travel agency management team

Becoming a Travel Agency Manager: A Comprehensive Guide

Planning a career in the exciting world of travel ? Looking for a role that combines your passion for exploring new destinations with your leadership skills? Becoming a travel agency manager might be the perfect fit for you. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the role of a travel agency manager, the path to achieving this career, how to navigate the job market, thrive in the role, and explore future prospects in the industry.

Understanding the Role of a Travel Agency Manager

As a travel agency manager, you will play a crucial role in overseeing the daily operations of a travel agency. Your responsibilities will range from managing a team of travel agents and ensuring exceptional customer service to developing and implementing marketing strategies to promote the agency's offerings.

Let's take a closer look at some of the key responsibilities you can expect in this role.

Key Responsibilities of a Travel Agency Manager

• Managing a team of travel agents and providing guidance and support

One of the primary responsibilities of a travel agency manager is to lead and manage a team of travel agents. This involves providing guidance and support to ensure that each agent is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their role. As a manager, you will be responsible for training new agents, conducting performance evaluations, and fostering a positive and collaborative work environment.

• Developing and implementing marketing strategies to attract clients

In order to attract clients and increase the agency's revenue, a travel agency manager must develop and implement effective marketing strategies. This includes identifying target markets, creating promotional campaigns, and utilizing various marketing channels such as social media, email marketing, and advertising. By staying up-to-date with the latest marketing trends and techniques, you can ensure that your agency remains competitive in the industry.

• Establishing relationships with suppliers and negotiating contracts for favorable rates

As a travel agency manager, it is important to establish and maintain strong relationships with suppliers such as airlines, hotels, and tour operators. By building these relationships, you can negotiate favorable contracts and rates for your clients, ensuring that they receive the best value for their money. Additionally, maintaining good relationships with suppliers can also lead to exclusive deals and partnerships that can give your agency a competitive edge.

• Monitoring sales performance and taking necessary actions to achieve targets

Monitoring the sales performance of your travel agency is essential to ensure that it is meeting its targets and goals. As a manager, you will need to analyze sales data, identify areas for improvement, and take necessary actions to drive sales and revenue. This may involve implementing sales incentives, conducting sales training programs, or revising pricing strategies to attract more customers.

• Staying up-to-date with industry trends and ensuring the agency offers relevant products and services

In the fast-paced travel industry, it is crucial for a travel agency manager to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and developments. By keeping a pulse on the market, you can ensure that your agency offers relevant products and services that cater to the changing needs and preferences of travelers. This may involve introducing new travel packages, incorporating sustainable travel options, or leveraging emerging technologies to enhance the customer experience.

Aside from the required skills to fulfill your responsibilities, certain qualities will set you apart and contribute to your success as a travel agency manager.

Essential Skills for a Successful Travel Agency Manager

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships with clients, suppliers, and team members

As a travel agency manager, effective communication is key to building strong relationships with clients, suppliers, and team members. By possessing excellent communication and interpersonal skills, you can effectively convey information, address concerns, and resolve conflicts. This will not only enhance customer satisfaction but also foster a positive and collaborative work environment.

• An in-depth knowledge of travel products and destinations

In order to provide exceptional service to clients, a travel agency manager must have an in-depth knowledge of travel products and destinations. This includes staying updated on the latest travel trends, understanding the unique features and attractions of different destinations, and being familiar with various travel products such as flights, accommodations, and tours. By having this knowledge, you can offer valuable insights and recommendations to clients, ensuring that they have memorable and fulfilling travel experiences.

• Strong leadership abilities to motivate and inspire your team

Being a successful travel agency manager requires strong leadership abilities. By motivating and inspiring your team, you can create a positive and high-performing work environment. This involves setting clear goals and expectations, providing constructive feedback, and recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance. By fostering a sense of teamwork and collaboration, you can empower your team to deliver exceptional customer service and achieve their targets.

• Exceptional organizational skills to manage multiple tasks and prioritize effectively

With numerous tasks and responsibilities, a travel agency manager must possess exceptional organizational skills. This includes the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize tasks effectively, and meet deadlines. By staying organized, you can ensure that all aspects of the agency's operations run smoothly, from coordinating travel arrangements to handling administrative tasks.

• The ability to adapt to changing circumstances and solve problems creatively

In the dynamic travel industry, circumstances can change rapidly, and unexpected challenges may arise. As a travel agency manager, it is important to have the ability to adapt to these changes and solve problems creatively. By thinking outside the box and finding innovative solutions, you can navigate through obstacles and maintain the agency's competitiveness. Additionally, being adaptable and flexible will also enable you to embrace new technologies and trends that can enhance the agency's offerings and customer experience.

The Path to Becoming a Travel Agency Manager

Now that we have explored the role and its responsibilities, let's discuss the path to achieving this career. Becoming a travel agency manager requires a combination of education, experience, and professional certifications.

Educational Requirements

While there is no specific degree required to become a travel agency manager, a background in travel and tourism or business administration can be advantageous. Consider pursuing a degree or certification program that offers courses in travel management, marketing, and business administration to gain a solid foundation.

Attending career events and internships that focus on the travel industry can provide valuable insights and networking opportunities crucial for your career progression. These events and internships allow you to connect with industry professionals, learn about the latest trends, and gain hands-on experience in the field.

Furthermore, taking advantage of study abroad programs can broaden your understanding of different cultures and enhance your knowledge of international travel, which is essential for managing a travel agency.

Gaining Relevant Experience

Experience in the travel industry is highly valued by employers. Consider starting as a travel agent to gain practical knowledge of the industry and build relationships with suppliers and clients. This hands-on experience will give you a solid foundation to lead a team effectively and understand the complexities of the travel agency business.

Additionally, seek opportunities to take on leadership roles or projects that showcase your management abilities. This could involve organizing group trips, managing travel itineraries, or overseeing the operations of a travel agency branch. These experiences will bolster your resume and set you apart from other candidates.

Furthermore, staying updated with the latest technology and software used in the travel industry is crucial. Familiarize yourself with booking systems, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and online travel platforms to stay competitive in the field.

Professional Certifications and Licenses

While not mandatory, obtaining professional certifications in the travel industry can enhance your credibility and demonstrate your commitment to ongoing professional development. The Institute of Travel and Tourism provides certifications such as the Certified Travel Agency Manager (CTAM) designation. These certifications validate your knowledge and skills in managing a travel agency, and they can open doors to career advancement opportunities.

In addition to certifications, having knowledge of travel regulations and obtaining the appropriate licenses can boost your chances of success in this role. For example, an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license allows you to issue airline tickets and work closely with airlines to provide the best travel options for your clients.

Continuing education and staying updated with industry trends is essential for travel agency managers. Attend conferences, workshops, and seminars to expand your knowledge and network with other professionals in the field. This continuous learning will ensure you are equipped with the latest information and strategies to excel in your role.

In conclusion, the path to becoming a travel agency manager involves a combination of education, experience, and professional certifications. By obtaining a relevant degree, gaining practical experience in the travel industry, and obtaining certifications and licenses, you can position yourself for success in this rewarding career.

Navigating the Job Market

Now that you have the required qualifications and experience, how do you find travel agency manager jobs in the UK?

Searching for a new job can be an exciting yet challenging endeavor. As a travel agency manager, you have a unique set of skills and expertise that can make you a valuable asset to any organization in the travel industry. In this expanded guide, we will explore various strategies to help you navigate the job market and secure the travel agency manager job of your dreams.

Where to Look for Travel Agency Manager Jobs

When it comes to finding travel agency manager jobs in the UK, there are several avenues you can explore. Here are some popular options:

• Online job boards: Platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Travel Weekly offer a wide range of job opportunities for travel agency managers. These websites allow you to filter your search based on location, salary, and other relevant criteria, making it easier to find the perfect job.
• Industry-specific websites: In addition to general job boards, there are websites such as Travel Trade Recruitment and Travel Weekly that often feature job listings specifically tailored to the travel industry. These websites can be a treasure trove of opportunities for aspiring travel agency managers.
• Networking: While online job boards are a great starting point, sometimes the best opportunities are found through networking. Attend career events, join professional organizations such as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), and network with industry professionals to uncover hidden job opportunities. Building relationships with people in the industry can open doors that you may not have even known existed.

Preparing Your Resume and Cover Letter

Once you have identified the travel agency manager jobs that pique your interest, it's time to prepare your resume and cover letter. These documents are your chance to make a strong first impression and showcase your qualifications to potential employers. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling application:

1. Highlight your relevant experience: Tailor your resume to highlight the experience that is most relevant to the travel agency manager role. Focus on your accomplishments and responsibilities in previous positions that demonstrate your leadership, customer service, and problem-solving skills.

2. Showcase your skills and achievements: Use bullet points to concisely present your qualifications and make it easy for recruiters to identify your strengths. Highlight any certifications, awards, or notable achievements that set you apart from other candidates.

3. Customize your application: Take the time to tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific job you apply for. Carefully read the job description and incorporate keywords and phrases that align with the requirements mentioned. This shows employers that you have taken the time to understand their needs and are genuinely interested in the position.

Acing the Interview

Once your application has caught the attention of potential employers, it's time to prepare for the interview process. Here are some tips to help you ace your travel agency manager interviews:

1. Demonstrate your industry knowledge: Research the latest trends and developments in the travel industry. Familiarize yourself with the challenges and opportunities that travel agencies face in the current market. This knowledge will not only impress your interviewers but also show your genuine interest in the industry.

2. Highlight your leadership abilities: As a travel agency manager, your ability to lead and motivate a team is crucial. Prepare examples that showcase your leadership skills, such as times when you successfully managed a team to achieve sales targets or resolved conflicts within the workplace.

3. Problem-solving skills: The travel industry can be unpredictable, and problems can arise at any moment. Prepare answers to common interview questions that assess your problem-solving abilities. For example, how would you handle a disgruntled customer or address a sudden change in travel plans?

4. Research the company: Before your interview, take the time to research the company you are interviewing with. Familiarize yourself with their mission, values, and recent achievements. This will not only help you tailor your answers to their specific business but also demonstrate your enthusiasm and genuine interest in working for them.

By following these strategies and putting your best foot forward, you can increase your chances of securing a travel agency manager job in the UK. Remember to stay positive, persistent, and open to new opportunities. Good luck!

Thriving as a Travel Agency Manager

Congratulations! You have secured a travel agency manager role. Now, how do you thrive in this position?

Continuing Professional Development

The travel industry is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the game, prioritize ongoing professional development. Attend industry conferences, subscribe to industry publications, and take advantage of online courses to deepen your knowledge of travel trends, digital marketing strategies, and management techniques.

Networking in the Travel Industry

Building a strong network of industry contacts can open doors to new opportunities and provide valuable insights. Attend industry events, join professional organizations, and connect with fellow travel professionals and suppliers. Engage in conversations, exchange ideas, and collaborate on projects to expand your connections.

Balancing Work and Personal Life

As a travel agency manager, it's important to find a balance between your work responsibilities and personal life. Set boundaries, delegate tasks to your team, and take time for self-care. By prioritizing work-life balance, you will be able to perform at your best and avoid burnout.

Future Prospects for Travel Agency Managers

Finally, let's explore the future prospects for travel agency managers in the UK.

Industry Trends and Challenges

The travel industry is constantly evolving, influenced by technological advancements and changing customer preferences. Stay informed about industry trends such as the rise of online travel agencies, the growing demand for sustainable tourism, and the integration of artificial intelligence in travel booking platforms.

Awareness and adaptation to these trends will allow you to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of your clients.

Opportunities for Advancement

With experience and proven leadership abilities, you may have the opportunity to advance to higher-level management positions within the travel industry. This could include roles such as regional manager or director of operations for a larger travel agency or even starting your own travel agency.

Transitioning to Related Careers

The skills and experience you gain as a travel agency manager can also pave the way to related careers within the travel industry. Consider roles such as tour operator manager, hotel manager, or event planner, leveraging your expertise and network to pursue new opportunities.

Becoming a travel agency manager is an exciting and rewarding career choice. By understanding the role, following the path outlined, and staying informed about industry trends, you can build a successful and fulfilling career in the travel industry. So, pack your bags and embark on this journey to become a travel agency manager, guiding others in experiencing the wonders of the world.

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The 6 areas of service in travel management agencies

Today, a company travel agency cannot concentrate solely on booking tickets and accommodation, but rather their services need to be much more extensive, diverse and comprehensive, covering wide-ranging areas such as consultancy, passenger assistance, cost optimisation, internal communication and technological aspects.

Historically, travel management agencies engaged exclusively in the management of the aspects related directly to the organisation of travel, which practically came down to transport ticket reservations and the search for accommodation.  

However, in recent years, the development of the Internet and online platforms has radically changed the way we understand and carry out travel and business relations in general. This has caused a major expansion in the role and functions of corporate travel agencies.

Today, when a company requires the services of a travel management agency, it not only seeks someone to manage its travel arrangements, since this can be done internally without much trouble using online tools, but also has other needs and expectations.

An agency of this type needs to take on the role of an authentic partner within the travel structure at the companies which it serves. To do this, it has to work closely with the Travel Manager or the person responsible for travel within the company 

The role of most agencies has been diversified into a series of services that can be divided into six main areas:

1) Travel Management

This would be the core function and the one which agencies engaged in organising business travel have always performed. This area of services would include the management and reservation of transport tickets, searches for accommodations, car rentals, etc.

