Travel Niches / Travel Books
by John Hawks

Travel Niches

This year, hundreds of travel buyers from 43 U.S. states gathered in Biloxi, Miss., for a multi-day convention to plan their 2006 trips. Travel agents? Meeting planners? Tour operators?

Nah. Would you believe -- bank travel club managers?

Eager to keep their hands on the retirement assets of clients in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond, many banks in large cities and small towns have launched special groups for their older depositors. Along with personalized investment advice and banking services, these clubs also feature day trips and longer getaways for their members.

Here's the short-and-sweet primer on working with bank travel clubs:

If a bank in your area already offers a club, you have a golden opportunity to approach the bank employee who manages the club to propose trips. Key selling points include your expertise (especially if you're pitching travel in which you specialize), your dependability (including professional liability/errors and omission insurance -- an absolute must if you're working with banks), and your willingness to start small. Many banks with existing clubs will want to try your services once before they commit their entire annual travel schedule to your agency.

If you've found a bank that does not yet offer this type of club, you're in great shape! You can pitch the bank (start with the president if the bank is small, or the marketing director if it's a larger bank) on launching a club from scratch. You'll handle the travel, while bank officers take care of the investment advice and financial services.

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