Why travel affiliate programs are the next big thing in Affiliate Marketing?

So, you must be thinking what are travel affiliate programs? Let me explain.

Travel affiliate programs are programs that offer promotion of brands and display links of travel companies. Every time someone uses those links and buys tickets or products through them, you get a commission for it from the companies that you promoted. Travel affiliate programs consist of companies like Hotels.com, Agoda, Expedia, Trivago, VRBO, Marriott, Etihad, KLM, and many more, which are all there to suggest you anything related to the different aspects of traveling from booking a flight, hotel room, or even attraction tickets at your destination of choice.

Everyone loves traveling and wants to explore the entire world, whether if it’s going on a vacation to relax from work, go to historical locations and have an adventure or to meet your family after a long time who live far away from you.

The essence of traveling all remains the same but to ensure you have the best experience during that time is the main problem. Therefore, travel companies play their role over there and give you the best experiences so you can relax and not worry about anything. In 2019, Global Economy spent 9.25 trillion USD on Travel and Tourism, and about 1.46 billion international arrivals worldwide were recorded. In 2020 however, things took a massive turn for the worst as COVID-19 spread all around the world and this restricted travel companies as all traveling was closed, and a whole of 42% decrease in revenue was seen from the previous year.

Why are travel affiliate programs the next big thing?

Surely things went down in 2020, but with everyone in quarantine the entire year not being able to go out, it has only made this feeling inside every one of going out and travel; hence a major increase in traveling can be seen within the next few years after the pandemic ends. Travel companies are going to benefit a lot from the upcoming sales as people would rush to visit places worldwide. Hence joining a travel affiliate program from Trivago, Hotels.com, VRBO, or KLM would be the best decision you can take right now. Regardless of whatever happens, travel affiliate programs always earn more than any other affiliate marketing program in the world and relatively have a much higher rate for commission for the sellers. 

The excitement to go out and travel is only going to rise the longer the pandemic lasts so once the pandemic is over, we can assure you that you will be seeing airports packed with people and everything overbooked from flights up to hotels and restaurants.

Each year countries spend millions and even billions on their tourism so that people can visit their countries and explore. With such a big market, travel affiliates are more than just the next big thing. 

Traveling Made Easy!

In the modern world, traveling without a doubt is made easier for anyone who has an average annual income. There are many countries that are way cheaper than others to visit, such as Taiwan $34/day, Romania $33/day, Georgia $30/day, Greece $40/day, Croatia, $40/day, Turkey, $40/day, etc. You can experience one of the best countries and enjoy the amazing views and places that they have to offer. Companies will even make it easier by offering discount packages. These affiliate programs make it easy for us to go and explore different countries with an all-around package that consists of flights, residence, food, and other fun activities for the entire family. 

Most families go on tours which are quite possibly the most energizing things about traveling. There are bunches of companies that offer guided visits to tourists. Each company offers different packages depending on the situation and even have an option for saving money. Furthermore, affiliate advertisers can profit by promoting the services of these companies. 

One thing surely did affect such travelling companies and that was the question

Is it safe…? Is it trustable….? 

But to that problem the companies insured their customers that all their services were safe and protected and of high quality. With that out of the way, the companies could now start benefiting from sales.

Countries that travel the most

According to different reports, Finland tops the charts with 7.50 trips of traveling per person per year. Finland is followed by Americans, which is at 6.70 trips, Sweden with 6.00 trips, Danish with 5.3 trips, Norwegians 5.20, residents of Hong Kong and New Zealand with a similar of 4.30 trips, Canadians about 4.10, Australians 3.80 and the French with a total of 3.50 annual trips. You can only imagine the amount of revenue that would have been made from each person who has traveled.

With such stats traveling affiliate programs target specific countries more than the other as they know which countries are more likely to use them and give results and like this, it benefits both the sellers and the buyers. Investing is much simpler, and you being in an affiliate program, would know what your audience wants and likes.

We don’t want you missing out on the next big thing so here’s a list of some high paying travel affiliate sites that you can apply for. Thanks to Indoleads which makes it extra easier for affiliates and provide good affiliate programs for you to choose from. Travelling is only one of the few categories it has for you. You can find all the given programs over there.

Best travel affiliate programs

Expedia.com:

Expedia was founded in 1996 and is an online travel shopping company that offers you to book hotels, cars, trips all in one go from your device. It’s an easy, fast, and secure method to solve your travelling problems.

