your own clients and transact your own business! Plus, you will have all the marketing tools we provide at your disposal.