travel model agency

Modeling Travel Expenses

When a model travels who pays the expenses.

One of the most popular questions we receive at ModelScouts.com is “When a Model Travels Who Pays The Expenses?” Does the modeling agency cover the model’s travel expenses, is it the client, or is it the model? And, the answer is….drumroll please — It depends.

There are several factors that are taken in to consideration when it comes to a model’s travel expenses, such as, a) is the model traveling to a new agency, b) is the model traveling to do a specific job, c) is the model experienced with a full book or are they brand new?

Here are the typical scenarios you may run across where a model’s travel expenses are considered:

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1. TRAVELING TO PERFORM A SPECIFIC JOB

When a client books a model to perform a specific job and the model has to travel to the set location the client is always expected to cover the model’s travel and accommodation expenses. This type of booking is called a “direct booking”.

There are times, but this is rare, that the client may be offering so much money that they will ask the model to cover his or her own travel expenses, again this is rare, and not something a mother agency will usually agree to.

2. TRAVELING TO MEET AN AGENCY FOR THE FIRST TIME

Models on ModelScouts.com are often contacted by top modeling agencies  that are interested in having the model travel to meet the agents and bookers in person. These agencies are usually located in the big fashion markets such as New York, Paris, Milan, London and Tokyo. However, many of our models are from small towns across the USA, Europe, South America and Australia. So, who pays for the model to travel to meet with the agency?

If an agency is very interested in the model the agency may pay the model’s travel expenses, and a mother agent will always try to negotiate this on behalf of the model. However, most of the time the model will be expected to cover his or her own airline ticket.

Our advice to models is that if an important agency in one of the major markets is interested in you then the price of an airline ticket is a small price to pay for a career that could potentially earn you hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars per year.

Besides, even if the agency does cover the travel expenses the model will be expected to pay the agency back once he or she starts working.

3. TRAVELING TO WORK WITH AN AGENCY UNDER CONTRACT

Agencies in North America (New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago) and Europe (Paris, Milan. London, Germany) don’t typically cover travel expenses even for models who are under contract with the agency. However, top agencies are always willing to negotiate these expenses on a case by case basis and expenses are something that your mother agency should be trying to negotiate for you. If the travel and accommodation expenses are covered by the agency the model will be expected to pay these expenses back once he or she starts working.

When a model travels to Asian markets (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei) the agency ALWAYS advances the model’s airline ticket and accommodation expenses. This is one of the reasons the Asian modeling agencies are so popular with new models.

Plus, the Asian market is great place for new models to get tearsheets and build their books. Models are expected to pay the agency back for their travel expenses once they start working, however the nice thing about working for an Asian agency is that if the model doesn’t earn enough to cover his or her expenses they will not be required to pay the agency back out of their own pocket. We love that.

If you have been offered a contract or a meeting with a top modeling agency our experts can help negotiate your representation, travel and accommodation expenses and other important aspects of your modeling career. Simply  create your model profile  to get started.

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Travel Agency Business Model: What It Is and How it Works

In 1758, Cox & Kings became the first travel agency in modern history. Since then, the traditional travel agency model has grown and evolved into a $149 billion industry while the new online traveling agency model generates over $400 billion. It’s clear that this is a business model that has withstood the test of time. Let’s take a look at this business model , its advantages and disadvantages, how it makes money, and a few examples.

The Travel Agency Business Model

The travel agency business model is a framework that travel agencies use to provide travel-related services to customers. At its core, this model involves acting as an intermediary between clients and various travel service providers, such as airlines, hotels, and tour operators.

Travel agencies understand customer needs, preferences, and budgets to create personalized travel experiences. They leverage their expertise and industry connections to access information and deals not readily available to the public. Typically, travel agencies earn their income through commissions from the service providers they book with, service fees charged to clients, or a combination of both.

However, technology has expanded how this model works and how it generates revenue. No longer are commissions the only method by which agencies make money. As the world has changed, so has this model and its income-generating capabilities. Let’s take a look at a few different ways to make money from this model.

How Travel Agencies Make Money

Traditionally, the way travel agents generate revenue is the same way other businesses using the agency model make their money: through commissions. When an agent or agency recommends a hotel, cruise, or airline, they receive a commission from those entities. The size of the commission usually depends on the type of service purchased. For example, hotels typically offer a 10% commission per booking. 

On the other hand, c ruises offer up to 18% commission to agencies for vacation packages sold. 

• Commission from bookings : Earn a percentage from bookings for hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and tour operators.
• Service fees: Charge for personalized services like itinerary planning, booking assistance, and on-trip support.
• Travel insurance: Sale of travel insurance to clients for additional income and enhanced customer service.
• Exclusive tours and packages: Organizing and selling their own tours and packages for higher profit margins.
• Travel-related merchandise: Selling merchandise related to travel.
• Strategic partnerships: Leveraging partnerships for mutual promotions and additional revenue.

Types of Travel Agencies

Traditional brick-and-mortar agencies.

Traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies are physical establishments where clients can walk in and consult with travel agents face-to-face. These agencies offer a personal touch, with experienced agents providing customized travel planning services.

They are particularly valuable for complex travel arrangements, like multi-destination trips, cruises, or group travel. Traditional agencies often build strong local customer bases and can provide a level of detail and customer care that is hard to match online. They are ideal for customers who prefer in-person interactions and seek expert guidance and reassurance throughout the booking process.

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

Online Travel Agencies, or OTAs, operate strictly on the internet. Travelweb.com and Expedia were among the first online travel agencies that helped visitors find hotels and flights without working with a human agent. Sites like Travelocity and Orbitz soon followed. Eventually, those agencies were acquired by Expedia Group. 

OTAs provide the advantage of easy comparison shopping, allowing customers to quickly compare prices and options for flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. They often offer competitive pricing and are accessible 24/7. However, they may offer less personalized service compared to traditional agencies. OTAs often make money using different pricing models.

Here are some examples of the different pricing models used by OTAs:

• Airbnb – Peer-to-Peer Model
• TripAdvisor – Advertising Model
• Booking.com – Agency and Merchant Model
• Travelocity – Merchant Model

Airbnb, which was once known as a rental company has pivoted into a travel agency. 

Specialty Travel Agencies

Specialty travel agencies focus on particular types of travel or destinations. These agencies create a unique selling point by offering expert knowledge and specialized services. This category includes agencies that specialize in areas like luxury travel, adventure tours, eco-tourism, or specific regions of the world.

They cater to niche markets and provide in-depth knowledge and unique experiences tailored to their clients’ interests. For example, an agency specializing in safari tours would have detailed knowledge about various African destinations. They would also know the best times to visit and any unique accommodations. These agencies are ideal for travelers with specific interests or who are seeking an extraordinary travel experience.

Corporate Travel Agencies

Corporate travel agencies specialize in handling the travel needs of businesses and organizations. They manage business trips, conferences, and other travel-related needs for companies. These agencies are adept at navigating the complexities of business travel, such as corporate rates, expense management, and travel policy compliance.

They offer services like 24/7 support, travel risk management, and detailed reporting. Corporate travel agencies are essential for companies looking to streamline their travel processes, ensure the safety and comfort of their traveling employees, and control travel-related expenses. AMEX GBT and TravelBank are a few examples of the leading corporate travel agencies out there.

Pros of the Travel Agency Business Model

The travel agency business model, despite its challenges, offers several advantages that make it a viable and often preferred choice for many travelers. These benefits not only help travel agencies attract and retain customers but also provide them with unique opportunities to stand out in a competitive market.

Personalized Customer Service

One of the primary strengths of travel agencies is their ability to offer personalized customer service. However, this is true for brick-and-mortar agencies. OTAs have very few personalized services other than those recommendations offered by the site’s algorithms or targeting cookies.

Unlike online booking platforms, retail travel agents can provide a high level of personal attention. They understand that individuals have different preferences, needs, and budgets.

This personal touch allows them to craft travel experiences that are tailored specifically to each client. This can be particularly valuable for complex itineraries, special occasions, or for travelers with specific needs. The ability to offer bespoke travel planning and problem-solving during trips creates a customer experience that automated services simply cannot match.

 Diverse Revenue Streams

One of the major advantages of the travel agency business model is the potential for diverse revenue streams. Travel agencies can earn income through various channels such as commissions from travel providers (like airlines, hotels, and tour operators), service fees for specialized itinerary planning, and the sale of travel insurance. This diversification allows agencies to maintain a steady income even if one particular source declines.

High Client Retention Rate

Travel agencies often enjoy a high client retention rate. In the hospitality and travel sectors, the typical client retention percentage ranges around 55%. By providing personalized service, expert advice, and hassle-free travel planning, agencies can build a loyal client base. Satisfied customers are likely to return for future travel needs and recommend the agency to others, which is invaluable for long-term business growth.

Scalability in the Travel Agency Business

Scalability is a standout advantage in the travel agency business model. Initially, a travel agency can start small, focusing on a niche market or a specific type of travel service. As the business gains a foothold, it can incrementally expand what it has to offer. This could include adding new destinations, diverse travel packages such as luxury tours, budget trips, or adventure travel, and broadening the range of services including corporate or group travel management.

Importantly, the scalability of a travel agency does not necessarily require a proportional increase in overhead or resources. This aspect allows for sustainable growth. As a result, travel agencies can scale up (or down) in response to market trends or economic conditions. This also means that they can pivot because of consumer preferences. 

For example, in the 1990s Acapulco was a highly desired destination. However, in the 2020s travelers are flocking to Dubai for their getaways. Travel agencies can quickly pivot in order to give clients travel options while not needing to change their business operations.

Cons of the Travel Agency Business Model

Increased competition.

One of the most formidable challenges facing travel agencies today is the heightened level of competition. With the advent of online booking platforms, such as Expedia and Booking.com, and direct booking options offered by airlines and hotels, traditional travel agencies find themselves competing in an increasingly crowded market.

These online platforms often provide customers with a convenient way to compare prices and book travel services directly, bypassing the need for an intermediary. Additionally, they are typically available 24/7, offering a level of convenience that traditional agencies struggle to match.

This shift has not only squeezed the market share of traditional travel agencies but also put downward pressure on their pricing and service fees.

