Top 35 Profitable Travel & Tourism Business Ideas in 2024

Do you want to start a small business in the travel and tourism industry with a small capital investment? If yes, you are in the right place. Read this article to find the most profitable tourism and travel business ideas that can be initiated with limited money.

Hospitality and tourism are vast areas providing different types of services. It includes broadly restaurants, food services, hotels, transportation, photography, business and leisure travel, holiday destinations and activities, camping, and the cruise industry.

The travel & tourism sector has developed into an industry with an annual economic impact of around 6.5 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. The industry is growing and different types of tourism businesses are evolving. Putting investment in the hospitality and tourism industry is worth considering.

Here we have compiled a list of the most profitable travel and tourism business ideas and opportunities for you to explore.

Best 35 Travel Business Ideas in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

#1. Adventure Club

Initiating an adventure club is an ideal business idea for adventure-loving people. The demand for adventure trips, activities, and adventure sports in general, is growing globally. Prior market research is mandatory to identify the potential niche for your business.

#2. Adventure Tourism

The adventure tourism business is perfect for those aspiring entrepreneurs who own outdoor tourism hobbies with themselves and want to turn this into a profit-making venture. As per geography, there is a huge potential for the adventure tourism business globally. Adventure tourism generally takes place in strange, exotic locations where thrill-seeking travelers always expect unexpected happenings.

Learn More: How to Start A Profitable Adventure Tourism Business

#3. Airport Shuttle Service

Airport shuttle service is a very profitable business for entrepreneurs living in tour areas. The business is hugely management intensive. You can establish business tie-ups with hotel resorts, tour operators, and travel agencies to get clients.

#4. Airport Arcade Games

This is one of the trending businesses. Apart from children, you will also get teenage and adult users for this service. Customers can spend minutes or hours gaming at the arcade during their waiting time. According to the target demographic, the right selection of games is important.

#5. Allergy Cards

People who travel with allergy issues, often look for allergy cards in the new location where they arrive. You can initiate a business of providing allergy cards in many languages from home too.

#6. Ayurveda Tourism

Ayurveda is a therapy that promises holistic wellness. The natural herbs and oils used in the therapy are of great medicinal value as is said in the Vedic literature on Ayurveda. There is a strong potential for the growth of Ayurveda tourism globally. Ayurveda tourism is one of the most trending travel-related business ideas to start with moderate capital investment.

#7. Bed & Breakfast

Attitude and the personality of the owner play an important role in the bed and breakfast business. Also, the location is important where you are initiating the business. Having spare rooms, this business can be a very good alternative part-time income source.

Learn More: How to Start A Bed & Breakfast Business

#8. Boutique Hotel

The boutique hotel is considered one of the most profitable hospitality and tourism business ideas. having adequate knowledge and experience is a must. It is extremely important to do a lot of research and develop a detailed business plan to ensure success.

#9. Canoe and Kayak Rentals

If you are living nearby water bodies, initiating canoe and kayak rentals is a wonderful business. In selecting the location, you must take into consideration the ease of access, visibility, parking, and a host of other factors.

#10.Car Rental

For a person living in a strategic place with a high-density population with business centers and entertainment outfits, a car rental business would be a lucrative and profitable venture. The primary job would be to schedule customer reservations and supply the rental car. However, do remember car rental is a capital-intensive business and it needs a lot of research before you go into the business.

Learn More: How to Start a Car Rental Business 

#11. Coffee Shop

Over the past decade, the coffee shop industry is increasing rapidly. An entrepreneur passionate and talented about coffee can initiate a coffee shop business with substantial capital investment. The coffee shop actually treated as a third place outside of work and home to relax. The coffee shop business is one of the best ways to turn your love for coffee into a profit-making business.

Learn More: How to Start a Coffee Shop Business

#12. Community Tour Guide

Personal or community tour guide business is trending now. If you are living in an area having a lot of tourist footprints, you might consider starting this business. You can operate the business from home. Other than local classified advertising, you can also get clients from other businesses operating in the travel and hospitality industry.

#13. Corporate Hospitality Event Planning

Corporate hospitality event planning business describes giving service in the process of entertainment in events held by corporate or businesses for their staff, clients, or stakeholders. The profitability of this business largely depends on keeping your clients happy and you can mean it by another term business entertainment.

Learn More: How to Start Event Planning Business

#14. Double-Decker Bus Tours

Everyone enjoys the ride on a double-decker bus. You can arrange sightseeing tours on a double-decker bus. You must start the business in a busy tourist area. Crafting a proper marketing and sales promotion plan is mandatory to start this business.

#15. Ecotourism

Ecotourism is traveling and visiting new unexplored places that protect the environment and also look after the welfare of the local people residing in that area. This type of tourism is a natural choice for nature lovers who also love adventure travel. The ecotourism industry makes up 6% of the GDP all over the world.

