Sport Fishing Reels in Profits for Family-Owned Agency
by Judy Jacobs /Frontiers Travel, run by Mollie Fitzgerald and her brother Mike, has built a thriving business in a very specialized niche – saltwater and freshwater fishing.
The agency, founded by their parents in 1969, now does $45 million in annual sales and has clients worldwide. Mollie’s expertise in the sporting market won her the most admired Virtuoso advisor award in 2010.
Travel Market Report asked Fitzgerald to share her knowledge of this lucrative niche.
What percentage of the sales of your agency does fishing comprise?
Fitzgerald: Currently fly-fishing is about 40% of our business, shooting is about 20% to 25%, and Elegant Journeys [the company’s luxury leisure division] is the rest. It hasn’t always been that way. At certain times in our history the sporting travel has been 75%.
What’s the profile of clients who buy fishing travel from you?
Fitzgerald: It’s very diverse. We’re based outside of Pittsburgh, but our clients are all over the U.S. and the world. We have a lot of people fishing as families. A lot of grandfathers want to introduce their grandchildren to the sport. We have ladies who fly fish but their husbands don’t.
We have absolutely every range of the spectrum, from beginners to the very experienced anglers who want to challenge themselves. They’ve gotten to a certain point that it’s not about the numbers, but they’re after a trophy fish or want to catch certain number of a species of fish on the same day or the same week. Or it could be someone who has never held a fishing rod in their hands.
Is it high-end travel?
Fitzgerald: We do have a lot of clients at the upper end of the spectrum looking for the best possible lodges and the best possible guides with price no option. We also have some pretty good product at reasonable price for the novice who wants to try it out and see if they like it.
Do you get a lot of repeaters?
Fitzgerald: We have a lot of repeat business. Some of our clients take a half dozen fishing trips per year. One guy was fishing in Brazil in January, the Seychelles in March, Russia in July and Norway in August. For some people this is a big part of their life.
How do you decide which lodges to sell?
Fitzgerald: We have a team of four or five who go to South America and other destinations twice a year to check out new product, to see if they’re keeping up maintenance and if the guides are as good as they were a few years before. If a wonderful manager retires, the entire personality of a lodge can change, so we need to keep up-to-date.
What are tips for agents who want to create a fishing niche? How can they get started?
Fitzgerald: Rather than reinvent the wheel, partner with somebody like us. It takes a long time to develop the perspective it takes in this business. We do a lot of three-way conference calls with agents and their clients. In some cases, we are functioning as a tour operator, but the majority of our clients are direct business.
What sort of clients should agents consider for this type of travel?
Fitzgerald: Finding clients with a genuine appreciation for the outdoors is a good place to start. A client who’s been on a safari or been to the Galapagos might be a good possibility. A father-son or grandfather-grandson pair – even if they’ve never fly-fished before it’s a really fun thing to do together in a remote place where they can connect. It’s great for families.
What are your plans for the future as far as fishing is concerned?
Fitzgerald: We’d like to continue to nurture it and make it grow. I hope that the rivers and the bodies of water and the oceans remain safe and clean and a safe place for fish to swim.