online travel aggregators

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The 10 best online travel agencies in 2024

The top 10 online travel agencies.

• Booking.com
• Lastminute.com

Best online travel agencies for business travel

1. travelperk.

Main offerings and features:

• Industry-leading travel inventory
• Flexible booking with FlexiPerk
• Safety alerts with TravelCare
• Integrated travel policy & approval flows
• Centralized invoicing
• Easy & real-time expense reports
• Carbon offsetting with GreenPerk
• 24/7 fast customer support in target 15s
• VAT reclaim
• Integration with 3rd party tools , such as expense management or HR software like Expensify and BambooHR

Save time and money on your business travel with TravelPerk

2. sap concur.

• Works with some of the biggest brands
• Easy tracking and reporting of expenses for expense reports
• Many connected apps, such as Uber and Airbnb for cars and hotels
• One solution for a variety of business travel spending

Click below to compare both platforms’ features and benefits

• Ample integrations
• Award-winning mobile app
• Employee-centric travel management

Click below for a more detailed comparison between both platforms:

Best online travel agencies for leisure travel, 1. booking.com.

• Intuitive booking tool and website
• Flight + Hotel booking for easily planning trips with no cross-referencing travel websites
• Simple car rental options and taxi hire
• Available in over 40 different languages and offers over half a million properties across 207 countries
• You can book experiences in your destination city to entertain you on your travels
• Genius rewards program

• Simple interface and booking tool
• Deals when making more than one booking
• 38 different languages and offers a 24-hour, multilingual customer support service
• Free cancellation within 24 hours of booking
• Millions of reviews to help make your decision

3. Lastminute.com

• Filter hotels according to budgets, star ratings, guest ratings, board types, and more
• ATOL protection on flight + hotel bundles
• Flash sales for last-minute deals
• Payment plans to spread out the cost of travel
• Extra entertainment booking for your trips, like theatrical productions and day trips
• Gift cards for gifting travel

• Expedia rewards for hotels, cars, and more
• Experienced support
• Compare cruise lines
• Big savings when booking flights, hotels, and car rentals
• Operates in nearly 70 countries and in over 35 different languages
• Luxury travel options

• Book hotels, flights, cars, and bundles
• 24/7 support
• Lower prices on the app
• Great last-minute deals for spontaneous travel

6. Bookmundi

Best online travel agencies for flights

1. skyscanner.

• Super flexible booking filters
• Cheaper flights and hotels than other OTAs
• Price alerts for travel routes of interest
• Easy-to-use booking tool and UI
• Hundreds of location and currency options
• One-way, return, and multi-city travel options

2. Kiwi.com

• Simple flight booking tool
• Partnerships with Booking.com and Rentalcars.com
• Discover deals anywhere with the option to open up your search
• Easy-to-use app

How do online travel agencies work?

What are the advantages of booking through an online travel agency.

• Access to comparison tools
• Peer reviews to help you with your decisions
• Flexible cancellation policies
• All your travel in one place
• Local flights and deals

Rewards programs

Comparison tools, peer reviews, flexible cancellation.

Flexiperk: Cancel anytime, anywhere. Get a minimum of 80% of your money back.

One account for all of your travel needs, a local approach to global travel, wrapping up.

Make business travel simpler. Forever.

• See our platform in action . Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, TravelPerk makes business travel simpler to manage with more flexibility, full control of spending with easy reporting, and options to offset your carbon footprint.
• Find hundreds of resources on all things business travel, from tips on traveling more sustainably, to advice on setting up a business travel policy, and managing your expenses. Our latest e-books and blog posts have you covered.
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The 10 Best (and Worst) Airfare Search Sites for 2024

Frommer’s regularly pits the best airfare search engines, aggregators, and booking sites against each other in a battle royale to see which can find the lowest price on more than two dozen identical searches for flights. 

This year’s results bring new discoveries. We are excited to announce that none of our new top three—the best of the best—is a household name. We are equally excited to discover that if you’re specifically looking for a last-minute deal on airfare, a fourth website, one that’s not even in our top three, is the best choice. And two former airfare search sites fell out of our Top 10 entirely: This year, both Booking.com and FlightNetwork failed to take off. As for the rest of our Top 10, each one has its pluses and minuses, which we’re about to reveal in our reviews below.

On this year’s list, two sites that previously languished in the bottom half of the reviews have upped their games and zoomed into the top ranks—and one former low performer improved so much that it nabbed the top slot.

We have winnowed down a wide field to the 10 best airfare sites for 2024. Here they are.

We tested 15 sites on 32 itineraries, trying both last-minute flights (leaving in a week) and APEX fares (booked three months out). We covered major gateways (NYC to LAX, LAX to Hong Kong, NYC to Paris) and secondary ones (Philly to Tampa, Chicago to Rome, Miami to Rio). We threw in a curve ball (Dallas to Dubai) and included a flight with no North American legs (London to Barcelona) to see how well each handled Europe‘s wilderness of low-cost carriers.

We also ignored low fares that would be miserable to fly due to excessively drawn-out layovers, too many stops, or flying long detours just to change planes. Basically, we rejected any itinerary that increased total travel time by more than half. Airlines may think those are viable plans, but we don’t.

We then used a rigorous, weighted scoring system that rewarded three points to any airfare search site that found the best fares, two points for second-best, and so on. We also penalized fares with negative points if the price proved to be higher than the average result from all competitors. Fares within 1% of one another were considered equal.

• An aggregator is only as good as the OTAs it canvasses. There are booking engines that sell tickets directly (Hotwire, Kiwi, CheapOAir, etc.). And then there are aggregators, which are sites that do not book tickets but instead search dozens of other booking engines, airfare sites, and OTAs (online travel agencies) and compile the results in one place; travelers then click through to their selection to make the actual purchase on the third-party site that’s actually selling it.

Some of the booking sites that aggregators show you are safer than others. All quality aggregators will remove unreliable ticket sellers from their searches, but problems can slip through. As you should do when you are referred to any unfamiliar company, always do a quick Better Business Bureau check for an unfamiliar airfare seller and search for complaints and red flags. 

Also, some OTAs are prone to dangling lead prices a few bucks below what they will actually offer once you click through, and some misleadingly categorize “direct” flights—which do actually stop, but don't require you to change planes— as “nonstop.” Because prices can change from moment to moment, even the most honorable aggregator may lead you to a site where you can’t find the airfare you were originally quoted. When that happened to us frequently in our review tests, we let you know.

Aggregator Google may be the Titan of online search, but it fumbles when it comes to airfares. 

Google does have some things going for it. It is unbelievably fast, refreshing results even as you key in destinations or change filters. It displays average prices on a popup calendar when you’re choosing dates so you can see at a glance the cheapest days to fly. It also lets you peruse a price grid and price graph on the results page. 

Google’s flight search features a fabulous “Explore” feature that allows you to select major city pairs and find the lowest fare for your dates (plus price trends for the month surrounding it), or just see at a glance how much it roughly costs to fly from your designated airport to dozens of destinations. It is also one of only three sites, including our #1, to feature a filter to include fees for checked and cabin bags in the prices. 

So why is the mighty Google at the back of the pack?

Its price results were all over the place. It found the best fare a grand total of one time, flying from Miami to Rio—but four of our top five sites matched it. Then it tanked on rooting out the absolutely lowest fares for two major routes: NYC to Paris and LA to Hong Kong. Its results for pricier direct flights on those itineraries were just average. 

Google frequently found the exact same flight as many other sites did, but at prices just a little bit higher—often just 5% to 15%, but in some cases bafflingly higher, like the last-minute Dallas-Dubai jaunt on Emirates; Google wanted $673 more than our price champion for that flight, and around $250 more than several other sites found.

After quietly doing away with its Hot Rates (deeply discounted opaque airfares), Hotwire fell out of our ranking after 2017. Now it’s back, but with a huge caveat: Never use Hotwire for last-minute fare. 

Hotwire performed, by far, the worst of any site we tested at last-minute prices, chalking up the highest airfare a whopping six times. The two better-than-average rates it did find were balanced out by a pair of worse-than-average ones on other itineraries. 

Hotwire made up some ground by being flatly average when it came to booking farther in advance. It never found the cheapest overall fare, but it often nabbed lower or even the lowest rates on direct flights.

Beyond that, it failed pretty hard, and we think we know why. Hotwire was the only site that missed big chances to bring no-frills carriers into the mix. On New York–to-Paris, it found a decent $745 fare on Scandinavian, albeit with a stopover—but everyone else found a direct Flybee flight for even less ($666–$687). The best Hotwire could muster for a direct flight: $987 on Norse.

More egregiously, because Hotwire only searches one airport at a time by default, it missed lots of cheaper no-frills flights that were available at nearby alternate airports. Because of that blind spot, Hotwire insisted on a British Airways fare for our London-Barcelona hop that actually cost around four times more than booking a combo of no-frills RyanAir, easyJet, and Vueling from other airports in London—a tactic every other site knew enough to include in results. Hotwire pulled the same face-plant on last-minute fares on the same route; the Air France tickets it offered us cost twice as much as the low-cost carriers in that scenario.

Another mark against Hotwire is its poor set of filters. Along with other problems, it offered no way to indicate a maximum total flight time or layover duration you’d be willing to deal with. That’s pretty much a standard sidebar slider everywhere else. We did like the way its showcases, above the results, how much it would cost to fly on three days to either side of your chosen date.

By the way: If you’re wondering why Expedia (and its corporate siblings, Orbitz and Travelocity) is not on this list, it is because those results are all right here in Hotwire. Expedia now just uses the Hotwire engine for its airfare functions, so if you search Expedia now, you’ve searched Hotwire.

This year,  Hopper , the travel app with an intuitive and colorful interface, tumbled five places from #3. 