Learn More: How to Start a Profitable Ecotourism Business

#16. Hookah Bar Lounge

One needs to learn the operational aspects to run a Hookah Bar Lounge business. A truly passionate entrepreneur can initiate a hookah bar lounge business with strategic planning and substantial capital investment.

Learn More: How to Start A Profitable Hookah Lounge Business

#17. Houseboat Rental

You can start a houseboat rental business in two ways. One option you can buy a houseboat and start renting. Another option is you can contact the houseboat owners and tie up with them for a business relationship. In this case, you will need to follow the revenue-sharing pricing model.

#18. Conduct Kayak Tours

Do you enjoy kayaking? You can turn your hobby into a part-time profit-making business. Coastal areas are the best location for this type of business. You can offer a kayak tour with some allied services, Such as beginner’s training, lunch, etc.

#19. Medical Tourism

Are you interested in Medical Tourism Business? The medical tourism business is finding the right places with the right medical services for your clients and arranging a hassle-free trip for them. The medical tourism business is alternatively called health tourism and wellness tourism.

Learn More: How to Start a Profitable Medical Tourism Business

#20. Night Club

Running a nightclub can be a very exciting, luxurious, and lucrative business for aspiring young entrepreneurs. People want to get socialized with others and they are willing to pay to use a gorgeous venue dedicated to the purpose. Success in the nightclub business is very much possible if done properly; it demands dedication and meticulous attention to every detail of your business.

Learn More: How to Start a Night Club Business

#21. Off-Road Tours

Off-road tours are very popular among young and adventure-loving people. Organizing the off-road tour is a very profitable business, people the location is full of tourist footprints. Generally, off-road tours are offered in half-day or all-day packages to clients.

#22. Travel Photography

Are you good at photography and passionate about taking pictures? A photographer is a professional that focuses on the art of taking photographs with a camera. A photographer generally works in a freelance capacity and is hired for specific jobs by different clients.

Learn More: How to Start A Profitable Photography Business

#23. Ticketing & Reservation Service

Ticketing and reservation service provides is a small area of operation from a full-fledged tour guide business. The required investment amount is very less. Railway tickets and domestic and international air ticket booking are some of the areas where you can focus.

#24. Tour Guide

Operating a tour guide business demands considerable knowledge of historical information and local culture about the location where you are starting the business. The tour guide business is all about sharing information about places with a group of people in an entertaining way.

Learn More: How to Start Tour Guide Business

#25. Trade Show Visitor

Many big companies keep trade show visitors to know the current trend and happenings inside the industry. In this business, your primary responsibility is to collect information for clients about their competition exhibiting at the show.

#26. Translation

The translation is fast becoming a highly potential web-based business offering opportunities for making money online. With ever-increasing net connectivity and globalization, knowing and understanding other languages have become extremely vital in keeping pace with the speed of society.

Learn More: How to Start a Translation Agency Business

#27. Travel Agency

The travel agency business is among the most popular travel business ideas. It is all about making travel arrangements for travelers. Entering into this business is a great way to start a service-based business. You make money make by helping others visit new places on their holidays or business trip.

Learn More: How to Start A Profitable Travel Agency

#28. Travel Blog

Are you a passionate traveler? Then you must consider starting a travel blog of your own. You can share the amazing experience of traveling to beautiful places around the globe and making money from the comfort of your home.

Learn More: How to Start a Blog & Make Money

#29. Vacation Property Rental Agency

If you are living in a high-traffic tourist area, you can consider starting a vacation property rental service business. Your home and the customer service that accompanies it must provide the things your renters want and need in order for you to reach the highest level of profitability through renting.

#30. Water Taxi Service

If you have good boating skills and live nearby water bodies, you can start a water taxi service business of your own. This is one of the most popular tourism business ideas to start with moderate capital investment.

More Business Ideas for Travel Lovers

Here are some more business ideas who love to travel and want to earn money while traveling:

#31. Personal Assistant to Celebrities

The job of a personal assistant of a celebrity is to manage and organize the back end of a star’s life. They play a very important event-planning role whenever a celebrity is on a performing tour.

#32. Travel Vlogging

If you are a travel maniac, running a travel vlog can be a profitable venture. Travel vlogging is essentially informative tour-related videos promoted through social media platforms. There are many successful Travel vloggers one can see on the Youtube platform earning a good income.

#33. Social Media Influencer

A lot of travel companies are looking for social media influencers for promoting their tour programs and products. If you have a good subscriber base on any social media platform, consider a career as a social media influencer.

#34. Public Speaker

If you are a travel-loving person and a good orator, a career in public speaking can be rewarding as well as profitable.

#35. Travel Event Planner

Many customers look for customized package tour programs for hassle-free vacations. If you have good communication skills and knowledge about exotic destinations, travel event planning can be a profitable business to enter.

In conclusion, choosing the right travel business largely will depend on the demand of the local people. We hope this list of selected popular travel business ideas will help you choose the best one.