How to open a travel agency in Russia: how much it costs and how to properly organize a tourism business. How to open a travel agency from scratch - the implementation of a business idea for opening a travel agency

The easiest way to open a travel agency is to buy.

But if you still want to do it yourself, we offer you step-by-step instructions from the expert of the Sletat.ru company.

Tourism, despite all the difficulties experienced recently, remains an extremely attractive business area. It gives you the opportunity to open your own business with little investment and is associated with a lot of positive emotions: helping people have a rest, and then hearing their positive impressions is very nice. And yet, the tourist industry is a tough nut to crack. In order not to break spears about him, or rather not to lose all the money, you need to take a very balanced and serious approach to opening your travel agency.

Where to begin?

First of all, it is necessary to find out how the tourist market is arranged and what it consists of. The business owner must decide whether to work with a franchisor or as an independent agency. By opening yourself, you take on more risks. Firstly, unknown travel agencies do not inspire confidence, which means they need more serious efforts and budgets for promotion. Secondly, you will have to independently resolve the issues of acquiring technologies related to the search and booking of tours. And thirdly, it is more difficult to work with tour operators - suppliers of a tourist product.

AT modern conditions it is more efficient to open not independently, but under the brand of a large network of travel agencies.

Franchise network travel agencies can be divided into main categories, each of which has its own branches.

Travel agencies from tour operators whose task is to sell the tourist product of this supplier. Obviously, a tour operator can only offer low-cost tours to some destinations, so such a travel agency may not be profitable enough in the end.
Travel agencies that receive traffic from offline channels. Such agencies are not limited in the choice of tour providers. Their disadvantage is the weak development of Internet technologies.
Travel agencies that receive traffic from online channels. More modern networks that attract audiences using the Internet and own various online tools for finding, booking and selling tours. Minus - such a network misses the "classic" offline audience.
Networks that combine online and offline communication channels and provide technologies for automating work, as Sletat.ru does. The main mission of such companies is to give the travel agency the opportunity, with the help of modern technologies sell the most cost-effective tours and put this process on stream.

When choosing a franchisor, it is important to pay attention to his experience and the specifics of doing business. Some companies have a high risk of bankruptcy during a crisis. This is due to the fact that in a number of situations the tour operator may require an advance payment for tours in the amount of up to 100%, while tourists often pay for them in installments, and the network management company does not have sufficient financial “airbag” for such a case.

There is no definite formula for opening a travel agency that will be 100% profitable. Any business involves the establishment of business processes, and therefore a certain guarantee of success often becomes competent management and, of course, the ambitiousness of the travel agency itself.

Before opening a travel agency, it is important to analyze the presence of the target audience. If you are going to open major city- St. Petersburg, Moscow or another millionaire - it makes no sense to analyze it entirely. Choose the most attractive area and evaluate how much your company will be in demand in it.

Another important element preparation - analysis of the competitive environment. Find out what agencies are nearby, what they offer, what your competitive advantages are and what differentiates you from them. You can even go to a competitor travel agency as a mystery shopper if you really need to.

Investment size

Investments in the opening of a travel agency, as a rule, are relatively small: this business does not require expensive equipment or the purchase of goods. And yet, the amount of investment can be very different. The main expense items when opening a travel agency are office rent, purchase of equipment, promotion costs and paying a fee if you open a franchise agency.

How more city, the higher the amount of investment in rent. The rental rate in 2016 averages about 1.5–2 thousand rubles per 1 sq. m. m, but in Moscow and St. Petersburg it may be slightly higher - an average of 2.5 to 4 thousand rubles. Thus, the minimum amount of rental costs will be about 30-60 thousand rubles.

Personal experience

For high-quality customer service and minimizing queues in the office, it is optimal for two managers to work at the same time. To accommodate two workplaces and a comfortable waiting area, you need a room with an area of 15 sq.m.

Do not forget that the room is likely to need renovation. Even if it is in good condition, it will need to be brought up to certain standards. For example, our offices must be branded in accordance with the guidelines. Compliance with these requirements allows you to create a comfortable atmosphere for customers and managers and increases the loyalty of tourists to the brand as a whole.

With regard to the cost of furniture and appliances, there is a large variation in the amount of investment. You can buy inexpensive furniture and used appliances or choose more expensive options.

