Rokitplace: How Independent Travel Businesses Are Poised to Win
The travel industry is changing rapidly, and independent travel professionals are entering a moment filled with new opportunity. Travelers are increasingly looking for meaningful experiences, niche expertise, and human connection over one-size-fits-all vacations. At the same time, technology is finally beginning to support the kind of highly customized travel experiences advisors have been building manually for years.
In a recent conversation on the Travel Tech Audio Summit hosted by Rita M. Perez, Riva Bacquet shared how Rokitplace was designed to help independent travel entrepreneurs thrive in this new era of travel.
From custom itinerary design and supplier relationships to niche communities and group travel opportunities, the conversation explored why small travel businesses may be more powerful today than ever before.
From custom travel expertise to Rokitplace
Before launching Rokitplace, Riva spent over 15 years helping scale SA Expeditions, a tour operator focused on tailor-made, experience-driven travel. Through that experience, she saw firsthand how difficult it was for advisors and travel businesses to manage the operational side of highly customized trips.
“Custom travel is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also operationally complex,” Riva explained during the interview. “There were very few tools designed specifically for that kind of workflow.”
That gap in the market ultimately led to the creation of Rokitplace — a platform designed specifically for independent travel professionals building premium, custom journeys.
More than a booking tool
Rokitplace is more than a platform, it’s a community built on connection and shared passion for travel.
One of the key themes of the conversation was that Rokitplace is not simply another CRM or booking engine.
Instead, it functions as an operational backbone for independent travel businesses, combining itinerary design, quoting, supplier coordination, payment processing, client management, and community support into one ecosystem.
Unlike many travel tools that only solve one portion of the workflow, Rokitplace was designed to support the entire process of running a custom travel business.
As Riva described it, the goal is simple: allow travel professionals to spend less time on logistics and more time doing what they do best — building relationships and designing exceptional trips.
Why niche expertise matters more than ever
Another major topic discussed during the summit was the growing shift toward niche and community-based travel.
Today’s travelers are increasingly seeking advisors who understand their passions, interests, and identities — whether that means wellness travel, culinary experiences, music festivals, astronomy events, or specialized cultural experiences.
Riva noted that social media and creator communities are accelerating this trend. Travelers are no longer only looking to large corporations for recommendations. Instead, they are drawn toward trusted experts and highly specific communities.
This shift creates enormous opportunities for independent travel entrepreneurs.
“People want authentic expertise and meaningful connection,” Riva shared. “That’s why niche communities are becoming so powerful.”
The conversation highlighted how travel businesses can build loyal audiences around highly specific interests, from women’s groups and wellness retreats to pottery workshops, historical tours, or eclipse expeditions.
The rise of group departures and creator-led travel
Group departures and creator-led travel is trending.
The discussion also explored how group travel is evolving beyond traditional escorted tours.
Rokitplace supports custom group departures that allow advisors, creators, and community leaders to design highly personalized experiences around their audience or expertise. These departures can range from annual hosted trips to one-time experiences tied to a specific event or passion.
Riva pointed out that influencers, authors, educators, and niche community leaders are increasingly exploring travel as an extension of the audiences they’ve already built online.
Some examples discussed included:
Music and festival-focused group departures
South African history trips led by an author
Wellness and women-focused retreats
Eclipse viewing trips in Egypt
Community-based experiences centered around hobbies and shared passions
The key takeaway was that modern travelers are often looking for shared experiences with like-minded people — and independent travel businesses are uniquely positioned to deliver them.
Technology should support your brand — not replace it
A recurring point throughout the interview was the importance of maintaining a strong brand identity.
Many travel professionals struggle with platforms that feel generic or limit personalization. Rokitplace was built to keep the advisor’s brand front and center throughout the client experience, from itinerary presentation to the traveler’s experience on the ground.
“Powered by Rokit” sits behind the scenes while allowing advisors to maintain ownership of the client relationship and overall brand experience.
This reflects a broader shift happening throughout the industry: travelers are increasingly choosing people and brands they trust rather than simply booking through large companies.
The growing value of human connection in travel
One of the most meaningful parts of travel is the human connection it creates.
Toward the end of the discussion, Genevieve asked Riva what she thinks travel businesses should stop doing immediately.
Her answer: being generic.
Overusing stock photography, relying on impersonal templates, and publishing content that lacks authenticity can make brands feel disconnected and forgettable.
Today’s travelers want to understand who they’re working with. They want real expertise, real perspectives, and real human connection.
For small travel businesses, that authenticity is one of the greatest competitive advantages they have.
A new era for independent travel entrepreneurs
The conversation closed on an optimistic note for independent travel professionals.
With the rise of niche communities, creator-led travel, personalized experiences, and flexible technology platforms, small travel businesses now have access to tools and infrastructure that were once only available to large companies.
For advisors, creators, and entrepreneurs who have been thinking about growing their business, specializing in a niche, or launching custom group experiences, the timing may be better than ever.
As Riva shared during the summit:
“Unlike ever before, one person or a small group can do things that only a big company could create.”
