For over 30 years, BWJ Travel has evolved from a small family business to a host travel agency with a growing national presence. The company was founded by brothers Edwin and Jacob Sarkisyan, whose father Vic Sarkisyan, a first-generation immigrant, founded SVH Tours & Travel in the early 1990s. From a community prescriptive direct to consumer agency, BWJ Travel has progressed to a platform assisting travelers and independent consultants throughout the country.
Today, BWJ Travel is much more than a booking service; it is an organization based on family values, dedicated to building long-term relationships, and committed to training the next generation of travel consultants. The company’s story demonstrates how a small family operation can translate to a mission-driven business model without losing its essence: uniting people through immersing them in worthwhile travel experiences.
Roots in Family and Industry Experience
BWJ Travel is built on the foundation of SVH Tours & Travel, which started over 30 years ago. Vic Sarkisyan started it from scratch, eventually developed supplier relationships over the years, and built a reputation for trust in service to customers. Edwin and Jacob grew up in this environment, both immersed in learning how to plan travel, provide service to clients, and the ins and outs of the industry, gaining experience throughout.
Each brother developed different strengths. Edwin focused on operational aspects, systems and scalability, while Jacob gravitated toward relationship-building, and customizing experiences for clients. Individually, they brought together complementary skills, which later became the framework and philosophy behind BWJ Travel. By the time they branched out to start their own endeavor, they had already learned a great deal about scaling a travel company to national recognition.
Transition to BWJ Travel
The inception of BWJ Travel came as a logical expansion to the previous family business. Rather than a direct-to-consumer model like the family business was structured, BWJ Travel was created as a host agency. The objective of BWJ Travel is to not just execute trips, but also provide independent travel consultants with the information, training, and access to clients to operate a viable business.
The host agency approach aligns with the Sarkisyan brothers’ notion that travel is a passion, and people may come from different areas or professions. BWJ Travel was not designed like most agencies who put individuals through filtering or interviews. Our approach is to give people the chance to exhibit their capabilities through action. To date, BWJ Travel has brought together a rich and diverse tapestry of independent consultants sharing a mission to create travel experiences that truly deliver meaning.
Core Values and Company Culture
BWJ Travel highlights three values to follow: trust, perseverance and respect. These values show up in the agent community and the client experience. Consultants are treated like family and are provided state-of-the-art tools, live training, and 24/7 support.
The community aspect separates BWJ Travel from similar agencies with a transactional view of their company. BWJ against views each consultant relationship as an investment and are concerned about whether agents get the best training and resources, not how many agents to recruit. By branding itself a support based organization, BWJ aims to promote credibility and sustainability in the industry based on a foundation of trust.
Services and Client Approach
When a customer first engages with BWJ Travel, they will have access to a full array of services, which could include a cruise, an all-inclusive resort, or a group tour. These services with clients are usually geared toward families, couples, and groups for special occasions such as honeymoons, anniversaries, and birthdays.
What is notable about the company’s processes is the focus on relationships. Agents have been trained to approach clients with a listening ear, custom service, and a long-term commitment to customer satisfaction. Agents will not be taught to solely deliver sales, but rather to deliver what BWJ Travel calls “customer delight.” The idea is to underpromise, and overdeliver. This is especially important in an industry where trust is hard to come by, and there is a lot of mistrust during transactions that can come from scams or unscrupulous suppliers.
The Host Agency Model
BWJ Travel’s host agency structure is designed to distinguish itself from multi-level marketing (MLM) or network-marketing structures. There is no earning potential in recruiting, as agents earn revenue through actual bookings commission and not by recruiting other agents.
The onboarding experience begins with training modules that cover client interaction and booking processes. Once this training is completed, agents receive access to the BWJ Agent Portal, which contains booking tools, suppliers, credit card authorizations, and a data management system. After preferred suppliers are approved, new agents can also expect potential clients to start their careers.
By creating this system, we hope to ensure you will have the ability to start servicing clients quickly, even if you are new to the business – with both training and client opportunities.
Training and Support
A fundamental value of BWJ Travel is its relentless investment into developing agents. Weekly live trainings cover everything from the process of booking trips for clients to supplier updates. The following outline the training sessions offered:
Live Booking Support Calls with Jacob (co-founder)
Live Booking Support Calls with Curt (booking advisor)
Master Your Agent Portal & Tools with Edwin (co-founder)
Jacob’s Pod with Jacob and Edwin
Various supplier webinars featuring Partner Representatives
Additionally, the company supplies one-on-one Zoom support with booking advisor Curt, who was originally a BWJ agent before transitioning into a leadership role. The story of Curt demonstrates the company’s focus on internal growth and recognition of talent.
In addition to these “public” sessions, BWJ Travel has an entire support team that is available during business hours and an emergency phone line that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This gives consultants peace of mind that they will never be alone in assisting their clients.
Technology and Innovation
Central to BWJ Travel’s operations is the custom-built Agent Portal. This platform consolidates booking and data management tools, giving consultants an organized system to track client information, manage commissions, and verify travel restrictions. The integration of these tools reduces the complexity often associated with independent consulting, allowing agents to focus more on client relationships.
The technology backbone also helps maintain operational transparency, reinforcing the company’s emphasis on accountability and professionalism.
Reputation and Client Feedback
Both client and consultant reviews emphasized the company’s strengths relating to communication, dependability, and an individualized service. BWJ Travel reviews link client satisfaction to working with agents who listen and ultimately address their priorities. Consultant reviews associate their positive experiences with BWJ Travel to the supportive environment allowing them to be successful .
BWJ Travel has an organized process for dealing with negative reviews or complaints. Issues are investigated thoroughly, and remedial action is taken, where necessary. This methodical process helps to ensure that the company’s reputation stays intact and that clients still develop trust in the company going forward.
Market Focus and Client Base
The company’s typical clients include couples, families, and groups seeking organized vacations. Cruises and all-inclusive resorts remain especially popular among its clientele, though the agency also accommodates a wide range of trip types and destinations. By providing a personal approach and emphasizing cultural connection, BWJ Travel positions itself as a facilitator of shared experiences rather than a transactional service provider.
This client focus aligns with the company’s stated mission of bringing people closer together, both physically and emotionally, through travel.
Challenges and Opportunities
Similar to many travel businesses, BWJ Travel is dealing with the issue of high demand and quality assurance. BWJ has admitted that their success has occasionally been ahead of their ability to respond to requests. They need to balance demands on growth with resources allocated, especially as they continue to support new agents.
At the same time, the possibilities for growth are substantial. As a host agency, the business can scale without growing the amount of physical building space required, and there never has been a greater demand for bespoke travel solutions. BWJ Travel can react to changing industry conditions with it’s training systems and technology.
Looking Ahead
BWJ Travel is simply the next chapter in the Sarkisyan family’s commitment to travel as a business and as a mission. Thirty years ago, it was SVH Travel and it has transformed into a platform for individuals while staying true to the same principles of the family.
As the family expands, success may be dependent upon the balance on how quickly it can scale and how much agency it can provide in being a customized business to support their agents. The love of travel, an invitation to belong, and unwavering focus on building relationships with clients is BWJ Travel’s difference in a crowded market.
By investing in training, technology and a community, BWJ Travel shows how a family legacy can transform into a movement which fosters both careers and experiences. In a sense, BWJ Travel is not just another trip, they are fulfilling their mission from the outset, which is to help people form connections and develop memories that last long after the trip has finished.