Don't forget about the costs associated with registering an agency. You will need to register an individual entrepreneur or LLC and pay a state duty, open a bank account (for which the bank will charge a commission), recruit staff, register employees in the labor inspectorate and the pension fund. If not strict reporting forms (BSO) are used, but a cash desk, then it needs to be registered. As for settlement and cash services, Sletat.ru, for example, cooperates with the largest Russian banks and offers favorable conditions for franchisees.

The average cost of opening a travel agency "Sletat.ru" (with furniture, appliances and repairs) will be about 150-200 thousand rubles.

The budget for promoting a travel agency can again be different: there are both expensive ways and channels that do not require any investment. On average, you need to allocate about 100 thousand rubles for this item of expenditure in the first 4-6 months of work.

Among the fixed costs of the travel agency is the payroll fund for managers. Their salary consists of a salary and a percentage of sales. In St. Petersburg or another large city, a manager can receive 15-20 thousand rubles of salary + 10-20% of the agency's profit. If we are talking about a small town, then the ratio will be 10-15 thousand rubles of salary + 10-20% of profit.

At the same time, when calculating the volume of investments, one must firmly understand that in the first six months the agency can work without profit. And this means that some kind of financial "cushion" is needed. Therefore, you should not invest your last funds in business. Also, the entrepreneur needs to understand how he himself will live. Money should not be associated with its current costs, a clear budget allocated for business development is needed.

Step-by-step instruction

At the initial stage of development of a travel agency, very important point- promotion. For it to work the best way, you need to understand which channels to attract tourists are most effective in a particular case.

See what potential partners are near your travel agency. The tourist audience is adjacent to the audience of the leisure sector - restaurants, cafes, bars, beauty salons, etc. You can establish contact with representatives of such businesses and hold joint promotions, spending a minimum of funds. For example, you can jointly provide discounts to customers, print double business cards, prepare and place table tents with information about the partner, etc. on tables.

Keep in mind that tourists come to the office where they live or work. Therefore, it is important to convey information about your discovery and existence to the residents of nearby houses. If you opened in a residential area, you can make a mailing list. And it should not be an attempt to sell a tour, but a beautifully designed invitation to visit your office.

Try to involve the local media: tell them about your discovery, advertise regularly. Remember that promotion must be constant, it must never stop. Otherwise, there will be no influx of new tourists.

The first clients are your acquaintances, so you need to call them all.

Personal experience

People spend a lot of time in in social networks and do not want to leave the comfortable space. In contact with,Facebookand other similar sites - a modern, popular and budget channel for attracting tourists. Sletat.ru has developed a special module for searching tours in social networks. Thus, the tourist can search for tours where it is convenient for him, and from there send applications for the selected tours.

If you have opened an agency in a small town, it makes sense to go to the audience in the city-forming enterprises, negotiate with their management and leisure department, offer employees to participate in interesting events etc. Remember that tourism is not limited to foreign destinations, you can also sell domestic ones. They are well suited to “accustom” the audience to themselves in particular and to trips through travel agencies in general, gradually transferring customers to foreign package tours.

Having decided on the format of work, a place to open and promotion channels, you need to start looking for managers. To determine how many people you need in the state, you need to understand how large your client base is and how many people will come to the office. Most often, 1-2 managers work in a travel agency. One of them attracts clients, calls, invites to the office, processes applications, the other sells tours in the office, works with incoming tourists, leads further work on sale. You need to understand that tourists, when they come to the office, do not always immediately buy a tour. More often than not, they simply learn information, and in order to complete the transaction, it is necessary to maintain communication with them.

Businessmen should not take on the sale of tours on their own. An entrepreneur must think strategically, promote the travel agency, follow developments, see what the business lacks, and so on. If you go headlong into the sale of tours, then it will be impossible to manage the business.

In a modern travel agency, it is important to automate the processes associated with the search and booking of tours and the processing of incoming applications. Travel agency managers have to search for suitable tours hundreds of times a day. To do this, you can use the "search engines" that are on the site of every self-respecting tour operator. In this case, the manager will actually have to work manually, open many sites and tabs to find a suitable tour from different providers, and during this time the price may change. In addition, it will take too much time to work with one tourist.

Today there are special search engines, which "collect" offers from all tour operators. They allow you to accumulate all information in one information space and save time for managers. When choosing such a service, you need to be careful: it can “limp” relevance and reliability. The system should download and update information about the composition of the package and its price online, instantly update data on places in the hotel and on the flight.

