Go Travel Sites

Based at 1245 Brickyard Rd #400 in Salt Lake City, Go Travel Sites operates in a capacity that can be initially confusing for the average consumer. While its business type is listed as a travel agency, a closer look reveals its true function is not selling vacation packages directly to the public. Instead, it serves as a business-to-business (B2B) digital marketing and technology provider for the tourism industry itself. This distinction is fundamental for any potential client to understand. The company has been in operation since 1997, beginning with its flagship portal, Go-Utah.com, and has since expanded to cover all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Go Travel Sites is not a place where individuals can book flights or plan their holidays. Rather, it is an entity that equips other travel agents and tourism businesses with the digital tools they need to succeed online. Its core services revolve around creating and managing a large network of travel portals, which together boast over 400,000 pages of content. For businesses in the travel sector, Go Travel Sites offers digital advertising opportunities, destination marketing services, and the ability to be featured on their highly curated leisure travel websites. Their client list includes major corporations like Choice Hotels, Enterprise, Wyndham, and Yahoo Travel, showcasing their focus on commercial partnerships rather than individual travelers.

What Go Travel Sites Offers the Travel Industry

The primary value proposition of Go Travel Sites is its extensive network of destination-specific websites. These portals are designed to provide potential travelers with curated information, cutting through the "noise of unfiltered comments" often found on massive review platforms. For a hotel, a local tour company, or a destination marketing organization, this presents a significant opportunity.

• Digital Advertising: Businesses can purchase targeted ads to reach an audience that is actively in the travel planning phase. This can range from broad branding campaigns to highly focused ads aimed at specific user demographics.
• Destination Marketing: The company works with tourism boards and local authorities to increase visitor numbers and the duration of stays through strategic online marketing and lead generation.
• Content Curation: Unlike user-generated content sites, Go Travel Sites prides itself on professionally curated content. This includes information on hotels, attractions, outfitters, and dining, sourced by a team of travel experts. For a tourism agency, being featured in such a guide can lend credibility and attract high-intent customers.

The Positives: A Specialized Partner for Tourism Businesses

For its intended audience—businesses within the travel industry—Go Travel Sites presents several clear advantages. The company's longevity, with over two decades of experience, suggests a stable and knowledgeable operation rooted in the Salt Lake City area. This specialization means they understand the unique challenges and opportunities within the tourism market, from seasonality to the specific desires of different traveler profiles. Partnering with a firm that exclusively focuses on travel can be more effective than working with a generalist marketing agency.

The company operates during standard business hours, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and maintains a physical office in the Sugar House neighborhood. This provides a level of accessibility and accountability that can be reassuring for local and regional clients who may prefer direct interaction over remote communication. The defined operational hours ensure a structured and professional approach to client management.

Points of Contention and Potential Drawbacks

The most significant issue surrounding Go Travel Sites is the potential for public confusion. Being categorized as a travel agency while functioning as a B2B marketing firm creates a disconnect. An individual searching for a travel consultant to help book all-inclusive resorts or find last-minute trip deals might contact them, only to discover their services are not for consumers. This misclassification could lead to frustration for both the public and the company's staff, who must field irrelevant inquiries.

Another point of consideration is the nature of their business hours. While the Monday to Friday, 9-to-5 schedule is standard for many corporate entities, the travel industry is not a 9-to-5 business. A tour operator or hotel partner might face an urgent marketing issue over a weekend—a peak time for travel bookings—and would have to wait until Monday morning for support. This lack of after-hours or weekend availability could be a significant limitation for clients who require more agile and responsive service.

Furthermore, while the company emphasizes its curated content, businesses should evaluate how their brand will be presented. The effectiveness of advertising on these portals depends heavily on the volume and quality of traffic the sites receive. Potential clients should inquire about specific site metrics, user engagement, and conversion rates to ensure a positive return on investment. The claim of cutting through the noise is appealing, but its actual impact must be substantiated with data.

Final Assessment

Go Travel Sites is a specialized digital marketing and content firm firmly embedded in the travel and tourism sector. For its target market of hotels, destination marketers, and other travel-related businesses, it offers a potentially valuable platform to reach an engaged audience. Its long history and impressive client list speak to its established position in the industry. However, the company is unequivocally not a traditional travel agency for the general public. Individuals seeking assistance with booking flights and hotels or planning their next vacation should look elsewhere. For businesses considering a partnership, the key will be to look past the potentially confusing name and evaluate the specific advertising and marketing solutions offered, weighing the benefits of their curated platform against the limitations of their operational hours and the need for clear performance metrics.