Dependence on External Factors

One notable disadvantage of this model is the high level of exposure to external factors. Their operations and profitability are closely tied to global and regional dynamics. As most know, these can be unpredictable and highly impactful. Geopolitical events, such as political unrest, terrorism, or diplomatic tensions, can abruptly make destinations less appealing or even inaccessible. When these things happen, it can lead to a significant drop in bookings and revenue. Similarly, economic downturns can quickly change travel patterns, with people cutting back on discretionary spending like vacations, directly affecting travel agency sales.

Natural disasters, health pandemics, and environmental concerns also play a major role in influencing travel decisions. For example, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global road travel and commercial flight activity decreased by 50 percent and 60 percent . 

Also, currency fluctuations and changing visa regulations can impact international travel trends. A strong currency in a key market can deter travelers. On top of that, stricter visa regulations can reduce the number of inbound tourists. These elements make planning and forecasting exceptionally challenging for travel agencies, requiring them to be adaptable and resilient in the face of constant change.

Low-Profit Margins

The travel agency business is characterized by relatively low profit margins, a significant con in its operational model. This challenge stems from several factors, including intense competition with online travel platforms and direct booking options offered by airlines and hotels, which often feature lower prices and more direct control over the customer experience. In order to remain competitive, traditional travel agencies are often compelled to offer compelling deals, which can further compress their profit margins.

Commission-based income, which is a primary revenue source for many travel agencies, presents its own set of challenges. These commissions, often a percentage of the total booking cost, can be modest, especially with suppliers increasingly reducing commission rates. Furthermore, the growing trend of suppliers offering the same or lower rates directly to consumers further exacerbates the pressure on profit margins.

Time-Intensive Operations

The operation of a travel agency is often a time-intensive endeavor, which can be a significant downside of this business model. Crafting personalized travel experiences, which is a key selling point for many agencies, requires meticulous planning, extensive research, and constant communication with clients and suppliers. This level of customization and attention to detail is labor-intensive and time-consuming, especially when catering to clients with specific or complex travel needs.

Furthermore, the nature of the travel industry demands that agencies remain responsive to client needs around the clock, especially for clients who are actively traveling. Dealing with last-minute changes, addressing travel disruptions, and providing support across different time zones can be demanding and reduce the time available for other business activities.

For small or independent travel agencies, where resources are limited, this time commitment can be particularly challenging. Balancing the need to provide high-quality, personalized service to existing clients while simultaneously engaging in marketing efforts, business development, and administrative tasks can stretch resources thin. This time pressure can limit the agency’s ability to scale up, as acquiring new clients and expanding services requires additional time and effort that may not be readily available.

As we mentioned before, it appears that this is a business model that is here to stay. The travel agency model has many traditional elements of a successful business model but has also integrated modern methods with the advancement of technology. Entrepreneurs and business owners considering this model should take the time to understand the benefits as well as the risks involved.

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Business model canvas for a travel agency (examples).

Get a watermark-free, fully customizable business model canvas in our business plan for a travel agency

In the dynamic and ever-evolving travel industry, having a clear roadmap to success is essential for any travel agency looking to thrive.

Welcome to your detailed walkthrough of the Business Model Canvas, customized for travel agency professionals.

This guide deconstructs the framework into manageable pieces, enabling you to pinpoint your unique value proposition, target customer segments, essential activities, and much more.

Should you be in search of a ready-to-use Business Model Canvas that's fully customizable, feel free to explore our business plan template designed specifically for travel agency ventures .

What is a Business Model Canvas? Should you make one for your travel agency?

A Business Model Canvas is a strategic tool designed to help you visualize and plan the building blocks of your travel agency business. It's like a map that guides you through the different aspects of your business, ensuring you cover all the bases.

Think of it as a one-page framework that helps you work through the core components of your travel agency, such as your unique value proposition, customer relationships, channels, key activities, revenue streams, and cost structure.

Why do people create a Business Model Canvas for their travel agency? It's simple: to get a bird's-eye view of how their business will operate and generate income. It prompts you to think about how you'll attract and retain customers, what kind of travel experiences you'll offer, how you'll reach your target market, and how you'll manage your finances.

For a travel agency, this might involve detailing your specialty in exotic destinations, personalized itineraries, partnerships with local tour operators, or your online booking platform.

The benefits of crafting a Business Model Canvas are numerous.

It encourages strategic planning and helps you to prioritize the most critical aspects of your business. It can reveal gaps in your plan or new market opportunities you hadn't considered. For example, you might discover a niche market for eco-friendly travel packages that sets you apart from competitors.

If you're starting a new travel agency, should you use a Business Model Canvas? Definitely.

It's an essential part of the planning process that can steer your business decisions and strategies. It's a way to clearly communicate your business concept to potential investors, partners, or employees. A well-thought-out Business Model Canvas, like the one you can create using our tailored business plan template for travel agencies , can transform a vague idea into a solid plan with a clear direction.

Is it useful for you? Without a doubt, especially if you want to establish a clear strategy for your travel agency. It forces you to systematically work through your business idea and assess its viability.

Moreover, it's a dynamic document that can evolve with your business and adapt to changes in the travel industry.

How to create a Business Model Canvas for your travel agency?

Creating a Business Model Canvas for your travel agency should be straightforward.

You can simply edit the one we have already created and filled in our business plan template made for a travel agency .

Need more details? Let's break it down into manageable parts, focusing on each section of the canvas, and we'll guide you on how to fill it out with ideas and inspirations, using a simple and straightforward approach.

Value Proposition

First off, let's talk about the Value Proposition.

This is the core of your travel agency. What makes your agency stand out? Is it the personalized travel experiences, the exclusive deals, or perhaps the comprehensive travel packages?

Think about what will make clients choose your agency over others.

It could be specialized tours, a strong focus on sustainable travel, or access to off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Customer Segments

Next up is Customer Segments.

Who are you catering to? Are you targeting luxury travelers, adventure seekers, or maybe budget-conscious students?

Understanding your target clients will shape many of your decisions, from package offerings to marketing strategies.

Now, let's focus on Channels.

How will you reach your clients? This could involve a mix of online and offline methods.

Think about using social media to showcase destinations, a website for booking and inquiries, and traditional advertising like travel expos and local events to attract a diverse clientele.

Don't forget the power of customer reviews and consider how you can encourage clients to share their travel stories.

Customer Relationships

Customer Relationships are all about how you interact with your clients and ensure they have memorable trips.

Personalized travel planning, follow-up services, and responding to feedback are key.

Consider how technology can enhance the travel experience, perhaps through a mobile app that provides travel tips and support.

Revenue Streams

The Revenue Streams section will make you think about how your travel agency will earn income.

Apart from direct travel bookings, consider other revenue streams such as travel insurance, visa processing services, or selling travel gear and accessories.

Be creative and think about what aligns with your brand and client base.

Key Activities

On the other side of the canvas, we have Key Activities.

These are the essential tasks you need to do to make your travel agency thrive. This includes curating travel packages, managing bookings, marketing, and customer service.

Consider what activities are crucial to delivering your value proposition and how you can perform them effectively.

Key Resources

Key Resources are the assets you need to deliver your value proposition.

This includes your travel expertise, your staff, your network of travel providers, and even your online presence. Think about what you need to make your travel agency successful and how you can secure these resources.

Key Partnerships

Key Partnerships might involve travel operators, hotels, airlines, or other alliances that can help you offer better deals or unique experiences.

For instance, forming a partnership with local tour guides or international travel agencies can expand your offerings and provide clients with exclusive experiences.

Cost Structure

Lastly, Cost Structure.

Running a travel agency involves various costs, from office rent and salaries to marketing expenses and software subscriptions. Understanding these will help you manage your finances effectively.

It's important to identify which costs are fixed, like rent, and which are variable, like advertising, to plan your budget accordingly.

What should be included in each section of the Business Model Canvas for a travel agency?

Unsure about how to detail the Business Model Canvas for your travel agency? You might want to consider customizing the one we've included in our business plan template .

Let us guide you through some examples of what you could include in each section of the Business Model Canvas for a travel agency.

Examples of Business Model Canvas for a travel agency

Below are examples of business model canvases for three different types of travel agencies: Luxury Travel Agency, Adventure Travel Agency, and Online Travel Agency.

Luxury Travel Agency Business Model Canvas

Adventure travel agency business model canvas, online travel agency business model canvas.

You can also read our articles about: - how to build a marketing strategy for your travel agency - how to segment the customers of your travel agency - how to make a competition study for your travel agency - how to start a travel agency (guide)

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Online Travel Agency Business Models

“Online travel agency business models” What are these?! Business models that determine how a company generates revenue through the travel and tourism sector, similar to a blueprint. The global online travel market size is expected to generate a revenue of 691 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.

When identification and consolidation of fragmented offers, technological innovations, marketing and advertising techniques , merges with consumer needs, a travel agency would have achieved their first target. Further enhancement and sustenance will depend on their resilience and ability to keep in tune with the changing times.

Looking to transform your website into a revenue-generating online travel agency business model? Hop into our blog and grasp the details on how to conduct SWOT analysis and formulate strategies for generating revenue through the models.

6+ Online Travel Agency Business Models

To attract customers and succeed in this competitive industry, innovative travel agencies offer customized vacation packages, booking, activities, and audiovisual guides. To generate large revenues from their services, most travel platforms employ a variety of business models suiting their objectives.

MakeMyTrip, established in India with a focus on generating revenue from travelers, has achieved remarkable success in a short period of time. Within one year of its inception, the company has established a substantial customer base of over 200,000 satisfied individuals, with daily sales of over 3,000 flight tickets, 300 hotel room nights, and 50 holiday packages.

To learn more on their case study, check out the link .

Let’s get to know some well-known business models that the travel industry keep implementing,

1. Advertising Model

Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and any other medium where the advertising revenue for the survival of the business. These traditional ways have long been associated with the advertising business model. But, today, most of the online consumers are reluctant to the traditional ways of advertising. Advertising will never go out of style, even as the market becomes more competitive and ad space becomes more valuable. 

In the digitalized era, hotels and clients are featured on the website through pages, advertisements, or suggestions and this is considered to be the current advertising model. The client pays the travel website a fee when a user clicks on the link and visits the client’s website (Cost per click – CPC). Another source of income is a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) fee, which is paid by the client based on the number of views.

