How a VP of Global Expansion Took Their Travel Agency Worldwide

For a VP of Global Expansion in the travel industry, turning a successful domestic travel agency into a global leader is a complex, high-stakes mission. Every market comes with its own travel agency licensing, accreditation requirements (IATA, ATOL, ARC, EU Package Travel, Seller-of-Travel), and operational hurdles. Expansion delays mean missed bookings and lost market share.

Deel draws on real-world expertise supporting international travel agencies. We understand the stakes — from securing licences in multiple jurisdictions, to avoiding Permanent Establishment (PE) risk, ensuring worker classification compliance, and managing global payroll and benefits for multinational travel teams.

In this article, we follow Vincent, a fictional VP whose story reflects what many leaders face in global travel agency expansion. You’ll see how Deel helps VPs launch in new markets faster, compliantly, and without unnecessary overhead.

Why international expansion is hard for the VP of Global Expansion—and how Deel makes it easy

For Vincent, hiring local employees to run in-market travel programs, sales, and service is crucial. But without the right setup, entity formation and licensing can take months — slowing the agency’s ability to sell tickets, run tours, and capture revenue.

Top pain points for VPs of Global Expansion in the travel sector:

• Securing mandatory travel licences and bonding: Navigating IATA, ATOL, ARC, EU Package Travel, and regional accreditation requirements, plus financial bonding for ticketing and packages, often before local business registration is complete
• Mitigating Permanent Establishment risk: Structuring early market roles to avoid triggering tax liabilities or compliance breaches before an entity is formed
• Ensuring correct worker classification: Avoiding fines and disputes by correctly classifying employees, contractors, and EOR hires across multiple jurisdictions
• Complying with global data privacy laws: Meeting GDPR, PIPL, LGPD, and other regional regulations when handling sensitive traveller and employee data
• Managing multi-country payroll and benefits: Delivering accurate, compliant payroll and competitive benefits packages across diverse tax and labour systems

Deel’s travel agency expansion solution lets leaders hire in 150+ countries without setting up a local entity, keeping expansion timelines short and compliance risks low.

A day in the life of a VP of Global Expansion using Deel

8:30 AM — Approve contracts for the Latin America team

Vincent’s expansion plan calls for launching operations in Colombia and neighbouring markets within weeks — not months. Instead of navigating costly, time-consuming entity formation and local legal setups, the agency uses Deel’s Employer of Record (EOR) in Colombia to hire sales and operations staff immediately.

With Deel:

• Generates locally compliant employment contracts in seconds
• Hires full-time employees the same day, without setting up a local entity
• Onboards new hires with all statutory benefits, tax registration, and payroll ready from day one

Problem solved: The Latin America team is up and running in days, capturing market share and building brand presence while competitors are still filling out incorporation paperwork.

10:00 AM — Accelerate licensing timelines

Japan requires a travel agency licence before selling tickets; Australia mandates financial bonding for package sales. These processes can take months — delaying revenue and market entry. While Deel doesn’t issue travel licences, it enables parallel hiring and market setup so expansion isn’t stalled while paperwork is in motion.

With Deel:

• Accelerated, hands-off entity setup support with experts who specialise in country registration to avoid setup delays
• Compliant EOR hiring during licensing lead times
• Early team roles aligned to avoid Permanent Establishment risk before entity or licence approval

Problem solved: Vincent can build brand presence, train local teams, and prepare sales pipelines while the licensing process runs — entering the market ready to trade on day one.

See also: How to Register a Foreign Entity With Deel

11:30 AM — Set up payroll for the first hires in Dubai

Launching in Dubai means complying with UAE labour laws, Wage Protection System (WPS) requirements, and local benefits obligations from day one. For travel agencies, where staff handle high-value bookings and time-sensitive itineraries, payroll delays or errors can damage both morale and service quality.

With Deel:

• Automates payroll in full compliance with UAE WPS regulations
• Consolidates payroll for all countries into a single dashboard for instant oversight
• Ensures statutory benefits and allowances are correctly applied for every hire

Problem solved: Payroll setup that once took weeks and multiple vendors is now managed in one platform — reducing administrative overhead and eliminating compliance risks.

