The best conversations at events rarely happen on stage. At a tourism meet in Kochi a few weeks ago, ours happened over a plate of banana chips, with a woman who had just celebrated one year as a travel agency owner.
We'll call her Anitha (name changed at her request). Until last year she worked in a software job at Infopark. She still had the habit of talking fast and checking her phone, but the stress in her voice was different. It sounded like someone who had survived something and wanted to say it out loud.
"I thought the hard part was the licence"
Anitha told us she spent nearly three months getting ready to open. Registration, office, signboard, website, brochures. She was proud of how organised she had been.
"I honestly believed that once everything was in place, customers would just come," she said, laughing at herself. "Nobody warns you that the paperwork is the easy bit."
Her first month brought two enquiries. One was a cousin. The other was someone asking for the cheapest flight to Dubai, who never replied after she sent the quote.
The mistakes she was kind enough to admit
What we liked most about Anitha was that she didn't dress up her first year. She listed her mistakes plainly:
- She tried to sell everything. Kerala, Goa, Dubai, Thailand, Europe, visas, tickets. Customers couldn't tell what she was actually good at.
- She underpriced to win. Her first few bookings barely covered her time. "I was working for free and calling it growth," she said.
- She answered enquiries late. Evenings were spent on accounts, and messages sometimes waited until the next afternoon. By then, the traveller had usually booked elsewhere.
- She waited for referrals. They did come, but slowly, and rent was due every month.
What changed in the second half of the year
Anitha said the turning point was a quiet decision to stop being "a travel agency" and become the agency for something specific. She picked Kerala family holidays for people living outside the state, such as Kochi families settled in Bengaluru, the Gulf and the UK who bring parents and children home for a short trip.
It sounds small, but it changed everything. Her packages got simpler. Her messages got warmer, because she understood exactly who she was writing to. And when someone enquired, she already knew the questions they would ask: pickup from Kochi airport, a comfortable car for grandparents, vegetarian food, a houseboat that isn't too rocky.
The part nobody tells you: leads, not likes
Anitha also changed how she looked for customers. She stopped measuring success by page likes and started asking one question every week: how many people who really want to travel did I speak to?
That is the difference between a follower and a travel lead. A lead has a destination in mind, rough dates and a reason to call you now. A hundred followers might give you one booking. Ten genuine leads can give you several.
This is the gap we work on at Travel Steps India. We are based in Kochi and help new travel agencies and tourism businesses get discovered by travellers who are actually planning trips. If you want to see how agencies appear on our platform, take a look at the travel agent listings, or read about how to become a vendor.
Anitha's advice if you are about to start
Before we left, we asked her what she would say to someone planning to open an agency in Kochi next month. She thought for a moment and gave us these:
- Pick a niche before you print a brochure. You can always widen later.
- Reply within the hour. Even a short "I'm checking this for you, will send details by evening" keeps the customer with you.
- Know your real costs. Count your time, your phone bill and your tea. Price from there.
- Keep three months of expenses aside. The first quarter is usually slow.
- Check current requirements. Registration, GST and any approvals you may need can change, so confirm them with your chartered accountant or the tourism department before you open.
- Be patient, but not passive. Waiting alone won't fill your diary. Look for the right channels.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need to start a travel agency in Kochi?
It depends on your setup. A small home-based or online-first agency costs far less than a rented shopfront. Whatever your budget, keep a few months of running costs in reserve, since bookings take time to build.
Do I need experience in travel to start?
It helps, but it isn't compulsory. Many successful owners come from other fields. What matters is knowing your destinations well, communicating clearly and being reliable.
How do new travel agencies find customers?
Most combine a clear speciality, a complete online profile, quick replies and genuine travel leads. Relying only on social media or friends usually grows slowly.
One year in, and still learning
Anitha doesn't call herself a success story. "I'm just no longer scared of the phone not ringing," she told us as the hall emptied out.
That felt like the right place to end. Starting a travel agency in Kochi is not about a perfect launch. It is about getting through the quiet months with good habits, and being ready when the right traveller finds you.
Planning to open your own agency, or already in your first year? Reach out to the Travel Steps India team. Tell us about your agency and what you want to grow, and we'll give you an honest answer on how we can help.