Tripadvisor is an aggregator website that consolidates hotels, travel destinations, user reviews, and so on. By establishing its base on advertising business model, it has acquired a solid reputation. Currently, more than one billion+ users are visiting the site in a month across 8 million countries. To know more on this, check out the link

Did You Know?

The market size of the global online travel agent industry was $521 billion in 2023, with an estimated growth to $1 trillion by 2030

2. Merchant Model

The merchant model is all the transaction between the property owner and the OTA. Here, the property owner sells the rooms to the OTA at a lower price than the standard, which the OTA sells to the customers and earns revenue. This model aims at selling rooms in bulk without any standardization of the guest profile.

Expedia, a frontier travel-based directory website curating details that includes vacation packages, flights, attraction, and more. The organization runs based on three business models including merchant model, agency model, and advertising model. Among which, the merchant model contributed 64% of its revenue in 2021. To read more on this, click here .

3. Agency Model

The revenue model for the agency is based on per-room revenue. The property owner decides on the prices at which the rooms are sold, and the property owner is solely responsible for the rooms’ maintenance and customer service. Once the guest has checked out of the hotel, the property owner is responsible for paying the commission. This model appears to be financially unprofitable, but it is transparent. This makes it easier for both property owners and customers to trust and rely on the company for their reservations. Property owners find it safe to put their trust in the platform in order to increase their revenue. 

Booking.com, a leading online travel marketplace has generated a revenue of $11 billion+ as of 2021-2022. The agency model followed by the organization has the major contribution to the revenue. But, to make a note of, oBooking.com has shifted from the agency model to merchant model. To explore on this, check out the site .

4. Subscription Model

In this model, hotels and resorts partner with travel agencies and users can view descriptions and contact information for the hotels on the website. Customers prefer to plan their entire trip from the comfort of their own homes, so airlines, local taxis, and other businesses have partnered with these agencies. Customers tend to book vacations only once or twice a year, so subscriptions are a necessary revenue stream for any travel startup.

5. Partnership Model

This model is all about partnering with social travel platforms, which can provide a much-needed recurring revenue stream. On social media platforms, users interested in visiting a specific destination can get advice, descriptions, and reviews from other travelers. Due to this, many online travel agencies and booking platforms are looking to partner with these social travel platforms with large communities in order to grow their customer base and stay ahead of the competition. 

By 2028, online sales are projected to make up 76% of all revenue in travel and tourism

6. Peer-to-Peer Networks

This works on the concept of sharing. Here, the websites aim to foster a sharing economy by connecting travelers with property owners who are willing to rent rooms or houses for the duration of their stay. They provide a booking portal for these rooms and charge both the buyer and the seller a commission. They are more popular than vacation packages because they provide affordable and flexible travel options.

Reputed Travel Agencies and Their Business Model,

• TripAdvisor – Advertising Model
• Booking.com – Agency and Merchant Model
• Expedia – Merchant Model
• MakeMyTrip – Subscription Model
• Airbnb – Peer to Peer
• Vrbo – Peer to Peer

Strength and Weakness of Travel Industry (SWOT Analysis)

Strengths are the aspects through which you can understand the market advantage and can be used in leveraging the market plan.

Some strengths of the travel industry are,

• A well- constructed website projecting the quality of service you offer
• The safety services that you offer in and around your environment would attract more tourists to your place
• Offering different types of accommodations for various categories of tourists
• Offering quality services and products would bring in more customers
• Providing traveling convenience with strong infrastructure, roads, airport, and other amenities would attract more tourists to that place

Weakness would always make it harder to maximize the opportunities and vulnerable to threats. Every travel agency would have inherent weakness, referring only to the internal issues.

Some weakness of the travel industry are,

• Tourism is a combination of different businesses, and the main objective should be the growth of the travel industry. Since different businesses have their own goals, it is essential to have good and professional management skills. If not managed properly, it is quite difficult to achieve your goals
• If you have lack of innovation and creativity in different categories like transport, luxury, restaurants, etc. and if a coherence is missed among them then, it would affect the growth of the industry
• Providing less quality services
• High employee turnover as the employees are engaged more with less pay
• Less investment for training and developing the employees
• Still depending upon traditional/conventional marketing strategies, though the technology development is growing every day

Opportunities

Opportunities are external, and they provide the company all possibilities to take advantage of them. It is essential to choose the most potential opportunity and is also critical.

Some opportunities of the travel industry are,

• Instead of offering collective services to your customers, try offering personalized services which would make your customers appealing 
• Choose an unusual spot, establish a good place which would attract more tourists
• Be very cautions about the environment, ensure to establish an eco-friendly environment attracting tourists 
• Implementing the best suitable online marketing strategies would increase your visibility and bring in more tourists

Threats are also external to the travel agency. It could be a pandemic, a new competitor, natural disasters, conditions that would change your local community, bad economy and more. Any of these would affect the industry and would freeze its ability to explore opportunities and grow.

Some threats of the travel industry are,

• The lockdown or shutdown of the business during the pandemic Environmental issues affect the industry and even the tourism industry is affecting the environment
• Political chaos creates marketing uncertainty
• Economic recession has created a great impact on the industry
• Highly competitive industry
• Your competitor would have affiliated with a large industry franchise

How a Travel Agency Needs to Understand the Industry?

Understanding the market.

• The industry being a competitive one, and already the leading players have conquered the market by growing their share. It is essential to establish your travel agency with a specific niche to stay afloat.
• If you are a new travel agency, you have to work hard to gain tourists’ trust
• Need to put a lot of effort to improve the visibility of your travel agency
• You can be destination specific, here, you target a region and offer some unique deals and services that are not provided by the dominating service providers
• Pricing is the main consideration for travelers. Most of the travel agencies compete by price, and it is also essential that you surpass the leading OTAs in terms of pricing
• You can narrow down your travel agency strategies by focusing on specific region, budget-friendly, various packages, family/solo travelers and more
• Establishing your travel website with satisfying user experience by offering unique and powerful engine like non-interlined flights, creating quite complex itineraries with multiple stops
• Understanding the market also includes analyzing your competitors. Examining their products and services, would help in pinpointing your lags and the areas that need improvements

Investigating On Your Target Audience

• Investigate and recognize who your travelers are? Understand their demographics, which would help in narrowing down the strategies 
• Look for the travelers’ search patterns while booking tickets/hotels. Collect information on how travelers’ approach travel websites? This would help you in understanding the distribution channels
• Analyzing how often your target audience travels? / how price sensitive they are?. This information would help you to narrow down and implement the suitable strategies to attract more costumes to your travel agency
• This would help in understanding your audience’s behavior and also creating a user persona would help in approaching them with your team 

Revenue Boosting Strategies For Your Travel Agency Business

To help your travel business to function out of the box and to generate more revenue, here, are some strategies that you can implement today—or plan for once your business is up and running

• Implement customer referral programs, this would generate more revenue by attracting more tourists
• Increase your visibility in the social media platforms
• Offer personalized discounts and packages after analyzing your tourists
• Encourage your customers to leave reviews
• Know your audience properly
• Develop a great relationship with your customers by engaging them
• Create a blog room, from where readers can get to know about beautiful destinations and also about the fascinating experience of other travelers

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

Choose the model that is right for your online travel agency.

These are some of the most common online travel agency business models, but there are many variations and combinations of these models in the travel industry. The choice of business model depends on factors such as the agency’s goals, target audience, and the types of travel services offered. Plan towards establishing an optimized travel business by keeping in mind the factors that have been discussed in this article.

Do you have an innovative idea for establishing your travel business? Are you confused about deciding a suitable business model? or planning for a travel web app?

Do contact ColorWhistle for professional assistance by sending a message or call us at +1 (210) 787-3600, we’ll get back to you at the earliest. We provide services tailored to your requirements that suit your business model.

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About the Author - Varsha

I am a zealous copywriter with an enthusiasm to learn everyday. I am able to diversify my knowledge at CW as I get the opportunity to write for various industries. What I love about writing is the research part when I can explore on the data while googling. I am also experienced in playing with words for the WooCommerce plugins and eCommerce platforms. When am off from writing I love experimenting new dishes and also a booklouse at time.

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Modeling Travel Expenses: Who Pays?

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• Northwestern California School of Law

When a model travels,  who pays the expenses ? It is a common question that new models have, particularly if the model lives in a smaller market outside of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan, or Tokyo.

Does the model pay for their expenses? Or, does the agency or client? The answer is: it depends.

Here are four of the most common scenarios where a model’s travel expenses will need to be considered.

Meeting an Agency for the First Time

If you are traveling to meet with an agency for the first time to attend an open call or audition, you will be expected to cover all of your travel expenses.

If an agency has requested to meet you in person because you submitted your photos through an online model scouting service or some other method, you will often be expected to cover your travel expenses. If one of the major modeling agencies wants to meet you, then the cost of an airline ticket is a small price to pay for a modeling career that has the potential to earn you hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars per year.

There are times, however, that an agency may be very, very interested in you and is willing to advance your travel and accommodation expenses. It is usually done with the understanding that you will pay the agency back once you start booking modeling jobs.

Working With an Agency Under Contract

If you are traveling to work with an agency that has offered you a contract or has confirmed that it will be representing you, then the agency may be willing to advance certain expenses.

There was a time when agencies in major markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Milan were willing to pay in advance for airline tickets, apartment rental, and even spending money. However, in today’s economic climate, even the big agencies are less likely to cover airline travel and spending money. Still, most will be willing to put you up in the agency’s model’s apartment and deduct the rent from your account once you start working.

Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Other Asian Markets

 Marco Ferrarin / Getty Images

If you are going to work as a model in Asia , you will have to be under contract with an agency and have your visa and working papers in order before you travel.  

One of the great things about working in Asia, and why it is so popular with new models, is that the agency will always offer to cover your airline ticket, apartment and even give you some extra for spending money. Keep in mind, however, that this is an advance, and these costs will be deducted from your account once you start working. If you do not earn enough to cover your expenses, you will not be required to pay the agency back. Unlike in other markets where you can be responsible for any advances, the agency makes regardless of whether or not you book enough jobs.