Personal experience

Sletat.ru has developed a tour search system that contains offers from all major tour operators and updates tour data in real time. The agency can install the service on its website and promote it on social networks. In this case, the lion's share of the work of finding a tour is done by the tourist himself. As a result, the time for a manager to work with one client is reduced from 2 hours to 40 minutes.

Another important point is booking a tour. It is much more convenient when the agency does not communicate with tour operators on its own, but uses the services of a booking center. Sletat.ru has created its own Central Bank, which simplifies the work of a travel agent, increases the speed of customer service, allows you to store data on all applications in one place, increases the security of tourist bases and provides more high percent from sales and additional bonuses when the plan is fulfilled.

The issue of accommodation of a travel agency should be given special attention. First of all, analyze the city in which you plan to open and the specific location. At first glance, the most successful option is an office in the city center. However, this does not always guarantee success, as well as opening in a residential area.

It all depends on specific place. If you open in a budget area remote from the center with new development, things may not work out. The bulk of the population here are young families, who often bought housing on a mortgage and do not have extra money for travel. Therefore, try to choose areas of the middle and elite class for accommodation.

You can open on the first floors of residential buildings, in separate buildings or shopping centers. In the latter case, it is better to choose modern buildings and try to avoid old low-class buildings. But again, this depends on the specific shopping center, its location, the freshness of the repair, and the brands represented.

It is also worth looking at the surroundings. For example, you can open next to a grocery store. This does not have to be an institution of a well-known network, but it is worth focusing on the price segment above the average.

Another tip: it is best to open where it is possible to place an illuminated sign.

A sign is 20–30% of the success of a travel agency. Without it, it will be difficult to find you even for those who go to your agency purposefully. And the sign will also allow you to “lure” those who are just passing by.

As for the premises itself, there are also certain requirements for it. First of all, you need to focus on the convenience of the tourist. It is desirable that the office be square in shape: this way it will be easier to brand and create in it comfortable conditions. It is important that there are windows in the room, otherwise the atmosphere will “put pressure” on the client. Basements and semi-basements are not the best choice.

Do not open on the upper floors. If the building has an access system, it should not be complicated. If a tourist, in order to purchase a tour or get documents, needs to take a passport, write down his data and go up to the 11th floor, then he is more likely to refuse the trip altogether - few people want to overcome so many obstacles.

It is advisable to provide a waiting area in the office. When all managers are busy, the customer should be able to wait in line comfortably. Otherwise, he will simply go to another agency. In the waiting area it is worth placing coffee, tea, a cooler with clean water.

Another important point is the children's corner. One of the key client types of the travel agency is a 30-35 year old woman with one child. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a play area in which children can do something while parents choose a tour or wait in line.

The documents

To start a travel agency, you need to register an LLC or IP. Everyone chooses the preferred form for himself, it is only necessary to make a reservation that the owner of a registered IP is liable for obligations with all his property, and LLC - in the amount of the authorized capital. Also, the owner of the tourism business needs to decide: with imputed or simplified system taxation it will work.

Many are confused by the issue of licensing a travel agency. Previously, in order to sell tours, a travel agency really needed to obtain a license. But under the current rules, licensing is not required. At the same time, a unified all-Russian register was created for travel agencies on the basis of the Turpomoshch Association. It is not yet clear whether participation in it is mandatory or the registry is advisory in nature. This issue should be clarified by additions and amendments to the law on tourism, which was released in 2016.

If you decide to open a travel company, then you may have many questions that can only be answered by specialists who know sufficient level knowledge and experience. Alas, there are not so many experts in this industry. At the same time, it is very important that all issues related to the organization of this business are resolved in as soon as possible with maximum accessibility and correctness. Otherwise, you will simply abandon your idea, since open tourist agency from scratch is quite difficult without the necessary amount of information.

We collect documents

Opening a business in the field of tourism services requires certain documents. What do you need:

Statement that you have state registration.
The charter of the company in two copies.
Establishment decision.
An original document proving that you have paid for the registration. It may or may not be a receipt.
The founding agreement, as well as a request that will allow you to receive a copy of the articles of association.
A letter of guarantee from the owner of the premises at which the company is registered.
An original document that confirms the payment of the state fee for obtaining a copy of the articles of association, as well as the foundation agreement, for example, a payment order or a receipt.

When thinking about how to open a travel agency from scratch, you should first collect all the listed papers. At the same time, it must be remembered that the application for registration must be certified by a notary and signed by the applicant. After all, it is he who is responsible for the correctness and reliability of all information.

If you open IP...