When it came to finding cheap airfares, Hopper was a mixed bag. It did well enough on advance-purchase APEX fares, scoring slightly better prices than average about a third of the time. But that decent performance was counterbalanced by a dismal performance in the last-minute category. Hopper got whatever is the opposite of a silver medal, second only to Hotwire in putting up the worst prices the most often. Oddly, the only place where it fared better than average was on our curveball Dallas-to-Dubai itinerary. 

In terms of utility, Hopper still gives its users advice about the best dates to book based on price trends, but that feature used to offer far, far more insight on every flight—it once had bar graphs and historical prices, baggage fees and seat pitches, and the cost of various amenities. Those are all gone, although on the final booking page, Hopper will at least link you to the airline’s own page on baggage regulations and costs (except when that link is broken). 

Some features remain. The calendar for selecting dates is color coded to show the cheapest travel days for two months, so you can easily spot where a bit of flexibility might save you money. In addition to a paltry half-dozen sort-by filters (price, flight duration, number of stops, etc.), Hopper can limit the results to its self-defined categories of Basic (cheapest), Standard (economy fares, but with at least free carry-ons and seat selection), Enhanced (more legroom, priority boarding, free snacks, etc.), plus Premium and Luxury for folks who probably don't need this roundup of the best places to book airfares online. One nice touch: Hopper includes a novel option to limit results to flights with no change fee.

Speaking of fees, Hopper sure does like to pressure you to pay a lot of them for its own add-on services, like freezing a fare for up to 21 days for a sliding scale cost, plus flight protection and cancel-for-any-reason insurances—each of which Hopper, annoyingly, makes you decline on two screens in a row before you can proceed. (On that note, for security’s sake, we always recommend you buy travel insurance from a third party, never from the provider who sells you the trip, in case that provider becomes unreachable.)

We’re not sure what happened to the Czech booking site Kiwi.com to make it tumble from #2 to #7 in less than two years, but the numbers don’t lie. Most of its fares were just a little above or below average, though it did find the cheapest last-minute flights from Miami to Rio and Chicago to Rome. 

What tanked its score was twofold. It performed poorly on advance-purchase direct flights (out of eight itineraries, it scored under average three times and worst of all another three). Kiwi did come up with the cheapest overall fares on NYC to Paris and L.A. to Hong Hong with connecting flights—but then so did most of the sites that outranked it.

Kiwi does have some features to recommend it. It caters to travelers who can be flexible. The default departure date is "anytime," allowing you to see which days are cheapest, and once you do choose a date, pop-up calendars show indicative prices for every day over two months. The results page has a fare grid for three days to either side of your chosen dates, and a trends bar graph showing what prices are likely for a dozen days out (and you can scroll even earlier or later). It’ll even throw in train and bus options, if available, which on our list is unique to Kiwi. It also has the second-best set of filters in the game, rivaled only by our #1. 

But there’s a hitch. We must point out that Kiwi does catch some bad reviews for lackluster customer service when something goes wrong. Frommer’s has received complaints about Kiwi from readers, and few rivals would be jealous of its status with the Better Business Bureau, which fields complaints about its Miami office. Bearing that in mind, some travelers may feel more comfortable using Kiwi to find ideal itineraries but then buy them elsewhere. 

The last time we ran our tests, Priceline lost the precarious grip it had kept on the #10 spot for years and fell off the list entirely. During its time in the wilderness, Priceline evidently cleaned up some of its worst practices. It has vastly improved its filters, provided daily price comparisons on the popup date-picker calendars, and no longer turns up its nose at low-cost carriers. That, plus its solid, if not breathtaking, price performance, has placed Priceline back in good graces and firmly in the middle of the pack.

Overall, last-minute fares were Priceline’s biggest weakness, underperforming even our #7 contender, Kiwi, on that score. It was the advance fares that lifted Priceline to #6. It even pulled off a few nice moves. Priceline alone realized you could shave $40 off a CHI-ROM flight in exchange for a short layover in Istanbul. It was also one of only two tested sites to figure out you could save 35% on a last-minute trip from NYC to L.A. as long as you were willing to endure a brief layover. 

Priceline of course also still offers its original, quirky travel hack: The “Express Deals.” These are opaque fares in which you get to pick your airports and travel dates, but not learn precise flight times, airlines, or stopovers until you pay. Before purchasing, you’ll only know whether it’s a morning, mid-day, or evening takeoff and that there will be “0–1” plane changes. If you are willing to put up with that degree of uncertainty, you can save up to 40%, though the discount is typically more around the 10% mark.

Aggregator Tripadvisor  holds its position in fifth place, proving that while it may no longer be just a platform to vent about travel mishaps, but its airfare results are holding steady. 

Tripadvisor offers the clever cost-saving option to include nearby airports—you never know when Newark-to-Fort Lauderdale will cost half a LaGuardia-to-Miami ticket—and its great set of filters includes one that lets you limit the booking sites it checks to only the names you trust.

What’s holding it back at #5—aside from being annoyingly slow—is that whenever it found the cheapest tickets, or even a better-than-average airfare, so did our top three sites. And those higher-ranked sites pulled off this feat even more often. Tripadvisor also turned in a resoundingly meh performance on last-minute airfares, with overwhelmingly average results nearly across the board. 

The highest ranked OTA on our list, CheapOAir reigns supreme when it comes to last-minute airfares. How good are the airfares it sells? A few rivals managed to find the best price one or two times, but CheapOAir did so an impressive six times. 

However, alongside those six wins, CheapOAir posted three prices that were worse than average (but not the worst). You could say it’s all or nothing with these folks—even more so when it came to advance-purchase fares, where CheapoAir’s performance was all over the place. Put it this way: If we ignored its stellar performance in the last-minute category and scored things based only on buying tickets a few months out, CheapOAir would rank 7th, not 4th. 

A few other quibbles: CheapOAir won the booby prize for Most Annoying Popups—pestering us to "Speak to a travel expert" or pick "Air-hotel package or flights only?" to a vexing degree. It was also the slowest of our bunch, and sometimes pretty glitchy. 

On the plus side, the popup date-picker calendars automatically populate with airfare prices for every day, so you can see at a glance which day is cheapest to fly. CheapOAir also had a handy cheat sheet chart at the top of results showing the costs, both non-stop and cheapest, for the best half-dozen airlines. The filters were also pretty good, including options to show alternate dates and nearby airports (both can be great cost-saving techniques).

Always give CheapOAir a look if you are planning to fly in the immediate future—but then also run the numbers at our top three, just in case.

This decade-old upstart quickly outgrew its travel hacker roots to find a comfortable roost on our ranking among the top three—even when we left out the problematic "Hidden city" fares that were once its calling card. 

Hidden city fares—which you can easily exclude by unticking the box next to the word "SKIPLAGGING"—are tedious to explain but boil down to this: They can sometimes cost less, but you don't get to check any luggage. Most crucially, hidden city fares are against airline rules and can result in unpleasant, pricey consequences or even lawsuits if you're caught. But Skiplagged gives you the option to exclude this controversial type of airfare, which we did for our tests. 

Ironically, the site that named itself for a technique that games multi-leg journeys turned out to be strong on direct flights. Our top three sites were pretty much neck-and-neck when it came to pricing (all excellent at the long game, average on last-minute airfares), so it comes down to their other features.

Skiplagged's delightfully simple graphic interface lets you compare, at a glance, the lengths of trips, including layover durations. When you enter a departure airport or city, the arrival is defaulted to "Anywhere;" if you leave it that way, you get a page of photos with prices for a bunch of tempting getaways all across North America (sadly, though, nowhere else).

Skiplagged’s popup calendars show how much the flight costs on each day over two months, so you can easily see how tinkering with the departure or return can save you money. (On the two sites that placed higher in our review ranking, this feature only indicates price ranges, not precise fares).

We do have a few criticisms. Some of Skiplagged’s seemingly low fares from questionable OTAs were actually higher than the competition once you click over and discover service fees and the like. Skiplagged also lacks robust filters, doesn't disclose baggage fees, and rounds down all the prices—that last complaint is minor since we're only talking about a few cents, but just feels sneaky.

Skyscanner remains one of the best performers on price and essentially tied with #3, Skiplagged, in securing the lowest fares on advance purchase tickets. Skyscanner was consistently average on last-minute bookings—but we give it a shout-out for it nailing the cheapest price by far on a quick getaway from Philly to Tampa, even if it was on Spirit. Something else it shares with Skiplagged: mediocre filters.

This time, Skyscanner earned the edge for a few reasons. You can choose "Explore everywhere" as your destination to get a nice grid of destinations and the cheapest cost to get there. Unlike the similar feature at Skiplagged, which is constrained to North America, if you keep scrolling down on Skyscanner, you will get destinations on other continents as well.

This was also one of the first aggregators to include low-cost airlines, and it continues to innovate by including a star rating for all third-party booking sites (and how many users rated it), which helps with vetting unfamiliar OTAs.

Skyscanner offers the option to include nearby airports and to search for destinations in an entire country rather than just a city. While the initial popup calendars for travel dates do not show, as do some others, the precise prices to fly on alternate days, they do indicate each day’s relative cost category via a color code. Then, once you get to the results page, the tiny "Show whole month" link at the top will provide a page with two months’ worth of estimated prices.

Click here for Frommers' Top 10 Ranking of the Best Hotel Booking Sites

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Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

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What are online travel agencies? The ultimate guide to OTAs

Love them or not, online travel agencies (OTAs) play a critical role in every property’s distribution strategy. According to Expedia Group’s 2023 Path to Purchase report, OTAs captured 51% of online hotel & lodging bookings and possess the visibility and marketing power that most individual properties cannot achieve on their own. 

Working with OTAs isn’t just a matter of signing up and hoping for the best. To take advantage of the opportunities and avoid the pitfalls, you need to actively manage your listings, pricing, and inventory and take a strategic approach to online distribution. 

If done correctly, adopting the right OTAs as part of your distribution strategy can actually help drive direct bookings through the “billboard effect.” Building a comprehensive channel mix incorporating different types of OTAs will ensure you reach your target audience and secure a steady stream of reservations. 

