Just How Powerful is a Travel Advisor’s Niche?

For more than a quarter century, the idea of specialization has been popular with travel advisors as a way to separate themselves from the pack and add value for consumers.

Publications, such as Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, make up lists of advisors largely based on their specialties and niches while consortia and agencies structure their online advisor search functions based on products, consumer interests, and destination specializations. But what are the most popular specializations? And how many niches or destinations can a single advisor focus on?

Travel Market Report’s new Outlook on Niche Travel and Specialization, sponsored by MSC Cruises, tries to answer those questions. Over 800 readers of TMR shared their insights on their own personal journeys with their perspective specializations and niches in a survey sent out earlier this year. The questions and answers covered a variety of topics from what advisors already specialize in to the types of travel they are planning to add to their areas of expertise. They told us how many specialties they already have and their profitability, as well as how long it takes to become a specialist.

Among the conclusions, the results of the Outlook found that referrals and email lists are the most effective tools when marketing specialties, personal passion and interest is by far the number one reason advisors choose specializations, and more.

To read the full report, including tips on how to become a superstar specialist and a ranking of the most popular specialities from the surveyed advisors, click here.