Commissions are up to 11% plus extra revenue.

Hotels Combined:

Want to save money? Hotels overbooked for the holidays?

Hotels combined got you covered, find the hotel you need according to your expenses and have a great stay.

Commissions are up to 2$ per lead.

Booking.com:

Booking.com is a travel agency that helps you have reservations in hotels, restaurants in more than 266 countries all around the globe. 

Up to 40% commission.

Travelspayout:

Travelspayout is the easiest way to solve the heart of your travelling problems. They instantly resolve and help you out as they believe in customer satisfaction.

Commissions up to 70%.

Cruise Direct:

If you love the sea and enjoy those wavy travels then cruise direct is the one for you, with it helping you book a cruise trip from one destination to another.

Commission is 3%.

Agoda:

Agoda keeps you updated with the best hotels, resorts at best prices. Agoda is also one of the most trustable travel communities.

Commissions are up to 5%.

TripAdvisor:

When it comes to travelling and restaurant bookings, TripAdvisor is one of the oldest players in the game and yet it is still going strong with millions of people using it daily around the world.

Up to 50% commissions.

Trip.com:

STA affiliate program is one of the most popular travel related affiliate programs among youth and hotel travel bloggers which pays you great commission on flights and tours.

10% commission.

Wego:

Wego is an exclusive affiliate network to all the travel bloggers and marketers who want to earn some cash. It makes you promote travel products using their extensive number of affiliate products to choose from.

Up to $0.80 per click.

Lonely Planet:

It is the biggest travel guidebook publisher in the world where it publishes magazines, travel guides, eBooks and so much more.

Up to 15% commission.

Other Affiliate Programs you can consider from Travel Website/Apps 

Hotels.com pays one of the highest commissions of up to 6% for bookings, while VRBO and Stayz pay 2.6% commission. FeWo-direkt.de from Germany and Abritel.fr from France also pays up to pays 2.6% commission on successful transactions.

Hotel Brand Affiliate Programs Geo Payout

Marriott International Affiliate Program pays 3-5% commission while Homes & Villas by Marriott International pays 3% for worldwide bookings

Airline – Flight Apps 

Jazeera Airways pays the commission of 2.5% for successful bookings while Etihad Airways pays 2% commission and KLM Airlines gives 1-15% commission.

Travel Affiliate Programs have a wide range of products to sell. Such products like power banks, tents, cameras, water bottles, suitcases, travel pillow, etc. all from big brands like Amazon. Some affiliate programs let you compare hotels and see the best hotel for yourself. It can be expensive or cheap, but the best part is that you can save money with the best package for a good trip. Others offer you to book flights, hotels, car renting etc. 

And some even give guidebooks of people who have experienced the place so you can tell if it’s worth your money or not. With such things on the line, one will be able to get more traffic on the affiliate links. With more traffic, sellers would be able to earn a lot more and may even get bonus revenue from these travel-based companies. Getting traffic on such products and packages is relatively easier as everyone enjoys traveling or wants to be preprepared for any upcoming travel plans. 

 Getting better at travel affiliate programs

There are a few things you should know when you want to get better at travel affiliate programs. 

  1. You need to do your research about the number of affiliate programs based off traveling and what they have to offer which you can use for your audience. 
  2. Knowing about the countries yourself and knowing what products would be best for your customers. 
  3. You’re most likely going to encounter a lot of people who would be going to a destination for the first time so telling them what is worth it and what is not would be best. Having known where to go and where to not just doesn’t help save time but also money.
  4. Do not ruin anyone’s experience by recommending them a place that they will regret in the future. Ask them what they are expecting to see or what they would want the experience to be like.
  5. Have a great impression on your audience, so they come back to you every time. Like that, you are going to get loyal and satisfied customers and would lead to you having the best ratings on the market.

One of the Affiliate Networks that can help you start your affiliate marketing journey in travel affiliate programs is Indoleads.com. Indoleads offers almost all of the affiliate programs mentioned in this article and has a convenient affiliate marketing marketplace where you can search these programs and get started for free.

Rakesh Babu
Rakesh Babu
Rakesh Babu is a business analyst with a focus on startups. With an MBA and years of experience, he's a go-to source for insights on entrepreneurship. Beyond the business world, Rakesh is a chess aficionado and an amateur astronomer, always curious and seeking new patterns – whether in the stars or the stock market.

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