Introduction to Travel and Tourism Dealing With Dreams: The Travel Agency Industry Chapter 5

A Travel Agent’s Value More skilled at finding the best travel solution and the best deal Experience save times and trouble Professionalism equals accountability Better knowledge of suppliers and destinations Largely impartial to advertising

Training Needs of Travel Agents Professional organizations Destination marketing organizations Suppliers Travel schools

Kinds of Travel Agencies Conventional, full-service agencies Online agencies Specialized agencies Home-based agencies

Corporate Travel Management Set corporate travel policy Plan meetings, conferences, and convention programs Negotiate with suppliers Manage travel budgets Arrange personnel relocation and housing Communicate with management in other departments of the corporation

Travel Agents and Leisure Clients They provide a warm and cheery greeting. They ask questions to determine the client’s needs. They do research, if necessary. They make recommendations that meet the client’s needs. They overcome objections that the client might have to the recommendations. They enhance the sale by recommending additional products or services. They close the sale by getting agreement and payment from the client. They follow up to make sure the trip went well.

For Work or Pleasure? Corporate Agents Leisure Agents Respond to requests Deal with logistics Usually work with short lead times Know a lot about selected destinations Usually hear about how a trip went Most callers book travel Inform and suggest Deal with dreams More likely work with long lead times Know details about many more destinations Hear about a trip if something went wrong Most callers don’t book

Careers in the Travel Agent Industry Senior executives, directors, managers, owners Human resources/training specialists Travel agents (leisure and/or corporate) Outside sales representatives Group specialists Cruise, destination, corporate travel specialists Clerical support and accountants Vendor negotiators Technological support

The Successful Leisure Travel Agent Understands suppliers’ products and services Knows destinations their clients most often visit Has solid research and computer skills Familiar with the logistics and requirements of travel Knows basic bookkeeping and accounting Has sharp sales, service and communication skills Devotes time to expanding their expertise