TripWitt.com Tests Market with Online Directory

For the traveling public, TripWitt.com is a free way to find a specialist for a desired destination or travel theme, according to travel agent Celeste Koutavas— who launched the site late last year. For travel agents, it may be an opportunity to explore a new way to generate leads and service a customer base. “We are driving high intent travelers to the site so they can see and choose the best travel professional for them," Koutavas said.

TripWitt.com is an online directory of travel professionals. Consumers simply enter where they want to go, or the type of travel they are interested in, and a list of specialists appears. They can browse the list and select from any of the travel professionals that interest them. This includes a more detailed profile, complete with pictures, biography, and possibly any ‘specials’ they might be advertising. Koutavas is a travel agent and member of OSSN.

Koutavas believes travelers can see who they relate to the most and then send them an email, check out their website, or even connect with them on Facebook or Twitter. “The choice is yours; you choose the travel professional you think would be best suited to book your next trip - wherever that may be,” Koutavas says.

For the travel professional, TripWitt.com is a place to start building relationships with clients before they even contact you. ” It is now possible to connect with a potential client in a totally new way," she says. "Imagine, them contacting you directly because they are interested in what you personally can bring to their trip instead of them contacting a random agency that they are unfamiliar with. TripWitt.com is putting your face, your knowledge, your expertise, and your experience right upfront where a traveler can find it.”

Agents can customize profile page with pictures, a detailed bio, and professional achievements and update it with specials or any other information as often as the agent likes.  “The profile page also acts as a URL that will optimize on the internet, so for a home-based agent who doesn’t have a strong website this is great way to be found and also convey their professional information," she says. “Consumers want to use travel professionals but they don’t know where to find a good one or how to tell the difference.  I wanted to give our industry a place to show off who they are and what they know,  TripWitt.com is the only online directory optimized for consumers with a clear message of finding a travel professional and using a travel professional.”

Costs of participation range from a promotional rate of $99 to $125.Agents should contact TripWitt for details.

Visit www.TripWitt.com.