The Top 21 Most Powerful Travel Agencies in 2023
Traveling is less stressful when you work with a trustworthy travel agent. Utilize our advice to find the ideal travel company for you. Transfers between various locations, event planning services, group travel reservations, and more are handled by travel agencies. Several businesses are beginning to sell themselves in novel ways, frequently by focusing on certain niches.
Types of travel agencies
Commercial travel agencies
Business travelers are catered to by commercial travel agencies. These organizations focus on finding discounts for business travelers to assist organizations in controlling travel expenses.
Online travel agencies
Online-only travel agencies provide their clients with the ease of online booking and special deals that are only available to established travel agents. Several businesses let customers make appointments online as well as in person.
Niche travel agencies
Clients might benefit from the specialist expertise of a region offered by niche travel agencies. Ensuring all paperwork is in place and offering detailed, frequently first-hand knowledge about the region tourists are going, improves the travel experience for clients.
Membership associations
Instead of charging per transaction, membership associations offer access to the organization’s trip-planning services for the price of an annual membership. The main advantages for frequent passengers are provided by this kind of agency.
Who uses travel agencies?
International travelers
When a worldwide travel agency handles the arrangements, international visitors can reduce the stress associated with booking vacations to foreign nations. This entails arranging acceptable travel lodgings and ensuring that each traveler has the necessary documentation.
Business travelers
Business travelers might benefit from discounts offered exclusively to travel brokers to save money. Several travel agents also take care of the thorough expense report paperwork needed by most businesses’ accounting departments.
Group travelers
By employing a travel agency, group travelers can save time while looking for lodgings with space for the entire group. You can save money by using an agent to make group reservations.
Travel bargain seekers
Travelers looking for discounts on their trip might talk to a travel agent about their budget. This is a technique to find out what deals and budget-friendly packages a travel firm can set up.
1- Travel Edge
Travel Edge, a luxury travel specialist with numerous leisure division offices in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, reported a similar decline in sales the previous year. In response, Travel Edge introduced a temporary signing bonus program, downsized office space, laid off a small portion of its staff, and invested in digital event platforms. While more people are showing interest in traveling to Europe and North America in the second half of 2023, Travel Edge is hopeful about the economy’s revival.
2- ATG
ATG reported a decline in gross revenues of 81 to 85% as a result of the ATG COVID-19’s effects on business travel. In response to the recent issues, the 26-year-old privately held travel management company’s right-sized workforce built new product solutions, and internal technology, and worked on billable projects for some clients.
3- Fareportal
A travel technology company called Fareportal specializes in leisure travel and gives customers the option to make reservations online, using a mobile app, over the phone, or via live chat. One Travel and CheapOair are two of their brands. As more individuals travel for business, the company anticipates growing interest in shorter trip distances and close-by destinations.
4- World Travel
The final company on this year’s list of the 20 most influential travel companies, Global Travel, reported 2023 sales of $393.1 million. Even though Global Travel dropped three points from the previous year’s ranking, it continues to outperform the industry average in terms of business travel reservations and was recently honored at the International Business Awards for its outstanding reaction to the epidemic.
5- OutsideAgents.com
After moving up 15 ranks from 34th in 2023, OutsideAgents.com is a host agency with just around twenty-dozen personnel. As travel continues to improve, the company hopes to increase its $454.3 million in revenues from the previous year.
6- AL Hijaz Tours
Al-Hijaz is the pioneer tour operation in United Kingdom to offer Hajj and Umrah services from United Kingdom. Make use of our fantastic hajj and umrah packages which are tailored to suit the needs of pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia for their all important sacred journey.
7- Arrivia
Arrivia, situated in Scottsdale, Arizona, generated $700 million in sales last year and also added more than 1,000 team members during the year. Arrivia is coming off a first quarter of 2023 that set a record.
8- World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings, which should not be confused with World Travel, Inc., is a privately held leisure travel firm with 40 brands that sells luxury travel services, cruises, vacation rentals, and day passes for resorts. Besides with owning the cruise review website Cruiseline.com, the Massachusetts-based company also runs the CruiseOne/Dream Vacations agency franchise and the Cruises Inc. host agency.
9- Orbitz
Travelers can directly browse and book travel services on Orbitz. Flights, lodging, auto rentals, cruises, and activities are among the services that are offered. A member’s travel expenses can be reduced by up to $775 by bundling services.
10- Vantage Deluxe World Travel
offers both individual and group vacations. excursions like a safari or cruise. offers tours and guides in the area. Adventures all across the world are possible. manages travel arrangements, lodging, meals, and itinerary.
11-Omega World Travel
Omega World Travel, a member of GlobalStar Travel Management and the parent company of Cruise.com, is run by CEO Gloria Bohan. During the pandemic, Omega World Travel reduced staff, and streamlined account management, front- and back-office operations, and supplier agreements while transitioning to virtual operations whenever possible.
12- American Express Travel
Cardholders now earn more rewards to put towards travel and take vacations entirely with points thanks to American Express Travel. AmEx services are available for both leisure and business travelers to book hotels or flights.
13- Ovation Travel Group
Ovation Travel Group, which American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) recently bought, is currently run by the prior management and personnel as a separate branch of GBT. A host agency firm run by the Virtuoso member employs 112 independent contractors.
14- AAA
As a result of implementing a work-from-home approach for the majority of its travel personnel and even moving some of them to other business lines during the height of the pandemic, AAA’s sales dropped by 56 to 60 percent last year. According to AAA, demand is very high for the second half of 2023, and the upcoming resumption of cruising is anticipated to further increase interest.
15- Hopper
Hopper finds itself in a tie for 10th place in 2023 after failing to place in 2023. The business increased its revenue by up to 300 percent year over year last year, and it presently forecasts that revenue in 2023 would be 30 times more than in 2019.
16- Direct Travel
After acquiring the corporate travel division of Short’s Travel Management, which was ranked 28th on the 2023 Power List, Direct Travel, a privately held company that offers services for business travel, meetings, incentives, group travel, and vacations, is down only one spot from last year with 2023 sales of $2 billion.
17- Internova Travel Group
Privately held Internova Travel Group, which reported 2023 sales of $2.5 billion, is still in the top 10 for 2023. Among the company’s subsidiaries are Travel Leaders Group, Nexion Travel Group, and Cruise Specialists.
18- Corporate Travel Management
Corporate Travel Management (CTM), which moved up from 11th to seventh place and reported 2023 sales of $2.55 billion, was one of the top risers in 2023. With enough financial reserves and no debt, CTM reported an underlying profit in the second half of 2017.
19- Flight Centre Travel Group Americas
Travel Center Flight Center After reporting $4.26 billion in sales in 2018, Americas Flight Centre Ltd. subsidiary Flight Centre Travel Group Americas fell eight ranks on the Power List in 2023. Gogo Vacations, a wholesaler, Student-Universe, Liberty Travel, and FCM, a travel management company, are some of the company’s brands.
20- CWT
Despite completing a prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last year, privately held travel management company CWT is still projected to be in position five for 2023. Nevertheless, the business left with $350 million in new equity funding, and business travel is gradually recovering.
21- BCD Travel
BCD Travel made the most of its unexpected downtime during the pandemic by creating a digital tool to help travel managers reevaluate their program’s return to active travel and by publishing a COVID-19 information portal with the most recent travel guidelines and restrictions. The corporate travel management firm was ultimately able to add $1.9 billion in new business while keeping 99 percent of existing clients.