Renewed interest in the services of traditional travel agents has sparked the opening of a new business on Racebrook Road in Orange. Brothers Oded, Tamir and Eitan Battat marked the opening of their standalone agency Traveland on Thursday with a gathering that included town officials and a rabbi offering a ritual blessing.
Travelers frustrated with the endless options and limited customer service of online booking are turning increasingly to agencies, Tamir Battat said.
“Sometimes the information is overwhelming and sometimes you need support after the trip has begun,” Battat said. “There’s is a resurgence of people who are looking to have hands-on help, people they can trust — local people they can interact with and speak with.”
Recent surveys have found a significant increase in the numbers of people seeking the services of travel agents, according to MMGY, an industry research and marketing company. “The travel agency space is there for the owning,” MMGY Vice President Steve Cohen told Travel Market Report. [link]
“Most of them are overwhelmed with the options that are available online and they need someone to sort things out for them, someone who has been there and knows about the destination,” Oded Battat said. “We can help them focus and sort things out.” Instead of charging a premium on trips, travel agents in many cases can help customers save money and time, he added.
The Orange office at 564 Racebrook Rd. will be the third outpost of the Battat company, the original location having opened in Bridgeport in 1978. A second office opened in Shelton in the 1980s, and a recent surge in business led to the brothers to seek a location in New Haven County. Traveland specializes in cruise and leisure travel along with group tours to the Middle East and other destinations.
The Orange location was once a farm, then a real estate office. The Battats renovated the building to allow for an open-plan office split into leisure and group-travel sections. From 15 to 20 people will eventually work at the 3,500-square-foot space, according to Tamir Battat. “It was the right size, the right fit,” Battat said. “We’re happy to be in the community.”
Contact Liese Klein at lklein@newhavenbiz.com