If you decide to register as an individual entrepreneur, then you must provide:

Where is the best location for an agency office?

Not everyone decides to start their own business in this area. So, how to open a travel agency from scratch without spending a lot of money? Here you can not do without outside help. Of course, not only money plays a decisive role. It is also very important where exactly the office of your company will be located.

While all the documents are being processed, you can start looking for a room. In order to open a travel company, you need a room of no more than 20 square meters. There should also be a personal line for connecting telephones and the Internet. So, where is the best place to locate an office:

City center. If you want to attract more customers by providing travel agency services, then perfect place could be the main street locality. The best place is located in a commercial or residential building on the ground floor. However, it should be remembered that the cost of renting such a room will be very high.
Business center. Placing an office in this building can also have a positive impact on your business. Indeed, in addition to outside visitors, employees of the business center can become your customers. The only negative is that you will not be able to place outdoor advertising and a sign.
Shopping centers. If you decide to open your office here, then you will find a large number of clients. However, renting a space in a popular shopping center can cost you a decent amount.

Sleeping areas. Here, a new travel company may be one of a kind. Plus, you can save on rent. The only downside is that you have to put in a lot of effort to get your agency noticed. To do this, you can use any marketing strategy.

We select the right staff

Many entrepreneurs who decide to start a business in this particular area often do not fully realize that the staff for such work must be selected carefully. After all, the human factor in this matter plays an important role.

The agency is based precisely on the well-coordinated work of the team. And for success, personnel must be selected with special attention.

Who do you need

System Administrator.
Accountant.
Sales Manager.

It is worth noting that the staff should be gradually increased if the travel agency grows. Experts recommend hiring two sales managers. After all, they are driving force your activities. Managers promote your tourism product in the market. In addition, sales managers must be able to communicate with people. You should not hope that employment exchanges will offer you real masters. Better get busy independent search free candidacy.

First steps towards success

So, opening. Ideally, a travel agency requires a thorough study of the entire algorithm for creating a business plan. You don't have to be a professional in a particular industry. To begin with, you should carefully study the structure of this activity from the inside and make an analysis of the real situation of organizations that have been providing such services for more than one year.

To make it clear to you, let's look at a diagram that contains all the components needed to create a business plan and open a travel agency. It can be divided into several points that are interconnected. Moreover, each stage plays an important role at the very beginning of the activity. That is why it is simply impossible to miss any of the points.

Company concept

The business plan of a travel company begins with this point. The concept of the company should fully reflect the type of activity. For example, an organization may be or provide mixed services.

In addition, all documents must fully reflect all possible activities of the company. For example, the sale of tickets for railway and air transport, travel insurance for clients, visas, limousine orders, and transfer services.

We determine in advance the list of services

Before you open a travel agency from scratch, you need to decide on the list of services. At the request of clients, the company must provide an interpreter and a guide. Perfect option is an employee who speaks several foreign languages perfectly and is able to act as a guide. In this case, the guide must know everything interesting places worth visiting for vacationers.

A travel agency can purchase everything you need for the trip. Traveling for tourists in this case will be even more pleasant. After all, they do not have to think about purchases and try to predict all the minor troubles. It should be noted that representatives of travel companies very often practice such a service as booking tables in a restaurant. Its vacationers can visit immediately upon arrival.

Why is it needed

Those who have already started tourism and hotel business, it is mandatory to draw up all Required documents if their client receives a passport. In addition, they readily provide an accompanying or personal guide.

Very often a person who travels abroad does not know a foreign language. As a result, this can make it very difficult for a vacationer to communicate with the local population. To prevent this from happening, many turn to a travel agency for help and hire an interpreter. It is worth noting that the company must provide a specialist in the field foreign languages at the first request of vacationers.

Scheme of execution of all main stages

Before you open a travel agency from scratch, you need to clearly imagine how it operates. Many did not fully work out their plan and, as a result, simply could not do it. like this activities. Let's see how the technology for the implementation, promotion and development of a tourist product is built using the example of a specific trip:

To begin with, it is worth determining the supply and demand in the tourism services market.
Write a detailed description of the service that the agency will offer to its clients.
It is necessary to develop and design the content of all processes of the company's services.
Work out the route in detail.
Develop a general travel plan.
It is mandatory to draw up a list of services that the client can use immediately upon arrival at their place of rest.
Should be held full study route along which the tour will take place.
After that, an analysis of the designed tour should be carried out.
Then prepare all the documentation.
Do not forget about control. It is better to choose the most efficient method.
After the development of the route itself and the preparation of all documentation, advertising, various marketing moves and promotion methods should be dealt with. This will make your product popular.
It is important to choose the right method of sales, as well as methods for receiving payments from customers.
Of course, before selling, you should calculate the cost and final price of the tourist product.
Only after all this, sales begin, and then control over the quality of services provided and the process of customer service.

