A travel agency is considered a relatively easy business, even if it is run by a beginner in this field. By opening a business as a franchise () or on your own, you can grab your market share even with a superficial analysis of the competition. But advertising and thinking through a system for working with a client to return them is a significant part of the costs.

Choosing the scope of work of a travel agency

There are two areas of tourism services:

• tour operators;
• travel agents.

The work of the former is to deal with organizational issues of travel:

• Reservation of tickets in one or two directions for specific periods;
• Hotel or hotel reservations;
• Delivery of goods and escort of tourists to their destination;
• Organization of excursions;
• Additional services.

It is obvious that operators are large-scale businesses that often cannot withstand competition. Another thing is travel agents. Their work includes:

• Sale of ready-made services;
• Cooperation with tour operators;
• Communication between tourists and tour operators;
• Providing discounts to tourists.

Travel agencies may well be a one-person business, which is why the investment required is significantly less than opening a tour operator company.

Opening an independent company

The simplest agency format is an independent company. Usually this is an enterprise of two people and a visiting accountant. It is enough for a travel agency to:

1. Develop a logo and corporate identity;
2. Establish connections with suitable tour operators;
3. Select an office;
4. Hire employees;
5. Run advertising.

Depending on the size of the city, you can do it on your own and periodically invite an accountant. The manager, who is also the manager of the company, receives calls, registers tours and controls the trips of tourists, being in touch with the tour operator.

Opening a franchise company

The work of a franchise organization is the registration of a company according to the template of a large-scale network business. The peculiarity of a franchise company is that the entrepreneur enters into an agreement with a travel network and acts according to the agreement. A quick start and network connections provide easier profits, but at the same time they limit independence of action - everything, right down to the design of the office and the course of advertising, is subject to the contract.

Despite the limited choice in running a business, using a franchise network is a convenient and often the right decision.

The advantages are too obvious and suitable for beginners in the field:

• The company immediately has a brand that does not need to be spent or thought through, which means that the company is easy to recognize, and it already has a certain trust among clients;
• The travel agency will immediately have promotional materials for advertising, and this is also a significant part of the costs that can be avoided by using the brand as a franchise;
• The network provides software for registering vouchers, which facilitates and automates the process;
• The company will always have information support from the network in case of questions.

If you choose a franchise, the chain usually has courses that you can take before registering as a business, which is useful if you need to learn about the pitfalls of the business.

“Seeing the world” is one of the most persistent human desires. If we are not talking about a sofa TV show, then why not give people joy by making your own business out of it? Is it difficult to open a travel agency, where to start? Let's try to figure it out.

The good thing about the tourism business is that you can open a travel agency with minimal investment and without work experience. The activity is not licensed, so you do not need to obtain any permits. At the same time, competition in the travel business is high, and the demand for travel agency services in a crisis naturally falls. The population prefers to save rather than spend. How to open a travel agency from scratch in such difficult times and make it profitable?

According to the Russian Union of Travel Industry, in 2015, demand for mass outbound destinations fell by 30-60%. The reason is the decline in purchasing power of Russians. Due to recent events in the world, experts predict a large subsidence in the following directions: Egypt, Türkiye, France.

Tourism business: who is who

If the decision to open a travel agency has been made, it is first worth studying industry legislation. The legal side of the tourism business is regulated by Law No. 132-FZ of November 24, 1996 “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation.”

According to the document, tourism can be international (inbound and outbound) and domestic, and tourism services are provided by tour operators and travel agents.

Tour operators- legal entities that independently develop tourism products (tours), promote and sell them. The mission of the operators is for the tourist to see Paris and... return home safely. Therefore, the law obliges them to have financial security in the form of a bank guarantee or insurance. All tour operators operating in accordance with the law are included in the Unified Federal Register, and those working to organize outbound travel must also be members of the relevant associations.

Travel agents- legal entities or individual entrepreneurs who are the link between the tourist and the tour operator. This party sells tours designed by tour operators and earns commissions. Relations between tour operators and travel agents are regulated by agency agreements, which stipulate the amount of remuneration - 5-16% of the cost of the sold tour.

The responsibilities of a travel agent are listed in the agency agreement and typically include:

• informing about tourism products and selecting tours according to the wishes of clients;
• preparation and issuance of tour documents to tourists (tickets, accommodation voucher, insurance, memo about the specifics of the route, visas);
• guarantee of reservation of all services.

