Travel Agent Finder has opened its internal trade directory, Travel Trade Connect, to the broader Australian travel industry for the first time, inviting suppliers, tourism boards and agent support services to join a hub previously reserved for members only.
Founder Anna Shannon built Travel Trade Connect in 2021, when the industry needed a fast way to find out who was still operating and to rebuild networks from scratch. For four years, the tool has operated quietly inside the Travel Agent Finder members’ area, giving agents a single place to find trade contacts, training and resources.
From today, any Australian travel supplier or agent support service – including tour operators, cruise lines, tourism boards, insurers, wholesalers, DMCs, technology providers, and training or marketing companies – can join for a flat $487-a-year fee, with a seven-day free trial available first.
Travel Trade Connect exists to help Australia’s independent travel agents find the right specialist, product or partner for their clients, faster. Agents use the platform to search BDM and rep contacts, discover specialist training programs, and keep across famils, incentives and upcoming events, all within a trade-only hub sitting inside Travel Agent Finder’s 800-strong agent membership base, 77 per cent of whom run home-based or mobile businesses. The trade pages attract more than 5,000 views a month, and the fortnightly agent EDM holds a 58 per cent average open rate – nearly three times the industry benchmark.
“Until 2020, I was a home-based agent myself, so I built the tool I always wanted: one place to find the right trade contact, information and resources, searchable by keyword, in a few seconds, without digging through a zillion emails,” Shannon said.
“24/7 access to find what we need, when we need it. An industry directory is only as useful as it is complete. That’s why we’ve moved to one low flat fee for trade partners: the more of the industry inside, the more valuable it becomes for every travel agent member – building the one community the whole industry can be part of, together.”
The new trade partner membership includes a full directory profile with BDM contact details, specialties and best-fit client information, website and social links, listings for training programs and events, and the option to join the Specialist Badge Program, which already carries more than 900 verified agent accreditations on the public Travel Agent Finder site.
Eligibility requires trade partners to provide a commissionable product or service, or support Australian travel agents, trade in Australia, and have an Australian-based representative.
Australian travel suppliers and agent support services can start a free trial at traveltradeconnect.com.au. Australian travel agents access Travel Trade Connect free as part of their Travel Agent Finder membership.