Performing a Specific Job

If you are traveling to perform a specific job, the client will almost always pay for your travel, accommodation, and meals. This type of job is called a “direct booking." A good modeling agency will always do its best to negotiate with the client to have your expenses covered.

There are times, but this is rare, that the client may be offering so much money that they will ask the model to cover their travel expenses, but again this is rare and not something to which a mother agent will usually agree.

Travel Expenses Can Be Negotiable

Just as every model is different, so is every agency. While one agency may not be willing to advance certain expenses, another agency may be willing to do so. Expenses, like most things in business, are negotiable.

One way to improve your chances of having your expenses covered is to have a good "mother agency" in your corner. A mother agency is an agency that represents you in your local market and promotes you to larger agencies in bigger markets.

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The 4 best agency pricing models (with real examples)

• 13 min read

Why it’s important to choose the right agency pricing model

• core agency pricing models to learn from

What is the best agency pricing model for me?

Pricing is one of those things that can be daunting for every business owner just starting out.

Knowing how much to charge, and how often, will set the stage for how healthy of a business you’ll be able to create. I mean, after all, without getting paid, you won’t have a business.

So if you want to run a lean, competitive, and financially stable business — and why wouldn’t you? — one of the first things you need to figure out is your agency pricing model.

In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the best pricing models so you can choose the best option for your agency.

Choosing the right agency pricing model is about far more than just getting paid. It also influences a lot of other important aspects of your business, too. Before we share the most popular models that agencies around the world use to charge clients, let’s explore the reasons why you need to get your pricing right.

Business operations

Your agency pricing model has a significant effect on your revenues. However, you need to think beyond what you take home each tax year. Setting your prices and your model dictates how you can cover costs, pay for employees and contractors, and how much money you have to reinvest in your business for things like equipment, marketing agency tools , and human capital.

Perception of value

Your agency pricing model affects your client’s perception of whether your service provides value. For example, charging an hourly rate or a flat monthly fee, and your client will focus on what you achieve within that time, with no promise that your work will make an impact. However, if you embrace a performance-based model, clients only pay for the results you generate.

Competition

Competing on price is one thing; competing on pricing models is another. It’s hard to compete against other agencies in your niche, which is why many businesses slash their prices. The problem with that approach is that you’re stuck trying to cover costs and make a profit on tight margins.

If you want to stand out against rival agencies, offering an alternative business model can work. For example, if other agencies use an hourly or day rate to charge their clients, you can compete with a flat monthly subscription with clearly defined deliverables. In some situations, that type of model will prove more attractive to your clients.

Client relationships

Your pricing model can even play a role in client relationships. Part of this is about the perception of value, which we’ve discussed above. The other part is about providing transparency and clarity. For example, a productized or subscription service business model outlines the client’s expectations in no uncertain terms, which can help foster trust and loyalty.

Time and resource allocation

Whichever agency pricing model you choose will also dictate what sort of contracts or arrangements you choose. For example, if you charge hourly, it’s natural to seek work that allows you to maximize your billable hours. On the other hand, a value-based model means you will identify contracts where you can have a measurable impact on revenue and take a cut.

Getting paid per hour or by project is difficult to scale because you can only bill for so much time per month. However, other models, like retainer or performance-based payments, are more amenable to scale. So, think about your business objectives over the long term when you’re picking the right model for you.

Ok, now that you understand the impact that agency pricing models can have on you, your clients, and your business objectives, it’s time to study the different models you can apply as an agency.

4 core agency pricing models to learn from

Here are the four main agency pricing models:

• Hourly pricing
• Performance-based
• Project-based

Alright, let’s go through examples and the pros and cons of each of these models.

1. Hourly pricing

Hourly pricing is one of the most common cost structures among agencies. It works fairly simply, which explains some of the appeal. An agency sets a predetermined hourly price for their service and invoices their client based on how long a project or set of projects takes.

The good thing about hourly pricing is that you ensure you get compensated for the actual time you spend on a project. This arrangement makes it easier to deal with things like scope creep or unexpected additional work on a project.

However, you do need to find a way to justify each hour of work. You can do this by keeping a work diary. Alternatively, there are lots of project management tools that come with time-tracking capabilities. These tools provide value for both you and your clients because you can automate your hours and invoices, and your clients can easily control their budgets. So, make sure they are part of your agency tech stack.

A big advantage of the hourly pricing model is its flexibility. Your clients can easily add tasks or adjust projects and pay for the additional work they receive, making it ideal for ongoing and one-off projects.

Of course, no model is perfect. One of the big issues with hourly pricing is that monthly or annual revenues are irregular and hard to predict. However, there are alternative models that are more geared toward recurring revenue, which we will share later in this article.

Pros and cons of hourly pricing

• This pricing model is very simple to understand and implement.
• Clients don’t need to pay a large fee upfront.
• Hourly pricing offers a lot of flexibility and works well in scenarios with unpredictable workloads.
• Clients might have questions about how productive you are during each hour.
• Hourly pricing pits your profitability against your clients.
• This model is challenging to scale without hugely boosting your efficiency.

How to set your hourly price

There are lots of different factors that go into setting your hourly rate. Let’s look at the two most common approaches.

Market-based pricing

In industries with a lot of competition, market-based pricing might be your best bet. While many clients want quality at any cost, others are more interested in getting as much value as possible from their agency. As such, other agencies can influence the hourly rate you charge.

If you’re just starting out, you can find the average cost via competitor analysis. This research can help you gauge your pricing, but it’s not an exact science.

Cost-based pricing

Cost-based pricing looks at what it costs you to deliver your service and adds an acceptable profit margin on top. For smaller agencies, costs can be fairly minimal and constitute things like utilities, equipment, and, of course, your time. However, once you start adding in employees and office rents, costs can rise dramatically.

Agencies in coastal cities typically charge more to reflect higher costs of living, rents, and salaries. As such, their cost-based hourly rate will be more than, for example, a Midwestern business. Of course, as remote work has emerged, it does represent an opportunity to compete with companies around the nation, but without the typical costs of doing business.

Example of the hourly pricing model

If you need a good example of the hourly pricing model, look no further than freelancers or small agencies on Upwork . These agencies typically have a standard hourly rate that they use to attract clients.

However, it’s important to note that Upwork also provides flexibility to bid per project or milestone, too.

2. Retainer

The retainer pricing model typically involves clients paying a monthly or quarterly fee to “retain” your agency's service during that time. That monthly or quarterly fee will usually contain something like:

• An agreed set of hours.
• Specific tasks.
• A clearly delineated scope of work.

When compared to hourly charges, there is a bit more discussion to trash out with the client. However, once you’ve ironed out an agreement, there is less admin involved.

One interesting way to cut back on admin while offering a retainer service is by adopting a productized service business model. These models work because they establish clear boundaries around what each client can expect from your service. What’s more, these packages are sold like a product, which makes invoices and billing very straightforward.

Overall, the retainer agency pricing model will only work for specific scenarios. It’s a good choice for agencies that offer services that are built on consistency and long-term relationships, such as SEO or digital marketing. These arrangements mean agencies and clients can build deeper relationships and better, more fruitful collaborations.

Pros and cons of retainer pricing

• Helps agencies secure consistent and predictable revenue, making it easier to manage resources.
• Agencies with predictable revenue can focus more on delivering value for their clients and spend less time on sales and marketing.
• Retainers help agencies focus time on retention and developing stronger relationships.
• For a variety of reasons, clients come and go, and sometimes abruptly. Overreliance on a retainer for a big client might leave your agency in a vulnerable spot if you lose their business.
• Scope creep becomes an issue if clients want to request more work than initially anticipated.
• If your roster gets too full, it means you’ll need to turn down ad-hoc work and potentially miss out on developing other relationships with clients.

How to set your retainer rate

Setting retainer pricing is a little tricky for new or inexperienced agencies. However, you can use this method to set your retainer prices.

Firstly, work out your hourly or per-project rate. Add in your overheads, such as staff, software subscriptions, rent, utilities, and so on. From there, estimate how much time and resources each retainer service will cost you to deliver, factoring in any additional value you offer, such as expertise, specialist knowledge, or experience.

From there, you can build various tiers based on the scope of work, deliverables, potential clients' budgets, and so forth. Ideally, you want to leave a little wriggle room to ensure you can deliver great service without overextending yourself and taking too much time away from other projects or clients.

Example of the retainer/subscription pricing model

ViralCuts is a video-editing service that connects clients with first-rate video editors around the world. It’s a great option for teams that produce a lot of videos and don’t have the time to find and assess new editors for each one.

Understandably, ViralCuts is the perfect type of business for a retainer pricing model. They offer different tiers of productized services based on editors' experiences. Each retainer gives a client 40 hours per week with a dedicated editor.

3. Performance-based

The performance-based pricing model ties your agency fees to a metric or set of metrics that measure the impact of your work. These arrangements are dramatically different from hourly or project-based work. However, they do introduce a level of unpredictability into your work, which means they won’t work for every agency.

Some examples of performance-based agencies include things like payment based on the number of sales or leads generated by the marketing agency each month. Instead of paying a flat or hourly fee, your client pays for each opportunity.

Performance-based models are a bit of a double-edged sword. In the worst-case scenario, this model can mean your agency invests a lot of time and resources into working for a client but for little reward. In other cases, you can generate revenue well in excess of your effort if a campaign takes off. Either way, it means abandoning thoughts of predictable revenue and, instead, betting on yourself or your agency.

For clients, there is a lot of appeal about working with a performance-based agency. In particular, it removes an element of risk because if the agency does not perform well, they don’t get paid. As such, it’s only advisable to adopt this financial model if you have absolute confidence to deliver impactful results.

Another important thing to consider is that some KPIs and metrics are hard to track and attribute. For example, let’s say you are a digital marketing agency, and you charge based on revenue generated by your campaign. Accurately tracking which of your actions led to sales can be difficult. What’s more, you’ll need to trust your client to report revenues to ensure you get your cut accurately.

Pros and cons of performance-based pricing

• Potential to earn high volumes of revenue if you can deliver great results for your client.
• Performance-based pricing is a great idea for clients because they only pay for results.
• Ensures that agencies stay focused on generating tangible results.
• Revenue is not assured, which means poor luck or unforeseen market changes might leave your agency struggling financially.
• This model will only work for certain situations and industries, which means you’ll have a far narrower base of potential clients.
• This model can occasionally lead to prioritizing short-term success over more long-term and sustainable actions.