Travel agency from scratch: pros and cons

Everyone who wants to work in the field of tourism services is faced with a choice: start from scratch or purchase ready business. At the same time, many forget that both the first and second options have their drawbacks.

A travel agency created from scratch has more advantages than a bought out company. You do not have to fight the old order, to win your respect from subordinates. In addition, many travel agencies that sell are unprofitable. As statistics show, 90% of those organizations that are put up for sale can be considered complete bankrupt. However, starting a business from scratch also has its drawbacks. First of all, you will have to spend a lot of effort and, of course, time to develop routes, settle in a new premises and develop a client base. In addition, you will need investors to open a business in this area.

How much to invest

Opening a travel agency from scratch is a business that requires large investments. So how much money will it take? Let's calculate:

First of all, you need to register as a legal entity - from 25 thousand rubles.
To make repairs to the premises and purchase furniture - from 75 thousand rubles.
Install computers and office equipment - from 60 thousand rubles.
Develop your own corporate identity and solve the issue of printing - from 10 thousand rubles.
Create a company website - from 35 thousand rubles.
For other expenses, as well as for connecting telephones and the Internet - from 50 thousand rubles.

The result is a decent amount: about 255 thousand rubles. This is an approximate cost estimate for a travel company with three employees and an office in Moscow. In other regions, the cost will be much lower. It is worth remembering that the specified amount is required only for the beginning. Starting a business in this area is expensive. In addition, you will have to spend about 150 thousand rubles a month. Therefore, initially you should have in stock from 500 to 700 thousand rubles. The travel agency will begin to make a profit only after three months. If there is no such amount, then investors will help. To open a business in this area, it is mandatory to have initial capital.

Most important: market entry

The success of your enterprise depends not only on a well-located office, professional employees, but also on advertising. A lot of money should be invested in this part. Only good publicity will be able to attract potential customers to you. Everyone needs to know about your travel agency. So, everything is ready and you celebrated the opening. The travel agency is ready for normal work. But where do you get clients?

Do not expect a large stream of people wishing to relax right away. To develop a small base of tourists, you need to spend a little time. If you approached the matter correctly, then they will soon talk about you. As you know, people are more willing to believe their friends and acquaintances than advertising. That is why it is very important for you at this stage to treat your customers with attention.

There is another option. You can open an agency based on franchising. Already famous brand does not require promotion, and it will be much easier for you. After all, it does not require much effort in terms of advertising. How to proceed? You decide.

A travel agent is actually a tour sales manager. The latter are a ready-made travel program compiled by the operator company. The tour includes booking a hotel, excursion programs and carrier services (airplanes, buses, cruise liners). The difference between a freelance travel agent and a tourism agency is that he does not need an office and a large number of employees. All work can be done online.

The agent's remuneration consists of a commission on sales, which the operator pays for each attracted buyer. It can be from 5% to 10% of the cost of the tour. Thus, your future income determines the number of sales made. A novice travel agent should not count on quick and high profits. For a stable income, you will need a regular customer base, which can take several months to form. The average home agent earns between $500 and $1,000 per month.

How to become a travel agent from scratch at home

You can start working as a travel agent without having a specialized diploma, but this does not mean that you do not need knowledge. First of all, you should familiarize yourself with the legislation regarding this type of activity and tourist (foreign) trips in general. You should also study the terminology, the classification of tours, the features of choosing a tour operator, methods of communication with a client and, of course, geography.

Legalization of activities of a tourism agent

Without formalization neither tour operators nor clients will work with a travel agent. You can register as an individual entrepreneur (FOP) or LLC. In the first case, it is much easier to maintain documentation and register activities, in the second case, your company will be more trustworthy.

When registering, it is very important to choose the right activity codes. And For Russia(OKVED-2), and for Ukraine(KVED 2017) these will be:

11 Activities of travel agencies;
90 Booking services and related activities.

When registering, it is better to choose a simplified taxation scheme.