We open a travel agency from scratch: we take into account experience and financial capabilities

A travel agency can exist in different forms. It all depends on the start-up capital and the ambition of the aspiring entrepreneur. Be realistic about your capabilities, but be optimistic.

You can go one of four ways:

The initial investment when opening a franchise travel agency is 150,000-450,000 rubles. depending on the size of the city, and they can be repaid in the first six months of operation. The main disadvantage is that the franchisor sets unrealistic sales plans, especially for the initial period. Therefore, you need to either choose a partner who does not assign plans, or change the terms of the contract.

How to open a travel agency: step-by-step instructions

So, what does it take to open a travel agency?

1. Registration. A travel agency can operate both as a legal entity and as an individual entrepreneur. It is easier for an individual entrepreneur to register, use the earnings for personal purposes and cease activities. This option is ideal for home-based travel agencies. In other cases, it is preferable to open an LLC - the level of trust in companies in Russia is traditionally higher than in individual entrepreneurs.

   When choosing a tax system, you should focus on the simplified tax system with the object “income” (6% rate).

2. Office organization. For a travel agency, a premises (own or rented) with an area of ​​15-20 m2 is sufficient. The office should be bright and comfortable, have a telephone line and the Internet. You will need to make repairs, decorate the premises thematically, buy furniture, office equipment, and stationery. There must be space on the façade of the building to accommodate external advertising.

   The location of the travel agency is important. The preferred placement option is in a shopping center or business center, in an area with high business activity. It’s good if kindergartens, schools, beauty salons are located near the office - usually it is women who initiate the trip and collect all the information about the tours.

3. Software. Information on tours can be searched on the websites of tour operators or in specialized search engines - Internet resources whose databases consolidate information on most tour operators. Such systems provide travel agencies with the most complete picture of current offers. The use is paid, but significantly saves time.

   The most famous are the following search engines: TOURINDEX (www.tourindex.ru), “Ehat” (www.exat.ru) and “TURY.ru” (www.tury.ru).

4. Choosing a direction of work. This is a key point for starting, on which the further strategy when starting a business depends.

   You may prefer the following tourist destinations:

   personally known and verified;

   matching the specialization of potential employees;

   promising and fashionable types of tourism (eco-tours, beach holidays, extreme sports, etc.).

   You should choose a niche where it will be interesting to work. All subsequent organizational stages will depend on the decision made at this step: recruitment of personnel, selection of tour operators for cooperation, search for effective channels for advertising.

5. Website creation. Before creating/ordering a website, you should decide what function it will perform: representational (a regular business card website), informational with the ability to search for tours or an online store. The optimal solution in terms of the ratio between price and efficiency is the second option.
6. Selection of employees. This is one of the main problems when starting a tourism business. Finding a professional with his own client base who knows how to work with people is difficult. Such specialists are rare and expensive, but investing in them pays off, so you shouldn’t skimp on remuneration. Salaries for tour sales managers are calculated traditionally: salary and percentage of sales.

   Employees need to be developed: thematic trainings, seminars, regular study tours to selected countries increase the effectiveness of managers.

   You can save money on an accountant, especially in the first year of work. For small sales volumes, the businessman himself can handle accounting and reporting using specialized free online services.

7. Selecting tour operator partners. You can enter into contracts with several tour operators at the same time. For each chosen destination, it is worth concluding agreements with several operators in order to satisfy all possible requests of tourists regarding arrival dates, hotel level, etc.

   When searching for potential partners, you can use the federal register, which contains all legally operating tour operators, as well as professional ratings, reviews in specialized Internet resources, tourist directories and other sources.

   Main selection criteria:

   the tour operator operates in key tourist destinations;

   popularity of the tour operator, positive image, degree of reliability;

   conditions offered to the travel agent (amount of agency remuneration, frequency of its increase, price offers for tours, etc.).

8. Advertising. You need to use all available channels with high efficiency.

   They work well: business cards in the checkout area of ​​supermarkets, competent promotion of your own website, useful and beautiful handouts (calendars, metro maps, brochures and books), information on forums and social networks, announcements on information stands in elevators and entrances, preparation of joint broadcasts/publications with local media (print, radio, TV channels).

How to open a profitable travel agency from scratch?

Whatever they say about the year-round demand for tours, about the replacement of beach resorts by ski resorts, the business is still seasonal - experts note a decline in the market from January to February. In addition, the crisis that the economy is going through also affects the tourism industry. Find out why you should start your own business during a crisis.

Is it profitable to open a travel agency? What techniques should you use to not only break even, but also make a profit?