Although it is the function that has been performed for the longest period of time, new technologies have significantly changed the way these tasks are carried out, with aspects coming into play such as price comparisons or strategies for obtaining deals and discounts.

2) Passenger assistance

On a trip there may be many unforeseen problems and issues which need to be resolved: repatriation due to illness, accident or emergency, lost luggage or documents, etc.

3) Consulting

Consulting services include a large number of aspects which are related, more or less directly, with travel: information of interest for the traveller (customs of the country of destination, recommendations on behaviour, etc.), cost optimisation and control, advice on travel policies, etc.

4) Marketing and internal communication

Due to its experience, a travel management agency can be very helpful in preparing travel policies for companies (rules regarding expenses, management of per diems, etc.), as well as its proper and effective communication to the employees.  

5) Technology

The proper and constantly updated use of technology is vital, not only for the requesting and comparison of travel services (tickets, accommodation, etc.) but also for such diverse aspects as billing management or locating travellers in extreme situations.

6) Leisure Services

In some cases, some travel management companies offer direct discounts or improved conditions on travel and leisure activities for the employees and their relatives at the companies for which they work.

With the comprehensive management of corporate travel, travel management companies achieve the goal of giving added value to their service, which is essential in order to meet the current expectations and needs of companies.

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Travel Agency - Upscale Business Plan

Start your own travel agency - upscale business plan

Panache Travel Group

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

Panache Travel Group (PTG) is a company which specializes in small, escorted luxury tour packages for discriminating clients. It will operate from two bases to better serve customers across the country: one in Salt Lake City, Utah; the other in New York, New York. The founders and employees of Panache Travel Group are experienced travelers and travel professionals who are knowledgeable, capable and passionate about the services Panache Travel Group will promote and offer.

Within the growing travel industry, PTG will focus on the niche market of luxury travel. Its primary clients are individuals, couples and affinity groups of high-net-worth who travel for leisure at least once per year. Seeking the ultimate travel experience, the target clients demand the finest quality activities and accommodations accompanied by a superior level of service. PTG will have a competitive advantage over others in this market by providing smaller, more exclusive package tours enabling the clients of these intimate groups to receive personal attention from the travel hosts. PTG will cultivate this niche with one-to-one contact with potential clients; personal contact with sophisticated travel agencies whose primary clientele targets our market; broad out-reach programs through various media; special events; and an inter-active, full-service website. We have all aspects of travel technology available to us through Panache Services. The founders and personnel of PTG have experience of their own with travel, luxury retailing, personal services to high-net-worth individuals, history of travel destinations and local languages.

To broaden market share and increase brand recognition, the luxury tour packages initially will be offered at slightly below market rate. As a result, short-term operating profit margins are projected to be in low to mid range. When PTG has established a loyal core clientele and increased brand recognition, allowing the company to increase the price of the tour packages to the market rate, operating profit margin is anticipated to rise.

1.1 Objectives

1. Achieve hefty sales in Year 1, followed by astounding increases in Year 2 and Year 3, with corresponding increases in profitability.

2. Develop the Panache Travel Group brand to facilitate customer retention, maintain mind-share of Panache resellers and increase pricing power.

3. Establish and maintain strategic alliances with service providers nationally, internationally, and with travel professionals to create additional PTG sales channels.

4. Produce the highest levels of client satisfaction in the industry.

1.2 Mission

The mission of Panache Travel Group is to provide unique, luxury tours and travel experiences, for a niche market of discriminating clients, which results in their satisfaction, evidenced by repeat bookings as well as favorable word-of-mouth comments. PTG seeks to distinguish itself as a specialist in the field of luxury travel and to be recognized for offering exceptional service and anticipating the needs and desires of its clients. An efficiently run operation, handled by smart individuals, will enable not only those who receive service, but those who give it, to enjoy the experience and the product, and for everyone to be pleased with the professional, first-class service of PTG.

1.3 Keys to Success

• Segment and target luxury travelers within the larger travel market.
• Position and promote Panache Travel Group as specialists in the luxury travel segment of the travel industry.
• Communicate the unique aspects and quality of PTG offerings through personal interaction, media and other branding activities.
• Develop repeat business from a base of loyal, satisfied customers.

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Panache Travel Group (PTG) will be the parent company of Panache Journeys and Panache Services.

• Panache Journeys is a luxury tour company which specializes in providing the ultimate in fully-arranged, small, private tours (escorted).
• Panache Services is a general, full-services travel provider able to meet the basic needs of both the corporate as well as the leisure travel markets. These services include arranging air, land transportation, cruise and hotel bookings, as well as consulting and custom travel arrangements. Panache Services specializes in FITs, or Free and Independent Tours (unescorted).

2.1 Company Ownership

Panache Travel Group will form as a private, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) organized in the State of Utah by its principal founders (see below). Alternative legal corporate structures may be used once principal investors have been located and investment funding has been secured. Company stock will be apportioned as follows:

• George Raymond 25%;
• Dominque Pascal 15%;
• Alica Marques 15%
• 25% Investor(s) ownership.
• 20% Future employees’ pool ownership.

2.2 Start-up Summary

The initial start-up capital requirement for Panache Travel Group will be used to:

• Purchase the assets and liabilities of Panache European Journeys and Barkley Roberts Travel.
• Finance start-up costs and payroll expenses for the first 12-months of operation, i.e.
• Legal fees related to new filings in the state of Utah.
• Expenses related to rent, office supplies, insurance, utilities, etc.
• Salaries for key managers and personnel.
• Miscellaneous costs involved in formulation and execution of strategic plan.

Initial venture capital or individual investment, to be obtained by mid-Year 1.

2.3 Company Locations and Facilities

Panache Travel Group has two locations from which it will conduct business:

• The main office address is 129 Market Street, Suite 600, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103. This is a commercial building that can accommodate walk-in customers.
• The East Coast office address is 150 Broadway, Suite 1200, New York, New York 10019.

The offices in both locations are fully-equipped and staffed.

The mission of Panache Travel Group is service and luxury for discerning travelers. An observation well-known in the travel and hospitality industry is that achieving a reputation for excellence relies on word of mouth. We want the Panache brand to be synonymous with service and luxury. When the conversation turns to travel, we want our clients to say, “ I travel with Panache! ”

For the current year, 2001, Panache Journeys has planned and described twelve escorted tours:

• French Portfolio (French Riviera/ Provence)
• Historic France (Paris/ Loire Valley/ Normandy)
• Cosmopolitan Europe (Amsterdam/ Paris/ London)
• Timeless Italy (Italian Riviera/ Tuscany)
• Italian Glory (Rome/ Florence/ Venice)
• Portuguese Discovery (Estoril Coast/ Lisbon/ Algarve)
• Escape to Morocco (Fez/ Casablanca/ Marrakesh)
• Alpine Luxury (Austria/ Germany)
• Heart of Europe (Germany/ Czech Republic/ Austria)
• Orient Express (Venice/ Paris/ London)
• Panache Explorer-Burma
• Panache Explorer-Iran

To handle the myriad details involved, we will rely on the technology afforded by Panache Services, the World Wide Web and the focused attention of our founders and staff who will make all plans and arrangements.

3.1 Service Description

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Well-known luxury hotels engaged for these journeys include, to name just a few: The Splendido, in Portofino; The Carlton, in Cannes; The Ritz in London; and The Gritti Palace in Venice. Arrangements for notable dining experiences of equal caliber have been made in Michelin two-and-three-star restaurants.

Local subject experts have been engaged to impart their invaluable knowledge and perspective to our clients. For example, the services of Professore Marco di Navo, native Venetian, author of Venice , retired professor of art history, University of Padova, and a former head of the Venetian Tour Guide association have been reserved to give everyone new eyes with which to see the glories of Venice.

Of equal importance to everything mentioned above are the Panache hosts who accompany each Journey. Each is excellent and is prepared to give the utmost personal attention to clients on the road. Each host has a broad background of knowledge, experience and the all-important quality of a sense of humor. Each host understands the luxury field is unique unto itself; each client is unique, and the care, feeding and transporting of this demanding clientele requires him to be ever-ready to serve.

The goal of everyone at Panache Journeys is not only to meet the travel needs of its clients: it is to anticipate them. We want our service to be exceptional, not simply friendly. Panache Services provides complementary travel services for Panache Journeys clients, as well as corporate and general leisure travelers. In addition, unescorted FITs, or Free and Independent Tours, are happily arranged for clients for whom a Panache Journey is not quite right.

3.2 Competitive Comparison

Panache Journeys has addressed these issues by positioning itself as a luxury travel company , offering exceptionally small groups (none larger than ten) and delivering an exceptionally high level of service. It understands that these aspects are highly valued, cannot be discounted, reduced or otherwise cheapened. Panache Journeys has not identified a direct competitor in this particular niche of the luxury travel market when aspects of service, group size, quality of accommodations and quantity of personal attention are included. Other luxury tour operators will be discussed under a separate topic in the market analysis and analyzed with a comparison of strengths and weaknesses.

3.3 Sales Literature

A handsome, full-color brochure describes the Panache Journeys, which includes prices and terms. They were printed by The Printing of Salt Lake City and will be mailed to potential customers upon request. Additional brochures will be used in direct mail campaigns and as sales promotional material. Panache Travel Group will maintain, and regularly add to, its database of previous customers/contacts/potential clients information. Notes, additions and revisions will be made on a continuous basis. The website of PTG at www.panachetravelgroup.com gives information about Panache, its hosts, journeys offered with dates, prices, terms and booking information. An e-mail address is given for a Panache Journeys representative to respond to inquiries from prospective travelers. The site is adequate for the 2001 season, but will be thoroughly redesigned and developed for the 2002 season. Money has been allocated in the 2002 marketing budget for this project by an expert, outside firm.

3.4 Fulfillment

The key fulfillment and delivery will be provided by the acquisition of both Panache European Journeys and Barkley Roberts Travel. The core value of these companies is professional expertise, achieved through the combination of travel experience, hard work and educational background.

Panache European Journeys established relationships with providers of travel-related products and services. Extensive market research enabled them to identify and create working relationships with numerous service providers around the world. Panache European Journeys identified opportunities to capture markets with great growth potential. They continually sought and evaluated new sources. Panache European Journeys took advantage of trade shows, travel industry personnel and publications and other sources of industry-related information as it monitored the quality of its offering. They have a history of three successful years providing tours, virtually identical, to those which will be offered by Panache Travel Group.

Barkley Roberts Travel is a full service travel agency. It is a member of the Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC), International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN), Association of Travel Agencies (ASTA), along with many other groups and trade associations. It is also a member of www.vacation.com that is one of the largest consortium for obtaining additional commission and discounts prices on airline, hotel room, rental car and cruise line bookings. In addition, Barkley Roberts Travel has a large client base of both corporate and leisure clients, many of whom travelled with Panache European Journeys. Barkley Roberts Travel is staffed with two full-time certified travel professionals.

The bi-coastal offices staffed with the knowledgeable founders and personnel of PTG will facilitate attracting clients both to and within the luxury travel market though one-on-one meetings with potential clients, personal contact with sophisticated travel agencies which target up-scale consumers, and broad out-reach programs including travel conferences and media and special events.

3.5 Technology

Panache Travel Group will rely on the Computerized Reservation System (CRS) of Barkley Roberts Travel. Barkley Roberts Travel is currently under contract to WorldSpan, a leader in the CRS world. The CRS enables travel agents to identify what the customer is looking for and to make that information available quickly. It increases the speed and efficiency with which PTG can communicate with suppliers. In addition, the CRS simplifies customer data storage and retrieval. PTG will make use of the latest computer technology and the Internet for market research, communications, data storage and sales. PTG will also create working agreements with other travel agencies in the Salt Lake City and New York areas that will enhance its technological abilities and its financial profitability.

3.6 Future Services

Panache Travel Group will increase the geographical areas of the world in which it offers tours. In addition, as the luxury travel market expands, PTG may develop business in additional segments of the luxury travel market, i.e. tours with an architectural, music festival, golf or local festival emphasis. PTG is researching the market to identify potential opportunities for future sales. The long-term goal of PTG is to establish itself as an internationally recognized provider of top-of-the-line luxury travel. This goal does not prohibit PTG from participating in additional areas of the travel industry. It does, however, provide a corporate focus and a differentiated offering.

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

Panache Travel Group will focus its initial efforts in obtaining clients in the United States interested in the luxury travel market. Travel and tourism is the nation’s largest services export industry. U.S. resident travelers spent $81.4 billion on travel to foreign countries in 1999. The travel & tourism industry is expected to account for 5.1% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Production (GNP) in 2000. The World Economic Forecast Association (WEFA) forecasts travel & tourism to grow by 4.1% a year between 2000 and 2005 in terms of real spending.

4.1 Market Segmentation

The target customers of Panache Travel Group are couples and individuals, with median household incomes in excess of $100,000 between the ages of 40-70 years of age. These people are interested in adventure, history, gastronomy, travel culture and unique travel experiences. Target groups are as follows:

• Householders with incomes of $100,000 and over.
• Travel agents and professionals with an established client base, particularly in the luxury market.
• Corporations, civic groups and nonprofit organizations, interested in incentives, retreats, field trips and fund raisers.
• Internet users seeking sites related to luxury travel.