To work as an agent for the sale of tours, you do not need to obtain a license, and therefore you can start working immediately after registration. But there is one more thing to consider here. According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, travel agents, unlike operators, are not entered in a single register and are not required to have financial security (guarantees). If you are considering options on how to become a travel agent from scratch in Ukraine, you need a security in the amount of at least 2,000 euros. At the same time, if this amount is not enough to cover losses associated with the failure to provide paid services due to the fault of the agent, being a FOP you risk not only guarantee funds, but also personal property.

As a rule, banking organizations act as a guarantor. They provide security for up to 5 years. In some cases, you can conclude a deal for up to 2 years. Registration of a guarantee is expressed in the opening of a deposit account (pledge under the guarantee) and regular insurance deductions to the bank, which, in the event of an occurrence, will be used to pay compensation. The deposit itself will not be withdrawn and at the end of the contract with the bank it is returned to the agent. The confiscation of the deposit can only occur if the travel agent did not adhere to the regular payment schedule.

In most cases, no one checks the availability of security from a travel agent, and you can start an activity without it. On the other hand, large and reputable tour operators may refuse you if the guarantee is not confirmed.

A travel agent at home, in most cases, does not process travel documents (foreign passports, visas, powers of attorney). However, in order to advise your clients, you should know the list of required papers for crossing the border, the list of items and medicines allowed for transportation, as well as the rules for staying in the country to which your client is sent.

Choice of direction of activity and target audience

Before becoming a travel agent, you must decide on the category of travel products (tours) that you will sell. This will determine your future target audience.

Modern travel business offers a wide variety of tours. They are divided into three large groups:

Internal- travel within your own country. This activity is suitable for beginners. It does not require knowledge of foreign languages. The disadvantage of the direction is a relatively low level of income and relatively low demand. The main buyers are older people and middle-income families.
visiting- travel to rest in other countries. The traditional type of tours, which is in high demand among a wide range of consumers.
Entry- travel for foreign tourists to your country. Requires good knowledge of foreign languages (English).

Most operators work with all areas, and therefore you can expand the scope of your activities at any time.

In addition, tours differ by type of organization:

Stationary- classic tours to one country (city) with permanent residence in a certain hotel. It could be beach holiday on the sea, ski resorts, rest in forest sanatoriums, children's holiday camps. The main buyers of such tours are families with children, newlyweds and older people.
Mobile- tours during which several countries and regions (cities) are visited. This includes sea cruises, bus tours, hiking trails and camping. This type of tour is in demand among young people (students).

How to find a tour operator for cooperation

To get started, you need to conclude an official contract with the tour operator, otherwise you will not receive a commission even if you sell the tour. At the same time, you can choose as a partner both one operator and several, which will allow you to provide customers with a wider choice of tours.

Similarly, when considering how to become a travel agent at home, you need to choose the direction of tourist trips. It is very difficult to deal with everything at once, especially for a novice agent, and therefore, for starters, it is better to choose a few countries that are most interesting to you personally.

There are many resources on the Internet that allow you to find a suitable tour operator. Some of them offer direct cooperation themselves. For example, if you are looking for fast way how to become a travel agent from scratch in Russia, you can register in the Workle.ru tour operator system and start earning literally immediately. To work in this system, you do not need to register with the tax office, since the company itself makes all the deductions to the Pension Fund and the Federal Tax Service for you.

In addition, you can find partners in the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators on the official website of Rostourism (russiatourism.ru).

If you are a registered entrepreneur, you can also use online services for selecting and booking tours (with a reward). Agents from Russia can use the following resources:

Reservation center (ecenter.travel) - provides the opportunity for training and selection of tours around the world.
Sletat.ru (sletat.ru) - in addition to the selection of tours, offers assistance and free creation site for the automatic sale of tourist products (vouchers).
1001TUR (1001tur.ru) - selection of tours from the largest operators with an increased commission and bonus accruals.

Independent travel agents from Ukraine operators and tours can be searched on IT-Tour (ittour.com.ua). The service allows you to select and compare the cost of tours from different operators. It is possible to sell canceled vouchers and help in creating your own website. As a rule, such resources allow you to conclude cooperation agreements with the operator online.

How to check the reliability of the operator

In most cases, tour operators are responsible to tourists, but if force majeure happens, the agent who made the sale also falls out of favor. This means that your reputation with customers is directly related to the integrity of the selected partners, and therefore, when considering how to become a travel agent from scratch at home, it is important to learn how to recognize conscientious partners.

