TripAtlas.com, a travel research and booking portal, is getting into the retail "buy a lead" business.
Its new TripAtlas Pro program enables agents to respond to consumer leads submitted through Trip Builder requests generated at TripAtlas.com.
"With more than half a million unique visitors accessing TripAtlas.com each month, we're hoping to attract additional travel professionals who can help advise clients via live chats as well as book customized vacations for consumers," said Steven Kaufman, president of TripAtlas.com.
Agents in the TripAtlas Pro network can view leads submitted by clients through Trip Builder and respond if they wish. TripAtlas.com does not take a commission on agent-booked itineraries but charges a membership fee of $395 per year or $35 per month.
There's an option for a free, 30-day trial membership, under which agents receive five "credits" that they can use to respond to consumer travel leads.
According to a spokeswoman, after the trial period, agents can choose to join and pay the annual fee or participate in a pay-as-you-go system, where they will not pay a monthly or yearly membership fee but instead buy credits as needed. These are priced at roughly 99 cents each, she said. One credit is deducted each time a consumer views a response made by the agent.
Agents who join without a trial membership receive 30 credits immediately, then 10 credits at the beginning of each calendar month. Aside from bidding on leads, Pro members can use their credits to market themselves as a featured company on the site.
The spokeswoman said TripAtlas welcomes participation by home-based agents.
"While we don't require our agents to be a part of any association, we encourage them to list their professional credentials on their profile page or storefront for consumers to see. It has been proven that the professional designations make consumers aware of the expertise of travel agents and help them close sales," she said, adding that TripAtlas has partnered with ACTA and CITC in Canada and is pursuing partnerships with ASTA and CLIA.
TripAtlas.com is headquartered in Toronto.