4.2 Target Market Segment Strategy

Panache Travel Group is located in Salt Lake City and the New York City area. It will target and develop relationships with satisfied clients who have traveled with the PTG with the idea of capitalizing on their satisfaction by encouraging favorable word-of-mouth comments to their friends and acquaintances. It will place a great emphasis on targeting key travel agents/professionals, i.e. Virtuosi agents, who have established, luxury client bases. Luxury trade shows, informational meetings, and contact of clients from elite agencies will also be used to identify markets and clients.

4.2.1 Market Growth

The travel industry is growing. Reasons for this growth include a healthy domestic economy and the devaluation of currency in other parts of the world which has made travel less expensive for U.S. residents. Leisure travel has increased each year since 1990 and luxury travel, which is growing at an estimate 5% annually, is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. Additionally, there has been a dramatic increase in corporate participation in the luxury travel market in the form of incentives and retreats.

4.2.2 Market Needs

Many potential customers have questions related to numerous aspects of foreign travel. Experience travelers and travel professionals have invaluable knowledge about destinations, accommodations, prices and the myriad questions that arise. General customers look to the travel professional to provide them with sound advice on these matters.

However, luxury travelers look to and depend on the travel professional to an even greater extent for an even greater number of things. Simply stated, they want someone to help them with everything: “Please take care of it all!” Panache Travel Group is confident in its ability to do just that. PTG saves the client time and money through their knowledge and travel experience, and ensures that clients are worry-free and completely satisfied.

4.3 Service Business Analysis

The U.S. travel and tourism industry is the nation’s third largest retail industry, and according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, indicators suggest it will be the leading industry in 2001. Revenues from travel have increased approximately 100% in the last decade. U.S. travel agencies produce over $100 billion in revenues each year.

The travel market is separated into two categories: business and leisure. Each contributes about 45% to total revenues. The remaining 10% of the revenue is generated from combined business/leisure trips. The market is further separated into domestic and international travel. Leisure travelers are classified according to the type of trip taken, income and/or age.

The leisure travelers are divided into the following groups (not being mutually exclusive):

• Those focused on adventure, special-interest, rest and relaxation, honeymoons and/or sightseeing.
• High-income.
• Budget-conscious.
• Families, students, groups with mutual affinity and seniors.

Lifestyle, age, and disposable income influence the decision to travel and the type of travel. Luxury travelers make purchase decisions based upon their desire to combine many interests with vacation time. Panache Travel Group will emphasize high-income travelers particularly interested in special-interest, rest and relaxation, honeymoons and sightseeing trips who may be families, groups with a mutual interest and/or seniors. When combined they form a very significant, lucrative market from which to draw potential clients.

4.3.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

There are many activities and types of travel available to people contemplating a luxury vacation. Moreover, potential customers do not have to vacation: they may elect to spend the discretionary portion of their budget in any number of ways, or invest the money they would otherwise have spent on a vacation.

However, if they are disposed to a luxury vacation, direct competition for Panache Services can come from virtually any agency. That being said, however, these same agencies can be direct sales agents of Panache Journeys. They are valued and are to be sought out. The average luxury traveler engages in one grand travel vacation every twelve months.

4.3.2 Main Competitors

As mentioned above there are competitors for Panache Services, but the market of potential clients is truly vast. On the other hand, Panache Journeys has found a very nice niche with limited direct competition.

Several luxury tour companies compete directly with Panache Journeys for the luxury travel dollar. Three competitors are listed below with their strengths and weakness:

• Abercrombie & Kent: Based in Oak Brook, Illinois, is the most well-known and largest luxury tour company in the world. They have been providing luxury travel packages for over 40 years. They have the advantage of an established reputation, economies of scale, and strategic alliances. However, their packages are over-priced, and their group size is larger than 24 people per trip as opposed to 10, the maximum for Panache Journeys.
• Travacoa: Based in Newport Beach, California, is the second leading luxury tour operator in the United States. Again they have advantages of size and length of operation. However, their tours lack imagination, have large group size, 24, and we have been told by our clients who have experienced both Travacoa and Abercrombie & Kent, that Panache Journeys was by far their best traveling experience. They cited hotels, meals, group size, and guides among their reasons for preferring the Panache Journeys traveling experience.
• Butterfield & Robinson: Based in Toronto, Canada, is an excellent travel company specializing in walking and biking tours throughout the world. They offer a superior product to an up-scale clientele. We, quite frankly, have adapted some of their business practices. But our target group does not want to walk from place to place.

4.3.3 Business Participants

The travel industry is similar to other industries inasmuch as it has large national chains, small home-based businesses, consolidators on the Internet, etc. Membership numbers in some of the travel-related associations give some indication of the number of participants in this market. The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) reports 25,000 members in 135 countries, most of whom are small businesses. The Association of Retail Travel Agencies (ARTA) has another 3,000 members. In addition, many agencies are not affiliated with these associations but rather with one or more of the approximately 35 other travel industry organizations in the country.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

In order to reach its goal of becoming one of the premiere luxury tour operators and travel planners, Panache Travel Group will adopt the following strategy:

• Establish the reputation of PTG as a differentiated, specialty provider of luxury travel. This will be accomplished through a diverse marketing communications program directed at the target market of PTG utilizing various media.
• Provide unparalleled service to clients in order to gain repeat business and referrals. This will include providing superior service in all phases of the Panache experience, including timely follow-through.
• Aggressively promote the Panache brand of luxury travel and, in particular, small group travel through Panache Journeys which will be promoted as “the ultimate in luxurious small group travel.”

5.1 Value Proposition

5.2 competitive edge.

The competitive edge of Panache Travel Group is its focus, passion, experience, and in its superior product with Panache Journeys. PTG provides a differentiated offering with creative management and commitment.

5.3 Sales Strategy

Panache Travel Group will sell the benefits of the services it promotes and the luxury tours it offers. PTG will provide clients with all the arrangements which they can foresee, as well as many they would not have contemplated. Our concern is not to maximize profits on any individual sale, but to satisfy the client. We are confident that doing so will reduce costs and increase profits in the long run. It is less expensive to maintain a relationship than it is to create a new one. At PTG, we believe in the value of the travel we sell and we are confident that we can satisfy the seasoned traveler and the newcomer as well. Sales projections are detailed in the Yearly Sales chart accompanying the Sales Forecast topic and table.

5.3.1 Sales Programs

Sales programs will include sales awards for the highest grossing sales representative and customer service awards for those employees who best exemplify Panache Travel Group’s commitment to clients. On-site sales, telephone sales, on-line sales, off-site sales and third-party sales will all be closely correlated with marketing promotions. Aspects of the sales processes, which may include training, cold-calling, leads, productivity, order-fulfillment, measurable and attainable goal-setting and follow-up efforts, will all be evaluated and clearly described.

5.3.2 Sales Forecast

Detailed projections are located in the sales chart and table below. Panache Travel Group expects sales to double in the first three years of operation. We believe this is a conservative estimate, given the nature of the vast market of potential clients and the market niche of Panache Journeys.

5.4 Marketing Strategy

Panache Travel Group adheres to the theory that the goal of business is to create and keep customers. Its marketing strategy will reflect this goal as it builds its reputation to clients throughout the United States.

5.4.1 Marketing Programs

Direct marketing methods may include the following:

• Advertising Specialties. Items, specifically, cotton T-shirts printed with Panache Journeys & (destination), to be given to Panache Travel Group clients.
• E-Mail Mailings. Regular or infrequent mailings to lists with updated information and special offers.
• Direct Mail. Brochures, newsletters.
• Sampling: Occasionally a discounted journey may be offered as a “trade-in-kind” to a visible and vocal trend-setter who is otherwise unable to afford a Panache Journey. Clear expectations would be established for what we would receive in exchange.

Informal Marketing/Networking. Activities such as joining organizations, public speaking, or attending conferences will be explored. For example, an invitation has been extended to one of the founders of PTG for membership in the “DOM professionals,” club a charitable organization for women engaged in the sale and or promotion of passenger transportation and travel in New York City. Its membership is a who’s who of the industry and is a valuable networking organization.

Customer-Based Marketing may include the following:

• Emphasizing repeat sales by clients who have taken one Panache Journey.
• Exploring add-on sales to increase the total revenue per client through the sale of extra products or services, such as additional, unescorted, trip planned through Panache Services which might follow a Panache Journey or a domestic trip, business or leisure.
• Add-on sales facilitated by links to our website.
• Strategic Partnerships may include cooperative advertising, distribution agreements and bundling.
• Special Offers and Promotions may include increased commissions or limited-time-only offers to PTG representatives or travel agents for seasonal promotions.

5.4.2 Positioning Statement

Our aim is directed at individuals, corporations, civics groups and charitable organizations who wish to participate in luxury travel, and towards travel agents who want to sell the finest small group luxury tours on the market.

5.4.3 Pricing Strategy

Much of the pricing of Panache Travel Group is determined by market standards. It will attempt to maintain modest margins on Panache Services and slightly higher margins on Panache Journeys. PTG will make every effort to maintain a competitive pricing policy and keep the price of Panache Journeys slightly below the price of other luxury tours for the first three years. However, as Panache Journeys builds its reputation as a premier small group luxury tour operator, it expects to earn the ability to charge comparable rates to other luxury tour companies.

5.4.4 Promotion Strategy

The image we are promoting:

“ Panache :

from Late Latin (pinnaculum): small feather; from Old Italian (pennachio): ornamental tuft of feathers, often on a helmet; a tassel; from Middle French (pennache): flamboyantly or stylish confident manner.” —Oxford English Dictionary

This is the meaning of PANACHE, and this is the message we want to promote!

We seek to project our company’s name, and subtleties of its meaning, to the luxury traveler!

The luxury traveler travels with Panache — therefore he/she has panache!

We aim to convey the myriad benefits the luxury client will receive by traveling with Panache!

A Panache client will have an experience evoked by these phrases:

• Top-of-the-line, top-drawer care-free leisure.
• Worry-free and problem-free, all-details-handled without hassle.
• Personally tailored, friendly expert guidance, seamless operations, attention to details.
• Pampered and “spoiled”, luxurious and permeated with stylish confidence.
• Irreplaceable memories, not astronomically priced.

Therefore, we have addressed the Five F’s a customer wants:

Function . Our service meets their concrete needs and desires. Finances . Our prices are somewhat under market-rate. Freedom . We make purchase very convenient, thereby freeing the client’s time and mind. Feelings . We provide a service that makes the clients feel pleased with themselves for their acumen in selecting such a superior product. Future . The service creates great satisfaction. The client’s only longing is for another Journey!

The brochures are sleekly elegant. The logo printed on business cards and stationery is sophisticated and unusual: acid green and black dramatically create attention and the elegance of the Romanesque Panache script is eye-catching. Our sales representatives and Panache hosts are experienced, knowledgeable, cosmopolitan, polished and poised. Our website reinforces these images and messages.

How our image and services will be promoted:

During the first year, Panache Travel Group will continue a relationship begun with the Guild of Ballet West, a professional, nonprofit ballet company located in Salt Lake City, in affiliation with the San Francisco Ballet Company, with a membership of 354. Two journeys will be offered as the grand prize for their annual fund-raising extravaganza given by the Guild in April 28, 2001. This will create buzz and publicity for Panache Journeys, build interest for others to join the prize-winners to travel together, and give back to the community in which PTG is based.

An East-coast based promotion will be participation in the fund-raising auction of educational, public television station WLIW, Channel 21, based on Long Island, New York. The auction will take place June 1-3, 2001. One journey will be auctioned. We will create a 30-second spot with WLIW’s production team. The spot will be aired ten times; print acknowledgement will be made in a Newsday newspaper ad; we’ll receive promotion on WLIW’s auction website and link access to our website; and we have an on-air guest auctioneer opportunity and live interview about Panache Journeys. WLIW has a viewership in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut of more than 1.9 million households weekly and we will be publicized before this vast audience.

PTG will continue calling on travel agencies, in person and by telephone, especially in areas identified as having high levels of income. A select, edited list has been prepared for us by a high-profiled, much-loved and respected, travel professional in New York City. Her stamp-of-approval, gained at the Las Vegas Luxury Travel Expo held in December 2000, has opened many doors. PTG will collaborate with up-scale travel agencies in joint promotions. For example, we will co-sponsor a select mailing in Pittsburgh to high-net-worth individuals who have been identified as interested in luxury travel.

PTG will co-host a kick-off cocktail party with an important agency as they launch their new website. One hundred top local CEO’s, clients of this agency, will be invited.

PTG is working with a Virginia agency and an important museum curator and lecturer to customize an itinerary emphasizing architectural aspects of European cities for interested museum members. PTG may develop an affiliation with the Great Books Program of the University of Chicago, initially in Westchester County, New York. Members have expressed an interest in having PTG tailor travel itineraries highlighting points of specific literary interest. An offer has been made to link our website with that of the Great Books program as well.

PTG will participate in national and regional trade shows. The next one on the calendar is the 2001 Alliance of Westchester Travel Agencies (AWTA) to be held in Tarrytown, New York, April 2, 2001. It draws more than 400 owners, corporate managers and travel agents from Westchester and Rockland counties in New York, Connecticut and other surrounding areas.

