A B2B travel portal is a booking website where a travel company's sub-agents and corporate clients log in to search and book flights, hotels and packages at net or marked-up rates, paying from a deposit wallet or credit limit. The portal owner controls supplier content, markups, credit and ticketing centrally.
How does a B2B travel portal work?
There are two sides to every B2B portal:
- The portal owner (a consolidator, wholesaler or large agency) holds the GDS, NDC, airline and hotel contracts, and often the IATA accreditation.
- Sub-agents (smaller agencies, freelancers, corporate bookers) get logins. They search the owner's content, see prices with the owner's markup applied, and book.
Money usually moves through a wallet: sub-agents top up a deposit, or receive a credit limit, and each booking is deducted from it. The owner issues tickets, collects the margin, and gives every agent a ledger and statement.
This is the dominant distribution model in markets such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UAE, where many agencies sell tickets without holding their own accreditation.
B2B vs B2C travel portals
| B2B portal | B2C website | |
|---|---|---|
| Who books | Registered agents and corporate clients | Anyone from the public |
| Prices shown | Net or agent-specific marked-up rates | Retail prices |
| Payment | Wallet, deposit or credit limit | Card, wallet or payment gateway at checkout |
| Relationship | Ongoing account with statements | One-off transactions |
| Key features | Agent management, credit control, commissions | Conversion, SEO, promotions |
Most growing travel companies run both on the same inventory and back office.
What features does a B2B travel portal need?
- Multi-supplier content: GDS, NDC and low-cost flights plus hotels in one search.
- Agent onboarding: registration, document checks and approval.
- Wallet and top-ups: deposits through local payment methods, with automatic deduction per booking.
- Credit control: credit limits, due dates and automatic holds when an agent is over limit.
- Markup and commission rules by agent group, airline, route, class or hotel supplier.
- Ticketing queue: issue, void, reissue and refund, with the owner's ticketing team in control.
- Ledgers and statements for every agent, reconciled to supplier invoices.
- Sub-agent API for larger agents that want to plug your content into their own systems.
How to get a B2B travel portal
- Subscribe (SaaS): fastest and cheapest to start. On Reservationhub's SaaS Model, the Basic plan (USD 500 activation plus USD 99/month) includes up to 15 sub-agents, Standard up to 50, and Premium unlimited.
- Buy the source code: own and customise the platform on your servers with the Source Code Edition.
- Build on an API: if you have a tech team, build your own portal on a travel API.
Not sure which fits? Read how to choose travel booking software or take the 60-second quiz.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sub-agent in travel?
A sub-agent is a travel agency or individual seller that books through a larger company's B2B portal instead of holding its own supplier contracts or airline accreditation. The larger company issues the tickets and settles with suppliers.
Do I need IATA accreditation to run a B2B travel portal?
Not necessarily. You need a way to issue tickets: your own accreditation, or a consolidator that issues on your behalf. Your sub-agents do not need accreditation to book through your portal.
How do sub-agents pay on a B2B portal?
Usually from a prepaid wallet they top up, or from a credit limit the portal owner grants. Each booking is deducted automatically, and agents receive statements for reconciliation.
Is a B2B travel portal the same as white-label software?
No. White-label describes branding: the software carries your brand, not the vendor's. A B2B portal describes who books: agents rather than the public. A white-label platform can include both B2B and B2C portals.
Launch your B2B portal this month
Sub-agents, wallets, markups and ticketing on one platform with 110+ supplier integrations.
See SaaS plans