Analyze the market, study demand, adapt when external conditions change. Start with interesting outbound destinations, including CIS countries where growth has been recorded: Vietnam, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Moldova. Organize custom tours.

It is also worth taking a closer look at domestic tourism, the potential of which is enormous. Already now, a competitive infrastructure has been formed in some regions of Russia: the Black Sea coast, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring. Russian exotics are also promising in terms of tourism: Altai Mountains, Baikal, Kamchatka, Kola Peninsula, Karelia, Khakassia, ski resorts in the foothills of the Caucasus.

According to the Federal Agency for Tourism, domestic tourism grew by 30% over the past year, 2014.

Lazy relaxation is going out of fashion, so the future belongs to active tours that combine travel and hobbies: yoga tour, ecotour, photo tour, trekking, jeeping, fishing tours, etc. Agrotourism is gaining momentum.

And, of course, the ratio of price and quality decides a lot. Offer discounts, develop bonus loyalty programs. Attract clients with quality service, cooperate only with reliable tour operators - create an image that will work for you in the future.

Watch the video interview with the CEO of 1001 Tour:

How to make a travel agency profitable

Do you want to open a travel agency? Here are the best tips to help you open your own travel agency without any problems! Let's take note.

Do you like to travel?

Do you know how to properly organize a trip, choose routes and which museums to visit?

It's likely that you wouldn't mind.

How do you like the idea of ​​opening your own travel agency?

So, let's go through all the pros and cons! 🙂

How to open a travel agency and what do you need to know for this?

Tip #1: The most important thing is that you must understand that this business is complex and does not bring in excess profits!

If you work successfully, you will be able to earn money, but it will not be “mad” money.

Just as, in fact, they will not exist in other areas, unless you are involved in weapons, drugs and smuggling.

Tip #2: In the tourism business, you are selling a service, and the quality of this service will depend entirely on you!

There are two players in the market: tour operators who create tourism products and travel agencies that sell this tourism product.

All travel companies have the same product, so your success depends entirely on.

Tip No. 3: In many cities, and certainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, courses are held for those who want to open their own travel agency.

The courses are one-week, relatively inexpensive, and useful in terms of the legislative framework.

But if you don’t have the opportunity, don’t be upset, be patient and persistent and devote ten days to independently studying all the legislative documents in this area.

The activities of travel companies themselves are not licensed, so you do not need to obtain a license.

But knowing all the laws is a must!

Tip No. 4: Choosing the location of the office in which your company will be located is one of the decisive factors for success.

The company should be located in a walk-through location, preferably with shop windows facing the street.

Having a transport stop, metro, or large supermarket nearby is almost a must.

It would also be a good idea to contact a branding agency that will develop a creative and vibrant style for your company, which is very important!

You have to stand out and always be in trend and people will reach out to you! 😉

Thanks to the flow of people, you can attract the attention of potential customers with discounts and promotions!

Tip No. 5: You can choose the franchise option, that is, go under the name of a well-known travel agency network.

In this case, there are both disadvantages and advantages.

Pros: already known name, booking program, joint advertising.

Cons: Entry fee and regular franchise fees. Here the choice is yours.

For those who are interested in the idea of ​​opening their own travel agency,

Where to turn your attention?

Well, the most important thing in the travel business is word of mouth and customer return!

There is no need to hire managers right away, because at first you will probably be able to cope on your own.

The main thing is to study all the information, enter into agreements with tour operators, master the booking system and get into FIGHT.

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Increasingly, citizens of our country spend their holidays abroad, traveling to different countries. But tourist trips around the country do not stop. , following this trend, is also developing. New agencies, tour operators are appearing, hotels are being built. not a very complicated process. The biggest difficulty is the huge competition. And before joining their close ranks, you need to decide in the role of whom you will act. Currently, the most common types of organizations are: Tour Operator or Travel Agent. So who are they?

What is a tour operator and travel agent?

A tour operator is a legal entity that is engaged in the formation, promotion and sale of a tourism product, in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation.” Simply put, it is an organization that prepares and promotes tourism offers. The tour operator will organize meals and hotel accommodation. Provides transportation, excursions, etc.

There are several ways to sell tourism products. For example, using travel agencies. In this case, all responsibility for the quality of the service provided falls on the tour operator.

A travel agency is an organization that promotes and sells the tourism product of a tour operator. In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation “On the fundamentals of tourism activities”. A travel agency can be opened by either a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur. This is an intermediary between tourists and the tour operator, who receives his commission. A travel agent buys a tourism product that is formed and ready for sale from the operator. And offers it to the end consumer. For this sale I receive a monetary reward.