Two nationally important trade shows held annually are the Luxury Travel Expo (LTE) in Las Vegas and the Incentive Travel Marketing Expo (ITME) in Chicago. Both are worthwhile. We will attend and exhibit.

Our website will be a very important avenue for reaching prospective clients not reached in other ways. Casually speaking, “It’s a way to put more feet on the street!” It is also an ideal location to introduce tie-in products and services. For example, if we were to believe that a particular Tumi piece of luggage was ideal, we might seek an affiliation with them and create a link on our website. Additionally, if we created a reading list, we might profitably seek a tie-in with one of the on-line book sellers such as Amazon.com.

Another marketing program contemplated is the publication of a chatty newsletter, perhaps distributed quarterly. Its purpose would be to increase customer contact and serve as a vehicle for exemplifying our dedicated, personal attention. We could also highlight new Journeys, interesting travel tidbits, etc., etc. through this means.

Personal selling will also occur utilizing the extended networks of everyone affiliated with Panache Travel Group.

5.5 Strategic Alliances

Strategic alliances for promotions will be developed with travel agents, corporations, civic groups and non-profit organizations. Some of these alliances have been established by Panache Journeys and will continue and be expanded by Panache Travel Group.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

The initial management team depends on the founders of Panache Travel Group and the current employees of Barkley Roberts Travel. George Raymond will act as General Manager. As PTG grows, a board of directors will be formed and additional employees will be added in support, sales, field and marketing.

6.1 Organizational Structure

Panache Travel Group will begin operations with 4 full-time positions and employ independent contractors where necessary for sales and field operations. It will use the service of the certified public accounting firm of Terry Price & Wunderli for payroll, taxes, and accounting. The positions are as follows.

General Manager, LC Partner and President: George Raymond

Marketing Director, LC Partner and Vice President: Dominque Pascal

Travel Director, LC Partner and Vice President: Alica Marques

Office Manager and 2nd Travel Agent: Suzy Brown

6.2 Management Team

General Manager and Development Director

George Raymond, 47, B.A. History, M.A. Comparative Literature, University of California, PhD.Comparative Literature, University of Utah. Seven years as Adjunct Professor of French and Comparative Literature at the University of Utah. A life-long world traveler and sophisticated bon vivant who speaks French fluently and can make himself understood in myriad other languages. So well-traveled there isn’t a silver/gold/platinum metal precious enough to indicate the millions of frequent-flyer air miles he has flown around the world.

Marketing and Sales Director

Dominque Pascal 48, B.S. History, English, Yale University. Twenty-five years of experience with Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., Junior League of Westchester, and personal family offices of financiers Willam Dupont Jr., and marketing director of Deluxe World Tours. Mother of an 3 adult sons, an accomplished cook and an avid reader, she has lived in New York for over thirty years and led many lives.

Travel Director

Alica Marques, 39. Twenty years experience in the travel business, including two years as managing partner of Barkley Roberts Travel. With extensive travel experience she has first-hand knowledge of many locations. An expert on CRS and other travel-related computer applications, Alica has many contacts in the industry, knowledge of critical daily operations, and speaks Spanish.

Office Manager and Travel Agent

Suzy Brown, 26. Five years experience in travel, including her work as the current office manager of Barkley Roberts Travel. Not only familiar with the CRS system, she is a wizard with TRAMS, a back-office accounting program designed specifically for the travel business.

6.3 Personnel Plan

The personnel plan of Panache Travel Group depicts anticipated head count for the start-up year. The following table provides more detailed information. PTG anticipates the need to increase personnel in the first 2-3 years, but will need to significantly increase independent contractors for sales reps and tour guides, who will be paid on a commission basis.

*Positions marked with an asterisk, in addition to their base salaries, also receive commission from sales and hosting tours. The cost of paying these commissions is built into the cost of the sale.

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

The financial plan of Panache Travel Group is detailed in the following sections. Preliminary estimates suggest that PTG will experience rapid growth and will increase in gross margin and sales volume. This is partly due to the vast market, but will be facilitated by increased marketing. Income estimates are based, in part, on anticipated revenues from accounts and clients that are secured by PTG prior to its acquisition of both Barkley Roberts Travel and Panache European Journeys. PTG will need sufficient cash to allow for a possible negative cash flow during start-up. It will also need investment to acquire the assets and liabilities of Barkley Roberts Travel and Panache European Journeys. Thus, the overall financial plan presents a conservative, but realistic, depiction of the financial position of PTG.

7.1 Important Assumptions

Panache Travel Group assumes the following:

• Market growth projections for the travel industry and for luxury travel are accurate.
• National economic conditions, which are favorable to the travel industry, will not experience significant decline in the next three years.
• International conditions will remain favorable for service providers and PTG will be able to maintain those relationships.

7.2 Key Financial Indicators

The following chart indicates key financial indicators for the first three years for Panache Travel Group. Growth is expected in sales and a proportional increase in operating expenses during expansion.

7.3 Projected Profit and Loss

The profit picture of Panache Travel Group improves as operations move into the second year. PTG anticipates improving its profitability dramatically by 2003. The annual estimates are included in the table below.

7.4 Projected Cash Flow

Cash flow projections are critical to our success. The monthly cash flow for 2001 is shown in the illustration, with one bar representing the cash flow per month and the other representing the monthly balance. The annual cash flow figures are included here in the following table.

7.5 Projected Balance Sheet

The balance sheet indicates sustained and planned growth. Net worth improves considerably in years two and three and will provide Panache Travel Group with a strong financial position.

7.6 Business Ratios

The following table shows the projected business ratios. Panache Travel Group expects to maintain healthy ratios for profitability, risk and return. Industry Profile ratios are also shown, based on Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code 4724, Travel Agencies.

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Project Management

13 minute read

Project Management for Travel Agencies: The Ultimate Guide

Maria Fernanda Castro Jorge

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Quite a large proportion of modern business in Europe and worldwide is project-oriented . This part is nearly 25% worldwide, and the travel sector is no exception. This is because more and more companies are focused on creating fundamentally new or unique products and services. They're also focused on achieving new results. Projects are no longer a set of technical documentation and estimates (as they used to be) but are serious activities aimed at realizing individual company goals.

In short, the travel agency's success strongly depends on the ability to implement project-based work. In this regard, project management has become a relevant and important topic for travel agents of any level.

What is a project?

A project is a process (or group of activities) with a clearly defined timeframe. Its purpose is to create a unique product or obtain some innovative results. In the tourism business, the goal of a project is often called the solution of specific tasks. Accordingly, project management is a specific activity, the purpose of which is to realize all the tasks set. For this purpose, the maximum amount of effort, knowledge, experience, techniques, and project management software are applied.

A project is a process or group of activities with a clearly defined timeframe.

It is important to understand how they differ from everyday activities in the organization. First, each project has its own unique goal and time constraints for its achievement. In day-to-day activities, the goal is repetitive, and the deadlines are as well. Secondly, a project ends when it has reached a set goal. Day-to-day activities are endless, and their purpose is to maintain the normal flow of the tourism business.

Project management helps to achieve the set goals quickly and efficiently. Besides, a whole system of subtasks is formed in the process, which ties in to the company's more general goals. A scheme of competent distribution of resources is developed.

Project management is a whole science that has acquired a body of knowledge, rules, and standards. The most famous resource is PMBOK . This "book of knowledge" in project management describes the best practical advice and knowledge.

What does project management involve?

• Defining and forming requirements for the project.
• Setting as clear and understandable goals as possible.
• Establishing and implementing communication between the parties involved in the project.
• Balancing project constraints: budget, resources, risks, deadlines, quality.
• Communicating with the team, considering their needs/wants/expectations, and adjusting existing plans according to the input received.

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All these activities are segmented into distinct phases: project initiation, planning, execution and control, and completion. Careful project management planning , organization of tasks and project components, providing the necessary resources, and controlling the effectiveness of the chosen strategy contribute to achieving the goal in the tourism business. Let's discuss this in more detail:

• Initiation (i.e., the start of the project) is a kind of familiarization with the project. Its essence and goals are defined, and a suitable team is formed.
• Planning is the most important part of the travel project management. As stated in the classical methodology on PMBOK, it should take about 50% of all time in the project realization process. The difficulty is that all the actions the travel agent must carry out to achieve a given goal are carefully prescribed during this stage. For this purpose, the project is initially divided into parts and a set of small tasks. A certain work schedule is created in which deadlines for each task are prescribed. A list of necessary resources is also worked out. In the travel agency case, project management planning includes periodic adjustments because new nuances, subtasks, and pitfalls appear in the work process.
• Execution and control. This stage should be alternated with the previous one. In an ideal project management system, everything looks like this: set a task, do it, control it, make the necessary adjustments to the plan, set the next task, and so on. At the execution stage, some tools usually facilitate the flow of processes: delegation, time management, and the Eisenhower matrix.
• Project finalization. At this stage, a control check of the completed work is made. The original data, involved instructions, and regulations are saved. This is necessary so that even a new team member can understand what and how things were done before him.

There are quite a large number of methods of how projects are managed. Besides the classic method which we just described above, some others are used:

• Agile . This is when one big project is divided into many mini-projects with step-by-step implementation.
• Lean. This is the distribution of the project into small work packages.
• Scrum. This is the division of the project into component parts.
• Kanban. This is a variant for projects that are not limited by deadlines because they can be postponed.

Learn more: Kanban vs. Scrum – what's the difference?

Each methodology has a lot of its nuances, advantages, and disadvantages. Choosing the right system depends on the specifics of your travel agency and the team that will be working on a particular project.

How is project management relevant to tourism and travel management?

Project management skills are highly relevant to a tourism and travel management career.

A travel agency's success strongly depends on its ability to implement project-based work.

Here's how project management skills can be applied in this field:

• Planning and organization. Project managers excel in creating detailed project plans, crucial in tourism and travel management. You must plan itineraries, book accommodations, arrange transportation, and schedule tourist activities. Being well-organized ensures that everything runs smoothly.
• Time management. Time is of the essence in the travel industry. Project managers are skilled at setting and meeting deadlines, which is vital when booking flights, organizing tours, and ensuring that travelers are on time for their activities.
• Budgeting. Project management involves creating and managing budgets. You'll often have to work within budget constraints in tourism and travel management. Effective budget management ensures that resources are allocated efficiently and that costs are controlled.
• Stakeholder management. Project managers are adept at managing stakeholders, and this skill is essential when dealing with tourists, travel agencies, hotels, airlines, and other service providers. Building strong relationships with these stakeholders can lead to better deals and partnerships.
• Risk management. Identifying and mitigating risks is a critical project management skill. In the travel industry, you must anticipate and manage risks such as weather-related disruptions, health emergencies, or political unrest in destination countries.
• Communication. Clear and effective communication is key in both project management and travel management. You must communicate with clients, team members, and service providers to ensure everyone is on the same page and that information is conveyed accurately.
• Resource allocation. Project managers are skilled at allocating resources efficiently, whether assigning tasks to team members or managing the allocation of rooms and transportation for travelers.
• Problem solving. In tourism and travel, unexpected issues such as flight cancellations or visa problems can arise. Project managers are trained to handle unexpected challenges and find solutions quickly.
• Quality assurance. Ensuring a high level of service quality is essential in the tourism and travel industry. Project management skills can help you establish quality standards, monitor performance, and make improvements where necessary.
• Continuous improvement. Project managers are trained to review and analyze project outcomes to identify areas for improvement. This can involve analyzing customer feedback and adjusting services to enhance the overall travel experience in travel management.

So, project management skills are highly transferable and can greatly benefit a tourism and travel management career. These skills enable professionals in this field to plan, execute, and manage various aspects of travel experiences efficiently, ultimately leading to satisfied clients and successful travel operations.

Project management software for travel agencies

Implementing project management techniques is best done with dedicated project management software. Otherwise, you may end up spending more time managing your project management tool than using the tool to manage your project. The best project management software for travel agencies are:

• Worksection

All of them pursue 3 main goals:

• To make employees more efficient.
• To make the project management process itself more productive and effective.
• To make the management of the company's project profile more convenient and transparent for an outside view.

Project management software is appropriate when the projects themselves are more or less of the same nature. They allow you to form a unified picture of the project profile, track the stages of its implementation at different levels, and control the budget and deadlines.

Project management software are tools for the organization and the team, making all the company's activities as transparent as possible. Everyone can see the time and financial costs of certain projects, their workload, and their colleagues' workload.

As a result, using such systems and the subsequent transparency of work makes it easy to identify the causes of overruns or errors, optimize costs, and effectively reduce expenses (time, finances, and labor).

A case study in tourism project management: the Bookatrekking story

In their initial years, Bookatrekking faced many challenges common to many travel agencies. Coordinating trips, managing a dynamic team of guides, ensuring customer satisfaction, and navigating the ever-changing world of travel proved to be their own uphill climb. They realized that while their love for adventure was undeniable, the need for structured management was imperative.

Recognizing the need for change, Bookatrekking embraced the principles of project management. This team implemented Basecamp and Trello in their work processes. Trello was used for implementing strategic goals, and Basecamp for local tasks.

Streamlining operations

One of the first critical steps was streamlining their operations. They recognized that time is of the essence in the world of adventure. They optimized their tour planning, booking processes, and communication through Basecamp. It enhanced their internal team coordination and ensured that customers received quick responses and seamless experiences.

