Why is IATA Certification essential for a travel agency and how does it feel to have an IATA agency
Travel and tourism is a fast-growing industry. Tourism is a sector that is widely explored for both leisure and business purposes. With a global platform to operate on, tourism brings plenty of opportunities for not just travelers but also travel agents. Agencies can provide travel services to various countries and enhance their revenue. To ease their work, agencies can hire a skilled travel website/portal development company like Trip Mega Mart and provide online services.
Besides hiring a travel portal development company, travel agencies can also obtain an IATA certification. Though not mandatory, the certification can help travel agents to gain the confidence of customers.
What is IATA Certification?
The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, is a democratic and non-political organization that was formed to regulate the civil air transport of the world. This non-governmental organization became a legal entity following the Canadian Parliament's special Act of 1945.
One of the major objectives of IATA is to ensure that people enjoy uninterrupted air transport that is economical to avail of. The organization also aims at collaborating with licensed airlines to promote international tourism and bring travel operators and agencies on a common platform. Given such facilities, the advantages of associating with IATA and is no surprise for any travel agent.
Benefits of IATA Certification
Forming an association with IATA adds several bonus points when you plan to start online travel business agency. Some key benefits that IATA certification brings for travel agencies are discussed in this section.
- IATA allows travel agencies and tour operators to exhibit integrity and professionalism to the customers
- The IATA Accredited Agent logo gives credibility to travel agents
- IATA helps in simplifying the process of traveling
- IATA certification facilitates a comprehensive travel portal solution for both agents and customers
- The IATA numeric code provides a unique identification to travel agents across the travel industry
- The certification allows travel agents to conduct business with IATA airline members and sell airline tickets
- IATA registration enables travel agents to function smoothly with pre-determined guidelines
- IATA membership makes travel agent's staffs eligible for the special deals offered by IATA airlines
How does being IATA Certified Agency feel?
An IATA registration allows travel agencies to sell various travel products. You can easily collaborate with the leading airline suppliers. You can also support a flight booking engine right on your travel portal.
IATA certification can even help in spreading your business across various countries. When you create B2B & B2C travel website/portal and team up with IATA airlines, your accessibility to travel destinations increases greatly. This, in turn, will give you an edge over your competitors in the travel business.
How to Obtain IATA Certification?
There are some procedures involved to start travel agency online with IATA certification. Travel agents can become members of IATA through its associate membership. You need to apply to the organization's executive committee for membership. Your application will undergo a screening process by the committee. The officials will assess your business's financial condition, qualification of your staff, security procedures, and accessibility of premises.
Once the committee finds your business in alignment with the requirements of the organization, they will give a green signal for IATA Accreditation. You need to submit the application form, Passenger Sales Agency Agreement, and the registration fee to receive the certification.
How to Operate Without IATA Accreditation?
IATA certification, as stated earlier, is not a mandatory requirement to start travel business online. As a non-IATA agent,
you can accept airline bookings on your travel portal and send them over to the IATA agencies. Once you receive the airline ticket from them, you can forward it to your customer. So, the point here is that you need a good portal to get your business rolling without IATA accreditation.
You can easily own an effective travel portal with a skilled travel website/portal design & development company like Trip Mega Mart. With a flight & hotel central reservation system installed on your portal, you can provide many different services to the customers. You can collaborate with hotel suppliers and take your business beyond airline services.
Thus, operating as an IATA-certified travel agency has several benefits. The certification can boost your revenue, drive more customers to your business, and enhance your brand's reliability score. However, not obtaining IATA accreditation will not hurt your travel business if you have a reputable tourism portal development company by your side.
Posted on 25-Jul-2016