You can find a tour operator suitable for your working conditions and evaluate its reliability in special online catalogs (turbiz.turistua.com, tursvodka.ru), which provide the ability to view ratings. It is also necessary to monitor user and agent reviews on specialized sites (otzyv.ru, turpravda.ua, obnovlenie.ru).

You can also draw your own conclusions by analyzing the operator according to the following criteria:

Availability of a partner host company in the country of the tour. If the operator has its own representatives in the city or country where your customers are going, this increases the reliability of the service. You can find this information on the official website of the operator.
Arrangements with airlines and carriers. The more companies are partners of the operator, the more opportunity perform replacement services in emergency situations.
Partner insurance company level. If the SC works with the operator with high level confidence and the percentage of payments under insurance policies, the higher the reliability of the operator.
Number of destinations. If the tour operator works in a narrow segment of destinations, he will not be able to quickly provide a replacement tour in the event of unforeseen situations (natural disasters, military and political conflicts).

Increasingly, citizens of our country spend their holidays abroad, travel across different country. But tourist trips around the country do not stop. , following this trend, is also developing. New agencies, tour operators appear, hotels are being built. not a very difficult 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, two types of organizations are most common: Tour Operator or Travel Agent. So who are they.

What is a tour operator and travel agent

Tour operator - a legal entity that is engaged in the formation, promotion and sale of a tourist product, in accordance with the law of the Russian Federation "On the basics of tourism activities in the Russian Federation". Simply put, it is an organization that prepares and promotes tourism offers. The tour operator arranges food and accommodation at the hotel. Provides transport, excursions, etc.

There are several ways to sell a product. For example, using travel agencies. In this case, the entire responsibility for the quality of the services provided lies with the tour operator.

A travel agency is an organization that promotes and sells a tour operator's tourism product. In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation "On the basics of tourism activities." Travel agency can be opened as legal entity, and individual entrepreneur. This is an intermediary between tourists and the tour operator, who receives his commission. The travel agent buys a tourist product formed and ready for sale from the operator. And offers it to the end user. For this sale, receiving a cash reward.

Quite often, a travel organization combines the functions of a travel agent and a tour operator. For example, a travel organization forms 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:

inbound - travel within the territory Russian Federation people who do not permanently reside in Russia;
exit - travel of citizens of the Russian Federation abroad;
internal - travel within the Russian Federation of Russian citizens.

Back to index

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

Back to index

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 compiled and for whom. For example, to obtain a loan, for a private investor, for oneself. It is necessary to calculate the amount of capital investments for a year, six months, a month. You can draw up a business plan yourself or order it from a consulting company.

Back to index

Choosing the name of the travel agency

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

Back to index

Site creation

Nowadays, to organize your business, you need the support of the Internet. 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 a hosting (the place of "physical" storage of your site) and a domain name. This is the address of your page, which should overlap with the name of your company. This will make it easier for potential customers to remember and find you.

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

Back to index

Choice of tourist destinations

As experts advise, a narrowly focused business sells its goods and services better. Buyers often turn to specialized stores. The same rule applies in the tourism business. It is better to offer specific tours to your customers. For example: “Our agency selects medical tours in Russia according to unique methodology for children and adults." Instead of the sentence "We will pick up any tour." The first option is more informative and understandable.

Back to index

How to choose partner tour operators

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 the state of this company, the presence of diplomas and awards. Find out where the tour operator's office is, its size and presentability, availability of management information, etc. There are no exact criteria for selecting the best and most reliable partners. Try to learn as much as possible about them.

Back to index

Where does the tourism business start?

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

office selection. In order to organize a tourism business, it is necessary to find a suitable premises. It is worth choosing an office space in places with maximum traffic. In a popular 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, decency and diligence are the most important criteria in the selection of personnel. 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 flyers. Students can be hired for this work;
paperwork. Find out about what documents you need to draw up to open your own tourism business in the relevant authorities. The main thing is to make everything legal.

In this article, we will look at how to become a tour operator and touch on some points that need to be considered for those who wish to enter this exciting business. It should be noted that the tourism industry in Russia is at the final stage of structuring. There is a final distribution of participants in the tourism market into wholesalers and retail players (tour operators and agents).

According to experts, in 5 years, 10-15 tour operators will work in the main directions, and the number of travel agencies will not exceed 2500-3000, instead of 12,000 today. The development of the largest companies now takes place at the expense of the mass of profits, and not at the expense of the norm. Significantly increased the threshold for entry into the tour operator business, which greatly complicates the possibility of the emergence of new serious participants.

