Unit 1: Role of Travel Agent

Role of the Travel Agent

 Travel agencies act as agents for a variety of principals (the suppliers of
the travel and tourism industry’s products) such as airlines, rail
companies, hotels, tour operators, car hire companies and currency
suppliers. The main role of a retail travel agent is to sell holidays, ancillary
products (such as insurance, car hire, foreign currency etc.), provide
information and to advise customers.
 There are also business travel agents who specialise in providing services
for business travellers. These business travel agencies provide speed and
flexibility in making travel arrangements with scheduled airlines and
accommodation bookings with large international hotel chains.
 Travel agencies vary in their size and scale of operation. In some
countries you will find multiples. These are agencies that have branches
throughout a country and often in counties abroad as well, example,
Thomas Cook agency.
 You can also find smaller independent travel agents called miniples,
which are not part of a national chain. They usually have one retail outlet
but may have a number of shops in the specific area.
Role of the Travel Agent
 Travel agencies perform a key role as intermediaries that
provide information on destinations and tour packages, and
enable potential clients to access this information and confirm
their arrangements through bookings. Their place in the chain
of distribution is shown in Fig. 1.3. i.e. key aspects of this
distribution process are:
• The principals acting as primary suppliers in the tourism
distribution chain include transport, accommodation,
attraction, local tours etc.
• Tour operators can be seen as product builders i.e., they
produce a new product by combining or packaging the
basic products or components offered by primary suppliers.
• Travel agents can be viewed as information brokers,
providing the consumer with relevant information and
booking facilities.
Role of the Travel Agent
• Computerized Reservation Providers of travel products:,
Systems/ Global Distribution transport, accommodation, transfers
and other services
Systems (CRS/GDS) cover
airline offerings as well as
other tourism relevant
products such as packaged Wholesalers
holidays and other means of Tour Operators
transportation. They provide
the main links to tour operator
systems and to travel agents. Retailers Direct Sell
Travel Agencies eg via internet
• On-line reservation systems
allow customers to by-pass
traditional intermediaries and
deal directly with the primary
Customers
suppliers to obtain information
and make reservations. Fig. 1.3 The chain of distribution
Role of the Travel Agent
 To help illustrate how the chain of distribution actually works, the
accompanying image shows an example of an extract from the website
of a Brunei-based travel company. Freme Travel Services is the largest
travel agency in Brunei, Darussalam, employing over 60 people with
branch offices in four different locations throughout the country.
 The company offers outbound leisure travellers a wide range of travel
products and services including flights, cruises, hotels, rail, car rental,
transfers, tour packages and medical screening packages. In terms of
business travel, the company is the appointed agent for Brunei Shell
Petroleum for all work-related travel, including hotel bookings and it
also caters to the needs of over 90 corporate clients throughout Brunei.

 Source: http://www.freme.com/
Package Tours and Packaging
 The tourism industry is well known for its ‘packaging’ of
tourism products together into a tour or holiday. A tour
operator typically combines tour and travel components to
create a package holiday.
 The most common example of a tour operator’s product
would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from
the airport to a hotel and the services of a local
representative, all at one inclusive price. Many tourists find
buying a package tour a very convenient, economical and
secure way to travel.
 Packaging is the process of combining a number of inter-
related tourism products and services that, together, offer
a comprehensive experience for travellers. They are
brought together into a convenient single product at a
lower price than if they were bought separately.
Package Tours and Packaging
 Packages can be and often
are designed to appeal to a
specific target market. The
best packages offer unique,
appealing experience or series
of experiences to travellers, at
good value.
 Fig. 1.3 clearly indicates that
some tour operators act as
wholesalers and sell their tours
through retail travel agents.
Others sell directly to the
customer, sometimes just over
the internet (see Fig. 1.4). Fig. 1.4 - Internet based
travel and booking agencies
Role of the Tour Operator
 In order for tour operators to be able to stay in business and remain
profitable it is important that they are able to do the following:
• Identify and meet consumers’ needs, requests and expectations;
• Assemble tourism products from different providers according to
customer requirements;
• Provide a coordinated and seamless travel experience;
• Reduce prices by negotiating and pre-purchasing tourism products
in bulk;
• Issue and deliver travel documentation, i.e., ticketing, vouchers,
etc.;
• Assess and monitor the quality of facilities and products;
• Reduce the perceived risks for consumers;
• Provide appropriate information by using leaflets, maps, brochures,
videos, CDs etc.;
• Undertake pre and post experience marketing research;
• Promotion of particular products or packages, in co-operation with
suppliers;
• Complaint handling for both customers and industry partners.
Role of the Accommodation Providers