How to set your performance-based pricing rates

Determining performance-based pricing seems complicated at first glance. However, it’s fairly straightforward to do with the right kind of planning.

For starters, agree to outline the KPIs and metrics that you will measure to determine success. That can be leads, sales, web traffic, or whatever custom metrics work for your client. From there, you need to establish your client’s current performance as a baseline and then set realistic targets for what you can do.

Next up, you must determine what each conversion is worth to your client. From there, you can take a percentage of this value, or agree to a flat rate based on averages. If you go with a flat rate, you might want to work in a way that will give you a bonus for larger deals or for exceeding expectations.

Finally, in the interests of transparency, you’ll need to work out a way to have some visibility over results. Analytics platforms with shared dashboards can work out very well in these situations.

Example of the performance-based pricing model

MVF Global is a marketing and market research company that helps connect businesses with relevant leads and customers. They work across a wide range of industries and are well-known for generating high-quality leads.

Instead of charging clients per hour or per campaign, they use a performance-based pricing model that takes a share of profits generated from their campaigns. It takes some confidence in your ability to produce consistent results to offer this service. For established names like MVF with solid operating models and a track record of success, it makes all the sense in the world.

4. Project-based

The project-based agency pricing model is frequently used across a diverse set of industries. This model is fairly straightforward and involves charging a fixed fee for a project or a deliverable.

While it’s not necessarily standard across the industry, web design is a good way to show how the project-based agency business model works. For example, let’s say a client contacts you to say they have a new business and they need a website.

Now, each website is different. So, while you could offer a productized service based on a standardized website, it might not provide enough customization for each client. Instead, the best way to estimate the cost for this project is by sitting down with the client, establishing what they want, and working out the costs based on delivering that site.

The project-based pricing model works for clients because they pay a flat fee for the job. However, this underlines the importance of outlining expectations and deliverables.

Pros and cons of project-based pricing

• Project-based prices are predictable for clients and agencies. 
• Delivering projects as efficiently as possible becomes an operational priority.
• Project management, budgeting, and financial planning become more straightforward.
• If the project scope changes, it can introduce a few issues with charging.
• Margins hinge on your ability to price jobs accurately.
• Lacks the predictable revenue associated with other agency pricing models.

How to set your project-based pricing rates

Project-based pricing comes with a few complexities. However, with enough experience, you’ll soon get a sense of how you should set your rates, particularly if projects have similar features.

If you’re just starting out, here is a good process to follow to set project-based rates.

Firstly, calculate the staff hours, resources, and materials you need to complete the project. Then, consider your desired profit margins and add them to your budget. However, there are other things that you need to think about, too.

Much of the same advice on setting hourly rates applies here, too. While we’ve shared a cost-based pricing model above, depending on your market, expertise, and experience, you might be able to take a more value-based pricing approach. In effect, if you can offer your clients the kind of service or results they’ll struggle to get elsewhere, you can charge a premium.

Example of the project-based pricing model

Sandwich is a Silicon Valley-based creative studio. They work in marketing and have made video ads for some huge startups. Understandably, budgets and objectives vary wildly from client to client, which is reflected in their agency pricing model.

While not every agency makes commercials, the principles of Sandwich’s project-based pricing are transferable: figure out what each client needs and tell them how you can deliver it and with what budget.

If you’re worried about scope creep’s effect on your margins, draw up a legal agreement that clearly defines the deliverables and establishes a price for extra work. Trust us, it will help you avoid some awkward situations and conversations over the long term.

The best agency pricing model for any business depends on a few different factors, including your service, agency size, competition, target audience, and even your business goals. In other words, there is no “right” pricing model. Each model has its own pros and cons, which we have shared with you above.

The most important thing, especially when you are starting out, is to try to strike a balance between providing value and getting paid. While tightening your profit margins so you can win market share from your rivals is a tried-and-tested approach, beware of committing yourself to projects that just aren’t worth it.

Getting your agency pricing model sorted is a vital step for any new business. However, managing your agency efficiently is just as important. Copilot comes with a wide range of tools that are tailor-made for agency management, including automated contracts and onboarding, a sophisticated billing app, and a polished, white-label client portal for managing document sharing and messaging.

Start your 14-day free trial today to see why agencies across the land are turning to Copilot to help them manage their business and provide superb client experiences.

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How Do Travel Agents Make Money? [The Travel Agent Business Model]

In the past, travel agents made money from commissions from airlines and hotels. And while this is still a key revenue source for travel agents, the increasing prevalence of online booking has made them look for new sources to diversify their income. So, how do travel agents make money today?

Below, we explain the different ways in which independent professionals and online agencies generate revenue in the ever-changing travel industry. By understanding the rewards that come with taking on the role of a travel agent, you will gain insight into this often-overlooked career path and how it could fit into your own life goals.

How Do Travel Agents Work?

Travel agents work to provide their clients with a stress-free and personalized travel experience by taking care of all the details and providing expert advice and support. Travel agents can work independently or for travel agencies. 

The key role of a travel agent is to assess their client’s needs and make the necessary recommendations and arrangements based on them. Services provided by travel agents include:

• Consultation – Determining the client’s travel needs, budget, and preferences. This includes asking questions about the purpose of the trip, the desired destination, preferred travel dates, accommodation preferences, and any specific requests or requirements.
• Research – Identifying the best travel options available for the client (flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and activities).
• Booking – Making travel arrangements on behalf of the client.
• Confirmation – Verification of all details related to the booking, including providing the client with the necessary information, such as flight times, hotel reservations, and tour details.
• Follow-up – A travel agent may provide advice on travel visas, travel insurance, packing tips, and other travel-related issues.

How Do Travel Agents Get Paid?

The most common way a travel agent gets paid is from commissions from airlines, cruise lines, or tour companies for packages sold. The commission rate varies depending on the type of travel and the agreements with travel providers. 

Additionally, travel agents get paid a fee by their clients for their services. The amount of the service fee is entirely up to the agent and is related to the type of services provided. Typically, it’s charged for arranging some or all segments of the travel.

If the travel agent is employed by an agency, then just like any other employee, they’ll receive a salary or hourly wages.  

Net price overages are also an option for many agencies. So, for instance, if an agent books a certain number of hotel rooms, the vendor gives them a discount which is then marked up, and the difference is kept by the agency. 

Some travel agents may also earn additional revenue by offering travel insurance or upgrades to accommodations or transportation.

Travel Agent Business Model

The simplest way to describe the business model of travel agents is to go by the main source of income. Based on this, there are two types of business models:

• Commission-Based 

The commission-based business model allows travel agents to earn a percentage of the total cost of a travel package, such as flights, accommodations, and activities. Depending on whether the package is domestic or international, travel agent commissions may be as low as 5% or as high as 20% or more. 

• Service-Fee-Based

In a service-fee-based business model, travel agents charge their clients a service fee for their expertise or assistance in planning a trip. If the travel agent is in the role of an advisor, they may recommend a popular destination or deal on a specific trip. 

Alternatively, they may provide help for any given element of the trip, from booking a hotel room or flight to booking a spa treatment. The fee charged can be a flat rate or a percentage of the total trip cost. 

It’s important to note that with the rise of online booking platforms, the travel industry has become more competitive, and many travel agents use a combination of commission and service fees, plus access to exclusive deals and pricing. This way, they’re able to offer their clients a unique and personalized experience while staying competitive in the market. 

How Travel Agents Make Money

Here are the most common ways travel agents make money.

1. Travel Insurance Sales

Travel insurance is essential to ensure your trip is protected in case of any unexpected changes or emergencies. Travel agents can sell insurance policies for their clients, which provide coverage for things like flight cancellations, lost luggage, and medical expenses. Depending on the policy sold, agents can earn up to 40% in commission.

2. Cruise Sales

Travel agents may receive a high commission or bonus on cruises based on the number of rooms booked by their clients. Typically, the commission rate for cruises is around 12%. This is because a large number of passengers are required to fill a ship.

Note that a significant portion of clients’ bills is taxes. For instance, a booking for cruise berths priced at $4,000 might include taxes amounting to $1,500. When booking cruises, agents earn commissions only on the portion of the cost that is not taxed.

3. Car Rental

Depending on the car rental agency, agents may earn between 8% to 10% commission on bookings. Other travel agents charge a flat fee of $20–$40 for making the reservation with the car rental company. 

The car rental industry is highly competitive, so the key here is for travel agents to establish relationships with different companies and shop around for the best rates for their clients.

From visiting vineyards in Tuscany to exploring the rainforest in Costa Rica, tours are an excellent way for clients to get the most out of their travels. Agents can earn commissions ranging between 10% and 20% when they book a tour package and may also receive incentives such as free rooms or discounts on future trips.

5. Premium Listings

Car companies, airlines, and cruise lines pay handsomely for premium listings on travel agents’ sites. This gives the company more visibility and may help them generate more revenue. Typically, agents negotiate a commission for booking trips with these companies or charge a flat fee for providing access to the website.

6. Vacation Packages and Deals

If a travel agent is employed, they can use the buying power of their agency to get discounts and special offers which they can then pass on to their clients in the form of reduced hotel rates, exclusive deals, and other incentives. Usually, the commission rates for booking vacation packages range between 10% and 15%.

7. Niche Travel

Focusing on a niche area can be highly profitable for travel agents because it allows them to refine their expertise and cater to clients seeking a specific type of trip, like wedding and honeymoon or sports travel.

Some agents have two distinct branches of their business. The first covers travel to various destinations worldwide, while the second specializes in a particular theme like yachting, wine, or culinary adventures. For instance, an agent could sell packages for resorts and cruises while also organizing unique wine or food-related trips.

8. Mode of Travel

Vacationers have options beyond just using traditional modes of transportation like planes, trains, and cars. For instance, they can choose to explore an area by cycling from one spot to another. It’s the agent’s responsibility to arrange the logistics of the trip, from transportation to the actual adventure.

9. Corporate Travel

Many travel agents make their money by organizing custom trips for corporations. From organizing team building, corporate retreats, or special rewards trips, corporate travel is an excellent source of revenue and provides the opportunity for the agent to make long-term relationships with companies.

