Written By: Bandana Gupta

In today's fast space world, Online travel agencies play a prominent role in the accommodation industry. There is a wide exploration in the traveling space as people want to be away from their routine and want to spend quality time with their families. They are seeking traveling agencies who will offer travelers a convenient way to book and take care of the comfort of their stay. These travel agencies allow instant online booking where the agency arranges everything right from accommodation, food, and transport for sightseeing. These agencies generally work as third parties and sell their services on behalf of the company. Let us browse through some of the best online travel agency franchise in Mumbai that you can consider starting right away.

List of some of the best OTA Platforms :

THOMAS COOK -

OVERVIEW :

• It was established in 1841 and opened its franchises in 2009 with 40 franchise units.
• Presently it is operating in over 72 cities, crossing almost 180 countries.
• To ensure its franchisee as a partner it offers special rewards for incredible performance with incentives through a scheme phenomenally known as "Book and Win" with awards that include luxury cars and free international tours.
• The initial investment ranges from Rs 5 lakh to -15 lakh.

EASEMYTRIP:

OVERVIEW :

• The largest online travel company associated with IATA travel company was established in 2006 and started its franchising in 2008. It has extended its services with more than 400 domestic and international airlines.
• With its franchise units of 512, its objective is to provide a vibrant valued product and services with high-tech technology and a loyal customer base.
• An initial investment of 7.5 lakhs is all it takes to get started.
• It is India's fastest growing company with more than 61000 travel agent networks.
• Has more than 1 million partner networks and 11 million plus customer networks.
• Ranks among the topmost Unicorn startups.

AKBAR TOURS AND TRAVELS

OVERVIEW :

• It is the leading travel company, well known for its comfort travel for customers in India and outside India as well.
• It was founded in 1978 and started its franchising in 2006
• It provides convenient flight booking through its portal
• It offers great opportunity to the franchisee through its low investment of Rs 5 lakh -10 lakhs
• It runs about 100 Franchise units.

YATRA :

OVERVIEW

• Founded in 2002, a top online travel company in India has dedicated itself to making travel enjoyable for its customers. In 2017, it ventured into franchising and currently operates 20-50 franchise outlets nationwide, with a focus on expanding further in southern and western India
• With an investment ranging from 5 lakhs to 10 lakhs, this online travel franchise provides excellent opportunities for entrepreneurs.
• A dedicated and passionate team manages all operations and addresses queries efficiently.Regular marketing assistance
• Customer discount and promotion.
• Easily accessible for booking

MAKEMYTRIP

OVERVIEW :

• It is a leading online travel company in the country, offering a range of traveling and holiday solutions to the customer.
• It was established in 2005 and opened its franchises in 2008. Presently it is running 20 -50 outlets.
• The total cost to start such a franchise in a city like Mumbai is from 5 lakh to 10 lakh while in a city like Delhi, it is 15 to 16 lakhs.

SOTC

OVERVIEW :

• It has carved its name in the Indian travel domain.
• Its top-notch versatile travel services with a span of 70 years are incomparable.
• By investing in modern technology it continuously offer a perfect holiday experience to customers with over 68 outlets outside India.
• They provide customers with a smooth and comprehensive travel experience.The new-age customer is always concerned about safety, so this agency is always in demand as they ensure safety protocol for the customer.
• This travel business can be started with low investment and low risk, as the demand is huge and rising and the cost of equipment is very low. They have to invest only in setting up the outlet.
• When you become a partner with this franchise you earn lucrative opportunities. You owe brand recognition and a loyal customer base. All this is possible without encompassing time and money. You own a brand name without going through any complications. This presents a mutually beneficial opportunity for the franchisee.No prior travel industry experience is required to start this travel franchise because the entrepreneurs are here to make reliable profits and the franchisers are experts and always ready to support in setting up the outlet.

How do online travel agencies work?

Online travel agencies mostly operate on two types of models. They are 1.Merchant model 2. Agency model.