Team empowerment

With Basecamp, they empowered their guides and staff. Detailed workflows and standardized procedures provided clarity, minimized errors, and allowed for quicker decision-making. The team, once struggling with chaos, was now a well-oiled machine.

Data-driven decisions

Data became their compass. With the help of Trello, Bookatrekking meticulously analyzed customer feedback, booking trends, and market insights. It allowed them to make informed decisions, tailor their tour offerings to meet customer desires, and adapt to the travel landscape.

Where a travel agent should learn project management

In this article, we have considered the basics of the rather complex project management concept.

Suppose you are seriously aiming at a deep study of this science and planning your career development as a project manager. In that case, going to the Project Management Basics course at GoSkills makes sense. In 14 engaging lessons, you will learn how to effectively manage projects from start to finish through a range of topics, including project initiation and closeout, scope, schedule and resource planning, project execution and control, and more.

Prepare to get certified in project management

Start learning today with GoSkills courses

Project management is an indispensable skill needed by every travel agent. It is important to understand that project management is not a situational set of measures but a procedural implementation and realization of the whole mechanism. Stay calm if this topic seems too complex and vague to you now. Modern project management is a competent and balanced system, which you should approach with readiness and seriousness. Then, you will be able to understand everything and successfully apply it in the management of your travel agency business.

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Maria Fernanda manages GoSkills' social media channels and enjoys writing content whenever needed. A cup of coffee and an early morning run is all she needs to have a great start to her day.

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5 steps to the best travel management process flow

Automate booking processes and save money on your business travel

1. determine priorities for administrators, managers and travelers.

• The business traveler wants an itinerary that doesn’t cause unnecessary sleep-loss, a comfortable room with WiFi, and maybe an extra day to explore a new city and turn a business trip into personal travel – a.k.a a “bleisure” trip.
• The office manager needs a travel policy that works (check out our travel and expense policy template ), and a travel management solution that does not take too much time away from other tasks. They shouldn’t need to open hundreds of tabs or contact loads of travel consultants or agents just to book flights.
• And finally, the finance manager needs instant access to all travel spend to be able to make budget decisions in real-time and optimize cost savings.

2. Use a booking platform that allows travelers to book for themselves

• No need to bother the office manager or travel manager for a simple booking procedure
• No need to write complicated emails or fill out forms with multiple itinerary options
• They can choose the itinerary they want and how they would like to travel (car rental, booking on different airlines, using a train etc.)
• They can choose the air travel providers and lodging they want, managing their own hotel bookings and flight tickets
• They can track their frequent flyer programs
• They can get all the benefits of an online booking platform tailored for business travel, while you get to make sure that they plan their trips within your company travel policy.

3. Streamline your policies and approvals process

• Pricing guidelines based on the city of destination
• Travel insurance requirements
• Guidelines based on traveler group (such as team, office, or country)
• Required level of control (pre-approve all trips, no trips or just ones of a certain price/length)
• The person who is approving each traveler/team (the team lead, project lead, or travel manager?)

Travel Management: Book, manage, report and support business travel all in one place

4. help travelers access direct support.

5. Optimize your travel spend instantly, monthly, and quarterly

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Discover the alternative in business travel

Welcome to the place where clients are truly partners. As an extension of your team, FCM Travel is the travel management company that brings agility to your corporate travel program, driving value and creating simplicity.

With a unique approach to building technology and talented teams that go above and beyond, together we can do more than tick boxes and book tickets.

How we add value to business travel programs

Consistent experience

Data that influences

Best-in-market content

A collaborative partner

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Technology built with you in mind

Craving a smoother way to book and manage business trips, with quick access to support, 24/7? Yearning to easily search and pull reports for travel insights, and view safety & risk alerts in one place?  

Our customers felt the same way. That’s why we built the FCM Platform, a business travel platform that’s designed to transform travel programs.  

With the FCM Platform, you get: 

• Global consistency  
• Personalized user experience 
• Alternative approach to innovation 
• Actionable insights  

Explore FCM Platform

Corporate travel services that work for all

Travel Managers

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Company travel strategy that keeps everyone….

Safe & Productive

Thinking ahead

Resources hub.

From The Th!nk Series to FCM Consulting’s Quarterly Trends Reports, to practical travel advice and insights to elevate programs. Explore the Resource Hub .

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From tiny shampoos to takeout cups: Beat plastic waste one hotel stay at a time

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“Not only did FCM provide comprehensive, customized materials and sessions, they consistently took the time to listen and understand our culture, and then flexed to align with our needs”.

That's what the travel manager of a well-known Fortune 100 insurance company said about implementing FCM Travel, after 10 years with their incumbent TMC. Discover how agility and partnership-focused goals were a perfect match for this global business travel program.

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Discover the awards and accreditations we’ve collected as a travel management company over our 20-year history.

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Empower Your Team: Tips for Travel Agency Owners to Break the Cycle

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Travel agency owners have a superpower. When demand is high and business is booming, they can swoop in and save the day.

When a lead comes in late in the day and the team is swamped, our superhuman agency owners will do anything to lessen the burden on their teams. Yet, the question the moment calls for is, “Should I be doing this?”

What would happen if that customer went unanswered and instead you stepped back to consider what the real problem is you are facing? 

If you can feel your pulse rise at the mere thought of letting a lead drop, keep reading. When running shorthanded, saving the day is not as simple as closing a big lead. The problem runs much deeper than that.

Unfortunately, it also means you are busy doing a hundred other things: Posting on social media, attending meetings, dealing with the line at your door, invoicing, reconciling commissions, finalizing groups, chasing suppliers for commissions, and getting clients out the door.

Running shorthanded costs far more than the lead that is going unanswered. It is the opportunity cost when we are so busy “doing”, we don’t have time to develop our teams.  

Stepping in to save the day is a short-term fix, that eventually becomes a habit. The more you run that way the more you are expected to run that way and it becomes a vicious cycle.

Here are some suggestions on how to build capacity in your team, and shift your approach to leadership in your agency.  

1. Get ruthless on your priorities. Set a Monday morning meeting with yourself and decide what is your biggest priority. Get projects done quicker, know when good enough is good enough, and remove yourself from anything that is not both urgent and important.  

2. Put your team first. Most leaders run their teams with an 80/20 principle. They have a few superstars, including themselves carrying the load. Putting your team first and believing in their success, can greatly improve those odds. 

3. Embrace a growth mindset. Trust that you can coach someone through a difficult situation, rather than do it for them. Over time, they will get better and better. They will also have the pride of accomplishment, that only comes when we do things for ourselves. 

4. Engagement is essential. If your advisors are not engaged, don’t ignore it. Dig in to find out what is really going on with their goals and their conviction to achieve them. Lack of engagement is rarely what we think it is on the surface. 

5. Recruit, recruit, recruit. To break the cycle of stepping in when you are shorthanded, recruiting new talent is the best long-term solution. New advisors bring a fresh perspective, a brand-new circle of influence, and some much-needed bench strength to meet the rising demand in travel.

6. Leverage technology.   Lean into simple tools that save time. AI can be both a thinking partner and a time saver when it comes to setting up your business for success. Everything from managing customer inquiries, time blocking, generating ideas for social media content, marketing, and training can be simplified and improved with the right tools. 

7. Focus on learning and development. The best leaders create an ongoing learning and development strategy. It can feel overwhelming to get new advisors up to speed. Create a step-by-step learning plan for learning how to be a superstar advisor, one important principle at a time. 

8. Empower your team. Look for areas where you are the bottleneck. Empower your team with the tools and resources they need to run their business without you stepping in. Your role is to be there for encouragement and direction rather than doing it for them. 

9. Create a collaborative culture. The best travel teams find a way to capture success, share it, celebrate, and improve on it so the entire team thrives. Keep collaboration, teamwork, and recognition as a core value and it will sustain both achievement and fulfillment on your team. 

Leading a travel agency is challenging, in some ways, we will always feel shorthanded. There will always be more to do. Yet when we engage the right strategies, we slowly shift from fighting fires to empowering others to win the day!  

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Block has served as president for more than 16 years. 

These Instagram accounts are bursting with beautiful photos, insider travel and marketing tips, and more.

The program lets advisors earn points that can be exchanged for incentives. 

Brownell Travel on Monday made two major moves in its executive team.

Travel agencies across Canada are looking to expand, but finding “quality” candidates continues to pose a challenge.

Oceania Insider Connect can help advisors boost their Oceania-related marketing and sales efforts.

Meet The Team

A.J. Rick Mazza

President and CEO, American Marketing Group

A travel industry visionary for more than half a century, Rick is the founder, president and CEO of TRAVELSAVERS and its parent company American Marketing Group. He has been a tireless advocate for the success of the independent travel advisor and has guided the creation of 19 pioneering and highly successful companies that have advanced the industry.

Rick founded AMG in 1970 to serve and strengthen the travel agency community. AMG encompasses TRAVELSAVERS, the first marketing group for travel advisors, and NEST, the first and only marketing group for independent home-based agencies. Both networks were bold new concepts and business models that organized agencies into cooperatives, offered support, and pooled their buying power to compete against larger agencies.

TRAVELSAVERS and NEST are now marketing powerhouses of more than 3,000 independently owned agencies with over 25,000 advisors. Through innovative technology, services, and programs, AMG’s 17 other companies also support the profitability and growth of independent travel advisors and agencies. Today, AMG companies generate more than $20 billion in annual sales.

Prior to starting TRAVELSAVERS, Rick owned a Diners Club travel agency based in his hometown of Brooklyn, NY. He originally trained as a civil engineer and spent many years in the steel and construction business.

A widely respected trailblazer, Rick has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the travel industry. He was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Travel Advisors for his creativity, dedication and inspiration. Rick also served as President of the Diners Club Franchisee Organization and co-founded the American Travel Affairs Council.

Rick enjoys traveling the world with his family, especially his grandchildren. Two of his favorite destinations are Hawaii and the European Alps. He’s passionate about cruising as well as shopping in Paris, London and Rome. Rick’s top dining destinations are the Normandy region of France, Campania region of Italy, Bavaria region of Germany and Argentina, for its barbecue.

Executive Vice President and COO, TRAVELSAVERS and President, TRAVEL HELPLINE & agent24

For over 30 years, Jim has been involved in all aspects of the travel business, including preferred supplier negotiations, reservations and ticketing, internal and external sales, member relations and after-hours services. He has a comprehensive understanding of the needs and challenges facing travel management companies today and has been responsible for introducing technology advances to support travel agencies.

Jim owns operations and manages the strategic direction of the organization as well as oversees the Corporate Services Division globally for TRAVELSAVERS. He has twice been honored among Travel Agent magazine’s “100 Rising Stars” and was profiled in American Executive magazine.

Jim’s favorite destinations include Italy, France and Ireland. His fondest vacation memories include three generations of Mazzas visiting Ireland and Scotland together, and a birthday celebration in three distinctive regions of Italy, enjoying historic sites, natural beauty and delicious cuisine.

Kathryn Mazza-Burney

Chief Sales Officer, TRAVELSAVERS and President, NEST

Kathryn brings over 30 years of sales and agency relationship management to her role as Chief Sales Officer for TRAVELSAVERS and The Affluent Traveler Collection and President of NEST . She is responsible for growing the membership base and managing the strategic sales direction for the divisions as well.

Kathryn also oversees the day-to-day quality assurance system with a keen focus on ways to improve each agency’s financial success. One of the keys to the TRAVELSAVERS and NEST quality assurance program is the North American Business Analyst team, which Kathryn played an instrumental role in establishing. This team, the first and only group of its kind within the travel consortium space, works hand in hand with each agency to review its business and create customized sales and marketing plans to make them more profitable. Kathryn is passionately involved with AMG’s charitable causes including Autism Speaks.

Kathryn is a river cruising devotee and godmother to a river cruise ship. Her favorite itinerary is the Rhine, as she is passionate about wine. A cruise along the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia, where Kathryn vividly recalls the monks chanting across the river, was a powerful, moving experience. Her fondest family travel memory is going on safari in South Africa with her son, an animal lover.

Nicole Mazza

Chief Marketing Officer, American Marketing Group

As Chief Marketing Officer, Nicole manages all marketing and supplier relations initiatives for TRAVELSAVERS, The Affluent Traveler Collection and NEST. Her responsibilities include developing and maintaining relationships with preferred suppliers and establishing and implementing inbound marketing programs that deliver leads, boost sales and maximize profits for the groups’ 3,000-plus travel agencies and preferred suppliers.

Nicole has extensive experience with travel agency and preferred supplier relationships, integrated marketing and promotions, strategic planning and brand awareness. She was instrumental in developing the publishing division of American Marketing Group. Under her guidance as publisher, both The Affluent Traveler , an international luxury travel magazine, and JOURNEYS , a consumer travel magazine, have been honored as award-winning publications. As well, Nicole spearheaded innovative custom solutions and lifestyle marketing campaigns for TRAVELSAVERS, The Affluent Traveler Collection and NEST.

Nicole’s favorite travels so far include Egypt, Africa and the Galapagos Islands. She is passionate about cruising the world’s rivers and road tripping with her family through the US national park system, the US coastlines and the backroads of Europe.