Travel agents may be paid an hourly fee for their services and/or a commission on airline tickets, cruises, and hotels and resorts. They could also receive incentives to book certain properties or activities, such as golf courses or spa treatments. 

How Much Do Travel Agents Make Per Booking?

A travel agent’s commission may be as low as 5% or as high as 30% and depends on various factors such as the type of booking, the element of travel, and the vendor they book with. In addition to commissions, travel agents’ income can come from other sources, such as service fees. 

For example, if a travel agent earns a commission of 10% on a $2,000 booking, they would make $200. However, if the booking is a complex itinerary, such as a multi-country trip, and the travel agent charges a service fee of $200, their total income from that booking would be $400.

Do Travel Agents Get Paid Hourly?

Yes, travel agents can be paid by the hour, and it’s a more common type of compensation for travel agents who work for larger agencies. The average hourly pay of travel agents in the US currently stands at $17.71 and goes as high as $28 per hour in states like New York, California, and Nevada.

However, travel agents are typically compensated in different ways, and their pay structure may depend on the company they work for and the type of travel they book. And while some are paid on an hourly basis, most receive a salary or are paid on a commission basis.

The Leading Source of Insights On Business Model Strategy & Tech Business Models

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) And Their Business Models

Table of Contents

Google (Google Travel)

Tripadvisor

Key highlights of the business models from travel and accommodation platforms:

• Platform business model charging guests a service fee (5% to 15%) and hosts a commission (generally 3%) on reservations.
• Competes with other vacation rental platforms like Booking.com, VRBO, and FlipKey, as well as potential competition from Google Travel.
• Operates under Booking Holdings, controlling six main brands like Booking.com, priceline.com, KAYAK, agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable.
• Generates revenues primarily through travel reservations commissions, travel insurance fees, and advertising via KAYAK.
• Expedia (including Trivago):
• Trivago, part of Expedia Group, is a hotel comparison service monetized through a cost-per-click (CPC) model from advertiser listings.
• Expedia also owns other online travel agencies like Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbits, CheapTickets, Travelocity, among others.
• Google (Google Travel):
• Originally part of Microsoft and later spun off, Google Travel provides travel-related information and services.
• Google Travel’s exact revenue model is not mentioned, but it likely generates income through advertising and possibly affiliate marketing .
• Online travel agency and search engine, acquired by Booking Holdings in 2013.
• Earns revenue through an advertising model based on cost per click, cost per acquisition, and advertising placements.
• An online restaurant reservation system acquired by Booking Holding in 2014.
• Generates income through subscription plans, referral fees, and potentially in-dining revenue .
• Utilizes a mixed business model , starting as a home aggregator in India and expanding into other verticals like leisure, co-working, and corporate travel.
• TripAdvisor:
• Matches travel demand with supply from partners, earning commission on a cost per click (CPC) and cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis.
• Non-hotel revenue includes experiences, restaurants, and rentals.
• Part of Expedia Group, Trivago operates as a hotel comparison service, earning revenue through a cost-per-click (CPC) model from advertiser listings and also offers a Business Studio subscription for hoteliers to track data.

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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.

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

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Business Model Innovation Is the Hottest Thing in Online Travel

Dennis Schaal , Skift

July 27th, 2022 at 2:30 AM EDT

Innovation comes in many forms. Sometimes it's a new technology. But for a growing number of online travel companies, it's all about disrupting traditional business models.

Dennis Schaal

Dennis' Online Travel Briefing

Editor’s Note:  Every Wednesday, Executive Editor and online travel rockstar Dennis Schaal will bring readers exclusive reporting and insight into the business of online travel and digital booking, and how this sector has an impact across the travel industry.

Online Travel This Week

One of the most interesting developments in online travel these days is companies overturning existing business models with AirAsia , eDreams Odigeo , and Hopper leading these efforts.

These three aren’t the only ones changing the ways travel companies have traditionally conducted business online, but they provide interesting test cases.

Airlines have traditionally made their money selling flights, entering into lucrative deals with credit card companies, and charging for extras such as bag fees.

Whether it succeeds or not, Capital A , which operates AirAsia, now can boast that the Malaysia-based airline group’s superapp has more than 10 million monthly active users, and among the twists, AirAsia is now selling flights through its app from other airlines, such as Singapore Airlines .

As a way to expand its network and revenue stream, AirAsia partnered with Czech Republic-based Kiwi.com to offer customers tickets on other airlines. AirAsia calls the offering FlyBeyond.

Sure, airlines commonly sell partners’ flights as codeshares or as part of joint venture agreements. That’s not new. But AirAsia doesn’t necessarily have deep partnerships with the airlines in FlyBeyond, and is trying to make its superapp a one-stop shop for customers so they can fly to destinations AirAsia doesn’t service.

Whether AirAsia’s superapp strategy proves to be a success remains to be seen. Several years ago, Accor hotels tried to list unaffiliated independent hotels on its website, and that didn’t work. But AirAsia’s effort, as part of its superapp strategy to offer banking and payment solutions, as well as retail products and ridesharing, seems to have some upside.

Edreams Odigeo, based in Spain, is among a new crop of companies changing the way they operate to tilt their businesses toward subscriptions or memberships. As detailed in a recent Skift Research report , the Edreams Odigeo Prime subscription program, which offers discounts on flights and hotels, now has more than 3 million travelers paying $60-$75 per year to be members.

Edreams Odigeo generated some 40 percent of its euro 424 million in sales in the 12 months through May 2022 from its Prime subscription plan, the report found.

In addition to Edreams Odigeo, lots of travel businesses, including AirAsia, metasearch and review company Tripadvisor , hotel brand Selina , and luxury accommodation provider Inspirato , are orienting their business models to include subscriptions.

“Performance indicators for travel have traditionally focused on volume, pricing power, and unit revenue (e.g. for hotels RevPAR, for airlines PRASM),” the report said. “A shift to a subscription model means that travel companies must also put in place training, systems, and procedures to track and understand a new set of engagement metrics like the upfront cost to acquire a customer, customer churn, and customer lifetime value.”

Montreal-based Hopper, too, is changing the traditional online travel agency business model. With its variety of fintech-oriented products, such as freezing the prices of flights and hotels for a week or two for perhaps a $25 or $45 fee, Hopper recently claimed its revenue run rate is 30 times higher than in 2019.

Hopper bets, based on its technology, that it will recoup way more money in fees than in having to pay the difference for higher airfares or hotel rates for customers if prices soar.

In September 2021, Hopper CEO Fred Lalonde said some 70 percent of the company’s revenue came from financial products, and not selling the travel itself, although that percentage is likely lower in 2022.

Critics claim that Hopper labeling these products as trendy “fintech” offerings is hype, and they actually are a form of insurance. Regardless, if an online travel agency is making way more money on price freezes than on flight and hotel commissions, that will disrupt parts of the online travel agency business model, and imitators will undoubtably follow.

MakeMyTrip Joins the Growing Club With SuperApp Ambitions

In a Skift interview, MakeMyTrip Group CEO Rajesh Magow said the online travel agency wants not only to achieve superapp status in India, but in the Middle East, as well, where it has launched operations. He also seemed to hint about a deeper partnership with Amazon. Skift

Lastminute.com Group Gets an Interim CEO

Other than Jie Sun in China, there aren’t a lot of CEOs of online travel companies who are women. But Amsterdam-based Lastminute.com Group, reeling from the detention of its CEO and chief operating officer in a Swiss Covid relief fund fraud investigation , appointed Laura Amoretti interim boss. Amoretti most previously served as chief customer officer. Skift

Airbnb Co-Founder to Step Away From Day-To-Day Operations

Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia said he planned to step away from day-to-day operations at the company, where he chaired its in-house design studio Samara. Gebbia will remain on the Airbnb board and will stay involved with the independent non-profit, Airbnb.org. Skift

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Tags: accor , airasia , airbnb , capital a , Dennis' Online Travel Briefing , edreams Odigeo , fintech , hopper , inspirato , Kiwi.com , lastminute.com , makemytrip , online travel newsletter , selina , singapore airlines , Skift Pro Columns , subscriptions , tripadvisor

First YouGov MRP of 2024 general election shows Labour on track to beat 1997 landslide

Our first MRP projection of the 2024 British general election suggests that Keir Starmer could be heading to Downing Street with a historic majority of 194 seats. With a central projection of 422 Labour wins, this result would be beyond landslide territory. Not only would Starmer’s majority be bigger than the number Tony Blair achieved in 1997 (179), but it would in fact be the second largest majority in British political history after Stanley Baldwin’s figure of 210 in 1924.

The Conservatives would be reduced to 140 seats, according to our model today. That would be their worst performance at a British general election for the party since 1906 – the first election where the Labour Party, then led by another Keir (Hardie), went into double-digit seat wins (27).

The model, which uses survey data from almost 60,000 respondents, is designed to tell us what would happen if the general election were happening right now, with people’s vote intention (or lack of) as it currently stands. It is not a forecast, but is designed to give a detailed, seat-by-seat look at the British political landscape as we head toward 4 July.

The model suggests that the Conservatives could be set for near wipeout across many areas of the country, including London, the North East, the North West, and Wales. It also projects that the Scottish National Party would lose more than half their seats, with Labour returning as the largest party north of the border.

The Liberal Democrats would supplant the SNP as the third party of British politics, taking back that particular crown for the first time since 2010. With 48 seats in this model, Ed Davey appears to be successfully guiding his party back to having a significant presence in the House of Commons once more.

Elsewhere, we are projecting that the Greens would win a second Westminster seat for the first time in their history, in Bristol Central, that Plaid Cymru would also win two seats, and that Reform UK would come away as it stands empty handed.

If these results were indeed replicated on polling day, it would be a seismic shift for British politics, with Boris Johnson’s “one seat for every day of the year” thumping 2019 majority long a distant memory.

Key figures losing their seats

Today’s MRP data shows that whilst some key positions in the current government’s cabinet look set to held by the Conservatives, others are not as fortunate.

