What you need to know about the Travel Trade

Who are the Travel Trade

The Travel Trade has a full range of organisations that operate as intermediaries in the travel and tourism industry. These typically include:

Coach Operators

Operators that offer overnight coach holidays and day trips in Wales.

Destination Management Companies (DMC)

Companies with specialist local knowledge who handles all bookings and arrangements for tours, usually tailor-made.

Ground Handlers

Makes arrangements for travellers from overseas from the moment they arrive in the UK until the moment they leave. Their work involves managing the visitor experience whilst international tourists are in the country.

Inbound Tour Operators

Operators that put together tours for international operators (many are represented by UKinbound, the Association for Inbound Tour Operators).

Online Travel Agents

Work in the same way as a tour operator however are purely online. E.g. Expedia, booking.com, Viator.

Tour Operators

Build a package of all the elements that make up a holiday or a tour and often includes a variety of companies including coach operators, accommodation and activities at a destination e.g. TUI.

Travel Agents

Organise personal travel and accommodation for travellers. They provide the services on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, hotels, railways and package tour operators. E.g. Trailfinders.

Wholesalers

Develop and supply inclusive tour packages and accommodation through retail travel agents who sell on to consumers. They often sell to other elements of the Travel Trade such as tour and coach operators and not directly to consumers.

Understanding the Travel Trade by Visit Britain

The role of Visit Wales’ Travel Trade team

Our role is to influence buyers in the Travel Trade sector globally to encourage them to bring business to Wales and for them to work with businesses in Wales who wish to work with the Travel Trade and offer Travel Trade (commissionable) rates. This involves establishing and maintaining relationships with individuals and companies who either currently have or the potential to include Wales in their programmes. More specifically, this includes:

supporting the Travel Trade by giving them access to resources they need in order to sell Wales to their customers. One of the biggest support tools we offer is the Travel Trade website;
attending business to business (B2B) trade shows and exhibitions, many of which provide partner opportunities;
organising familiarisation visits for Travel Trade to sample what Wales has to offer. Getting involved in familiarisation trips will enable you to meet operators and showcase your product. To be involved you will need to demonstrate you actively work with the Travel Trade market and your product is featured on the Travel Trade website as appropriate (product listing on our tourism product database);
producing e-newsletters targeting relevant sectors;
actively engaging with social media – X, LinkedIn and Facebook;
running webinars alongside destinations and businesses from Wales;
working closely with VisitBritain and industry associations including UKinbound (UKi), European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), Coach Tourism Association (CTA), Association of Group Travel Organisers (AGTO), International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA);
on a 1:1 basis providing business support such as helping develop bespoke operator itineraries and introducing contacts to do business with.

If you’d like to generate additional sales to increase your visitor numbers and fill spare capacity, you may wish to consider working with the leisure Travel Trade.

Contact the Travel Trade team by e-mailing traveltradewales@gov.wales