1. Merchant Model - In this model, the hotels hire the agency and sell the hotel rooms at a discount or wholesale price, in return, the agency brings to the customers at a fixed price.

 2. Agency Model

Here the agent acts as a distributor, he is responsible for bringing the customer to the hotel. The hotels do not face any hassle of payment. The payment is made directly to the hotels by the customer. He does not have to wait for the payment from third-party distributors. The OTA agent gets a commission from the hotels after the customer checks out.

Some of the benefits of partnering with Online Travel Franchise Agencies?

On partnering with online Travel agencies, they get accustomed to thousands of website visitors from all over the world. The OTA own authority on each and everything related to travel. They have gained the trust of the people regarding traveling and therefore people rely on their recommendations.

The OTA has a list of accommodation businesses which include not only hotels and a wide audience but also their services mentioned among well-known sources of information. Besides the hotels that are included in OTAs enjoy the benefit of the 'billboard effect'. They spend enormous money on this website to reach a wider audience. It means many times savvy buyers have the option to choose the hotels on their platform, they can go through the reviews of the hotel and then make the decision to book. Once the tourist realizes the details of the hotel then he can directly go to the website of that specific hotel and make a booking.

Advantages of Online Travel Franchise Agencies.

1. They gain a huge popularity which enables them to reach to larger audience.
2. The savvy buyers can explore a huge range of experiences and price points that OTA's provide for those who are looking for new ideas to make their trip memorable.
3. OTAs make it easy for those savvy buyers who are price-conscious and shoppers. They make it convenient for them to search according to their budget and make choices in one option, instead of searching on various options.
4. They provide the option to use filters, allowing users to tailor their selections to their preferences, making OTAs a time-efficient tool for travel research.
5. OTAs can easily reach to wider audience through their own website "billboard effect". Here it spends a lot of money to promote their website. With a limited budget, it can generate a larger audience.

Disadvantages of Online Travel Agencies

1.OTAs have to pay commissions, and this depends on tour sales. They can make money by charging a commission on each booking. This raises to 20% of the cost of purchase or it may be even higher.

2. The main reason travelers dislike using OTAs is sometimes negligence in the customer service. If the traveler wants to cancel his booking due to some unforeseen reason then he has to deal with a large company and a lot of hassles in the customer service that takes a long time. Sometimes his money is not refunded which may affect their business in the long run.

3. Sometimes overbooking becomes a problem if you forget to list on an OTA. The buyer makes a booking over the phone, on websites, or through a reseller. He adds multiple online travel agents and then he is unable to manage overbooking tours, and thus he is deprived of the benefit he can get from using OTAs.

4. There can be a potential loss of business. If the OTA might shift its interest to some tour companies in the pretext to get more commission then it may so happen that his business rarely appears in searches while his competitors appear frequently.

5. Sometimes you lose complete control of the website, like a description of the tour, unable to edit and update the list, and so on. 

Some of the main reasons to prefer OTAs

• Many times the OTAs offer coupons or vouchers which can be used when you plan to travel in the future.
• They offer reasonable rates which is incomparable.
• The OTAs may give privileges on cancellation policies. They do not ask for any penalty instead it is used for your next visit of the trip.
• Some travelers are dependent on OTAs only because of the convenience of booking.
• OTAs make it convenient for travelers to compare the price rates and then make the booking.

CONCLUSION:

it is necessary to consider all the online travel franchise while choosing the best one. Check with the other successful franchisees about the support and training they are offered . At the same time know about the investment required for the brand with Franchisebazar and also see if it is affordable for you or not. Sometimes the reputed brand may not yield as much profit then the new brand. So it is necessary to do a detailed research of the reputed brand.

Disclaimer: The brands mentioned in this blog are the recommendations provided by the author. FranchiseBAZAR does not claim to work with these brands / represent them / or are associated with them in any manner. Investors and prospective franchisees are to do their own due diligence before investing in any franchise business at their own risk and discretion. FranchiseBAZAR or its Directors disclaim any liability or risks arising out of any transactions that may take place due to the information provided in this blog.