See which OTAs dominate globally, regionally, and across property types based on Cloudbeds customer data and how properties like yours use OTAs as part of their distribution strategy. 

At Cloudbeds, we know the world of OTAs and distribution channels can be complex. We’ve created the Big Book of OTAs to help demystify this process and explain how to create a recipe for success when working with third-party distribution channels.  

What is an online travel agency (OTA)?

An online travel agency (OTA) is a website that acts as a search engine for travel. They connect providers across the travel industry to help travelers easily plan their trips. On OTA sites, travelers can often access package deals with accommodations, airfare, cruises, rental cars, and more .

On average, travelers view 141 pages of travel content in the 45 days before booking a trip, with OTAs making up 67 of those pages. Therefore, properties must be active on as many channels as possible to increase brand awareness and drive bookings — both OTA bookings and direct bookings (more on this later). With the increased popularity of OTAs around the world, hoteliers now have access to markets once unattainable.

How do OTAs work?

Online travel agencies emerged in the 1990s, using the internet’s extensive reach to aggregate global travel supply into a single place so consumers could book their own travel online. These self-service tools reshaped the hotel industry and the way travel was researched and booked, as the general public could now easily plan their trips and reserve their airfare, accommodations, and tours on their own rather than rely on a physical travel agent.

Sites such as Expedia.com, Booking.com, Airbnb, Orbitz, Hotels.com, and TripAdvisor are often consumers’ first stop when researching and booking their next trip. These sites offer a seamless user experience at all stages of the buying process: problem/need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior.

Properties of all types and sizes can connect to multiple OTAs through an integrated channel manager . A distribution system, like a channel manager, shares room inventory and rates from your property management system (PMS) to your booking engine and OTAs. Properties that use a channel manager can streamline hotel operations, increase hotel revenue via revenue management best practices , and increase occupancy across channels (all without the fear of overbookings). 

OTA business models

Hotels form partnerships with OTAs by basically outsourcing marketing to OTAs, who then make money through two business models: the merchant model (guest pays the OTA  in advance) and the commission model (guest pays the hotel at check-in or check-out). Most OTAs offer a blended model so that hotels can let guests choose which option they’d prefer. 

The merchant model

In this model, the online travel agency acts as the merchant of record and collects payments from guests at the time of booking. Once the guest has checked out, the OTA pays the hotel. Contracts exist between hotels and OTAs to provide a set number of rooms to the OTA at a favorable rate. The OTA then makes a profit off each room sold but must meet its contractual thresholds.

The agency (commission) model

In this model, the consumer books via the OTA but pays the hotel directly at the time of checkout. The hotel then pays the OTA a commission on the total value of the booking after checkout. There are no contracts, and rates are set by hotel management. 

The advertising model

This model has increased in popularity and exists on metasearch sites such as Google Hotel Ads, Tripadvisor, Trivago, and KAYAK. Metasearch engines work primarily on a cost-per-click basis where hotels can promote their rooms with links to their direct booking engine, and pay a fee based on the number of clicks they receive. Some of these sites, such as Google, also offer a cost-per-acquisition model (also known as “pay per stay”) where the property pays a percentage of the total reservation cost upon completion of the stay.

For hotels, it can be frustrating to watch distribution costs rise without getting more in return, but there are costs associated with direct bookings too. Demand doesn’t appear without at least some sort of distribution or marketing strategy in place, and those marketing campaigns, loyalty offers, special deals, and direct booking tools have a cost to the hotel. That’s why it’s important to use OTAs wisely and in conjunction with your own direct marketing strategy. 

Online travel agencies vs. online travel agents

Before the rise of OTAs, it was the role of a travel agent to book leisure and business travel. This is because travelers back then did not have access to hotel availability and rates the way we do today. While the internet has made it easier for travelers to book their own trips online, some segments like luxury, corporate, and group travelers still prefer to utilize a person, or online travel agent, to help plan and book a trip.

Travel agents are beneficial when planning complex trips such as a destination wedding, honeymoon, or corporate trip. They have the expertise and connections to find unique accommodations at better rates than most people can find themselves.

Travel agents such as Kuoni have a team of destination experts who work behind the scenes to curate tailor-made accommodations, experiences, and itineraries. Their in-person stores allow travelers to enjoy a glass of champagne while meeting with a travel expert to plan their dream vacation.

Travel agents usually have a portfolio of properties they recommend to travelers and take a commission fee, similar to OTAs. Strong relationships with travel agents can help properties drive more bookings in alternative segments than the OTA market.

Difference between OTAs and metasearch

With so many online booking channels available today, it can be challenging to understand the difference between certain channels.

Metasearch websites like Skyscanner act as aggregators and display hotel information and room rates from a variety of online channels, including OTAs like Agoda, Trip.com, Travelocity, or Priceline.com and a hotel’s website. It enables travelers to compare all of their hotel booking options in real time across the web so that they can book the best deal.

OTAs provide room rates and booking capabilities for only one channel — their own. Meanwhile, metasearch sites can display up to twenty or more results.

Properties can invest in hotel marketing efforts through metasearch engines. Metasearch sites rank listings and it pays off to be near the top. Paying to have your listing higher in the ranks to drive more direct bookings can drive serious results. 

Is Google an OTA?

Google is often a traveler’s first stop when looking for a hotel room. In recent years, Google has changed the hospitality industry with its products. Google offers Google Hotel Search, which acts as a hotel metasearch platform. When a traveler enters a property’s name into Google, it will show all of the rates and listing information from across the web.

Google also has free booking links , a game-changer for independent hotels as they can list their direct rates and links to their own website within the Google Hotel Search box. This option encourages potential guests to book direct.

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Category: Travel

Date: August 30, 2023

Travel Aggregator Website Complete Guide

When it comes to starting a travel business online, the easiest one would be to start a travel aggregator website and generate revenue through affiliate sales or contextual advertising. To capitalize on this lucrative business opportunity, let’s take a look at how to build one.

What is a Travel Aggregator Website?

A travel aggregator website is one that searches for deals across multiple websites and shows you the results in one place. For example, if you want to find a cheap flight from Dubai to New York City, you check American Airways or just head down to an aggregator website and check for hundreds of airlines at once to select the cheapest.

Best Travel Aggregator Website Examples

Here are some of the top aggregator websites.

1. Skyscanner

Skyscanner always gives you the cheapest price on flights. An amazing feature of this website is that you can look at flights for an entire month to find which date is the cheapest. You can also search from ‘my location’ to ‘everywhere’ to see where you can fly inexpensively.

Adioso is a simple search engine that has nifty features than Skyscanner. From your current location, you can search for flights to somewhere warm” or “a budget city” or “a local festival” depending on your mood.

3. Google Flights

Google Flights is easy to use and comes with cool mapping features. It occasionally shows cheaper flights than Skyscanner or Adioso. So if you’re not happy with the deals, you can head to Google Flights to see if it offers you a better price.

Expedia is an online travel website that allows you to book flights, vacation packages, hotels, cars, and cruises. An important feature of this website is the vast and expansive coverage of every airline and hotel chain.

How Do Travel Aggregator Websites Like Expedia Work and How do They Make Money?

Websites like Expedia collects and aggregates data from thousands of travel service providers . Then, they develop their own travel agency app and website for customers to compare travel options.

Most of these websites gain more than 70% of its revenue from hotel reservations. To achieve this, they simply buy a large number of hotel rooms at a discount and advertise it on their website.

For example, if Expedia wants to offer a 10-day vacation package to Thailand with all-inclusions for two people for $1,700. First, it will contact a hotel in Thailand and buy 100 rooms for $50 instead of the actual price of $90.

Next, Expedia will contact an airline and reserve 200 seats to Thailand for $600 (at a discounted price). Plus, it will also provide food for the entire trip which will cost somewhere around $250 for two people.

People who buy this package will be happy because they got a good deal for an all-inclusive package. Expedia is also happy because they actually paid $1,550 for the package and sold it for $1,700 to 100 couples.

Another source of revenue is commission.

For example, a hotel will offer 10 rooms to Expedia for online reservation. If the hotel offers $100/room to Expedia and if a guest books the room, Expedia will pay $75 to the hotel and withhold $25 as commission.

How Do Travel Aggregator Websites Like Expedia Source Their Inventory?

Most of the companies source their inventory by directly negotiating with hotels and global distribution systems (GDS) such as Amadeus , Galileo , Sabre and Worldspan .

Note – GDS integration is only available for licensed travel agents that are ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation) or BSP ( billing and settlement plan) accredited.

The history of GDS dates back to 1960s where a sophisticated method to keep track of flight schedules, availability and prices were needed.

However, some say that GDS can be expensive to access. Agencies use this as a last resort if they run out of inventory in a given city. If an agency directly buys rooms from a hotel, they can get 20-25% of profit, whereas with GDS it can go up to only 15%.

Building a Travel Aggregator Website

To build a travel aggregator website, you need the following:

• CMS that can act as a framework for your website
• Good front-end to match the aesthetics
• An engine to get data from APIs provided by other travel websites

Apart from these, you can also build the website from scratch or use readily available scripts. Let’s explore all the possible options.

1. Build From Scratch

The robustness of a web application will be at its best if its build from scratch. This method will give you more room to incorporate your ideas efficiently. The only downside of this method is hiring a travel website development company to create a solution from scratch is definitely going to cost you time and money. However, if you greatly value flexibility, you must take this route.

2. Build with WordPress

WordPress can be used to create any type of website. You can either install plugins available in the WordPress directory or create a custom plugin to give the website additional capabilities. When compared to building a website from scratch, the cost and development time is comparatively less. So in case of WordPress, all you need to build a functional travel website is a readymade theme or custom themes and plugin

3. Travel Engines

You can use web scripts or online booking engines to build a travel portal. These scripts will take care of all the key aspects of a travel website. Plus, these scripts also come with features such as booking engine, billing and invoicing system, module-based functions and more to fit your requirements.

