Corporate travel consultants will be able to obtain formal certification from the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) from next year.
ACTE said it was launching the Consultants' Corner programme in response to demand from its members.
To get the stamp of approval, consultants will have to pass a product knowledge test and fill out an ethical questionnaire.
Ron DiLeo, ACTE's executive director, said the programme would establish some basic standards in an area that has suffered from inconsistencies.
He said the programme would help both corporate travel people start-up as consultants and those who had already started a business but needed help refining their proposition.
Each certified consultant will receive a start-up kit including business cards and customisable presentation templates, and be given a link on the ACTE website to showcase their credentials and certification, according to DiLeo.
He said: "How many people started up a consultancy because they were in between jobs? "Some people don't have any idea when it comes to packaging themselves and put together a good portfolio."
Megan Costello, ACTE's managing director, said the organisation was often asked to recommend consultants but had never had the wherewithal to do so.
Chris Crowley, ACTE's president, said his own company, BCD Travel, had a database of more than 500 varying types consultants.
"It's a dramatically bigger market than people imagine and there are many different types of practitioner.
"We are having to provide some basic standards, but we are not trying to regulate."
DiLeo said he believed Consultants' Corner would also attract new talent to the travel industry.
"While larger firms don't typically get involved directly in travel management projects, it's not uncommon for their work to affect their clients' travel programmes.
"With the Consultants' Corner, these firms now have a place to shop for sub-contractors."
ACTE said Consultants Corner would formally launch in the first quarter of next year.
www.acte.org