Omaha Area Travel Agencies
BestFare Tour & Travel - Omaha.
Fresh Links:
Former NU Coach Charlie McBride Joins to Host Nebraska/USC Trip.
About Us:
The Bestfare Corporation is a Midwest retail provider of value-added vacation products and services targeted to both low and higher-income travelers. Our company assembles air, hotel, rental car, event tickets and other travel components in bulk or by special arrangement and markets vacation packages to travelers through our three highly visible travel brands. Our company also provides its services through other distribution channels, including the Internet, private label, and independent contractors. The Bestfare Corporation provides and markets a vast array of airline and cruise affiliated vacation programs as well as our own flexible independent travel programs for individuals, groups and corporate incentive plans.
History & Outlook:
Bestfare Tour and Travel was created in March of 1990 as the brainstorm of founder and president Bill Novak. His passion for his own personal travel along with his marketing background in the radio broadcasting, cable television, and the automobile industry, allowed him to create a success story that started from the basement of his very own home.
In August of 1991, Bill moved the business to a retail office facility at 72nd and Farnam Street in Omaha. Opening with just 500 square feet, the facility expanded
in four years connecting three retail suites.Realizing from the start that the commissions from “air only” tickets sales showed little opportunity for acceptable profit levels. Bestfare booked clients “air only tickets” on a call-in basis only while concentrating marketing and advertising efforts on more high volume / big margin, retail vacation packages. These packages to destinations such as Las Vegas, Mexico and Orlando allowed Bestfare to become a top producer for MLT Vacations (division of Northwest Airlines), Funjet Vacations and Southwest Airlines Vacations. By 1994, Bestfare became the top producer in Omaha, and ranked second nationally for sales of America West Airlines vacation products. Today Bestfare enjoys top commission levels, travel perks and preferred status with several travel partners because of its high volume of sales.
In 1994, Bestfare launched it’s first self created sports package hosting 146 Husker fans in New York City with Nebraska vs. Penn State. Bestfare Sport Tours executed many more successful programs after this to such events as the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Nebraska vs. Washington, California, Arizona State plus many more College Football, NASCAR, and Rodeo events. The biggest tour to date saw 714 Nebraska fans enjoy the 2000 Nebraska at Notre Dame game. This also marked the beginning or our current “Premium Sports Tours” branded label.
In July of 1999, Bestfare Tour and Travel changed from a sole proprietor company to be incorporated as “The Bestfare Corporation”. Bestfare Tour and Travel would now be marketed under the “Bestfare Value Vacations” label to draw attention away from the traditional travel agency image dealing in non-commissionable airline tickets and direct it to higher margin vacation travel products.
In August of 2001, The Bestfare Corporation moved to its present retail location at 117th and Dodge. The new reservation center allows much better access, parking and visibility for our retail traffic. The events of 9/11 which took place only one month after opening our West Omaha location indeed had a dramatic impact on sales. But by December, bookings rebounded with robust sales on the 2002 Rose Bowl Package along with first quarter Cancun and Las Vegas packages. In April of 2002, The Bestfare Corporation ceased all sales of “air only” ticket sales due to most major airlines cutting commissions to zero. This had minimal impact on revenue because Bestfare had never focused on “ticket only” sales since our beginning in 1990.
In 2002, Bestfare launched our latest marketing brand the “Las Vegas Vacation Hotline”. With its own identity, phone number, website and sales staff. Bestfare can market regionally and separately from our other labels featuring only Las Vegas Vacation Products. This also allows new employees to be trained experts on one destination and the turn time from a trainee to an active productive sales agent be done in a third of the time. With the Internet based on-line booking engine and sophisticated phone network, inbound calls can be serviced an sold either on or off site, at home or at another call center 24 hours a day. Although in it infancy, Las Vegas Vacation Hotline has had a strong launch with impressive sales and a long term objective of having all sales agents work on a commission and incentive pay program.
While conceding the “air only” business to the Internet. Bestfare beats the Internet on complete vacation packages with both price and customer service. While some traditional agencies in the Omaha area who had relied heavy on “air only” ticket sales for many years are now closing their doors. Best fare has picked up market share and will continue to pick up market share as the number of active agencies decrease in Omaha.
Advertising:
Since 1991, Bestfare has had an upscale image presented to the Omaha community. Our new plaza sign at 117th and West Dodge has “Bestfare” at top position. The continual advertisements in the Omaha World Herald and frequent radio campaigns has made Bestfare a household name to the Omaha traveling community. Bestfare also at times advertises in the London Journal Star and St. Joseph News Press. Bestfare also provides product updates to it clients through direct mail and email databases. Bestfare has decreased its ad size in the phone book over the years because of increased costs as becoming cost ineffective.
Facility:
Bestfare’s new retail reservation center on West Dodge road features an enclosed Presidential office with private entrance, restroom and conference table. There is a front lobby area with customer counter, seven work stations with high speed Internet access, document and administration area along with restroom and break room.
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