 All tourists need somewhere to stay during their

holiday, and accommodation therefore forms an
essential part of a tour operator’s package.
 However, the accommodation sector provides an
enormous variety of accommodation types to suit a
wide range of visitors. Accommodation ranges from
luxury 5 star hotels which provide facilities and
services such as 24 hour room service, gyms,
swimming pools etc. to camping grounds where the
visitor is provided with a patch of ground on which to
pitch a tent.
 Classification of different types of accommodation is
very difficult as they can mean something different in
another country. In the United States, the meaning for
an ‘inn’ is a hotel or motel style accommodation
usually operated by a chain such as Holiday Inns. In
Britain, an ‘inn’ would describe a pub-style
accommodation offering bed and breakfast.
Accommodation Types

 A range of options are available at most

destinations and it is common to find some or
all of the following:
• Hotel is an accommodation establishment of
at least 10 rooms that correspond to high
standards and offers dining services
(restaurant).
• Motel is an accommodation establishment of
at least 10 rooms situated near a road that is
primarily meant for car travellers and has a
safe parking site.
• Guesthouse is an accommodation
establishment of at least 5 rooms which offers
dining services.
• Hostel is a simple accommodation
establishment for holiday, sport or study
visitors that offers dining or cooking facilities.
Accommodation Types

• Holiday village or camp is an establishment

providing limited accommodation services,
which has an enclosed area for tents and/or
caravans, parking sites for motor vehicles
and/or dwelling houses (bungalows).
• Holiday home is an accommodation
establishment for holiday-makers, which is
rented out fully and has cooking facilities.
• Visitor’s apartment is an accommodation
establishment with food-preparing facilities
which is rented out.
• Bed and breakfast means accommodation
services at a private farm, house or
apartment which includes breakfast.
Accommodation Types

 An important distinction in the accommodation used

by tourists is in the difference between serviced and
non-serviced types. Serviced accommodation
means that members of staff are available on the
premises to provide services such as cleaning,
meals and room service.The availability of such
services, even if they are not in fact used, is included
in the price charged.
 If the accommodation is non-serviced, this means
that the sleeping accommodation is furnished and
provided on a rental basis, normally for a unit
comprising several beds such as a cottage, an
apartment or caravan.While services for the
provision of meals, bars and shops may be available
on site on a separate commercial basis, as in a
holiday village, they are not included in the price
charged for the accommodation.
Role of the Accommodation Providers

 Most of the hotels used by international travellers

have rooms with en-suite bathrooms and, more
commonly in the United States than elsewhere.
Other features usually found include a telephone,
an alarm clock, a television, and broadband
Internet connectivity.
 Food and drink may be supplied by a minibar
(which often includes a small refrigerator)
containing snacks and drinks (to be paid for on
departure), and tea and coffee making facilities.
 The cost and quality of hotels are usually indicative
of the range and type of services available.
Role of the Accommodation Providers

 For the sake of greater comparability, rating

systems have been introduced, with the one to
five stars classification being most common e.g.,
most people recognise that a 5 star hotel will
have excellent service, be exceptionally clean
and tidy with housekeeping staff on call 24
hours, have up to date luxurious décor and have
a wide range of facilities on offer.
 A 3 star hotel on the other hand will have fewer
facilities, less luxurious décor and more limited
services, such as a limited 24 hour room service
menu instead of the entire restaurant menu.

Catering facilities are very important for the creation

of suitable conditions for tourism and for
satisfying tourists’ basic needs in any specific
destination or resort.
Role of the Catering Outlets
 Food and beverage facilities should not only be
regarded as being a basic tourist need; they are
also important to the development and promotion
of all types of tourist facilities, and can be
classified as tourist attractions in themselves.
 They are certainly a key tourist facility within any
destination. In Poland there exists basic catering
facilities providing regional and traditional menus
which fulfill the role of tourist attractions at a
regional, national and even international level.
 In Krakow there are cafés and wine-bars which
are particularly attractive to tourists for their
historical value, menu and atmosphere. This
diversity of food facilities should be taken into
account by those responsible for destination
management within tourist areas.