TRAVEL AGENTS AND TOUR COMPANIES. TOUR OPERATION.

In 1841 an English Baptist missionary called Thomas Cook became the first travel agent and
the company he founded – Thomas Cook and Son – has become one of the world’s leading
travel agencies with offices around the world. A travel agent is a retailer, an intermediary
between the prospective traveller and all the components of the trip. Agents sell individual
services: they book and sell airline, train, bus and ship tickets. They reserve hotel rooms and
arrange for ground transportation at the destination. They can also make restaurant
reservations and obtain theatre tickets. For these and other services they are paid a
commission by the companies whose wares they sell.

Tour operators are companies that arrange every aspect of a travel package. They bring
together all the elements of a trip for a traveller or for a group of travellers. Plane reservations
and tickets, hotel arrangements, ground transportation, entertainment and more. All these
components are sold together as a package. Travellers may deal directly with a tour company,
or they may book tours through a travel agent.

Insurance
A travel agency works with the travel industry’s most respected insurance companies. It can
customise an insurance package that will meet your requirements and budget. Every travel
agency always recommends purchasing travel insurance for your protection.

The global role of tourism

For last 60 years tourism industry was the largest economic activity and main form of export
in the world. This industry was increasing in almost all countries around the world (even in
developing countries). The sector has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact is
dramatic because it has influenced millions of businesses and suppliers who are dependent on
the sector.

Factors which generally help tourism grow

There are many social, economic and also political factors which help the growth of tourism:
- people have now more freedom to travel into other countries and more freedom to move
there than a few years ago
- most countries nowadays provide good medical treatment and tourists can choose from
different types of insurance
- standard of accommodation facilities and other services is improving
- there are efficient currency exchange systems, worldwide computerized reservation
systems, and better and efficient communication systems, telephone and satellite TV, thanks
to rapid development of technology
- there is also a better transport infrastructure (airports, roads and railways) and cheaper
petrol

Reasons for travelling

There are a lot of reasons why people travel more often:
- travelling is a popular leisure time activity because it is good for relaxation and recreation
- people visit specific countries or cities to learn about their culture, history etc.
- sometimes people travel to visit friends or relatives
- a lot of people go on business trips
- quite new is travelling to more exotic places or to have more expensive holiday just to get a
better group status
The role of travel agencies
There are quite a lot of travel agencies, which make arrangements for people who wish to
travel. They provide the customers with accommodation, transport, food, program, health
insurance, a tour guide etc.

Off-site services
Some hotels arrange so called off-site services for their guests. Off-site services may be
different types of excursions, walking tours, sport activities and other extra events.

Planning a new tour program

It takes a lot of time, careful planning, negotiating, administration and marketing to put
together a new tour program.
Firstly, the travel agency should select the countries, resorts and hotels or camping sites they
would like to visit. After that, they must get all the possible information about the places and
compare them. For example what can you see there, what services the selected hotels offer,
how expensive they are etc. After this in-depth comparison of potential destinations, the travel
agency can definitely decide on the country, location, type of accommodation, capacity (how
many people), duration of the tour (how long), and departure dates.
Now it is time for negotiations. The travel agency has to negotiate with airlines (or other
transport companies) the price, capacity, dates and with the selected hotels the price, capacity,
meals and other types of services. After negotiations it is necessary to sign contracts with
airlines and hotels about the transport and accommodation.
After signing the necessary contracts, the travel agency can start with production of brochures
and catalogues. At the same time the tour organizers should finish the reservations systems
and estimate (count) the exact selling price for customers, based on exchange rates and also
on other costs and on the profit the travel agency would like to get. The final tour prices must
be sent to printer as soon as possible.
When the brochures and catalogues are printed, it is the time to distribute the promotional
material to agencies and start advertising.
If everything goes right, in a few months the first tourist will be sent to the resorts.

Considering the clients

However, all the planning depends on the type of a clientele, which might be very varied and
might have different preferences. That is why the travel agencies have to consider also the
nationality, age and special interests of their customers, and also their reasons for travelling
and their taste.

End-of-tour questionnaire
At the end of a tour, it is useful to ask the clients for their opinions and also their suggestions
about their holidays. In this questionnaire the travel agency or the tour operator should ask
about the quality of all services such as the program, work of the tour guide, accommodation,
food etc. during the holiday. The results of this questionnaire should be shared with all the
people and organizations that provide relevant services during the tour.

Skills and qualities of a good tour guide

Two things are very important to become a good tour guide, professional abilities and skills,
and personal qualities.
Concerning professional abilities and skills, a good tour guide must have good knowledge of
languages; at least English, French or Spanish, but the knowledge of local language might
help a lot, too.
He should be good at geography and should know a lot about the country or the city he works
in.
Especially he should know enough about its history, culture, habits, customs etc.
He must be a good organizer and also good at psychology because he works with people and
it is better to understand them. Different people might have different problems; some people
complain all the time, other like making troubles, but all the time the tour guide must stay
very professional and must be able to deal with all types of people and their problems. That is
why his/her personal qualities are so important. A good tour guide must be resourceful,
reliable, responsible and flexible. He should be open-minded, easy-going and friendly. It
helps if he is enthusiastic and loves his job.

Choosing your holiday

Before the age of the internet, there were basically just two sources of information for
choosing your holiday: the brochures and catalogues of travel agencies, or the experience and
recommendations of your friends. Nowadays, many people prefer to look for their holiday on
the Internet. Most of the travel agencies have their websites, where you can find all the
important information about the holidays they offer – the dates, the prices, the services etc.
This kind information is usually regularly updated, so that you can always be informed about
the latest last-minute offers. On the Internet, you can also easily compare the offers of
different travel agencies and make sure you’ll get the best deal. Another possibility which
helps you to decide may be Internet discussions, where many travellers share their experience
with travel agencies and their services.
If you have decided and chosen your holiday, from most of the travel agencies’ websites you
can reserve your holiday on-line right away.

Make sure you can answer the following questions:

1. Who was the first travel agent in history?
2. What is the difference between a travel agent and a tour operator?
3. What kind of insurance do travel agencies provide?
4. Can you explain the global role of tourism in the world?
5. Could you name any social, economic or political factors in the increase of tourism?
6. What are the reasons why people travel more often nowadays?
7. If we don’t want to travel alone who can help us to make all the necessary arrangements
for our trip?
8. What does the term “off site service” mean?
9. How should the travel agency progress in planning of a new tour program?
10. Who/What must be considered when a new tour program is being planned?
11. What should the travel agency do at the end of a tour?
12.What kind of abilities, skills and knowledge should a tour guide possess?
13. Which sources can you use for choosing your holiday?