Some of the famous online booking engines are:

• TravelCarma

4. Aggregating Data

Once you have built your travel aggregator website, you have to connect it with the data feeds. It will ensure access to travel data from hotels, flight companies, etc. Some of the popular ways of aggregating data are:

FREE API’s

Leading travel search engines have affiliate programs where they give free access to their APIs. This will solve the common challenges in one shot – data aggregation and revenue generation. Some of the popular affiliate programs are:

• Skyscanner affiliate program
• Expedia affiliate network
• Kayak affiliate program

WEB SCRAPPING SERVICES

Not every travel website will provide an API. Apart from that, the APIs you get may not have data fields that are necessary for your business. In such situations, you can get help from web crawling services that can be connected to your database to turn unstructured data into structured data. Building your own web crawling setup is not a viable solution, you can rely on service providers like ScrapeHero , Promptcloud , etc.

Drive Conversions and Boost your Business with Expert Travel Website Development.

Start crafting a travel aggregator website.

In recent years, as far as online businesses are concerned, travel is by far one of the most profitable niches. Millions of people are keen to explore the world owing to the ease of booking international flights, buses, hotels, car rentals and more.

Creating a travel aggregator website is not that complicated. It depends on what features you plan to offer, whether you want to include original content and a slew of other factors. But with the basics in this blog, you can set up a website that people will appreciate.

If you are ready to get started or have any questions, feel free to get in touch . No matter a simple or complex project, our team will help you in every step of the way.

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About the Author - Anjana

Anjana is a full-time Copywriter at ColorWhistle managing content-related projects. She writes about website technologies, digital marketing, and industries such as travel. Plus, she has an unhealthy addiction towards online marketing, watching crime shows, and chocolates.

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It’s a great blog. but the drawback here is that it can be very time consuming, as with multiple airlines being showcased, finding a cheaper one can be a tiresome task.

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Online Travel Agencies vs Comparison Sites (Aggregators)

[Last updated: Tue 26 Jan 2021]

This is without a doubt one of the most commonly asked questions by our users. Let’s begin by looking at exactly what each of the options are, and their main advantages and disadvantages.  

Online Travel Agencies: What you need to know

An online travel agency, or OTA for short, allows for both searching and booking of travel products like hotels and flights. Typically they work directly with airlines and hotels, and then receive a commission for every ticket or room which is booked through them. This is where the basic price difference between OTAs come in, some OTAs, usually bigger, can negotiate a better price with the hotel/airline, or alternatively accept a lower profit margin on each booking. OTAs you've probably heard of include Expedia, Booking.com, Trip.com, Hotels.com and Agoda but there are hundreds out there. While it may seem that there is a 3 way relationship between yourself, the booking site and the supplier (hotel/airline) this isn’t strictly true, there is actually often a 4th party involved. This party is say a supplier of hotel rooms, they sign the contracts with the hotels and then the OTA lists their rooms. From a customer point of view though most sites don’t reveal this kind of information and generally speaking it isn’t that relevant. The good thing about booking through on OTA is that they provide some love of customer service, and generally speaking changes and cancellations should be made through them. Be ware that some OTAs will strictly follow the supplier’s (hotel/airline) own policies when it comes to changes and cancellations, however some will have different booking conditions, so make sure you pay attention to everything before you book. The other most obvious advantage to OTAs is that you can compare millions of hotel rooms and hundreds of airlines all in the same place. This is indeed a serious time saving measure, and will also help you land the best price for flights, and the most appropriate room for hotels.

Aggregators, AKA Meta Search Sites

An aggregator site, also known as a comparison site or a meta-site, allows you to make a single search and compare multiple OTAs in one place. In theory this sounds like the perfect time saver, and it indeed can be, but there are some big caveats. The biggest players in this field include Skyscanner, Kayak, Trivago and HotelsCombined. Most aggregators will redirect you to the OTAs individual site to book, so in the end you’re actually booking in the same place. In the last few years, some have added the ability to make direct bookings through their own individual platforms. If you’re paying attention you’ve probably noticed that since you’re still booking in the same place, your booking will be taken care of by the site OTA itself. This means for changes, cancellations and any other after-sales service, you’ll need to contact the OTA. Traditionally, most meta sites don’t offer any kind of customer service, and when they do they’ll normally just tell you to call the OTA. The question most people wants to know is are the aggregators actually any cheaper. Sometimes, there is quite a big price saving as the OTAs are competing against each other on the platform. However at the same time you need to remember that OTAs need to pay a fee for every booking that's made through the aggregator which cuts into their profit margins. For this reason a lot of OTAs will choose to hold off some of their best deals, as by the time you factor in the fee to the aggregator they might be loosing money. If you're just looking to get the best price you can find in 30 seconds, the aggregator sites are a fantastic choice, however you should always consider visiting the OTA site independently to ensure you're getting the best price.

Ok, I know the difference. Which one should I use?

Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Let’s start with the most basic consideration for most people, price. Since OTAs are all in direct competition with each other on aggregator sites, you might expect them to be presenting their best price, and often you’ll be correct. In fact, OTAs often give cheaper prices through these meta sites than you can get on their own site. But this is not always the case. If you think about it from a business perspective, there’s now four parties involved in the transaction (or possible five if the OTA is getting it’s rooms through another supplier). Everybody takes a cut, and aggregators are known for taking a particularly big slice of the pie. Given that this means that OTAs need to pay extra commission or fees, it sometimes mean that they need to actually increase their prices on meta sites in order to cover their costs. Another thing to pay attention to is the way the search results are presented. Some meta sites will simply present the results in order from cheapest to most expensive, while others are much less transparent, instead putting the OTA which bids the most at the top of the results. One other thing to consider is that many OTAs offer some kind of rewards or loyalty program, for example for Hotels.com you get one free night for every 10 booked, which can be significant. Other OTAs like Trip.com and Expedia offer points on each booking which can be used for future bookings. If you book through a direct booking feature, it’s possible you won’t get these rewards.

Unfortunately it’s not overwhelmingly simple. The meta search sites are definitely worth checking, as the strong element of competition often pushes the prices down significantly. Just don’t believe that you are ALWAYS getting the best price. If you really want the best prices you’re going to need to check BOTH the meta sites as well as the individual OTAs themselves.

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The Pros and Cons of Using Travel Aggregators

With the rise of travel aggregators, traveling has never been simpler in today’s fast-paced world. These online platforms offer a convenient way to compare prices, find the best deals, and book everything from flights and accommodations to car rentals and activities.

However, like any tool, travel aggregators have their advantages and disadvantages that travelers should be aware of before diving into the world of online travel booking.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of using travel aggregators to make informed decisions and enhance your travel experience.

Introduction 

Travel aggregators are online platforms or websites that gather information from various travel providers, such as airlines, hotels, and car rental companies, and present it to users in a consolidated format. These aggregators allow travelers to compare prices, and book flights, accommodations, and other travel services, all in one place.

Travel aggregators have become essential tools for travelers in the modern era. They simplify the process of planning and booking trips, offering convenience, cost savings, and a wide range of options. With the growth of the internet and online travel booking, aggregators have emerged as go-to resources for travelers looking for the best deals and options.

This blog will explore the pros and cons of using travel aggregators. By understanding the advantages and disadvantages, travelers can make informed decisions about whether to utilize these platforms and how to maximize their benefits.

Pros of Using Travel Aggregators 

A. convenience and time-saving.

• Ability to compare multiple options in one place: Travel aggregators provide users with a consolidated view of various travel options, allowing them to compare prices, routes, and schedules from multiple providers simultaneously.
• Time-saving features such as filters and sorting options: Aggregators offer convenient tools like filters and sorting options, enabling users to narrow down their search based on preferences such as price, duration, departure times, and more.

B. Cost savings

• Access to discounted rates and deals: Travel aggregators often negotiate special deals and discounted rates with travel providers, allowing users to access exclusive offers that may not be available elsewhere.
• Ability to compare prices across multiple platforms: Aggregators enable travelers to compare prices across different providers, ensuring they get the best possible value for their money.

C. Wide range of options

• Comprehensive search results from various airlines, hotels, and car rental companies: Travel aggregators compile information from numerous travel providers, offering a vast selection of flights, accommodations, and car rental options.
• Variety of destinations and travel packages: Aggregators cover a wide range of destinations and offer diverse travel packages, catering to different preferences and budgets.

D. User reviews and ratings

• Valuable insights from other travelers: Travel aggregators often feature user reviews and ratings, providing valuable insights into the quality and experience of specific airlines, hotels, and other travel services.
• Helps in making informed decisions: User reviews and ratings allow travelers to make more informed decisions based on the experiences of others, helping them choose the best options for their needs.

III. Cons of Using Travel Aggregators 

A. lack of personalization.

• Limited customization options for preferences and special requests: While travel aggregators offer a wide range of choices, they may not provide the same level of customization as booking directly with a travel provider. Special requests or specific preferences may be challenging to accommodate.
• Inability to tailor travel experiences to specific needs: Aggregators may not be able to fully cater to individual needs or preferences, as their focus is on consolidating information rather than offering personalized experiences.

B. Hidden fees and additional costs

• Some aggregators may not include all fees in the displayed price: Travel aggregators may not always include all additional fees and charges in the initially displayed price, leading to unexpected costs during the booking process.
• Extra charges for services not included in the initial booking: Aggregators may require travelers to pay additional fees for services such as seat selection, baggage, or in-flight meals that are not included in the initial booking price.

C. Inconsistent customer service

• Challenges in resolving issues or making changes to bookings: When booking through travel aggregators, travelers may face difficulties in resolving issues or making changes to their bookings, as they often have to rely on third-party customer support.
• Dependency on third-party customer support: Travelers may experience delays or communication challenges when dealing with customer support, as they are dependent on the aggregator’s relationship with travel providers.