The seats of Godalming and Ash, being contested by Jeremy Hunt, Cheltenham (by justice secretary Alex Chalk) and Chippenham (by science secretary Michelle Donelan), are currently due to switch over to the Liberal Democrats. Cheltenham would subsequently be seen as a safe Lib Dem seat if the current results come to pass. Education secretary Gillian Keegan’s Chichester seat will also be a closely fought contest between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Of the Conservative MPs standing down this year, Lib Dems look likely to take Esher and Walton (Dominic Raab’s old constituency) and there will be strong competition in the seats being vacated by Theresa May (Maidenhead) and Michael Gove (Surrey Heath), both currently a toss-up between the blue and yellow sides.

Grant Shapps’ seat in Welwyn Hatfield is currently touted as a likely Labour seat, with further competitions from Labour in Portsmouth North (Penny Mordaunt’s seat), Central Devon (Mel Stride), Forest of Dean (Mark Harper), and Monmouthshire (David T C Davies).

Labour continues to benefit by taking former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip which, at the moment, is likely Labour. Of those in the shadow cabinet, just Bristol Central looks like a possible defeat (going to the Greens) whilst the rest are currently safe Labour.

Which seats are on a knife-edge?

According to our model, 131 seats are currently a tossup – that is to say that the winning party’s lead is fewer than five points. This includes one three way marginal: Frome and East Somerset, which sees the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems all on 25-30% of the vote.

Eighty seven of these seats are contests between the Conservatives and Labour; the Tories are in the lead in 50 and Labour in 37. The way in which these eventually fall could take the edge off Conservative defeat or reinforce Labour dominance.

It’s also worth noting that the margin of error varies from seat to seat. We provide upper and lower figures along with error bars on the interactive MRP map on our election hub .

The average error of a seat will increase when there are specific local factors at play that are difficult to fully account for in our model. It is worth noting that at this point our model does not take into account specific individual candidacies, as the finalised candidates’ lists have not yet been published. This means that the results in seats with strong independent candidates – like Islington North where Jeremy Corbyn is standing or Rochdale which George Galloway took in February – will not reflect that variable in this particular model. Once the candidates’ lists have been published, our subsequent MRP releases will take these considerations into account.

Whilst we do not know final numbers yet, the Green Party are already standing a record number of candidates for this election. They also go into the vote having had their best-ever local election results last month, increasing the number of seats they hold by over 240.

Our MRP model has the Greens winning two seats, their highest total to date, holding onto Brighton Pavilion and gaining a seat in Bristol Central from Labour.

We also find them coming second in a further 46 seats, mainly across London and the North West. They also come second in the Bristol East constituency, neighbouring Bristol Central. However, all of these seats are deemed ‘safe’ for Labour, with the party taking at least double the vote share of Greens even in the ones they perform best in.

Our model shows Reform UK performing strongly in a number of seats but still a long way off winning in any. Our current model puts the right-wing party in second place in 27 seats, including eleven seats in Yorkshire (e.g. Barnsley North, Barnsley South, Doncaster North) and eight in the North East (e.g. Hartlepool, Houghton and Sunderland South).

Prior to dissolution, Reform UK had one seat following the defection of Ashfield MP, Lee Anderson, from the Conservative party. Here, our model suggests Labour will win back the seat they lost in 2019, with the Conservatives and Reform UK fighting for second place. The fieldwork for the MRP was completed before Nigel Farage confirmed he would stand for Reform UK, so does not reflect any impact that may make.

In 2019 the Brexit Party stood down in all Conservative held seats as part of a pact between the two parties. No such pact is in place this election, which begs the question of how much Reform UK are hurting the Conservative Party. If the party were to stand aside in all seats and their voters moved exclusively to the Conservatives then this would constitute a lot of gains for the Tories, however, analysis here suggests that just three in ten Reform UK voters would likely vote Conservative if their party was not standing.

If we applied this more conservative estimate uniformly across all seats then we find that Reform UK standing could be costing the Conservatives 16 seats. These are all seats where the Labour vs Conservative race is already on a knife edge such as Chatham and Aylesford, Bridgwater, and West Suffolk. Of course, this is a fairly crude calculation and assumes Reform UK voters would act the same way across the country. Of course, it is nigh on impossible to predict accurately the impact of this a hypothetical scenario.

The Liberal Democrats

Our model has the Liberal Democrats winning 48 seats – more than four times their 2019 tally, and almost identical to the number they won 1997 (46, although still below the party’s high watermark of 62 in 2005).

This marks the return of the Liberal Democrats to the position of the third largest party in the Commons.

Based on nominal 2019 results, all Lib Dem gains are taken from the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems have historically performed well in the South West, and this election sees them take 14 seats in the region –the same as they did in 1997. Unlike in 1997, however, the party has made significant gains in the South East, winning 17 seats there according to our model. Overall, 36 of the Lib Dems’ 48 seats are in the South outside of London – increasing to 42 if the capital is included.

One seat that our model suggests could switch to the Lib Dems is Chichester, currently held by Conservative Education secretary, Gillian Keegan. If this seat were to switch to the Lib Dems it would be the first time the Conservatives haven’t held the seat since 1865.

According to our model, Labour will be the largest party in Scotland by some margin. Our seat totals have Labour taking 34 seats, the SNP 17, the Conservatives five and the Lib Dems one. This is the best Labour seat haul in Scotland since the 2005 and 2010 general elections, at both of which it won 41 seats.

Even for an election with such a dramatic change in the composition of the House of Commons, the churn in Scotland is very large. Of Scotland’s 57 seats, 35 seats are changing hands according to our model – 61% of all seats. This compares to 41% of seats in England.

Scotland is also notably more marginal than England – on average the winning party’s lead is eight points in Scotland compared to 23 points in England. Twenty seats – more than a third of the total – are toss ups; in all twenty the SNP are one of the two parties vying for the top spot, with Labour the other party in 17 cases.

Having swept Glasgow in 2015 and 2019, and having won all but one seat there in 2017, the SNP could be entirely ejected from Scotland’s largest city in July. Labour take all six Glasgow constituencies under our model – although two (Glasgow North and North East) are tossups.

There are two important things to note when comparing Scottish data from this MRP to our previous, non-election campaign, models. Firstly, this is the largest Scottish sample that YouGov have used for an MRP since the 2019 general election. This gives us much more detail in terms of what is happening seat to seat. As well, we have been able to update some of the MRP target data with newly released 2022 Scottish census data.

With the new boundary changes Wales will be dropping from 40 seats to 32 seats after the general election, and our model has Labour winning 28 of them. This would be an increase on the 22 they won last time and a significant improvement on the 18 they could have expected to win in 2019 had the current boundaries been in place at that time. All of these wins are at the expense of the Conservatives who would only keep hold of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, and Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe – neither of which are safe.

A number of the Conservative losses are in traditional Labour areas that went Conservative at the last election such as Wrexham and Bridgend. The Conservative held Ynys Mon that they won in a three-way battle again Labour and Plaid Cymru last time is likely to just be a two-way fight this time between Labour and Plaid.

Plaid Cymru would win two seats at this election based on our model, down from the four they won in 2019 under the old boundaries. The Liberal Democrats are unlikely to win a seat in Wales but could push the Conservatives in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe.

Revival of the Red Wall

Our model shows the Red Wall being completely repaired at the coming election. Of the 42 successor seats to those identified as forming the Red Wall in 2019, all are now won by Labour, all bar two by double-digit margins. The Conservatives are pushed back into second in most seats except three in which Reform UK garner more votes: Ashfield, Normanton and Hemsworth, and Ellesmere Port and Bromborough. In none do the Conservatives take more than 34% of the vote.

Fall of the Blue Wall

Earlier in the Parliament, we identified a swathe of vulnerable Conservative seats across the South , which we dubbed the Blue Wall. These were seats that had voted to Remain in 2016 and had a higher than average concentration of graduates.

Following the boundary changes, there are 45 successor seats to this grouping. We can see that Labour have returned the favour of 2019 to the Conservatives, taking their own sledgehammer to the Tory bedrock. Our model has 19 of these seats going to Labour, with a further 13 picking a Liberal Democrat MP. Only 13 remain in Conservative hands.

The Conservatives are at risk of being ejected from London entirely. Our model currently has the Tories taking only four seats in the capital, but all four are close contests.

With Sadiq Khan having secured the London mayoralty for a third term a couple of months ago, Labour are set to take 65 of the capital’s 75 seats. This includes the successor seat to Boris Johnson’s constituency, Uxbridge and South Ruislip, which Labour wins with a 16-point lead.

The Lib Dems are set to take six seats, including Wimbledon in a relatively close three-way race which sees Ed Davey’s party on 35% versus the Conservatives and Labour both on 28%.

English regions

Labour is now the largest party in the South of England, a feat it did not accomplish even in its 1997 landslide victory. In the South outside of London, Labour take 88 seats to the Conservatives’ 85, with the Lib Dems taking a further 36. By contrast, in 1997 the Conservatives still took 109 southern seats outside of London to Labour’s 59.

If we include London then Labour’s southern tally rises to 153, while the Tories’ total barely budges to 89. In 1997, parties had been neck and neck, with the Conservatives on 120 and Labour winning 116 seats.

While otherwise not a new experience for Labour, it is also the largest party in every region of England outside of the South, as well as Scotland and Wales.

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Travel through data from space in new 3d instagram experiences.

A new project provides special 3D “experiences” on Instagram using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes through augmented reality (AR), allowing users to travel virtually through objects in space. These new experiences of astronomical objects – including the debris fields of exploded stars – are being released to help celebrate the 25 th anniversary of operations from Chandra, NASA’s flagship X-ray telescope.  

In recent years, Instagram experiences (previously referred to as filters) of NASA mission control, the International Space Station, and the Perseverance Rover on Mars have allowed participants to virtually explore what NASA does. This new set of Chandra Instagram filters joins this space-themed collection.

“We are excited to bring data from the universe down to earth in this way,” said Kimberly Arcand, visualization and emerging technology scientist at the Chandra X-ray Center. “By enabling people to access cosmic data on their phones and through AR, it brings Chandra’s amazing discoveries literally right to your fingertips.”

The new Instagram experiences are created from 3D models based on data collected by Chandra and other telescopes along with mathematical models. Traditionally, it has been very difficult to gather 3D data of objects in our galaxy due to their two-dimensional projection on the sky. New instruments and techniques, however, have helped allowed astronomers in recent years to construct more data-driven models of what these distant objects look like in three dimensions.