Curtis Peritz

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Curtis is responsible for AMG’s overall financial reporting and management functions, ensuring that its position is in line with objectives. He maintains relations with domestic and international bankers and provides briefings to the management team on the company’s financial picture.

Curtis started with the company in 1998 as controller and has contributed to AMG’s expansion and increased efficiencies during his tenure. He is a certified public accountant who holds an MBA and a law degree and started his career working for a global public accounting firm.

Among Curtis’s favorite destinations is Montreux, Switzerland, with its beautiful lake and mountain setting along with a lively annual fall festival. Another fond travel memory was an AMG trip to Nuremberg, Germany for the city’s celebrated Christmas Market. The group had fun exploring the charming destination and even booked an entire restaurant for a delicious meal of local specialties.

Nancy Bennett

Senior Vice President, Global Sales

With 25 years of experience in the travel industry, Nancy oversees the Sales and Business Analyst teams. She is responsible for the development and strengthening of relationships with travel agencies to increase network membership and assist owners in maximizing their sales.

With an eye for spotting potential, Nancy has nurtured relationships with agencies that have grown to become Elite affiliates. She also establishes sales processes, shapes strategic positioning for collateral, and trains and mentors new sales directors. After starting her career in advertising, Nancy joined TRAVELSAVERS as a sales director and worked her way up to the executive level.

As an avid tennis enthusiast, Nancy played competitively for more than 30 years and achieved a local and sectional ranking. One of her favorite destinations is Paris, where she loves the architecture, history, food and shopping. Nancy hopes to return there soon.

Brian Burney

Senior Vice President, Operations

Brian has been with TRAVELSAVERS for over 30 years. Within that time, he served as Director of National Accounts before being promoted, first to Vice President of Operations in 1999 and then to Senior Vice President of Operations in 2006. During his tenure, Brian helped launch TRAVELSAVERS’ preferred rate hotel program. He also launched and now oversees tripXpress, the company’s proprietary booking engine that includes air, cruise, hotel, activities, tour operators, transfers and insurance.

Brian’s favorite vacations have been Caribbean and Mediterranean ocean cruises with his family. He really enjoys Europe, especially Italy, with its rich history and interesting architecture. Brian has gone on two African safaris, which he calls life changing.

Jane Clementino

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Canada

Jane oversees business development, sales, strategic partnerships and operations for TRAVELSAVERS Canada. Her extensive knowledge of the travel marketplace, distribution channels and supplier relations, combined with her passion, vision, results orientation and strategic insights, have resulted in revenue, sales and brand growth. Jane’s commitment to team development, engagement and collaboration stems from her belief that people are the cornerstone of a successful business.

A well-recognized industry veteran, Jane brings to her role more than 30 years of experience, spanning aviation, corporate travel management and retail travel. Prior to TRAVELSAVERS, she was most recently Managing Director Canada for Discover the World, a marketing company representing 20 global partners. Previously, she held executive roles at WestJet and WestJet Vacations, Navigant/CWT Canada, Optimus SBR and Sears Canada.

Jane enjoys exploring countries rich in cultural traditions and natural landscapes. She especially loves Portugal’s Madeira and the Azores for their emphasis on farm-to-table cuisine and the pride in generational dishes. Jane cherishes the memory of her family dining beside the ocean in her husband’s hometown on Sao Miguel in the Azores. Her most beloved frequent destination is her cottage on Lake Huron, where she can put her feet in the sand, kayak for hours, watch one of the best sunsets in Canada and walk the beach with a glass of red wine.

Samantha Jones

Senior Vice President, Hotel Programs

Sam leads the strategy for the TRAVELSAVERS Preferred Hotel Program and is responsible for advisor outreach and supplier relationships, including accommodation and content providers.

Sam joined TRAVELSAVERS in January 2019, after leading North American Agency sales for Carlson Wagonlit Travel's hotel distribution division, RoomIt by CWT. Prior to this, she led the TMC/Consortia strategy for Radisson Hotel Group for nine years, and held previous roles within IHG and Millennium Hotels and Resorts.

A native New Yorker, she is now a Midwest transplant, based in Chicago.

Sam is a self-professed hotel expert. A city girl at heart, some of her urban bests are London, Paris and Rome. Her favorite travels have been to the Amalfi Coast; Costa Rica; Koh Samui, Thailand; and her family’s annual vacation to Martha’s Vineyard. There is nothing better than immersing yourself in the local culture and experiencing the people, food and customs.

Joe Winheim

Senior Vice President, travel tix

With over 20 years’ experience building and leading customer service, operations and purchasing teams, Joe leads travel tix as Senior Vice President. He oversees the day-to-day management of travel tix and builds and maintains relationships with the world’s leading airlines for both travel tix and TRAVELSAVERS. Joe is also responsible for directing American Marketing Group’s agency management systems.  

A beer and scotch enthusiast as well as intrepid traveler, he loves experiencing the world, literally drinking in new cultures.  Joe’s favorite destinations for beer include Amsterdam, Bruges and Munich, and his preferred scotch is The Dalmore, with a proud heritage of almost 200 years in Scotland.  

Senior Vice President, Call Center Operations

Jill oversees the day-to-day operation of the 24/7 contact center that provides after-hours emergency service to travel companies. She owns recruitment, training, customer service, ticketing, quality control and reservations. Jill’s responsibilities include establishing goals, analyzing and reporting call center statistics and developing strategies to improve efficiency and customer service.

Jill enjoys traveling to Europe and New Zealand. Her latest discovery is Riquewihr, a charming gem in Eastern France on the Alsace Wine Route, known as the inspiration for the town in Beauty and the Beast . Jill is impressed by the beauty of New Zealand’s Bay of Islands and Milford Sound. She also loves family road trips to destinations such as the Black Hills, Yellowstone and the Colorado Rockies.

Don’t trust your vacation to just anyone!

Trust a TRAVELSAVERS Agency.

GET IN TOUCH  71 Audrey Avenue Oyster Bay, NY 11771  (516) 624-0500

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Connecting business through travel

Connecting people through travel

Connecting ideas through travel

Welcome to ctm. we do global business travel, differently., corporate travel management (ctm) is a global leader in business travel management services. we drive savings, efficiency, safety and sustainability to companies and their travelers in every corner of the world..

When you partner with CTM, you’ll enjoy the experience of global travel done differently – a uniquely designed global travel management program, built with you and for you, consistently and expertly delivered in every region you operate in. We design travel programs that drive strategic results for every part of your business and every member of your team, in every region you operate in.

That’s the CTM difference.

If you are looking for a tailored travel management solution, delivering customer service excellence , innovative travel technology and a demonstrable return on investment, you’re in the right place.

Time to discuss your global travel needs?

Explore our global travel solutions

Global travel, powered by one travel team.

No matter how large, diverse, and complex your business or travel needs, we’re committed to designing simple, safe and sustainable solutions that deliver measurable results.

At CTM, we take a highly consultative and curated approach to designing your global travel program, ensuring a solution that meets your business’s unique goals, challenges and opportunities.

We work with your team to source and select the right solutions for your business and people in every market you operate in and package them up into one program, accessed through an intergated technology ecosystem, and supported by one global travel team , to give your unique global travel program a place to call “home”.

One Program

Every aspect of your business travel, strategic meetings and corporate events needs consolidated into one strategic program to maximize savings, efficiencies and duty of care.

One Platform

A uniquely curated suite of global travel tools, configured to your global and regional business needs, and seamlessly integrated in a single global travel portal.

A carefully crafted team of global travel experts, identified for their expertise and experience in delivering strategic results and first-class experiences wherever you need them.

Take your first step towards better business travel with Corporate Travel Management.

Transformative business travel technology.

Global scale, local expertise, agile tech

The scale to achieve maximum savings, the spread to provide consistent local market expertise, and the agility to solve tomorrow’s travel challenges today.

Built for simplicity, consistency, flexibility

We take a highly consultative, curated approach to designing unique, simple and effective global travel solutions which deliver strategic results today and into the future.

Your Feedback Drives Our Roadmap

We put you front and center of our product and service roadmap, ensuring you benefit first from the fastest, most relevant and impactful solutions.

Take a tour of CTM's global travel solutions

Testimonial

CTM has established itself as a well-respected travel management provider within the global travel sector, one which actively contributes to the continued growth, diversification and digital transformation of the travel industry.

- Matteo Zanarini, International Air Transport Association (IATA) -

CTM has been an innovative industry leader in the corporate travel market for many years, both technologically and strategically. This is a market segment that is undergoing serious upheaval and CTM has shown its ability to navigate some turbulent times and come out as a leader in its field.

- Peter Harbison, CAPA Centre for Aviation -

Sabre values its long and mutually beneficial relationship with Corporate Travel Management. As their global technological partner, we have developed trusted relationships with the CTM team and respect their track record of performance and technological innovation.

- Andy Finkelstein, Sabre Travel Network -

Corporate Meetings & Events

Take your corporate meetings and events to a new level of performance with CTM’s specialist  event management team, ETM. Our expert event organizers ensure strategically designed meetings and events which deliver exceptional attendee experiences, more strategic outcomes for your business, and a better return on your travel budget.

Benefit from our extensive supplier relationships to leverage corporate deals on accommodation, travel and entertainment, saving you time and money. Moreover, consolidate your corporate and event travel spend through CTM for stronger supplier negotiations, maximizing your overall budget’s potential. Whether it’s corporate events, strategic meetings, conferences, group travel, team-building activities, or sales incentives, we tailor your event management solution to exceed expectations and drive business success.

Partner with us for a connected event experience that drives results for your business, people, and budget.

Looking for a regional travel solution?

You're in the home of global travel programs! If you're looking for a regional solution for your business travel needs, visit your local CTM website to explore our award-winning regional travel services.

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Corporate Travel Management, Business Travel Services & Solutions

Modern corporate travel management for the fast-changing travel landscape

Manage risk. Support traveler wellbeing. Plan for the future. How can Egencia™ help you modernize your corporate travel program?

The only proven global B2B travel tech platform

Egencia is always working to deliver travelers, travel managers, and travel arrangers unrivaled choice, value, and experience, with the powerful backing of Amex GBT.

We’re in a league of our own

Our platform can be optimized for all types of users, in companies big or small.

Tech is in our DNA   We originated in the labs of global tech giants and now we are a part of the most valuable B2B travel solution in the world.

AI-driven insights   Our AI delivers custom user experiences that add value to your company’s travel program.

Suite of APIs   Amex GBT Egencia’s open API platform gives you the ability to build robust integrations that help you automate, connect and simplify your travel and expense management.

Unbeatable travel content We lead the industry with over 290 global airlines and 650,000 lodging partners.

Industry-first NDC capabilities Amex GBT Egencia is the first to offer new distribution capabilities to our clients. 

Amex GBT Egencia Preferred Rates  We offer the best value for business travel with access to special discounted air fares.

The unique content from Amex GBT Egencia provides unrivaled choice and value for air, hotel, car and rail.

Our technology-driven customer service and commitment to excellence puts Amex GBT Egencia on another level.

Industry leader in service Our platform and services are consistently rated above 95% satisfaction by customers.

Best-in-class traveler support We provide services to over 2 million travelers in over 60 countries.

Globally proven Amex GBT Egencia proudly supports over 9,000 companies of all sizes around the world.

Constant innovation We consistently deliver enhancements and innovation across our online and offline services.

Smartest shopping experience Our technology provides the smartest, quickest shopping experience to give the best routes and rates based on user preferences.

Proven optimization Our AI and machine learning delivers the best experience and enhancements for savings, traveler wellbeing and sustainability.

We lead the industry in innovation, with data insights from 100s of millions of transactions every year.

The world's business travel platform

• Companies of all sizes in more than 60 countries trust Amex GBT Egencia to modernize their corporate travel programs
• We deliver simple, consumer-like business travel that users love and fast, knowledgeable support for unexpected moments
• With a globally consistent platform and skilled travel program management, rest assured your travel program is optimized to manage risk while maximizing ROI

Ready to update your travel program?

If now is the time to redesign your corporate travel program to manage risk, support traveler wellbeing and monitor your travel spend, this toolkit can help.

Amex GBT Egencia helps you stay connected

14 million business trips were made with Amex GBT Egencia last year. As your travel management company, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Managing travel risk

Travel risk management has never been more important. Find out how you can manage risk, deliver duty of care and make your business travelers feel secure.

• A comprehensive and quickly adaptable business travel policy is crucial. Use this free guide to help you create a travel policy that adapts to your needs.
• Make traveler wellbeing a priority. Inform, alert and assist them in real-time via the mobile app and online booking tool
• Reduce risk by improving travel policy compliance

Putting traveler wellbeing first

You want employees to feel fully supported from the time they book until they return home. Amex GBT Egencia travel experts are ready to assist.

• Learn how you can enhance your duty of care policies for travelers
• Travel booking is only one part of the equation. Traveler safety is the other. Use this pre-travel safety checklist as a guide
• Learn how Amex GBT Egencia simplifies hotel bookings for travelers .
• Put your travelers in the driver’s seat and take advantage of our fleet of 5 million car rental options worldwide

Savings and ROI

Even as the travel industry changes, businesses still need to make strategic decisions based on cost and ROI. Amex GBT Egencia can help you boost your bottom line.