Quite often, a tourism organization combines the functions of a travel agent and a tour operator. For example, a tourism organization creates and offers a tour of Italy, acting as a tour operator. And at the same time, this travel agency acts as a travel agent, implementing a tour to France, formed by another tour operator.

It is important to know that tourism happens:

• entry - travel on the territory of the Russian Federation by people who do not permanently reside in Russia;
• outbound - travel of citizens of the Russian Federation abroad;
• domestic - travel within the Russian Federation by Russian citizens.

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To open and operate a travel agency, special permits are not required by law. Therefore, this type of tourism business, as practice shows, is more widespread. Let's look at the main stages of creating a travel agency (travel agent).

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Business plan

At the first stages of opening any business, it is necessary to draw up a business plan. First you need to decide for what purpose it is being compiled and for whom. For example, to obtain a loan, for a private investor, for yourself. It is necessary to calculate the amount of investment for a year, six months, a month. You can draw up a business plan yourself or order it from a consulting company.

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Choosing a travel agency name

A lot depends on the successful name of the travel company. It helps promote the company’s services on the market, creates an associative range and style associated with the company. A successful name is remembered well and quickly, which is very important when there is a lot of competition.

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Website creation

Nowadays, to organize your business, you need Internet support. Take care of creating your own company website. This service can be ordered from professionals, but it is possible to make a simple website on your own. To do this, you need to choose hosting (the place where your site is “physically” stored) and a domain name. This is the address of your page, which should echo the name of your company. This will make it easier for potential clients to remember and find you.

There are many free and highly detailed website builders available. Choose one and, following the instructions and tips, create your website. To begin with, it is enough to create a one-page website, where there will be information about you, contacts, and a short list of services.

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Selection of tourist destinations

As experts advise, narrowly focused businesses sell their goods and services better. Buyers are more often turning to specialized stores. The same rule applies in the tourism business. It is better to offer specific tours to your clients. For example: “Our agency selects therapeutic tours around Russia using a unique method for children and adults.” Instead of the sentence “We will select any tour.” The first option is more informative and understandable.

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How to choose tour operator partners

When signing a cooperation agreement with a tour operator, pay attention to the availability, validity period and amount of financial security. To the number in the Federal Register of Tour Operators. For the duration of work in the tourism business. Pay attention to the number of employees in this company, the presence of diplomas and awards. Find out where the tour operator's office is, its size and presence, availability of management information, etc. There are no exact criteria for selecting the best and most reliable partners. Try to find out as much as possible about them.

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Where does the tourism business begin?

So, where should you start when opening a tourism business:

• office selection. In order to organize a tourism business, you need to find suitable premises. It is worth choosing office space in areas with maximum traffic. In a well-promoted shopping center, in a business center, on the central streets of the city, next to the metro;
• preparation of a business plan;
• recruitment. According to experts, integrity and diligence are the most important criteria in personnel selection. Quite often, aspiring entrepreneurs hire their friends and relatives. Perhaps this is not such a bad choice in the tourism business;
• advertising. Print business cards, advertise on the Internet, post or distribute leaflets. Students can be hired for this work;
• paperwork. Find out what documents you need to prepare to open your own tourism business from the relevant authorities. The main thing is to arrange everything legally.

Let's talk about how to open a travel agency and what the essence of the work is. A travel agency intends to sell a specific product to individuals. This product has two types of services - package and individual.

To open a travel agency, you need administrative resources and basic knowledge in the chosen area of ​​business. The future agency may offer package or individual tours and combine them.

Package tour – specific services: accommodation, insurance or excursions. The product is easy to sell as it takes into account the ratio of popular travel services. “Batchers” reduce the risks associated with possible customer dissatisfaction and save time.

Package tours are created by the tour operator and vary in content. Some include a list of services, which determines the cost, while others are luxurious. This condition makes tours popular.

Individual tours are compiled based on the client’s wishes. The average travel agency of this type does not boast a large number of clients - it operates on different principles.

Increased profits from individually designed tours are generated by servicing clients with a high level of solvency.

Types of tourism and choice of target audience

There are three types of tourism according to geography.

• Domestic tourism. This type of activity involves the travel of residents of the country throughout the territory of the country itself. One of the simplest to organize - does not require visas and is carried out directly, without the participation of tour operators, as part of the organization of intra-city excursions and weekend tours.
• Entry. This aspect implies a focus on foreign clients entering Russia for tourism purposes. It also avoids the participation of tour operators and minimizes the cost of paperwork. But clients will need assistance in obtaining visas and entry documents.
• Traveling. Tourism with the design of foreign tours for Russian residents. A minimum of actions for organizing trips and provides a large fee in the form of an agency fee from the tour operator.

