13 Travel Consulting Business Success Stories [2024]
Many people dream of traveling the world. Starting a travel consulting business is an excellent way to make a passive income, explore different parts of the world, and help others do the same.
As a travel consultant, you will provide advice to clients on various aspects of travel, including destinations, airfare, accommodations, and activities.
The objective is to assist tourists and travelers in planning personalized vacations, offer travel advice, and provide end-to-end travel arrangements for a fee.
By making use of industry knowledge and relationships with hotels, airlines, and destination experts, travel consultants can save their clients time and effort in designing their dream trips.
Here are some real life success stories of starting a travel consulting business:
1. Rayna Tours ($6M/year)
Manoj Tulsani and Kamlesh Ramchandani, founders of Rayna Tours and Travels, started their business a decade ago with no experience in the travel industry. Despite the challenges, they grew their venture into one of the UAE's leading destination management companies, earning over $40 million per year. Their success is attributed to their focus on exceptional customer experience, strategic investments in their own infrastructure, and the use of advanced technology to provide convenient travel services.
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 670
Rayna Tours and Travels, founded by Kamlesh Ramchandani and Manoj Tulsani, began its journey as a small travel counter inside a Dubai hotel, and has now grown into one of the UAE’s leading destination management companies with earnings exceeding $40 million per year.
2. Flight Expert Bangladesh ($18M/year)
Salman Rashid, Founder & CEO of Flight Expert, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the potential of online travel agencies in Bangladesh. Seeing the decline in revenue in his family's offline-based travel agency, Salman suggested starting an OTA to his father. Despite initial skepticism, Salman recognized the need for better technology, service culture, and the value of brand trust in the industry, leading to the launch of Flight Expert in 2017.
How much they make: $18M/year
How much did it cost to start: $80K
Current team size: 60
How a first-time founder grew the first-ever online travel agency in Bangladesh to 700+ airlines and one million-plus hotels worldwide, with a 50% increase in revenue in October 2021 compared to pre-Covid sales and aiming to hit break-even by March 2022.
So... can you actually make money with a travel consulting business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. ClaimCompass ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size:
Case study: How one startup, specializing in airline compensation, raised $200k in funding and saw growth.
4. CuddlyNest ($2.8M/year)
Ritesh Raj, the co-founder and COO of CuddlyNest, came up with the idea for the accommodation booking platform after years of traveling to over 100 countries and realizing the pain points of finding diverse types of accommodations. Alongside his co-founder, they decided to create a centralized platform that offers all kinds of properties for all types of travelers. Since its launch, CuddlyNest has raised over $14 million in funding and has plans for continued growth and expansion.
How much they make: $2.8M/year
Current team size: 72
CuddlyNest has become the only online travel agency that offers all types of accommodations in one platform, with inventory currently including over 4 million properties of all types in 80k+ cities, and is expecting to hire more than fifty new employees in the coming months.
So... can you actually make money with a travel consulting business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. RoundAbout Travel ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 1
This case study features Australia's first round-the-world airfare specialist, which generated $900,000 in revenue during its first year and has since expanded to five brands, accumulating over $50 million in annual revenue, all started by a 23-year-old who quit his job as a travel agent.
6. Total Travel Solution ($240K/year)
Nishan Rajakaruna, the CEO & Founder of Total Travel Solution in Sri Lanka, came up with the idea for his travel agency after reading a tea-export company's brochure that mentioned being a "total tea solution." He decided to create a company called Total Travel Solution and partnered with a leading travel agent in Spain, which changed his life and made TTS a successful company. Despite challenges in the tourism industry, TTS remains a leading travel agency in Sri Lanka.
How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
Current team size: 5
Total Travel Solution is a 6-figure (USD) company that sells the best quality Sri Lanka and Maldives tour packages to tourists from all over the world, generating a sales revenue of about USD 2 million from 2012 to 2018 while maintaining their growth through honest, trustworthy, and high-quality services.
So... can you actually make money with a travel consulting business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Packs Light ($170K/year)
How much they make: $170K/year
Current team size: 4
Packs Lights is a successful travel blog founded by Gabby Beckford, a young adventurer and TEDx speaker, that offers a plethora of travel tips and resources, and has earned her over $170,000 in gross cash from sponsored content and blog pieces.
8. Travel Blogging 101 ($660K/year)
Shelley, a former travel magazine editor, decided to start a travel blog after leaving her corporate job. In just two years, she became a six-figure blogger and started teaching others how to achieve similar success. Through her courses and blog, Shelley has generated significant income and plans to continue expanding her business and creating more courses in the future.
How much they make: $660K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1
Travel blogger turns four profitable blogs into a six-figure business, increasing income by 3,113% from 2021 to 2022, and now teaches others how to scale quickly using her techniques.
9. I Want That Flight ($360K/year)
How much they make: $360K/year
Current team size:
Case study of an entrepreneur who built a flight comparison script and has grown profit margins to $110,000 per month.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
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- 8,628 business ideas
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