• Gain insights, identify savings and optimize travel spend in real-time with Amex GBT Egencia Analytics Studio
• Find out how Umpqua Bank maximized their business travel ROI with Amex GBT Egencia
• Amex GBT Egencia travel services can help simplify expense management . Easily track travel expenses that reflect spending with personal or corporate credit cards
• 19 ways our travel management solutions can help you save time and money

Amex GBT Egencia empowers over 2 million business travelers to get the most out of their business travel. Shouldn’t you be one of them?

Amex GBT Egencia’s G2 Winter 2024 Awards

Are you considering a return to business travel.

Amex GBT Egencia partners with Festive Road to offer a permissible travel framework to evaluate an organization’s overall readiness to travel based on corporate, individual and government regulations.

Are you an Amex GBT Egencia travel customer?

I'm a business traveler, i manage travel, recommended for you.

Request a demo to see what Amex GBT Egencia travel management solutions can do for you.

Already a customer? Contact Amex GBT Egencia customer service .

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Connecting Business Through Travel

Connecting Ideas Through Travel

Connecting People Through Travel

Welcome to ctm. we do business travel, differently., corporate travel management (ctm) is a leader in business travel management services in north america and beyond. we drive savings, efficiency, safety, and sustainability to businesses and corporate travelers, wherever your business takes you..

When you partner with CTM you’ll enjoy the experience of business travel done differently – a uniquely designed travel program, built for your business’s specific travel needs and objectives, and expertly delivered in every region you operate in. We design travel programs that drive strategic results for every part of your business and every member of your team.

So if you’re looking for a tailored travel management solution, delivering customer service excellence, innovative technology and a demonstrable return on investment, you’re in the right place.

Experience the CTM difference

Elevate Your Travel Program With Corporate Travel Management

Is your travel program delivering savings, efficiency, and safety to your business and traveling workforce? Are you leveraging your travel data to negotiate better travel deals and positively influence booking behaviors? Do you have access to the tools you need to control your budget, reduce risk, improve sustainability and maximize employee well-being?

If not, it’s time to elevate your travel program with CTM.

We don’t believe in a one-size fits all approach to travel management. We work in partnership with your team to design a tailored travel program, utilizing proven strategies and leveraging big data, to deliver strategic outcomes which align with your business’s unique objectives and priorities. Find out how CTM’s solutions can transform your business travel program and budget today.

Get More From Your Business Travel Program

Bigger Savings

For every dollar spent on our travel management services, we’ll return more to you in savings.

Greater Efficiency

Our expertise, 24/7 support and intuitive technology significantly improves your team's efficiency.

Award-Winning Service

Access award-winning service and solutions designed for your needs, via your prefered channel.

Heightened Safety

Drive safety and well-being to your traveling workforce to reduce risk and increase productivity.

Improved Sustainability

Travel doesn't have to cost the earth. Our tools and solutions support more sustainable travel.

Better Insights

Unleash the power of reliable, actionable data to drive program performance and accountability.

Take your travel program from average to exceptional

Take Your Travel Budget Further

For every dollar spent on our travel management services, we’ll return more to you in savings. That’s the CTM difference.

How we do it

• You’ll benefit from CTM’s extensive global buying power and supplier negotiations to experience exceptional deals on flights, accommodation and car rental
• Your CTM travel platform provides one-stop-shop access to the best corporate negotiated deals, last-minute inventory and dynamic supplier content (NDC-ready), all comparable side-by-side for maximum speed, choice and value
• CTM’s forecasting technology visualizes the cheapest time to travel in a single search, ensuring you travel at the most affordable time
• Your strategic Account Manager will design a bespoke travel policy based on your unique travel behaviors and business objectives, and conducts regular travel program analysis and benchmarking to identify ongoing savings opportunities
• Consolidate your corporate travel, meetings and events spend with CTM for stronger supplier negotiation power and access to great corporate and event travel deals.

Increase Efficiency

Get where you’re going fast.

Leverage CTM’s travel expertise, 24/7 support and intuitive technology to significantly improve your employees’ productivity.

• We put intuitive  travel technology at your fingertips 24/7, making travel research, booking, and trip management simple, efficient and reliable
• Choose your preferred self-service online booking tool and a mobile app to book all your flights, hotels and car rental in a single transaction
• Enjoy round-the-clock travel service from CTM’s travel advisors , via a channel of your choice, for friendly, knowledgeable, and relevant travel support wherever and whenever you need it
• Enjoy access to live consolidated travel reporting across every aspect of your travel program, driving increased visibility, control, and efficiency.

Maximize Safety

Boost Travel Confidence & Productivity

Enhance your employee’s safety while traveling for business with our suite of intuitive and integrated risk management tools.

• Traveler tracking technology enables you to track and communicate with travelers in the event of an emergency, including one-click ‘proof of life’
• Pre-trip approval workflows enable risk identification and management prior to booking
• CTM risk alerts send email and SMS notifications to affected travelers based on itinerary location and risk levels
• CTM Mobile travel app enables travelers to book and manage their travel needs on-the-go for greater independence.

Get Connected.

Contact our team today to discuss your travel program needs., transformative business travel technology.

Global Scale, Local Expertise, Agile Tech

The scale to achieve maximum savings, the spread to provide consistent local market expertise, and the agility to solve tomorrow’s travel challenges today.

Built For Simplicity, Consistency, Flexibility

We take a highly consultative, curated approach to designing unique, simple and effective global travel solutions which deliver strategic results today and into the future.

Your Feedback Drives Our Roadmap

We put you front and center of our product and service roadmap, ensuring you benefit first from the fastest, most relevant and impactful solutions.

Take a tour of our tech stack

Testimonial

The service experience provided and standards we expect from CTM have always been critical to our business success... We now have no ‘downtime’ when a consultant is out of the office, as the entire team knows our policy and our travelers’ needs. This always gives us excellent service continuity, which makes my role just that little bit easier.

- Engineering client -

CTM held our hand through the [implementation] process – training on the booking tool was clear and concise, and the entire exercise could not have run more smoothly.

- Food manufacturing client -

Challenger continues to seek the best return on its investments in technology. Partnering with CTM to implement Fare Forecaster was a commonsense decision that met our needs in achieving this goal.

- Challenger -

Corporate Meetings & Events

Take your corporate meetings and events to a new level of performance with CTM’s specialist event management team, ETM . Our expert event organizers ensure strategically designed meetings and events which deliver exceptional attendee experiences, more strategic outcomes for your business, and a better return on your travel budget.

Benefit from our extensive supplier relationships to leverage corporate deals on accommodation, travel and entertainment, saving you time and money. Moreover, consolidate your corporate and event travel spend through CTM for stronger supplier negotiations, maximizing your overall budget’s potential. Whether it’s corporate events, strategic meetings, conferences, group travel, team-building activities, or sales incentives, we tailor your event management solution to exceed expectations and drive business success.

Partner with us for a connected event experience that drives results for your business, people, and budget.

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Solutions for Every Business Size

Whether you’re a global enterprise, national corporate, or fast-growing start-up, we design travel management solutions that deliver on your goals.

Integrated Technology Ecosystem

Our technology is built to be as flexible as your needs are diverse, putting transformative tools at your fingertips 24/7 for maximum productivity and peace of mind.

Our Customer Success Stories

Don't just take our word for it. Explore our customer case studies and success stories to see how CTM has delivered resuls for businesses like yours.

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I Wish I Knew This About Google Before Trying My Growth Strategy Smart digital marketers love to sharpen their pencils while optimizing ad campaigns. But, as you will learn in this article, there is such a thing as over-sharpening your pencil to the point it breaks when you press on it, putting the entire campaign into a death spiral.

By George Deeb Edited by Micah Zimmerman May 24, 2024

Key Takeaways

• Google needs data to work with, and its algorithms need a minimum amount of data to do their job successfully.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I have been a digital marketer for over 30 years, living by the mantra of making data-driven decisions that maximize your return on ad spend (ROAS). Like any good marketer, you will always be testing and tinkering with your ad campaigns to optimize your copy, creatives, landing pages and messaging to get you the best results in the form of your highest ROAS or lowest cost of customer acquisition (CAC).

But something happened with one of my businesses in the last few months: Over-optimizing the campaign caused the bus wheels to fall off. I had never seen that before, and I thought this case study was worth sharing with you so you don't repeat this same mistake.

Related: Forget Google and Facebook. Use These Marketing Tips Instead.

The situation

We had been growing our Restaurant Furniture Plus e-commerce business consistently over the last few years. The growth strategy was almost entirely Google Ads-focused, where if we wanted to increase revenues, all we needed to do was spend more money with Google year over year. We have also increased our annual advertising budget from $100,000 to $2,000,000 over the last few years.

Things were largely going fine. As we scaled advertising spend, our revenues scaled along with it in a pretty consistent way. We weren't overly optimized in our efforts; we simply managed the campaign with a few high-level metrics to ensure we were heading in the right direction.

Those metrics included our ROAS and Cost Per Lead (CPL), which were largely unchanged over the years, ignoring one-time anomalies in the market — like COVID-19 in 2020. We biased CPL over CAC since we could easily tie Google Ads into our Call Rail tracking data at the campaign level and couldn't connect our CRM data to Google at the time.

But, after we upgraded our CRM with one that better enabled a direct data tie to Google Ads, we thought the campaign could perform more profitably if we engaged a more sophisticated marketing agency with more experience running campaigns based on CAC instead of CPL. An agency that would be more "in the weeds" than we were as business executives, optimizing everything within the campaign, including the keywords, creatives, landing pages, product segmentation, audience targeting, etc. We felt the biggest opportunity was managing the campaign at the CAC level, as opposed to the CPL level, since we figured knowing if a customer purchased from us was more important than if they contacted us. It sounded pretty reasonable, right? But keep reading.

Our ad agency's plan

Our advertising agency was very bullish on connecting our CRM data directly with Google Ads, to let Google know which ads of theirs lead to actual buying customers. The agency had a lot of success with their other clients with this strategy, and they were confident it would work for us. We did a lot of work to set that up and launched it, crossing our fingers it would lead to a material decrease in our CAC and a material increase in our ROAS.

But what followed had us all scratching our heads. Instead of improving our campaign , this action actually hurt it. All of our marketing metrics started to move in the opposite direction — our CAC doubled, and our ROAS cut in half. None of us really had an explanation for what had gone wrong until we started to do a little more digging.

What happened?

The single change we made, which we thought would help us, actually hurt us. We changed our primary data point that we wanted Google to optimize for from a number of leads (e.g., phone calls and email form fills) to a number of customers (e.g., closed transactions in our CRM). And, more specifically, we didn't care about online customers who purchased on our website, we only cared about offline customers who purchased with our team of expert project managers because our average order size of offline orders was 3x that of our average order size of online orders, by adding that personal human connection and having the opportunity to upsell the order. But, from a data perspective, that meant we went from sending Google 1,000 data points per month from phone calls and emails to only sending Google 100 data points a month from the offline transactions that were directly sourced from Google.

Remember, Google is an algorithm, and it needs data to digest to do its work. The more data, the better. By making this move, we were effectively "starving" Google by cutting back the data points. And what does Google's algorithm do when there isn't enough data to work with? It becomes paralyzed and doesn't know what to do. So it starts "spraying and praying" across its entire network, where it can hopefully generate more useful data and results to work with. And, what happens to your advertising effectiveness during this time? It basically gets flushed down the toilet.

Related: This Google Update Could Be Tanking Your Traffic. Follow These Steps to Significantly Boost Your Page Views and Revenue Now.

Once we learned what the issue was, it was a simple fix: we basically returned to our old ways, telling Google to optimize on the leads data instead of the transaction data. That started feeding Google's algorithm again, and good things happened. Our ROAS and CAC returned to the historical levels once the campaign wasn't strangled and suffocating anymore.

The lessons learned

There were many lessons learned here. First, we mentioned above that Google needs data to work with, and there is a minimum amount of data that Google needs for its algorithms to do their job successfully. We had choked it. Secondly, there were a lot of very smart veteran marketers around the table who all collectively bought into the strategy that failed.

So, even experts can make mistakes. In this case, the agency's success with other clients was due to those other clients being materially larger than we were, sending Google a lot more data than we were able to send them. And, lastly, there is a point in your marketing campaigns that you simply have "over-sharpened" your pencils, to the point the tips break off when you press on them.

Yes, campaign optimization is good and needed, but over-optimization could end up being the noose around your neck. So, as you are tuning up your campaigns, don't turn the dials up too high or you may bust a few springs along the way.

Entrepreneur Leadership Network® VIP

Managing Partner at Red Rocket Ventures

George Deeb is the managing partner at  Red Rocket Ventures , a consulting firm helping early-stage businesses with their growth strategies, marketing and financing needs. He is the author of three books including  101 Startup Lessons -- An Entrepreneur's Handbook .

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

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International tourism reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024

• All Regions
• 21 May 2024

International tourist arrivals reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2024. According to UN Tourism, more than 285 million tourists travelled internationally in January-March, about 20% more than the first quarter of 2023, underscoring the sector’s near-complete recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.

In 2023 international tourist arrivals recovered 89% of 2019 levels and export revenues from tourism 96%, while direct tourism GDP reached the same levels as in 2019.