D. Data privacy concerns

• Sharing personal information with multiple platforms: When using travel aggregators, users often have to share personal information with various platforms, raising concerns about data privacy and security.
• Potential risks of data breaches and misuse: The more platforms personal information is shared with, the greater the risk of data breaches or unauthorized use of personal data.

IV. Tips for Using Travel Aggregators Effectively 

A. compare prices and terms.

• Look beyond the first page of search results: Explore multiple pages of search results to ensure you don’t miss out on better deals or options.
• Read the fine print and terms and conditions: Pay attention to the details, including cancellation policies, refund procedures, and any restrictions or limitations.

B. Check the reliability of the aggregator

• Research the aggregator’s reputation and user feedback: Before using a travel aggregator, conduct research to gauge its reliability and reputation. Look for user feedback and reviews to get insights into the quality of their services.
• Verify their accreditation or partnerships with trusted brands: Check if the aggregator is accredited by industry associations or has partnerships with reputable travel brands, as these can indicate their credibility.

C. Consider booking directly with providers

• Explore deals and offers on airlines, hotels, and car rental websites: While aggregators offer convenience, it’s worth checking the websites of individual providers for exclusive deals or promotions.
• Compare prices to ensure the aggregator offers the best value: Double-check the prices on aggregator platforms against the rates available directly from the providers to ensure you are getting the best value.

D. Keep an eye on additional fees and charges

• Be aware of any hidden costs that may apply: Carefully review the booking process and be mindful of any additional fees or charges that may not be immediately evident.
• Calculate the total price, including fees, taxes, and any extras: Before finalizing a booking, calculate the total cost, factoring in all applicable fees, taxes, and any extras you may require.

V. Conclusion 

Travel aggregators provide convenience, cost savings, a vast selection of options, and helpful user reviews.

However, it’s important to note that these platforms may have drawbacks such as limited personalization, hidden fees, inconsistent customer service, and potential data privacy concerns.

As a savvy traveler, conducting thorough research, comparing prices, and being aware of the limitations and risks associated with travel aggregators is crucial.

To help travelers navigate the complexities of the travel industry, Springbord offers comprehensive OTA (Online Travel Agency) services .

From expert advice and personalized recommendations to proactive support and effective issue resolution, our dedicated team at Springbord is committed to delivering exceptional service and peace of mind to our valued clients.

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• Forbes India Blogs

Can the online travel aggregator industry become profitable?

The pandemic with its disruptions has reset the online travel aggregation industry in many ways, and it gives industry participants a chance to restart their journey.

• Most Popular

Aditya Agarwal is currently the Head of Corporate Strategy at Cleartrip, leading the company’s business strategy, corporate finance and M&A functions. Prior to this, Agarwal has 10 years of private equity experience in London and India with Goldman Sachs, StanChart and TPG Capital. 

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Online travel aggregators (OTA) have simplified travel efficiency by building scalable marketplaces that help customers and travel providers meet their demand and supply needs. Globally, OTAs are the preferred choice for travellers to plan and book their travel needs and their penetration has been increasing in emerging markets like the Middle East and India. Industry participants also leverage OTAs to reduce their cost of customer acquisition. Additionally, they are also one of the largest contributors to online marketing spends. Considering the influence that OTAs have on travel marketplaces, it is not surprising to see this segment of the industry witnessing a high degree of competitive intensity which in turn brings pressure on profitability. This is especially true in hypercompetitive marketplaces in India and the Middle East.

Like all other industries, online travel aggregators too are going through phases of industry evolution. Typically in the first phase, the industry is fragmented, and both customer and industry participants are in a learning mode. Profitability is low as all stakeholders are spending on marketing and product development. Investors are evaluating businesses on potential, based largely on prospects of product adoption. We are well past this stage both in the Middle East and in India.

In the second phase, the industry experiences rapid growth as customer adoption increases swiftly. The degree of fragmentation among industry participants reduces and a few major industry players emerge. Growth is the focus area and profitability still takes a backseat. Investors will place a high premium on growth and would be willing to tolerate lack of profitability in exchange for high growth rates. The OTA industry in Middle East is still in this phase and is currently witnessing a shift from offline to online when it comes to travel spending. The Indian OTA industry has gone past this phase with respect to air travel aggregation, but has some headroom when it comes to hotels and activities aggregation.

In the third phase, the industry shifts to the maturity phase. Growth exists, but not at the same levels as the previous phase. Industry participants look for a balance between growth and profitability. Market share is dominated by three or four players and newer entrants find scale, a barrier to enter into the market. Industry leaders increase focus on cost optimisation and profitability. Investors start valuing profitability and growth on equal levels. Air travel aggregation in India is in this phase now.

If we look globally, OTA industry across markets has gone through these phases and the end result has always been profitable businesses. The two largest OTAs globally are profitable. Even in emerging markets such as Latin America and China, we have seen the emergence of market leaders who are profitable. We can expect the same trend to pan out in India and the Middle East and over time we will see profitability in the OTA space in these two markets.

There are risks to the industry path to profitability. Entry of a cash rich competitor willing to burn capital to gain market share can disrupt the industry path to profitability. We have seen this play out in India from time to time, and this either will result in some degree of consolidation or with new entrants partnering with existing incumbents. However, in the medium-to-long term, as the industry matures, industry participants that innovate continuously to help make travel simple will reap the benefits of low acquisition and retention costs and higher lifetime value per customer. This will, in turn, help drive margins. This coupled with a sharp focus on fixed costs will help industry participants attain sustainable profitability.

The pandemic with its disruptions has reset the industry in many ways. This gives industry participants a chance to restart their journey with the added benefit of leveraging lessons from the last few years. OTAs that build on these learning to build innovative products and drive efficiencies in costs will witness an accelerated path to profitability.

The author is the Head of M&A, Corporate Finance, Business Strategy at Cleartrip.com

The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.

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Online Travel Agencies and Aggregation Theory

Much has been written about Online Travel Agencies and the role they play in referring demand to Tours and Attractions businesses. But how does this truly work?

In his article on Aggregation Theory , Ben Thompson remarks on the rise of the internet giving way to a new type of company supply chain:

"First, the Internet has made distribution (of digital goods) free, neutralizing the advantage that pre-Internet distributors leveraged to integrate with suppliers. Secondly, the Internet has made transaction costs zero, making it viable for a distributor to integrate forward with end users/consumers at scale."

This created the rise of Aggregator businesses, which possess the following characteristics:

Direct Relationship with Users

The Aggregator business is the one that the customer ultimately interacts with. You may read an article written by a reporter, but you find it through searching a topic on Google. You may eat food from a restaurant, but you ordered it through the "local deals" tab on Doordash. The curation the platform provides adds enough value to you that you prefer to interact with it, rather than directly with the supplier of your product.  

Zero Marginal Costs For Serving Users

The platform does not incur the incremental costs of increasing customers, so it is able to serve many more than  a traditional business. Google does not hire writers, and Doordash does not order ingredients and set up a kitchen. They have no incentive to vertically integrate to production, but rather capture demand in enormous volumes and distribute it accordingly.

Demand-driven Multi-sided Networks with Decreasing Acquisition Costs

Stay with me here. The more people searching on Google, the more content will be written, the better Google will get, leading more people to search on Google. There is a reinforcing loop that benefits consumers and producers that the Aggregator moderates.

In the Tours and Attractions industry, the Aggregator businesses are Online Travel Agencies (or OTAs). They wield a large influence over bookings across several categories of activities. While very similar by nature, each major OTA has certain strengths and weaknesses. Identifying a good fit can help you make the most of your OTA relationships and focus on one suited to your business and marketing style.

Top OTAs in Tours and Attractions

Expedia Local Expert  

Expedia is one of the largest OTAs in the world for a variety of bookings including flights, hotels and, more recently, the Local Expert division - focusing on activities.  As a trusted brand, Expedia is a tremendous vehicle to get in front of a large base of customers - but does charge accordingly with a heavy commission price tag on each booking of 20%-40%.  

When marketing travel, tourism and experiences, targeting the right customers at the right time is of paramount importance - and companies with a wealth of customer data rule this game.  Expedia boasts  112 million unique monthly site visits and over 68 million email subscribers across all ad products. Based on the breadth of the platform, you can be confident that any ad spend that goes to Expedia will go to a robust and targeted advertising platform with support for audience insights, social media and reporting.  

Get Your Guide  

Expedia Group is the large conglomerate that covers many different booking functions. By contrast, Get Your Guide is the specialized company operating specifically in Tours and Attractions as the main competitor to Viator. While it does not have quite the same reach as its larger competitor it boasts an impressive year-over-year growth rate and a tremendous mobile experience - making it an attractive alternative. 

Being a newer company with a mobile-first design orientation has allowed Get Your Guide to build a large presence on photo heavy mobile apps like Instagram. Advertising direct-to-consumer on Instagram via Facebook ads can become prohibitively expensive for an individual tour operator. Get Your Guide is a great way to build a presence with younger travelers on the platform at a 20%-30% commission rate.  

In software, it pays to be early. Viator was one of the earliest OTAs on the internet (launching in 1995) and was rewarded with an acquisition offer from the juggernaut TripAdvisor to the tune of $200 million. As such, Viator benefits immensely from the data and network associated with the TripAdvisor name.  

Search Engine Optimization is highly competitive in all travel and tourism and, when combined, Viator and TripAdvisor have some unique advantages. First, they are two of the longest running websites in the space and as such have a compounding advantage of seniority to rank highly in Google’s search ranking preferences. Secondly, the sheer volume of user generated content from TripAdvisor’s long history of reviews creates a large online footprint, so listings are more easily found. In SEO, the group seems to have a durable competitive advantage in organic search.  

When entering a crowded software space, it helps to have tremendous financial backing to splash out into a large addressable market. Hong Kong based Klook has done just that, raising several  massive venture capital financing  rounds that allowed them to achieve red-hot growth in Asia and set the stage for a growing expansion into North America.  

