Travel business owners who have put in the hard yards are being rewarded with good prices when selling in the current market, according to an Auckland based accountant who specialises in the industry.
Paul Davies of TA Accounting Limited says there is a lot of buying, selling and merging activity going on right now and a number of travel business owners are taking advantage.
‘Businesses where owners have been working on them for a few years and are profitable are commanding a good price,’ he says.

Now is an ideal time for people to consider a career move into travel consulting, as well as for existing travel consultants to look for new opportunities, according to the head of a leading travel and hospitality recruitment agency.
John Terry, group managing director TMS Talent, says the New Zealand travel job scene is a ‘candidate short market’ right across the country.

Travel business owners who have put in the hard yards are being rewarded with good prices when selling in the current market, according to an Auckland based accountant who specialises in the industry.

Brokers who effectively tell their story and highlight their points of difference will reap the rewards in business, delegates at a major conference in Taupo were told over the weekend.

Seasonal and regional dispersal remain the biggest challenges faced by our mushrooming tourism industry.

Airport IT spend is planned to rise this year, reaching 5.69% of revenues in 2018, and it’s poised to increase further in 2019, according to the latest SITA annual report.

A new company dedicated to assisting the NZ tourism industry with its current and future skills and talent shortage is being launched this month.

Orton International and Fathom Asia (part of the Francis Travel Marketing Group of companies) are now offering 11% commission on all tailor-made packages to all their featured destinations.

Travel related merchandise provides potential for agents to add to their margins, according to the owner of an online luggage and accessories outlet.

To sell New Zealand as a year round destination, the tourism industry should avoid the word winter, says Nathan Farmer of Big Picture.

While New Zealand’s distance from many international markets is often a major focus, it is Australia’s proximity that can present its own challenges, the CAPA New Zealand Summit was told.

Industry observers and commentators say it is inevitable that low cost airline Tigerair will be put on trans Tasman routes once the Air New Zealand – Virgin Australia relationship ends later this month.

Attracting young people to work in a business is far easier than keeping them there long, the audience at the TAANZ Summit heard last week.

G Adventures has launched a collection of tours dedicated to wellness and adventure featuring trips in 10 destinations.

Embrace ‘radical flexibility’ – that was the advice to travel industry leaders at the TAANZ summit this week, in a panel presentation entitled Future of Work.

A focus on employing locals and supporting communities and environment are a major part of Asia DMC’s activities in Burma, a visitor from the company has been telling New Zealand agents over the past week.

Playing ‘pied piper’ is often a successful strategy for travel agents looking to develop a niche and point of difference, says Aaron Russ, director of Wild Earth Travel.

The travel agency sector is seeing increased activity when it comes to interest in business sales and acquisitions, according to an Auckland based accountant who specialises in the industry.

World Resorts of Distinction (WRD) has launched an exclusive agent portal as part of its recent rebrand and updated website.

It was great to see all the winners receive their certificates and trophies at the inaugural Regional Tourism New Zealand Awards on Wednesday night.

Travel agents can turn ‘price driven customers’ into value driven ones, and earn money themselves by being engaged and presenting an experience they would not have thought of themselves, the First Travel Group Conference heard over the weekend.

While customer facing technology plays an important part in the travel business, especially in the corporate sector, the true success of the future is all about touch points with the customer, First Travel Group’s conference at Pullman Auckland heard over the weekend.

The key to a successful business and weathering the ‘AI storm’ is about reducing as much friction as possible, keynote speaker Nigel Latta told the First Travel Group delegates at their conferences over the weekend.

Social media influencers are becoming a lucrative niche for luxury travel agents and signify a new form of corporate travel, says a leading international agent.

Finding out exactly what individual clients want, even when they are travelling with a group, and delivering on it is an essential part of being successful in the luxury sector, according to panellists and speakers at Luxperience in Sydney this week.

The evolution of the trans-Tasman market, including discussion into how the market will evolve now that the Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia partnership has dissolved, will be just one of the topics discussed at the CAPA 2018 New Zealand & Corporate Travel Summit in Auckland on 17 and 18 October.

A dedicated Latin America brochure, a return to form by Middle Eastern destinations and new personalised experiences in UK – Europe are among the highlights of Tempo Holidays’ new brochure release.

Travel brokers and ‘mobile’ travel agents, start-ups and other small companies suited to flexible working environments are expected to be among early adopters of a new shared workplace concept being introduced into New Zealand.

A new programme V-Check gives new opportunities to travel agents, says Luke Crawford, Australia and New Zealand manager with thevisamachine.

The popularity of solo tours has encouraged Total Holiday Options (THO) to increase these itineraries in its latest brochure, available now.

The past year has been ‘challenging and eventful’ for many reasons but has also been one of positive growth, Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) chairman Andrew Bowman reported at the organisation’s AGM last Friday.

Travel agents who take a specialised approach to soft adventure are reaping the rewards, according to Adventure World managing director Neil Rodgers.

Travel agents have been urged to embrace ‘shared story telling’ as a key part of their marketing on social media.

New Zealand travel agency leaders are being urged to encourage their team members to apply for a major industry scholarship that until now has been the domain of Australians.

travel&co has a renewed focus on connecting with agents to encourage them to learn more about the company’s range of active travel holidays and the opportunity to book more business.

An independent survey indicating that many consumers feel it is easier to individualise a trip on the internet than through the trade has prompted a niche wholesaler to change the way it presents its FIT programmes.

• At Travelport’s NDC breakfast, Sofitel... At Travelport’s NDC breakfast, Sofitel...
• Dianne Lamberton, World Travellers; Graeme... Dianne Lamberton, World Travellers; Graeme...
• Mami Hikino (centre), Global Travel... Mami Hikino (centre), Global Travel...
• Roy McDonald, Atlas Travel; Rebecca... Roy McDonald, Atlas Travel; Rebecca...
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The New Zealand travel trade was reminded this week that the roll it of the New Distribution Capability (NDC) will be all about incremental growth.

Dhonk crafts centre in North India is turning the tide on tiger poaching and helping the community at the same time.

Bachcare says it has advice that there is a legal basis for challenging the Auckland Council’s decision to hit holiday homes with business and targeted rates.

The annual Tourism Conference hosted by the Tourism Export Council of New Zealand (TECNZ) is another sold-out event this year.

Ensuring the same high level of service throughout dealings with clients (and trade) is a key to success for Globus Family of Brands, says New Zealand manager Troy Ackerman.

The role of the niche wholesaler is only increasing as consumers become more knowledgeable and the ‘long tail’ of products and experiences continues to grow, according to Eclipse Travel, one of the finalists in the niche wholesaler category of TAANZ NTIA.

The aviation industry, along with travel retailers and airports, is launching a campaign in the United Kingdom to raise the awareness of irresponsible drinking while travelling.

Scenic Hotel Group has partnered with not-for-profit organisation, Soap Aid to recycle and redistribute soap.

Travel agents are increasingly gaining business from school trips and educational tours, according to one of the leading operators in the sector.

Proactive and innovative agents stand to benefit as much as airlines do from increased flexibility that the New Distribution Capability (NDC) will bring to the travel industry, according to a speaker at Travelport Live in Bangkok this week.