These advancements in astronomy have paralleled the explosion of opportunities in virtual, extended, and augmented reality. Such technologies provide virtual digital experiences, which now extend beyond Earth and into the cosmos. This new set of Chandra Instagram experiences was made possible by a collaboration including NASA, the Smithsonian Institution, and students and researchers at Brown University.

These Instagram experiences also include data sonifications of the celestial objects. Sonification is the process of translating data into sounds and notes so users can hear representations of the data, an accessibility project the Chandra team has led for the past four years.

“These Chandra Instagram experiences are another way to share these cosmic data with the public,” said Arcand. “We are hoping this helps reach new audiences, especially those who like to get their information through social media.”

The objects in the new Chandra Instagram experience collection include the Tycho supernova remnant, the Vela Pulsar, the Helix Nebula, the Cat’s Eye Nebula, and the Chandra spacecraft. The 3D models of the first three objects were done in conjunction with Sal Orlando, an astrophysicist at Italy’s National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Palmero. The Cat’s Eye Nebula was created with data from Ryan Clairmont, physics researcher and undergraduate at Stanford University. Arcand worked with Brown’s Tom Sgouros and his team, research assistant Alexander Dupuis and undergraduate Healey Koch, on the Chandra Instagram filters.

The experiences include text that explains what users are looking at. The effects are free and available on Instagram on mobile devices for at least six months, and some will remain viewable in perpetuity on the Smithsonian’s Voyager 3D website.

“There is a lot of rich and beautiful data associated with these models that Healey and I looked to bring in, which we did by creating the textures on the models as well as programming visual effects for displaying them in AR,” said Dupuis.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. The Chandra X-ray Center is headquartered at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which is part of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit:

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News Media Contact

Megan Watzke Chandra X-ray Center Cambridge, Mass. 617-496-7998

Jonathan Deal Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034

Politics | Quest for DeSantis’ travel records leads to…

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Politics | boeing’s starliner launches on historic 1st human spaceflight for nasa, subscriber only, politics | quest for desantis’ travel records leads to 2-year delay, then denial, “we have a new model that can be summed up in two words: trust me,” first amendment advocate says.

The newspaper wanted to determine if DeSantis, who was running for reelection, had piggybacked campaign events on top of official ones without the campaign reimbursing the state for the Aug. 30, 2022, flight.

It also wanted to know whether other candidates reimbursed FDLE for using the jet bought with taxpayer dollars after DeSantis became governor in 2019. The aircraft is available to the governor and other top state leaders for official duties.

The FDLE denied the requests in late April and early May. It delayed the response until a year after DeSantis signed a law that bans the release of his and the other leaders’ travel records. Lawmakers called it necessary to protect their safety.

“My fear and suspicion is they are using public safety as an excuse to hide expenditures they don’t want you to know about,” said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation. “We have a new model that can be summed up in two words: Trust me.”

The bill’s sponsors, both of them Republican, repeatedly assured public records advocates and Democratic lawmakers that the financial records related to travel would continue to be available to the public as they always had been. The law was meant to shield only the logistics of the trips, they said.

The bill passed along party lines in both the House and Senate.

Rep. Jeff Holcomb, R-Spring Hill, sponsor of the House version of the bill, also assured fellow lawmakers during a committee hearing in March that the bill wouldn’t affect public records requests related to campaign travel.

“This doesn’t affect any of the financial disclosures in place,” Holcomb said. “This is about the methods and means of security protection.”

But that has not turned out to be the case. Other news outlets besides the Orlando Sentinel have waited several months to find out their requests for travel records were denied.

The reason given for the lengthy delay was that the agency’s public records department is short-staffed and deals with a high volume of requests.

Holcomb did not return an email seeking clarification.

Complaints have been filed with the Federal Elections Commission and the state Commission on Ethics over the governor’s frequent use of state and private aircraft and failure to disclose using it for personal reasons. They are pending.

A lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality was recently filed in Leon Circuit Court by American Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog committee.

“It’s about accountability that impacts all the citizens of the state,” Block said. “Are you spending dollars on things that impact citizens or is it a personal trip intended for your career interests and nothing to do with the public good?

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Part of the problem is the law includes a long list of things to be exempt from public view but says nothing about the transportation costs or travel related to political campaigns or other personal use, he said. And the language is vague enough to make understanding legislative intent problematic.

“The only way to get to the bottom of this is a court case,” Block said.

It was difficult enough to trace the governor’s travel before he signed the bill into law, which went into effect immediately with hundreds of requests going back months and more than a year still in the pipeline, waiting to be processed. And the law is retroactive.

“The retroactivity makes it such that we’re not going to get anything related to his travel,” Michael Barfield, director of public access for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, said at the time. The FLCGA has filed numerous public records lawsuits against the DeSantis administration.

Other recent trips that have raised concerns about who was paying for them include ones to Japan, Seoul, South Korea and Israel, all paid for with officials said were private donations, Politico reported.

A book tour to launch DeSantis’ memoir and kick off his presidential campaign was handled by a nonprofit that didn’t have to disclose its records.

And a law enforcement report of a fender bender outside of Chattanooga that waylaid the governor’s presidential campaign convoy last July revealed that the FDLE had rented the vehicles used in the motorcade. The cost of those rentals is still unknown.

The Sentinel asked FDLE back in August 2022 how much it had cost to fly the governor to and from Fort Pierce and Live Oak, including flight crew costs, ground transportation, and security team expenses. A September 2022 flight to Fort Myers was also questioned.

Unlike previous campaign reports that show the DeSantis campaign paid back the FDLE $14,459 for transportation, campaign records show no repayment to FDLE for the Aug. 30 trip.

The dates of the three reimbursements lined up with DeSantis news conferences in Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, DeFuniak Springs and Sanford.   But nearly two years later, the FDLE has still not provided details about those reimbursements.

Asked to explain the lengthy delays, FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plesinger said the agency is overwhelmed by thousands of public requests.

FDLE publishes a Protective Operations Report each year that gives the total annual cost of transporting and protecting the governor, but it’s not broken down into individual trips.

The governor’s security detail for 2023, including transportation and agents’ salaries was  $9.4 million, more than double the amount spent the previous year.

“The information is invariably useless to anyone trying to figure out who paid” for the travel, Block said.

Former FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin said in a sworn statement filed by the Washington Post in a lawsuit against the FDLE that top aides to the governor blocked the release of records detailing the governor’s taxpayer-funded travel.

“This extra layer of review often unquestionably delayed FDLE’s ability to timely respond to the public records requests,” said Desguin, who resigned after arguing the records should be made public. “These delays were not in line with the new law to protect the governor’s safety.”

When he began working at the Florida Amendment Foundation two years ago, Block said, he was reluctant to say that the public records system was broken.

But there is no independent body to mediate when a person’s request for records is denied, delayed or not even met with a response, Block said. The only alternative is to take the agency to court, something most Floridians cannot afford, he said.

“If that’s their only option, then the system is broken,” Block said. “There is no better explanation that the system is broken than this travel financial information brouhaha we’re having now.”

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• CBP Reminds Summer Travelers to Stay ‘Travel Ready'

CBP Reminds Summer Travelers to Stay ‘Travel Ready'

WASHINGTON — As summer approaches and families prepare for their international trips, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reminds the traveling public to use the agency’s official mobile applications to secure and streamline their travel and expedite their reentry into the United States.    

Throughout 2023, CBP expanded use of its technology, processing over 394 million travelers at ports of entry in fiscal year 2023, a 24-percent increase over last year, and has already reached almost 100 million travelers in the first quarter of FY2024, totaling more than 527 million travelers to date using biometric facial comparison technology at entry, exit and Preclearance locations, with a match rate of more than 98 percent.     

Additionally, memberships in CBP’s Trusted Traveler Programs in FY2024 has reached 14 million. For those looking to complete an interview before their summer travel, CBP currently has more than 158,000 interview appointments available within the next 90 days. Enrollment on Arrival (EoA) remains the best option to complete a GE interview. Applicants can complete their interview without an appointment and with just the entry documents they would normally carry when arriving from international locations.   

CBP has also introduced a complement of mobile applications with technological enhancements to help speed up the travel process when entering the U.S. via air, land, or sea. Global Entry, for example, launched a new mobile app in September 2023 that allows members to complete their entry processing on their phones before even leaving the plane. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App store and Google Play, and is currently available for use at 47 airports, with more locations coming soon.  To date around 348,000 Global Entry users have processed their arrival using the app.    

International travelers who are not Global Entry members can take advantage of the Mobile Passport Control app, which allows travelers to submit their passport and travel information in advance with a mobile device, resulting in less congestion and more efficient processing. MPC is available at 51 ports of entry, including 14 Preclearance locations and four seaports. It can be used by all U.S. citizens, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, B1/B2 Canadian Citizens, and returning Visa Waiver Program travelers. The app was used by 4.1 million travelers in FY2023, and has already had over 4.2 million uses in FY2024.   

Non-U.S. citizens planning travel into the U.S. also have the option of using the Electronic System for Travel Authorization mobile app or the CBP One mobile app. The ESTA Mobile app was implemented June 1, 2023, and has been used almost 422,000 times to submit an ESTA application for authorization to travel to the U.S. In the first quarter of FY2024, the app has been used almost 338,000 times to apply. The CBP One™ app may also be used by visitors to the U.S. to apply and pay for the I-94 online. In FY2023, visitors used the CBP One app more than 458,000 times to complete a provisional I-94 application and almost 195,000 times in the first quarter of FY2024.    

Additionally, U.S. citizens who are required to declare agriculture and biological products upon arrival into the United States may also use CBP One to provide advanced notification that they will need an agriculture inspection. Categories for declaration include:    

• Biological materials that may require permits issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  
• Pets, specifically birds and dogs, accompanying travelers in various capacities that carry the potential of introducing foreign animal diseases to the U.S. or other public health concerns   
• Cleaning and disinfection of shoes  
• Hunting trophies    

All CBP applications can be downloaded free from the  Google Play Store  or  Apple App Store . For more information about CBP’s suite of mobile apps, visit Mobile Apps Directory | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov)     

For more information on preparing to travel abroad, visit the Know Before You Go page on the CBP website .  

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.