Shoptalk: How to rebrand your travel agency without losing clients or credibility

A rebrand can be more than a new name, logo or colour palette. For some agencies, it is a way to correct a misconception about what they sell. 

For others, it can create room for growth or help an advisor move from generalist to specialist.

For Janice Lonnqvist, owner of Ocean Breeze World Travel in Abbotsford, B.C., the shift was a relatively small name change with a larger strategic purpose. 

Her agency, formerly Ocean Breeze Cruise and Travel, had operated under that name for 18 years before rebranding as Ocean Breeze World Travel two years ago.

“We just took “cruise and” out of the name,” says Lonnqvist. “After so many times being asked if cruises are all we sell, we wanted to get away from that branding. We sell the world.”

The change also came at a time when Lonnqvist also wanted to bring fresh energy into the business. “Eighteen years later, I also just needed something to be excited about again,” she says. 

“It was just time for me and something I needed to do to fall in love with the business again.”

Building a brand that fits

At South Coast World Travel in Simcoe, ON, the rebrand was tied to a larger business transition.

The agency was started by travel agent Kate Stratford 36 years ago and later joined a franchise. 

When her daughter, Carrie Stratford, entered the business and succession planning became part of the conversation, the family began looking at whether independence would give the agency more room to make its own decisions.

“I believed that we would have more flexibility and a little bit more ownership for ourselves as to what we could do if we were to go back to being independent,” says Carrie Stratford.

The agency changed its name in July 2024, choosing South Coast World Travel to reflect a broader regional market.

“We decided to go with the South Coast World Travel brand because it opened us up to the entire south coast of Ontario,” Carrie Stratford says.

For Grace Wong, owner of Travel with Grace in Brantford, ON, who entered the travel industry at the end of 2022, the rebrand was less about changing a business name and more about narrowing her identity as an advisor.

When she first joined TravelOnly, Wong said she branded herself right away because that was the advice she was hearing. 

But about a year and a half in, she began taking a more deliberate look at what she wanted to sell and how she wanted to be known.

“I decided to be more intentional about everything I did, and that was helpful for me in building my business,” Wong says.

After reviewing commission structures, Wong began focusing more closely on cruising. She started with mass-market cruise products, then noticed that her clients were often choosing higher-end cabins. 

That led her to learn more about premium cruising and reposition her business around that opportunity.

Keeping clients, teams & suppliers on board

While the reasons for rebranding varies, advisors agree that communication is central to making the change work.

At South Coast World Travel, Carrie Stratford said the agency focused on reassuring clients that the people and service behind the business were not changing.

“The key was making sure everybody knew that it was still the same office, still the same people, still the same service — it was just a different name,” she says.

The agency promoted the new brand through radio ads, newspaper ads, community signage, Facebook updates and e-blasts.

“It was about keeping the new brand at the forefront,” she says.

Kate Stratford said the agency also made the rebrand visible inside the office, working with an interior designer, choosing new brand colours, developing a new logo, redesigning the space and hosting an open house.

“There was nothing at all left in this office that looked like the old franchise,” she says. “If you’re going to change, you have to change everything.”

Staff involvement was also key, she adds.

“Always include your staff. Our staff were 100 per cent involved in looking at our colours, looking at our decor, looking at our logo. Everybody had a say.”

Lonnqvist also emphasizes the importance of team buy-in. “All of our advisors, they like the look, and they all took it in stride and did very well in the rebranding too,” she says. 

“That makes a big difference – having the team on board too.”

Lonnqvist also hired a contractor to help with social media and communicate the change as the same service and quality, but with a fresher look.

But advisors should also be prepared for the amount of work involved. Lonnqvist says the rebrand cost more and took more time than she expected, with expenses including a new logo, new business cards and support with the social media roll-out. 

The agency also had to contact suppliers individually to update the business name.

“Every supplier had a different way of wanting us to fill out a form to complete our name change and some of them actually charged a fee,” she says.

Carrie Stratford says advisors considering a rebrand should be organized from the beginning.

“Have a really good checklist. There are a ton of details,” she says. 

“With suppliers, you might get the name changed to one area, but that doesn't mean it filters through to everything.”

There will also likely be issues to work through, she adds.

“You're guaranteed to have bumps in the road, but it was about just rolling with them and doing what was best, not only for the office but for our clients,” she says.

For Wong, the communication has happened largely through her social media strategy. 

Rather than posting deals or pricing, she intentionally started using her channels to reflect her more luxury-oriented brand. 

“I’m never really talking about price. If you talk about price all the time and deals, then you end up with clients who are shopping for deals,” says Wong. 

The results have been positive for the agencies.

Carrie Stratford says South Coast World Travel has seen increased interest since its rebrand, while Kate Stratford says the past year marked a sales high for the business.

Lonnqvist says that despite the cost and workload, she's happy she made the change.

“It was a lot more expensive than I thought it was going to be, and it was a lot more work than I thought it was going to be, but in the end I'm still super happy I did it,” she says.

Her advice to other advisors is not to underestimate the process, but also not to let that stop them if the change makes sense.

“It's a lot of work, but if it's something that you want to do, I wouldn't shy away from it,” she says. 

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