UN Tourism’s projection for 2024 points to a full recovery of international tourism with arrivals growing 2% above 2019 levels. In line with this, the newest data released by the UN specialized agency for tourism show that:

Yet it also recalls the need to ensure adequate tourism policies and destination management, aiming to advance sustainability and inclusion, while addressing the externalities and impact of the sector on resources and communities

• The Middle East saw the strongest relative growth, with international arrivals exceeding by 36% pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2024, or 4% above Q1 2023. This follows an extraordinary performance in 2023, when the Middle East became the first world region to recover pre-pandemic numbers (+22%).  
• Europe , the world's largest destination region, exceeded pre-pandemic levels in a quarter for the first time (+1% from Q1 2019). The region recorded 120 million international tourists in the first three months of the year, backed by robust intra-regional demand.
• Africa welcomed 5% more arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 than in Q1 2019, and 13% more than in Q1 2023.
• The Americas practically recovered pre-pandemic numbers this first quarter, with arrivals reaching 99% of 2019 levels.
• International tourism is experiencing a rapid recovery in Asia and the Pacific where arrivals reached 82% of pre-pandemic levels in Q1 2024, after recovering 65% in the year 2023.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: "The recovery of the sector is very welcome news for our economies and the livelihoods of millions. Yet it also recalls the need to ensure adequate tourism policies and destination management, aiming to advance sustainability and inclusion, while addressing the externalities and impact of the sector on resources and communities".

By subregions, North Africa saw the strongest performance in Q1 2024 with 23% more international arrivals than before the pandemic, followed by Central America (+15%), the Caribbean and Western Europe (both +7%). Southern Mediterranean Europe exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 1%, while South America virtually reached 2019 levels.  Northern Europe recovered 98% of pre-pandemic levels, while Subsaharan Africa and North America both recovered 95%.

According to available data, many destinations across the world continued to achieve strong results in Q1 2024, including Qatar (+177% versus Q1 2019), Albania (+121%), Saudi Arabia (+98%), El Salvador (+90%), Tanzania (+53%), Curaçao (+45%), Serbia (+43%), Turks and Caicos (+42%), Guatemala (+41%) and Bulgaria (+38%).

The robust performance of international tourism can also be seen in the UN Tourism Confidence Index which reached 130 points (on a scale of 0 to 200) for the period January-April, above the expectations (122) expressed for this period in mid-January.

International tourism receipts reached USD 1.5 trillion in 2023, meaning a complete recovery of pre-pandemic levels in nominal terms, but 97% in real terms, adjusting for inflation.

By regions, Europe generated the highest receipts in 2023, with destinations earning USD 660 billion, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 7% in real terms. Receipts in the Middle East climbed 33% above 2019 levels. The Americas recovered 96% of its pre-pandemic earnings in 2023 and Africa 95%. Asia and the Pacific earned 78% of its pre-crisis receipts, a remarkable result when compared to its 65% recovery in arrivals last year.

Total export revenues from international tourism, including both receipts and passenger transport, reached USD 1.7 trillion in 2023, about 96% of pre-pandemic levels in real terms. Tourism direct GDP recovered pre-pandemic levels, reaching an estimated USD 3.3 trillion in 2023, equivalent to 3% of global GDP.

Several destinations achieved remarkable results in terms of receipts in the first quarter of 2024 as compared to 2019 levels based on available data, including Serbia (+127%), Türkiye (+82%), Pakistan (+72%), Tanzania (+62%), Portugal (+61%), Romania (+57%), Japan (+53%), Mongolia (+50%), Mauritius (+46%) and Morocco (+44%).

Looking ahead to a full recovery globally in 2024

International tourism is expected to recover completely in 2024 backed by strong demand, enhanced air connectivity and the continued recovery of China and other major Asian markets.

The latest UN Tourism Confidence Index shows positive prospects for the upcoming summer season, with a score of 130 for the period May-August 2024 (on a scale of 0 to 200), reflecting more upbeat sentiment than earlier this year. Some 62% of tourism experts participating in the Confidence survey expressed better (53%) or much better (9%) expectations for this 4-month period, covering the Northern Hemisphere summer season, while 31% foresee similar performance as in 2023.  

Challenges remain

According to the UN Tourism Panel of Experts, economic and geopolitical headwinds continue to pose significant challenges to international tourism and confidence levels.

IMF's latest World Economic Outlook (April 2024) points to a steady but slow economic recovery, though mixed by region. At the same time, persisting inflation, high interest rates, volatile oil prices and disruptions to trade continue to translate into high transport and accommodations costs.

Tourists are expected to continue to seek value for money and travel closer to home in response to elevated prices and the overall economic challenges, while extreme temperatures and other weather events could impact the destination choice of many travellers. This is increasingly mentioned by the UN Tourism Panel of Experts as a concern for the sector.

Uncertainty derived from the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Hamas-Israel conflict and other mounting geopolitical tensions, are also important downside risks for international tourism.

As international tourism continues to recover and expand, fuelling economic growth and employment around the world, governments will need to continue adapting and enhancing their management of tourism at the national and local level to ensure communities and residents are at the center of this development.

Related links

• Download News Release on PDF
• Excerpt | World Tourism Barometer - Volume 22 • Issue 2 • May 2024

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Blue 2 fire near Ruidoso grows to 7,000 acres; evacuations underway

A wildfire  continues to spread in southern New Mexico, just outside of Ruidoso.

Large white clouds of smoke can be seen emanating from what has been dubbed the Blue 2 fire.

Monday marked 11 days of the fire in Lincoln National Forest.

The fire started when lightning struck the remnants of the Little Bear fire that happened in the same area about 12 years ago.

“There was a lot of dead and down timber trees fuel that has just been sitting there for the last 12 years. And so it's very combustible,” Loretta Benavidez, the public spokesperson for the Incident Management Team, said. “When that lightning ignition hit right there, then it began to spread." 

The Incident Management Team is made up of several federal agencies.

RELATED:  Evacuations ordered in Lincoln County as Blue 2 Fire burns near Ruidoso

The Blue 2 fire has been growing over time and is now encompassing nearly 7,000 acres of land, according to Benavidez.

Benavidez said over 500 people have worked both day and night to control the massive blaze.

“We have 11 crews, 23 engines for helicopters, and two bulldozers that are signed with a total of 532 people. We're showing 0% containment,” Benavidez said. 

The fire has since moved towards some residential areas, according to Benavidez.

“There are homes out in front of that but there are also structural fire firefighters that are assigned to that area so that they're in place to prepare for the advancement of the fire,” Benavidez said. 

About 750 people living in several different locations were evacuated from their homes.

Meantime 1800 others are on standby, meaning they've been told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, according to the Lincoln County Office of Emergency Management.

“Right now, it seems to be heading in a northeast direction," Benavidez said. "There are homes out in front of that but there are also structural fire firefighters that are assigned to that area so that they're in place to prepare for the advancement of the fire.”

Larry Lasher is among the 1800 people who are just waiting to get a call.

"Fire always makes us nervous here. And we're always very careful to pay close attention to what's going on with the fire," Lasher said. "We're ready to evacuate if we need to."

However, Benavidez said it is hard to predict if or when that could happen.

“They're watching that carefully. And if they see that there's a continual progression towards that area, then they're identifying that in a very timely basis so that there's not a panic, evacuation that's involved,” Benavidez said.

RECOMMENDED:  Cloudcroft residents to return home as evacuation lifts, wildfire still a threat

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• International

Iran's President Raisi killed in helicopter crash

By Kathleen Magramo, Deva Lee, Rhea Mogul, Jerome Taylor, Antoinette Radford and Rob Picheta, CNN

Our live coverage has ended

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi here .

Global leaders send condolences following Raisi's death

Reaction to the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi continued to filter through on Monday.

• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iran, "we send your country our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy" following the crash, which killed Raisi along with eight others. "May God have mercy on them," the crown prince added.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I remember Mr. Raisi with respect and gratitude. As Türkiye, we will stand by our neighbor Iran in these difficult and sad times, as we have done many times."
• Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent "a cable of condolences" after the crash, "wishing them [families of the deceased] and the Iranian people and solace."
• NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said in a brief statement that the Western military alliance sends its "condolences to the people of Iran for the death of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and others who perished in the helicopter crash."
• Chinese leader Xi Jinping said, "his unfortunate death is a huge loss to the Iranian people and also makes the Chinese people lose a good friend," according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. "The Chinese government and the Chinese people cherish the traditional friendship between China and Iran very much, and believe that with the joint efforts of both sides, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Iran will continue to consolidate and develop."

Read more on the international reaction here.

Iran's army chief orders investigation into cause of helicopter crash

From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi  

Iran’s chief of staff of the Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, has ordered an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tasnim news agency said. 

A high-ranking delegation, headed by a military commander and including technical experts, will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, Tasnim said.

The helicopter crashed in a remote mountainous region in northwestern Iran on Sunday, killing Raisi, his foreign minister and seven others.

Upcoming election could be "watershed moment" for Iran, analyst says

From CNN's Rob Picheta

The upcoming, early election to replace Ebrahim Raisi as president could be a "watershed moment for Iran" if the country's supreme leader allows a range of candidates to stand, a Middle East expert has told CNN.

"I would argue that the most consequential immediate impact of his death is who will come in his wake," Mohammad Ali Shabani, the editor of Amwaj.media, told CNN's Becky Anderson Monday.

"That election can be a watershed moment for Iran," he said.

Shabani conceded that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "is more inclined towards conservative rule than to open up the political space."

But he said Khamenei "has always emphasized voter turnout as a litmus test of the legitimacy of the system."

Raisi became president of Iran in June 2021 after winning a historically uncompetitive presidential election. Many reform-minded Iranians had refused to take part in an election widely seen as a foregone conclusion, and turnout slumped below 50%.

Khamenei "has now... a golden opportunity to, in a face-saving way, reverse course" by allowing competitive elections and encouraging turnout, Shabani said.

Body of President Raisi to be moved to city of Mashhad on Tuesday

From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi

The body of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the other victims of Sunday's helicopter crash will be transferred on Tuesday from Tabriz to the northeastern city of Mashhad, where Raisi was born, according to Fars news. 

A large public ceremony is scheduled to take place at a prayer hall in Tabriz at 4 p.m. local time on Monday, Fars news reported. 

At 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, a large procession will accompany the bodies of Raisi and the other victims from Tabriz Martyr's Square to the city's airport. From there, the bodies will be moved to Mashhad, according to Fars. 

Raisi was born in Mashhad in 1960. He ran the powerful charity known as Astan-e Quds-e Razavi, which manages the huge Imam Reza shrine, a major Islamic holy site in the city.

Iran's president has died. Here's what we know about what comes next

From CNN Staff

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead by state media on Monday morning, after a helicopter he was traveling in alongside Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and seven others crashed in foggy conditions in the country's remote northwest on Sunday.

Here's what to know now:

Acting president: In the wake of Raisi's death, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been appointed as acting president.

Acting foreign minister: Ali Bagheri Kani, who has led Iranian delegations through indirect negotiations with the United States over nuclear issues and prisoner exchanges, has been appointed acting foreign minister after the death of  Amir-Abdollahian , state news agency IRNA reported.

New elections : The Iranian constitution mandates that the three heads of the branches of government, including the vice president, speaker of the parliament, and head of the judiciary, must arrange for an election and elect a new leader within 50 days of assuming the role of acting President. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a message to state news agencies that Mokhber was responsible for organizing  elections for a new president within that time.

Public mourning: Ayatollah Khamenei has announced five days of public mourning after the crash, and expressed his condolences. All cultural and arts activities have been canceled in Iran for the next seven days.

Global reaction: The loss of Raisi — a conservative hardliner and protege of Ayatollah Khamenei — is expected to sow further uncertainty in a country already buckling under significant economic and political strain, with tensions with nearby Israel at a dangerous high. His death has already triggered international reaction with Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India and the UAE leader expressing their condolences for his death. Lebanon has declared three days of mourning .

Militias respond : Iran-backed militant groups Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah have sent condolences to Tehran over the death of Raisi. 

Iran cancels all cultural and arts activities for seven days

From Negar Mahmoodi

All cultural and arts activities in Iran will be suspended for seven days following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, the Ministry of Culture announced on Monday.

Raisi died in a helicopter crash at age 63.

The country’s foreign minister and seven others were also killed after the crash in a remote, mountainous area of Iran’s northwest.

Iran's acting president holds "extraordinary meeting" with heads of legislative and judiciary branches 

From Alireza Hajihosseini

Iran's acting president Mohammad Mokhber held an "extraordinary meeting" on Monday with the heads of the legislative and judicial branches following the announcement of President Ebrahim Raisi's death, according to Iranian state media. 

Mokhber spoke with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Hujjat al-Islam Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, the head of Iran's Judiciary, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News. 

The three expressed their condolences and reaffirmed the three branches of government will continue its duties to the nation "without any interruption," Tasnim reported.  

Iran appoints top negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister, state media reports

From CNN’s Mostafa Salem

Ali Bagheri Kani, who has led Iranian delegations through indirect negotiations with the United States over nuclear issues and prisoner exchanges, has been appointed acting foreign minister after the death of Hossein Amir-Abdollahian , state news agency IRNA reported.

Amir-Abdollahian was among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Iran's remote northwestern mountainous region on Sunday, along with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

“Following the martyrdom of Hussein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of our country, with the approval of the Cabinet Board, Ali Bagheri, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs, was appointed as the acting minister of the ministry,” state news agency IRNA said.

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