Host travel agency
A host travel agency (HTA) is a company that acts as a middleman between travel product suppliers and a network of travel retailers. Typically, they are mature businesses with worldwide coverage and stable customer and revenue flows. Since HTAs usually have all the main industry accreditations, they can share their credentials with smaller agencies and/or independent agents for a fee or commission, thus giving them resources to grow and develop.
The accreditations HTAs usually obtain and share with other players include IATA/IATAN code, ARC credentials, and CLIA membership.
Besides, HTAs offer their partners additional services such as
- access to training and education programs,
- bookkeeping and sales tracking,
- Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance,
- marketing programs,
- access to industry-specific technology solutions,
- lead generation, and other types of support.
Some of the top industry-recognized HTAs are Avoya Travel, Travel Planners International (TPI), Nexion Travel Group, and Outside Agents.