This division does not mean that the agency is obliged to specialize in one type of activity. Choosing a priority direction will allow you to better understand its essence and adapt the business to a specific consumer.

People go on trips for various purposes. Cultural direction of tourism:

• business
• ethnic
• recreational
• medicinal
• transit
• religious

Organizing tours for pilgrims is more successful when the agency has religious attributes and a name. But for recreational and business areas, such attributes are a definite minus.

The essence of the travel agency workflow

The basis of the work of a travel agency is intermediary services that connect the client and the operator. Income is generated from receiving commissions for the sale of tourism products. The responsibilities of the tour operator are organizing services: resolving issues of interaction with insurance companies and embassies.

Compliance with the correct execution of documents required for visas is the responsibility of the agency. The travel agency is responsible for issuing documents received from the tour operator: travel tickets; health insurance; accommodation voucher; a reminder about the country you are visiting.

The travel agency promptly transfers money to the operator for the tours provided and monitors the correct booking of services by tourists. When a client refuses a tour, he is subject to penalties, which are specified in the contract.

Where to start opening a travel agency

From the legal form of business organization. Clients treat individual entrepreneurs in the field of tourism with distrust, so choose an LLC.

Tourism activities fall under, but in a simplified form. The value is calculated in two ways. The first is in the form of 6% of income. The second takes into account the difference, which is formed by the formula: income minus expenses, from which 15% is taken to pay tax.

Obtaining a license is no longer mandatory. In 2007, licensing of tourism businesses was discontinued. But the document has a beneficial effect on increasing the level of trust on the part of clients.

The franchisor solves many problems.

Choosing a tour operator

When the travel agency has been registered, the next step is concluding agreements with tour operators. Which will require some effort and utmost responsibility.

Newbies in the tourism industry work with low-priced companies. And they don’t think about the possible consequences of the unfair work of such companies that are engaged in price dumping. Clients sometimes find themselves broke due to failure to receive the full amount of booked services.

• period of stay on the tourism services market;
• priority of areas of activity;
• financial support.

Work with operators that have a representative office in your city.

Should I work with a tour operator directly?

Establish a business relationship not with a tour operator, but with an intermediary. These are travel agencies that offer to conclude a subagent agreement with the right to arrange and sell travel services.

This type of cooperation has advantages: the commissions are high compared to the remuneration offered by the tour operator. The increase in the tour operator's commission is related to the number of clients. And the intermediary will offer a high reward, which does not depend on how many tours are booked.
When a travel agency works with a tour operator, and its head office is in another city, sending documents is accompanied by certain monetary costs. This problem does not arise when working with an intermediary company; incorrect paperwork implies that the intermediary contacts the tour operator to resolve the issue. This condition saves the agency costs.

When a travel agency has problems with tourists, solving them with the help of an intermediary turns out to be problematic. It is easier to find direct contact with the supplier of the tourism product. This negative point has an unfavorable effect on cooperation through third parties, but this form of interaction is popular.

“Low season”: ways to solve the problem

The tourism business depends on seasonality, which determines the demand curve for services throughout the year. The most popular period is summer, when the flow of tourists increases. Winter is a quiet time; it gets busier during school holidays and during the New Year holidays.

The low season causes difficulties for travel companies as they make efforts to maintain control over the situation. There are agencies that prepare a “safety cushion” in advance - they set aside part of the funds in reserve.

During this period, tours to holiday homes are offered. During busy times, companies prefer domestic tourism. But he has less revenue.

Business development at the initial stage

The basis of the travel business in the first months of activity is the creation of a customer base with subsequent increase. The modern tourist chooses companies with a wide range of various discounts.

Vacation packages do not have a constant price, and price fluctuations occur frequently. This necessitates painstaking work in searching for proposals. Ask clients for their email address, which will help you quickly send new offers on profitable tours. The selection is offered without the name of the tour operator, otherwise you will lose the client, he will go to another agency.

Continually improve the quality of customer service. A satisfied tourist will definitely tell his friends and acquaintances about his wonderful vacation, and will also mention the travel company that provided an unforgettable experience.

Ask clients about the quality of their vacation. This increases your work efficiency; you will be aware of all the shortcomings, which will allow you to correct them in time.