Like Get Your Guide, Klook came about in the age of mobile apps and has a uniquely strong Partner App for all things Activity Bookings Management. This has a great application in Reputation Management, where consistent monitoring and speedy replies can make a world of difference. Partners can get SMS push notifications when a customer makes a booking or leaves a review and allows you to publish an instant reply. 

Understanding the nuances of each platform and using an effective Channel Management software can make sure you make the most of your OTA integrations.

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• Building a Travel Aggregator W ...

Building a Travel Aggregator Website

Administrator

• September 11, 2017
• Blog ,   Travel

In recent years, we have seen the rise of ‘travel’ as one of the most profitable niches as far as online businesses are concerned. When it comes to starting a travel business online, one of the most lucrative ideas would be to start an online travel aggregator website. To capitalize on this lucrative business opportunity presented by the travel industry, let’s look at how to go about building a travel portal.

How Online Travel Aggregators Work

Travel aggregator sites rely on online travel agencies, hotel and flight company websites to pull the data to be shown for user queries. Online travel aggregator websites help the users get an overall picture of the rates and availability across multiple vendors without actually visiting different websites. 

All they have to do is enter their journey dates and the website would provide them with data aggregated from multiple sources. In a recent survey conducted by a leading travel site, about 50% of the respondents agreed that the convenience provided by meta-search engines is invaluable in their travel booking experience.

To put it in simple words, you need a CMS that can act as the framework for your website, a front-end that can match the aesthetics of a travel website and an engine that can pull data from the APIs provided by other travel websites and data providers. Apart from this approach, you can also build it from scratch or use one of the readily available scripts for travel portals. Let’s look at the options.

1. Build it from Scratch

The robustness of a web application would be at its best when it’s built from scratch. This option also leaves more room for incorporating your ideas in a much more efficient manner. You wouldn’t have to make compromises based on the existing travel portal scripts and can create something that will work flawlessly with the technologies you want to integrate into it.

The downsides of this approach are development time and the cost. Hiring a developer and building your site from scratch is definitely going to cost you high in terms of time and money. However, if flexibility is something that you prioritize, you should take this route. Travel websites can easily become larger and you should hence opt for programming languages like Laravel and Ruby on Rails for their ease of code management and flexibility.

2. Build on top of WordPress

Everyone knows how WordPress can be used to build literally any kind of website. This is because you can code a plugin for WordPress to give it additional capabilities, and it all works like a charm.  WordPress is very versatile and is especially good for beginners, as the cost of tweaking a WordPress setup is significantly lower than building a website from scratch. 

When it comes to building an online travel portal, WordPress has some ready-to-use themes and plugins that can make your job much easier. You don’t even need to be a programmer to set up a travel portal on WordPress. In the case of WordPress, all you need is a travel theme and a plugin to build a functional website .

a. WordPress themes

The themes we’re about to introduce are all compatible with the newest version of WordPress and use the best performance-enhancing practices to ensure a smooth user experience. These themes are also loaded with booking forms, multiple payment methods and are even compatible with popular plugins like WooCommerce. These functionalities can instantly turn your WordPress site into a full-fledged travel website.

• TravelPress

b. WordPress plugins

Here are some travel portal WordPress plugins that you can use to turn your ordinary WordPress site into a complete travel portal. You should use a travel theme along with these plugins to render a complete experience.

This WordPress plugin enables safe online booking and reservation facilities on travel websites. Other features include supplier and agent management, customer relationship management and reporting.

• Travel Agent 1.4

Travel Agent is a utility WordPress plugin with features such as an enhanced scheduler and tourists database. It can be used to dynamically create and manage a database of tourists, which is nothing short of an essential aspect of a travel business.

• Travel Routes

Travel Routes lets you incorporate geographical tags on Google maps within WordPress posts. This will dynamically generate the locality terms and country names and you can even order the locations randomly with dates to identify routes.

3. Travel Website Engines

You can use dedicated web scripts or engines to build your travel portal, and this is especially easier as the script takes care of all the key aspects of a travel website. Travel website scripts typically come with features such as booking engine, billing and invoicing system, modules based functions for each section and customization options to fit your requirements perfectly.

Aggregating Data for the Travel Portal

Once you have built up your travel aggregator website into a finished product, it’s time to connect it with the data feeds. Data is the fuel on which your travel aggregator website will run and ensuring access to travel data from online travel agencies and hotel and flight company sites is essential. Now, let’s look at the popular ways of aggregating data for a travel portal.

1. Free APIs

Most of the leading meta-search engines have their affiliate programs whereby they give you free access to their APIs. You can easily join them to get API access which can be used to feed your travel aggregator site. This solves two of your challenges in one-shot–data aggregation and revenue generation. Some popular affiliate programs with API access are:

• Skyscanner affiliate program
• Expedia affiliate network
• Kayak affiliate program

You can easily configure your travel search engine to pull data from these APIs.

2. Web Scraping Services

Not all travel websites provide an API. Apart from that, the APIs might not have some of the data fields that are essential for your business. This is when you need a web crawling service that can turn the unstructured data present on travel websites into structured data feeds which can be connected to your database in order to populate your travel portal. Since building your own web crawling setup isn’t a viable solution considering the high-tech barriers and cost involved, it’s better to rely on a fully managed web scraping service provider to meet your data needs.

Bottom Line

Travel is a lucrative industry, and the opportunities presented by it have skyrocketed with the advent of online travel companies. Building your own travel portal is a great way to get your share of this hefty pie. You can use this guide to decide how you want to go about building your first travel business online.

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Pros and cons of an online Travel agency vs. offline travel agency

What is the difference between an online travel agency and an offline travel agency? We will look at the pros and cons of online travel agencies vs. offline travel agencies

By Jessica Freedman

February 9, 2024

As travel managers constantly look for ways to optimize their corporate travel programs, part of doing so is understanding the differences between going digital or taking your travel management needs offline. In this explanatory guide, we will look at the pros and cons of online travel agencies vs. offline travel agencies so that you are prepared to understand the differences in order to choose the travel booking tool and management system that is most suitable for your company.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What is a TMC?

What is an OTA?

Pros and cons of online travel agencies, offline travel agencies, pros and cons of offline travel agencies, how to choose the best corporate travel platform.

Let’s start with a short introduction to some simple terminology to give you a guiding hand.

Types of online booking tools

For starters, to recognize the difference between online travel agencies and offline, it’s important to understand that there is a wide range of online booking tools available for travel. Let’s take a look at the different types:

Travel aggregators

Corporate online booking tools, direct bookings, travel agencies.

Travel aggregators are websites that essentially consolidate the travel offers and prices from multiple sources all in one place. This allows users to book at the lowest prices based on the results listed in the search results. This helps users find the best prices out of all the results the aggregator has found. This way it is easy for consumers to know that they are booking at the lowest price possible.

TMCs like BCD (which we will discuss more in detail below) can function as a travel aggregator. For instance, for hotel bookings, TMCs combine GDS content with content from Expedia, Booking.com, HRS, and others offering this all together in a mobile app or website. In the case of AMEX, they have a proprietary online booking tool, called KDS, which also serves as a travel aggregation tool.

 When it comes to business travel, corporate online booking tools are frequently used by businesses to keep a hand on their business travelers. Corporate online booking tools are ideal for keeping track of trips, travel spend, and ultimately streamlining business travel.  GetGoing  and Booking.com for business are examples of corporate online booking tools, as well as EHI Direct .

Direct bookings are carried out by going directly to the airline, hotel, train or rental car company’s respective sites and booking directly instead of through a third party.

We will look more at online travel agencies, or OTAs below, but the idea is that you can get access to travel inventory all in one place. Online travel agencies are the most common way of booking online travel.

What is a TMC?

A TMC, or a Travel Management Company uses a Global Distribution System (GDS) as a travel booking tool. TMCs started before the boom of online travel. Travel was booked in a traditional way via telephone or email and then arrangements were made by travel agents.

Nonetheless, TMCS have evolved since their beginnings, investing in making business travel more digital even though they still have a way to come in terms of technology. TMCs offer the value of industry experience while offering more personal service through their agents. TMCs integrate custom-built booking  preferences to give business travelers the best choices within their travel  policy , allowing them to compare options. As a travel manager you can work with your TMC to decide how you want to set up your business travel program.

A TMC like BCD Travel, AMEX, and CWT can help companies make the most of their travel in general beyond just booking travel. They can give a helping hand with cost analysis, reporting, duty of care, etc., but that isn’t to say that an online travel agency won’t provide you with data reports of your travel spend.

Full-service business and corporate travel management companies can help optimize, manage and improve your business travel, ensuring you adhere to your travel policy, and providing seamless booking experiences, while offering a hand with travel data, allowing you to optimize your travel spend and costs to make the most out of your business travel program.

OTAs, or online travel agencies offer customers the possibility to book their travel online. OTAs started in 1996 with Travelocity being the first online travel agency. Most of them started off with a strong digital product and platform and added agent support/service as an added benefit.

They are third party agents who sell services on behalf of airlines, hotels, car rental companies, tour operators and others. They arrange and sell accommodations, tours, transportation and trips on an online platform for travelers. Some well-known travel platforms such as Booking or Expedia act both as travel agencies and tour operators allowing customers to read reviews to decide where to stay, and also book package holidays.

Several online travel agencies are only customer-facing, like the above examples, whereas other OTAs can service both B2B and B2C like Booking.com, which offers services for business clients as well as regular customers. On the other hand, OTAs like  GetGoing   and Travel Perk are designed exclusively with Business travelers in mind .

What is an online travel agent?

An online travel agent is an OTA that is part of web-based platform that allows users to book travel services over the internet. Online travel agents are intermediaries between travelers and service providers like airlines, hotels, car rental companies and tour operators. They provide a central platform to book, compare and search for travel arrangements, whether it be for business or leisure.