See also: 9 Benefits of Consolidated Payroll for Global Teams

1:00 PM — Correctly classify contractors

Some of Vincent’s early market hires are contractors — sales reps testing demand, freelance tour coordinators, or marketing specialists brought in for seasonal campaigns. Misclassifying them as independent contractors when local law deems them employees could result in fines, back pay, or reputational damage.

With Deel:

• Runs automated worker classification assessments tailored to each country’s legal framework
• Generates compliant contractor agreements with localised terms and protections
• Tracks and stores classification documentation for audit readiness
• Seamlessly converts contractors to full-time employees via Deel’s EOR model when business needs evolve

Problem solved: Vincent avoids costly misclassification disputes while retaining the flexibility to scale teams up or down in new markets.

See also: Contractor to Full-Time Employee Conversion Policy

3:00 PM — Plan benefits packages for regional hires

To attract top talent for international travel sales and service teams, Vincent needs benefits packages that are both competitive locally and consistent with the agency’s global brand. Without the right tools, this means juggling fragmented data, manually tracking statutory requirements, and risking gaps in compliance.

With Deel:

• Benchmarks benefits against local market standards to remain competitive in each country
• Automates enrolment into both statutory and supplementary benefit schemes
• Provides a unified, global benefits dashboard for full visibility and control

Problem solved: Vincent delivers attractive, locally compliant benefits that appeal to talent worldwide — without adding administrative complexity or overhead.

See also: Guide to a Competitive Global Employee Benefits Plan

4:30 PM — Obtain visas for key workers

While most local hires don’t require relocation, certain roles are too critical to leave to chance. Vincent needs to bring in senior leaders, corporate travel specialists, and brand ambassadors from HQ to build supplier relationships, train local teams, and meet tourism board partners face-to-face.

The problem? Immigration rules are rarely fast or straightforward. Every country has different visa categories, employer sponsorship obligations, and eligibility criteria. In some markets, an entity must already exist before visa sponsorship can even begin — stalling expansion plans. Lead times can stretch for months, short-term visits may still require business visas, and sponsorship comes with ongoing compliance obligations like record-keeping, reporting, or even training levies.

With Deel:

• Delivers expert immigration guidance for each target country, detailing visa categories, eligibility criteria, and processing timelines from the outset
• Oversees end-to-end visa applications and employer sponsorship obligations through trusted local partners
• Integrates visa planning with hiring and entity setup schedules to eliminate launch delays

Problem solved: Vincent can move key HQ talent into new markets exactly when they’re needed — without expansion being delayed by unexpected visa requirements or sponsorship red tape.

See also: How to Compliantly Send Employees Abroad to Test Markets

The ROI of compliant, fast expansion with Deel

For Vincent, every barrier to market entry has a cost — in time, compliance risk, or lost revenue. Here’s how Deel turns common travel industry expansion challenges into smooth, scalable processes:

By removing these barriers, Deel enables VPs of Global Expansion to enter new markets faster, protect compliance from day one, and redirect time and budget toward building revenue-generating travel operations.

Simplify global travel agency expansion with Deel

Vincent’s story mirrors the reality for many VPs of Global Expansion in the travel industry — leaders juggling licensing bottlenecks, payroll complexity, contractor compliance, and the need to move people across borders quickly.

With Deel, you can:

• Launch teams in 150+ countries without setting up a local entity
• Align hiring, entity setup, and visa timelines for faster market entry
• Consolidate payroll, benefits, and compliance into one global platform
• Turn seasonal or project-based contractors into full-time employees seamlessly
• Build in-market presence while protecting compliance from day one

Your travel agency’s growth shouldn’t be limited by paperwork, setup delays, or regulatory complexity. Deel lets you focus on selling travel, building partnerships, and winning customers — while we handle the operational and compliance foundations behind the scenes.

Book a demo and see how Deel can help your travel agency expand faster, smarter, and without borders.