If three years ago the launch of a tour operator company could cost 4-5 million dollars, now, the same will require about 20 million dollars.

The amount required to create a leading company in tourism can reach up to $100 million. At the same time, the profitability of this business itself has decreased, which is about 1-2%.

What do you need to create a tour operator?

When compiling a business plan for a tour operator, you must remember not to skimp on things like technology, advertising, and personnel. The technological base is the main expense item and takes up at least a third of your investment. Without a technological base, it is pointless to start an operator business. The base of the tour operator should be based on a booking system operating through the website or large online services. For the successful activity of the tour operator, stable distribution channels are necessary. When choosing an operator, dealers-travel agents pay attention not least to such criteria as manufacturability, convenience and reliability of interaction with a partner. In this regard, the site is of particular importance, which is both the face of the company and the main working tool.

An online tour booking procedure should be provided, assuming a good booking system, a guarantee of hotel rooms and a quota of seats for the flight. All this, in turn, implies the investment of significant funds for deposits. The size of the necessary investments will be determined by your relationship with the host and hotel owners. Usually, new hotels are ready to give way to attract the flow of tourists. But the most popular options are possible only with an advance payment.

The size commit(booking quotas in hotels with 100% responsibility of the tour operator) can be from 45 to 95 percent of the planned transportation volumes.

The host

When answering the question of what is needed to become a tour operator, one should not forget about the need for an established host infrastructure. If the issues of receiving your tourists and the quality of their service on the spot are not thought out, there is a risk of losing control over the financial flow. Therefore, it is important to choose the right partner company in the host country. It is best to look for host partners among local large incoming tour operators.

Most major Russian agencies create joint ventures on a parity basis with the host country. This allows each participant to feel like the owner of the business and increases the degree of work efficiency. In addition, it allows you to conclude profitable agreements with hotels. The combined structure of the Russian and the host company contributes to an increase in the tourist flow. And hoteliers provide exclusive conditions and discounts.

Benefits of a wide profile

Some advantage in the areas of mass demand also enjoy companies involved in ancillary or related business. So, it can be quite profitable to integrate into the hotel business or purchase Vehicle. The optimal structure of a diversified company should include several independent divisions, which can be combined according to thematic or geographical principle.

It should also be taken into account that today the travel agent needs universal suppliers of the tourist product. Choosing how to become a representative of a tour operator, agents today do not want to disperse volumes and focus only on the largest universal suppliers. As a result, agents, receiving bonuses, benefits and support from the operator, become partners for him. Therefore, the bet on the versatility of activities on the principle of complete travel service will work best.

When planning how to become a tour operator in Russia, it is also necessary to take into account the growth of the market by region. Today it is no longer possible to ignore the regional market, because the times of the main flow of tourists from Moscow and St. Petersburg are over. Therefore, it is necessary to create a network of representative offices of the company in other Russian cities. When launching a branch network and working with a retail link, build a centralized work of financial, advertising and technological functions.

Organization of a travel agency

When organizing an agency business, you should take care of the favorable location of the office and personnel. If your office is located in a crowded area and is marked with a bright, noticeable sign, you will have more customers. Also very big role played by trained and experienced personnel. Tourism is a very personalized business and most clients go to specific people, specific managers. It should be noted that the concentration of the tourism business is also taking place in the retail sector. Travel agencies today are actively networking.

The share of networkers accounts for up to 15 percent of the retail sale of travel packages.

Moreover, in the near future this trend will intensify and it will become more difficult for independent agencies to survive. Therefore, it makes sense for small agencies to participate in network project. Of course, network brands will have to establish themselves in the market for a long time. Therefore, when launching a network product, it is necessary to build centralized management networks, including in relation to suppliers of tourist products. Independent travel agencies need to implement the concept of complete travel service, which involves a full range of services, including booking transportation.

In general, in Russia, the tourism and ticket business develop autonomously, but doing one thing, firms miss out on a lot of income. Being engaged in ticket sales, tour operators and agency companies achieve a return on their investment much faster. According to statistics, the cost of a ticket office pays off in three to four months, for a travel agency - for six months, for a tour operator - for a year.

The threshold for entry is much less than for a tour operator - from 30 thousand to 60 thousand dollars. With a clientele and experienced staff, the payback period can be shortened. The main risk for the agency business is the convergence of tour operators and service consumers through online sales technology.