OTAs have a big market share

The global business travel market is a  $695.9 billion industry as of 2020 , and is expected to reach $2,001.1 billion by 2028. Whereas the online travel market is a $433.2 billion dollar industry, with the revenue share of online sales in the global travel and tourism market at 66% (according to a study by  Statista.com ).

As can be noted by the 66% market share of online travel sales, the great majority of reservations are being made via online travel agencies, and for this reason, OTAs have become an important distribution channel for tourism businesses. While OTAs are often used to book holidays and leisure trips, there are also online travel agencies, known as Travel Management Companies, or TMCs that have the same functionality as OTAs but are primarily used by companies or businesses.

Advantages and disadvantages of online travel agency

An online travel agency is convenient, has a wide range of options, allows you to easily compare prices, can be a great way to see reviews and ratings from other users, gives special deals and discounts and is available 24/7. Some disadvantages of an online travel agency is that there may be hidden fees, you have less leeway for personalization, customer service is harder to track down, and there is less flexibility.

Now that you have a better idea of some of the basic terminology, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of an online travel agency, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of an online travel agency.

online travel agency

1. an online travel agency is self-service .

Online travel agencies are a way to self-manage your travel needs. They have an integrated online booking tool that allows you to make travel arrangements, make cancellations, manage bookings and do everything that a brick and mortar travel agency would let you do with the convenience and benefits of a self-service approach. 

2. Keep track and manage travel expenses

In addition to being self-service, as a travel manager, with an online travel agency or TMC you can keep track of your travel spend and optimize your expenses while at the same time automating your travel policy so that travelers will be notified when their travel expenses are out of policy, and ensuring that you stay on budget.

3. Increased productivity

Working with an online travel agency leads to more productivity because you spend less time managing your trips. All your trip information is conveniently stored in your profile so that you can manage, edit and cancel hotel bookings, car rentals, train bookings as necessary. This means that in the case of travel managers, you can work with the OTA to automate your travel policy, which takes the automated work out of the hands of you and your travelers.

4. Help keep travelers safe

In the case of an online travel platform like GetGoing, you can have added assistance in keeping your traveler’s safe thanks to built-in AI technology that prefers the safe travel options, like not passing through high-risk countries, helping to fulfill your duty of care. You can also have access to traveler tracking and emergency support in the case of need. 

1. Less personal

While online provides great convenience, one of the cons is that it is less personal, lacking the personal touch of an in-person offline travel agency. Of course there is always the possibility to call, chat or speak to a representative, it’s not the same as a face-to-face encounter, especially for managing business.

2. Less hand-holding

For those inexperienced travelers, online travel agencies can be more “do-it-yourself” meaning that there is less hand-holding if you need it . This can take away from productivity because travelers must evaluate the options themselves, rather than having a TMC that can give you a helping hand. A TMC would be able to discover the most effective (and safest options), meaning less layovers in potentially risky countries.

3. Hard to get around the rules

When you are working with an offline agency it’s easier to bend the rules or get around travel provider’s policies. TMCs can oftentimes make changes to bookings without charges that travelers or travel managers on their own wouldn’t be able to do thanks to their business relationships with the providers.

Now that we’ve looked in depth at online travel agencies, let’s take a look at offline travel agencies, including their pros and cons.

What is an offline travel agency?

Offline Travel Agencies are travel agencies, including corporate travel departments, who operate from “brick and mortar” offices. This means that they have physical offices rather than operating as an OTA with only a website. Customers typically call or go to their offices to get travel-related services, which they provide using a GDS like Galileo. An offline travel agency usually has a team of travel agents who can help clients book flights, hotels, car rentals and other travel services.

While it’s true online travel agencies have gained popularity for their convenience, there are still many who prefer the personalized service provided by a face-to-face interactions at offline travel agencies. Offline travel agencies may cater to a specific market or specialize in certain kind of travel, i.e., business travel, group trips, leisure travel, etc. and this kind of assistance and hand-holding may give clients a sense of reassurance.

Advantages and disadvantages of offline travel agency

An offline travel agency has its advantages like the ability to get expert advice, personalized service, the face-to-face component, the ease of problem resolution, and the convenience of being hand-held along the process of booking travel. However, there are also some disadvantages like limited accessibility, potentially higher costs, limited choices, time-consuming, constraints on availability of store hours, and perhaps less transparency.

Now that you have a better idea of what an offline travel agency does, as well as the advantages and disadvantages, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.

offline travel agency

1. it’s more personal.

As much as we move more and more towards a digital-first approach, there is still an element of face-to-face contact that can’t be replaced. This is one of the main pros of an offline agency, being able to meet in person to book travel and even design your corporate travel program. Also for the travel agency, it’s easier to cater to the traveler’s needs, and really understand what they are looking for.

2. Enhanced service

Since online agencies tend to be more self-service, it can be argued that offline agencies offer enhanced services. Trip planning, including more complex routings or integrated travel booking, which include multiple forms of transport, accommodation and leisure activities can be more easily managed with an offline travel agency, setting them apart from their offline counterparts.

3. It’s more inclusive 

While for the purposes of this article, we are more focused towards business travel, it goes without saying that offline travel agencies are more inclusive. According to a study by the UN’s ICT agency, an estimated 37% of the world’s population (2.9 billion people) have never used the Internet. For that reason, in underdeveloped countries, an offline travel agency is still crucial in order to service this part of the population.

1. Not as flexible

With an offline travel agency, you must adhere to business hours in order to make your business travel plans. If it’s late at night and you are working after hours to plan your business trip, this means you’ll have to wait until the next business day to book your trip. 

2. Less technology-forward

Of course, offline travel agencies use technology like GDS to book your travel, it goes without saying that a traditional offline travel agency is less technologically advanced. Unlike online agencies, they don’t have to rely on technology or even have a fast website to help make travel plans. Since they are dealing with external systems for the most part, there is no precedent for having a technologically-forward website. 

3. Less efficient

While it can be efficient to work with an offline agency when you are booking complex trips with multiple providers, it can be less efficient for everyday use. With OTAs, all the information is readily available making it quick and efficient to book a trip. In the case of going offline, you have to rely on the help of an agent to take care of your everyday travel needs, which can be less efficient than handling travel plans on your own.

Now that you’ve fully understood the pros and cons of an online travel agency vs. an offline travel agency, here are some tips to choose a corporate travel platform that’s right for you.

• Look for balance between online technology with offline support
• Ease of creating your travel policy
• Safety first
• Simple approach to data
• Allows you to save money

1. Look for balance between online technology with offline support

This means that you have a tool that has all the functionalities of an online travel platform, but with expert service and assistance when you need it most. Sometimes business travel doesn’t go as planned; there might be delays, lost luggage, long wait times, cancellations, overbookings or a wide range of other issues. This is why you need to have a support system in place that is ready to help when the going gets tough. At GetGoing you have the ease of digital but with the guarantee of 24/7 service when you need it.   This way you can travel worry-free knowing that an expert is there to lend you a hand if any of these unexpected circumstances arise.

2. Ease of creating your travel policy

When it comes to creating your travel policy, you want to find a travel management company that will support you in creating a policy that allows you to save money, protect your travelers and optimize your business travel. This is why you should look for a TMC that allows you to automate your travel policy . Automation is at the core of productivity and by optimizing your travel policy, you can also save money. 

3. Safety first

Whether you decide to go with an online travel agency or an offline travel agency, ensure that your traveler’s safety is first and foremost. This means that you should be able to offer certain security measures to your travelers so that as business travel slowly recovers, they feel safe to get going. 

4. Simple approach to data

Not everyone on your team is data-savvy, so you want to find a corporate travel management system that makes understanding data easy. Whether you’re a Finance manager , an HR or Office Manager , you need to have a system that allows you to visualize your data, including travel spend, seeing how much travel is booked within your travel policy, and using detailed reports to optimize routes, supplier relations and keep your travelers happy. Having data at your fingertips is the best way to optimize your business travel program. 

5. Allows you to save money

While optimizing your travel program, and understanding your data, you will without a doubt save money.  However, another very important part of business travel is having access to corporate travel deals . Not only does having access to deals save you money, but your staff will also be more productive because they don’t have to look in a million different places for the best deals. 

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The trouble with travel distribution

A decade after the Internet spurred airlines, hotels, and other travel players to sell directly to customers, the sector’s ecosystem is fracturing. Companies are abandoning the systems that are supposed to provide consumers with one-stop shops to book flights, accommodations, and other services. Lawsuits are being filed. And the very people whose interests should be paramount—customers—are being caught in the cross fire. That’s giving newcomers a chance to swoop into a sector that today boasts annual online sales of almost $100 billion, around a third of all global e-commerce activity.

This turbulence isn’t a bad thing: the travel sector has reached the next phase in its evolution, and some creative destruction is necessary. In fact, companies are already investing billions of dollars in the next wave of travel e-commerce, from revamping Web sites to changing the technology infrastructure. Consolidation is also creating opportunities that didn’t exist before. But the critical question is whether the sector’s players can find a sustainable path forward before new rivals blaze the trail for them. To name just two candidates: Google recently paid $700 million for ITA Software, whose algorithms form the backbone of 65 percent of flight sales by carriers, while Apple has filed a series of patents for a mobile-device application called iTravel.

The bottom line is that travel suppliers, aggregators, and service providers each need to define the sector’s next wave quickly. We suggest that industry incumbents move away from a model focused almost exclusively on reducing channel costs and toward one that seeks to maximize returns by best serving customer needs. And the incumbents must understand that the customer experience not only begins before the time of sale—and even before the time of search—but also extends well after purchase and travel. The changes we recommend don’t require reinventing the wheel: many solutions already exist, but the sector’s myopic focus on costs rather than returns prevents their implementation. Balanced business models that give all value-adding players a seat at the table are what’s needed.

A troubled history

For a long time, suppliers in the travel sector regarded themselves as service providers and let distributors handle the technology-intensive process of actually selling airline seats or hotel rooms. The airlines facilitated this approach in the 1960s by creating global distribution systems such as Apollo and Sabre—used by travel agents to search inventory across the world—only to spin them off in the late 1990s, when cash got tight and valuations looked rich.

