OSSN E-Agent Newsletter

Throughout 2007, we've been hit with questions at OSSN Headquarters about whether agents should use a .com name (or another common domain such as .net) - or whether it makes sense to pay the extra money to register for (and qualify for) a .travel address.

For those of you who are new to the industry, .travel Web addresses are managed by a for-profit company called Tralliance, under an agreement with the international body that administers Internet domain names (it's called ICANN). While you can go to many different registrars and register a .com, .net, or similar Web addresses online, you must apply for a .travel name and show that you're actually using the name you're applying for in your business (e.g., if you ask for thebestcruisesintheworld.travel, you must send in papers proving that you sell cruises).

Another big difference is the fee. While .com, .net, and related addresses can cost as little as a few bucks a year ($8 or so with GoDaddy.com, for example), you'll pay $99 a year for each .travel address you have.

We're also hearing from a lot of agents who already own .travel addresses but who aren't sure whether they should renew.

In the beginning days of .travel, OSSN served as one of the leading authenticators for this new Web address. In other words, we handled the initial applications for new .travel sites in cooperation with Tralliance. However, we decided ultimately to stop authenticating these applications, based on numerous complaints from OSSN agents who felt they were not being treated fairly. In some cases, OSSN agents had successfully registered .travel names, only to receive a note from Tralliance days or weeks later threatening to take back the names!

When .travel launched, its organizers promised a massive consumer education effort to encourage Web surfers to recognize the .travel suffix and to regard it as a mark of quality (since, supposedly, average consumers can't walk in off the street and get a .travel address without applying and qualifying as travel professionals). That was part of the justification given for the $99 yearly fees. So far, though, we haven't seen much promotion of .travel in the marketplace.

I'm not writing this column to urge you to give up or avoid .travel names. Quite the contrary -- we've also heard from some OSSN members who really like having that suffix on their Web address.

Instead, I'm suggesting that you weigh your options carefully, and ask a lot of questions. You can really only get behind and promote one primary Web address for your home-based travel business. True, you may operate lots of microsites, but most home-based agents will focus on one site to which their customers will be drawn. You must make the best possible choice for that site's address.

Keep this issues in mind:

Allow plenty of time to apply for a .travel name. It can take several weeks to complete the full application process, and numerous OSSN members have complained that the .travel registration staffers are difficult to contact directly.
Make sure your clients understand how .travel works in a Web browser. Lots of consumers still see a .travel address and assume it needs a .com added to the end to work!
If you pick a .travel name, consider having a replacement .com name registered as well, just in case. That way, if you decide that you don't like the .travel name, you can quickly switch over without taking your site down for too long.

At OSSN HQ, we will continue monitoring your concerns about .travel names. Please send us an email if you run into questions or problems with your .travel site.

Gary M. Fee is president and founder of the Outside Sales Support Network, the world's largest trade organization devoted to home-based sellers of travel. OSSN serves more than 7,500 home-based travel agents around North America.

(Credit: OSSN)