Average Profit Share & Override Earnings by Agency Size:
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|
|---|---|---|
Ownership & Profit Structure |
Member-owned cooperative, ensuring profits and backend overrides go back to members. | Investor-owned, meaning profits are legally required to prioritize shareholders, not agencies. |
Decision-Making |
Members elect a board—which is not dominated by the largest agencies—to approve budgets, oversee operations, and ensure Westa is serving all of it's members. | Corporate executives and large agencies dominate decisions, leaving smaller agencies with little say. |
Profit Sharing |
Earnings are distributed based on participation and sales, rewarding your dedication while ensuring even small agencies benefit. | Profits either vanish into corporate pockets or, when they are promised, get diluted by inflated expenses before distribution. |
Membership Costs |
No high-cost membership fees – active agencies have always earned back more than they pay in every year! | Membership fees can reach $10,000+, with unclear ROI, especially for smaller agencies. |
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|---|
Ownership & Profit Structure
| Member-owned cooperative, ensuring profits and backend overrides go back to members. | Investor-owned, meaning profits are legally required to prioritize shareholders, not agencies. |
Decision-Making
| Members elect a board—which is not dominated by the largest agencies—to approve budgets, oversee operations, and ensure Westa is serving all of it's members. | Corporate executives and large agencies dominate decisions, leaving smaller agencies with little say. |
Profit Sharing
| Earnings are distributed based on participation and sales, rewarding your dedication while ensuring even small agencies benefit. | Profits either vanish into corporate pockets or, when they are promised, get diluted by inflated expenses before distribution. |
Membership Costs
| No high-cost membership fees – active agencies have always earned back more than they pay in every year! | Membership fees can reach $10,000+, with unclear ROI, especially for smaller agencies. |
Real Support & Relationships
At Westa, you’re never just a number. Everyone claims to have a community - but at westa you can feel the comradery when you step into the room. Members get direct access to the entire staff, peer-to-peer support across the network, and real relationships that strengthen through in-person events and ongoing collaboration.
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|
|---|---|---|
Crisis Support |
You can always talk directly to key staff up to and including the leadership team. | Lengthy hold times and bureaucracy make problem resolution slow and frustrating, you are on your own. |
Community |
Tight-knit, engaged members who support each other and give you a place to impact decision-making. | Overcrowded, impersonal networks where small agencies compete, creating tension and minimal cooperation. |
Accessibility |
Welcomes smaller travel agencies to grow within our network. | High-cost barriers and exclusivity favor only the largest agencies. |
Events & Training |
Smaller, interactive events focused on relationship-building and practical learning. | Large, corporate conferences with minimal direct engagement and endless supplier presentations. |
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|---|
Crisis Support
| You can always talk directly to key staff up to and including the leadership team. | Lengthy hold times and bureaucracy make problem resolution slow and frustrating, you are on your own. |
Community
| Tight-knit, engaged members who support each other and give you a place to impact decision-making. | Overcrowded, impersonal networks where small agencies compete, creating tension and minimal cooperation. |
Accessibility
| Welcomes smaller travel agencies to grow within our network. | High-cost barriers and exclusivity favor only the largest agencies. |
Events & Training
| Smaller, interactive events focused on relationship-building and practical learning. | Large, corporate conferences with minimal direct engagement and endless supplier presentations. |
Supplier & Program Flexibility
Westa works with trusted suppliers—not pay-to-play partners—and gives your agency full freedom to choose only the programs that fit your model, with tools that promote your brand, not ours.
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|
|---|---|---|
Supplier Partnerships |
Suppliers are vetted by our Vendor Relations Committee and chosen by our board based on performance and the value they provide to our members. | Supplier deals are often driven by financial incentives that benefit the consortia first, with "pay-to-play" arrangements. |
Program Flexibility |
All programs are optional, allowing agencies to choose what fits their business. | Many consortia require participation in specific programs, even if they don’t align with agency needs. |
A Robust Cruise Department |
A dedicated cruise department staffed by industry veterans to help with group bookings, amenities, special departures, and enhanced commissions. | You are provided some booking engines and then are left on your own to navigate your trips and build groups. |
Group Cruise Program |
Returns 100% of Tour Conductor credits and bonuses to booking agencies. | Often withholds or reduces group booking perks to boost consortia profits. |
Marketing & Branding |
Customized marketing programs with your logo, custom letters, and space to advertise your groups. We promote your agency. | Generic, mass-market materials where you are forced to advertise your consortia. |
A Member-Owned Travel Agency Co-op |
The Other Guys, Large Travel Agency Conglomerates |
|---|
Supplier Partnerships
| Suppliers are vetted by our Vendor Relations Committee and chosen by our board based on performance and the value they provide to our members. | Supplier deals are often driven by financial incentives that benefit the consortia first, with "pay-to-play" arrangements. |
Program Flexibility
| All programs are optional, allowing agencies to choose what fits their business. | Many consortia require participation in specific programs, even if they don’t align with agency needs. |
A Robust Cruise Department
| A dedicated cruise department staffed by industry veterans to help with group bookings, amenities, special departures, and enhanced commissions. | You are provided some booking engines and then are left on your own to navigate your trips and build groups. |
Group Cruise Program
| Returns 100% of Tour Conductor credits and bonuses to booking agencies. | Often withholds or reduces group booking perks to boost consortia profits. |
Marketing & Branding
| Customized marketing programs with your logo, custom letters, and space to advertise your groups. We promote your agency. | Generic, mass-market materials where you are forced to advertise your consortia. |
What statistics say
In a 2019 analysis, members earned 13% more than they would have with many national competitors through additional revenue share and bonus payouts beyond the standard national consortia point-of-sale commissions.