As with many other sectors, the Internet’s arrival changed everything. Online travel booking took off as aggregator sites, such as Expedia, began to give consumers a one-stop shop, in return demanding commissions that forced airlines and hotel operators to rethink their hands-off strategy. US airlines responded by creating a rival online travel agency, Orbitz, but their return to the distribution business was short lived: as financial pressures on the airlines’ core business continued to build, they spun off Orbitz. Recognizing the low-cost direct sales model offered by the Web, the airlines set about redirecting shoppers from aggregators’ sites to their own.

American Airlines (AA), for example, withdrew inventory from Orbitz in late 2010; in solidarity with Orbitz, Expedia fired back by removing AA’s listings (the airline is now back on both sites). Enterprise Rent-A-Car also left Orbitz, citing high costs, while US Airways piled onto AA’s disputes by filing suit against Sabre on antitrust grounds. Such disputes are common whenever industries confront the problem of who owns the content and who owns the customer: cable television companies, for example, regularly battle networks over channel-access issues, and insurers have created their own Internet portals to combat the brokers’ entrenched power.

The travel sector’s problem, however, is that the underlying model is fracturing. Traditional travel agencies now tend to tailor their services to business travelers, rather than provide options and products for a broad set of customer segments. Suppliers are making huge investments to lure customers to their direct channels, inadvertently reducing return on investment (ROI) by lifting costs with little immediate increase in revenue. Online aggregators are not only pushing suppliers out and undermining their one-stop-shop proposition, but also digging their heels into a format that emphasizes price as the primary product differentiator. Fundamentally, and most damagingly, consumers increasingly find that they don’t have what they really want: all travel options at their disposal in one place. If this problem persists, they will become more willing to consider superior alternatives.

The path ahead

So what should be done? We have identified four imperatives for travel companies: making customers the strategic focus, using data to understand them, serving them better through partnerships, and providing the best end-to-end experience to promote both sales and ongoing loyalty.

1. Focus on customers, not channels

The travel sector’s approach for two decades has been to push customers toward lower-cost yet more uniform distribution channels. We believe this is the wrong response to a growing mandate for product differentiation: while some customers value price above all else, that attitude is far from universal. Travelers differ in clear ways when it comes to their requirements—both in their traveling needs (which inform product design) and their shopping needs 1 1. For more on this topic, see Carmen Nobel, “Clay Christensen’s milkshake marketing,” Harvard Business School Working Knowledge , February 14, 2011. (which inform merchandising design and are relevant for distribution). Suppliers should shift from a business-to-business, channel-centric approach to a decidedly customer-centric one: the overarching goal should be to win customers, not to fight a zero-sum game with intermediaries (for more on how to win customers, see the below interactive exhibit, “Understanding travel’s core customers”).

In an ideal world, suppliers would tailor services to each individual. Reality makes that goal almost impossible to achieve, but travel companies can and should craft focused solutions for a range of broad customer segments. Price-driven leisure travelers, for instance, are drawn to transparency and comparability above all else, shopping at an average of three to four Web sites before making a purchase. So why don’t airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies bring price comparability to their own sites? This is exactly the model adopted by US insurance companies that quote competitors’ prices alongside their own. While there is some risk of customer defection—especially among price-focused travelers—that’s mitigated by the fact that this approach helps earn customer trust and draws valuable insights (about consumer preferences and behavior) that enable more effective merchandising.

Customers in another segment—unmanaged business travelers—are too small to justify the expensive services of large travel-management companies. However, less costly and more efficient technologies make it easier to service this “long tail” of corporate travelers, and suppliers and travel-management companies alike recognize the potential ROI of moving them to online channels. Unmanaged business travelers seek less expensive versions of the services received by larger accounts, such as expense-management tools, profile management, and company loyalty programs. Meeting this demand will be complicated, but in industries such as banking and telecommunications we see a potential answer by combining a customized product offering with a different sales model. Consortiums and partnerships are likely to be the key to success—for example, imagine deploying a sales force to sell airline product bundles to small- and medium-sized businesses, empowered by the latest external advances in tracking and reporting tools.

A channel-based mind-set limits the willingness of players, particularly suppliers, to make such moves. Instead, they tend to focus on market share targets for channels (and attempt to achieve these targets with initiatives such as Web site overhauls), without considering what it takes to shift preferences by consumer segment. New capabilities, not cosmetic changes, are what are really needed. Focusing on customer-based ROI rather than on channel targets forces executives to ask themselves how much they are going to invest—in which capabilities and targeting which customer shopping needs—to produce which results.

2. Win in the era of ‘big data’

Travel companies have access to mind-boggling customer data: everything from basic personal information to preferred airline seats, in-flight-entertainment preferences, meals at hotels, and credit card usage. They have the means to paint detailed pictures to drive marketing initiatives that more deeply engage customers, yet few—if any—of them truly maximize the potential of the data at their disposal. There’s no doubt that the synthesis of sales, pricing and revenue management, loyalty, and IT required to deliver on data’s promises is daunting. But there’s equally no doubt that companies from outside the travel sector specifically tooled to make the most of data are going to figure things out, enter the market, and try to steal customers.

Amazon.com, for example, became the thorn in the side of every bookseller—and, eventually, every retailer—by mining data to craft individualized customer experiences full of conversion-ready streams of recommendations. Amazon is notably absent from travel, at least for now. Google, however, has tens of billions of dollars in cash reserves and hundreds of employees whose job description is data mining. And its acquisition of ITA, a critical airfare search provider, already allows Google to provide users with instant travel itineraries and links to purchase (to see it in action, simply Google “NYC to LAX”).

Meanwhile, suppliers are moving slowly. British Airways recently announced that it would equip flight attendants with iPads rather than paper manifests. This provides a way to capture and use unprecedented levels of customer data, but this capability is only a small step forward—in many ways, incumbents remain squarely on the back foot in the emerging era of big data. It’s not too late: suppliers have a wealth of information and resources they could use to test new ideas. But they need to ask themselves which data they could be collecting, which existing data are not being mobilized, and which capabilities they should be building (or partnering to acquire) to compete on the big data battlefront. 2 2. For more on how data, customization, and experimentation will be a new hallmark of competition, see Brad Brown, Michael Chui, and James Manyika, “ Are you ready for the era of ‘big data’? ,” mckinseyquarterly.com, October 2011.

3. Unlock the power of partnerships

Imagine if you could type (or speak) the following instruction into your smartphone: “Book my usual flights from Dallas to New York, out Monday and back Wednesday, usual hotel, rental car”—and quickly receive an itinerary compliant with your corporate travel policies. What would it take to achieve that? We see far too many travel companies seeking to undertake local, discrete tasks well and not simultaneously thinking broadly about the kinds of solutions that really engage and stimulate customers. Considering a customer’s mind-set and thinking more creatively about products and services should be a priority, and that may require working with, as well as against, competitors. One good example of this approach is the recently launched hotel search and booking site, RoomKey.com, founded by Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Corporation, InterContinental Hotels Group, Choice Hotels International, and Wyndham Hotel Group.

In the world of consumer packaged goods, we’ve seen such partnerships take off: retailers and manufacturers now share unprecedented levels of information across their supply chains, enabling far more effective merchandising decisions and physical-distribution and logistics outcomes. Yet the most public dispute in travel—among AA, Expedia, and Orbitz—is the equivalent of a consumer-packaged-goods company pulling its products from a retailer’s shelves: it benefits no one.

Our point here is twofold. First, creating new technologies is not necessarily the answer to all the challenges in travel today; indeed, the technical capacity to deliver what consumers need arguably exists already, dispersed in pockets across a dysfunctional ecosystem. Second, the potential of partnerships—lateral (supplier–supplier), vertical (supplier–aggregator–provider), or with companies beyond the travel sector—remains to be unlocked. Succeeding here may be more about identifying companies with similar interests and synergistic capabilities than about throwing new money and new technology after problems rooted in structural issues of coordination.

4. Master the entire customer experience

Selling a product isn’t the beginning of a company’s relationship with customers; that starts when they first become aware of its brand. Equally, the relationship doesn’t end at the point of sale, because every interaction with customers is an opportunity to foster their loyalty or lose their future business. 3 3. For more on how consumers make purchasing decisions, see David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik, “ The consumer decision journey ,” mckinseyquarterly.com, June 2009. Customer solutions in the travel industry often span multiple players, providing each with an opportunity to showcase its strengths and make a case for becoming a traveler’s favorite. Some companies are actively seeking to forge tighter bonds with customers: for example, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will soon launch a service that allows its passengers use their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles to choose seatmates on upcoming flights. Malaysia Airlines is releasing a Facebook service that lets travelers check if friends are on their same flight or headed to their same destination. Like British Airways’ use of the iPad, these innovations deploy technology to shape the customer experience , not just to conduct booking and customer service transactions.

A critical prerequisite for influencing the customer experience is the dissolution of organizational barriers—not only budgets and planning processes but also ownership of information—to gain a comprehensive view of the customer journey. There should be a single customer databank, not separate ones for information on loyalty, transactions, and pricing. And to make the customer-centric approach a reality, unprecedented levels of coordination among multiple business units (including those responsible for loyalty programs, pricing, sales, marketing, and information technology) are also required. Far too few companies in the travel sector have taken the steps needed to achieve this level of unification.

The digital revolution has upended business as usual in almost all industries, and travel is no exception. Consumers are empowered by information: they have near-instant access to their flight, hotel, and car-rental options; virtual price transparency; and the ability to play suppliers off against one another. The game is now about delivering a superior customer experience. If players can do that, the investment returns will follow.

Robert Carey is an associate principal in McKinsey’s Atlanta office, where David Kang is a consultant; Michael Zea is a principal in the Stamford office.

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of Andrew Curley, Alex Dichter, and Bryan Hancock to the development of this article.

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