Es un lugar excelente para vacaciones
A group tour or escorted tour is the most structured type of package holiday. On these trips, tourists travel in groups and are accompanied by an escort/tour guide, most of the time.
Group tours have an extensive itinerary and tourists do not have much free time. Group tours allow tourists to explore many different regions and attractions within a country/destination in a short period of time.
An example of an escorted trip would be a bus tour of Italy, that visits a different region every day. Because of their contacts and expertise, travel companies can create an efficient and exciting itinerary. The role of the escort on these trips, is to inform and guide tourists at each destination. These trips are best suited to people that enjoy the convenience of a tightly arranged and managed schedule.
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employees.
Other tour wholesalers create pre- or post-convention tours for companies. Such tours add a vacation element to employees that are travelling to corporate conventions.
Quality
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Most package holidays are of reputable quality. However, some tour wholesalers have offered vacations which were not up to standard. On such trips, the accommodation is often poor and the services are of a very low standard.The majority of these trips are sold directly to customers, by tour operators and not sold through travel agents. Nonetheless, the media attention garnered by these vacations means some people view package holidays with suspicion.
Despite their many advantages, some people have a negative perception of package holidays. Much of this comes from poor quality package holidays.
Criticism
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Group tours also have some negative associations attached to them. To many, touring is equated with regimentation, inflexibility and passivity. The tour is seen as a shallow, boring, and impersonal experience.
Some people also assume that being part of a group means being taken for granted by hotels and restaurants. Others do not like the idea of spending a significant amount of time travelling in a bus.
Some people are not attracted to the group aspect of the tour. There is a fear of not relating well to other members of the group. Many people enjoy having personal space and freedom on their holidays and fear that being part of a group will limit this.
Innovation
To overcome negative associations, tour wholesalers need to be innovative in upgrading the image and content of their tours.
Tour wholesalers need to ensure that the people marketing their packages, are aware of their positive qualities and highlight these in their promotional campaigns.
Wholesalers try to be innovative with the names they give to their packages. Trips focused on visiting attractions should be given names such as “discovery trips”, or "excursions”. Trips that focus heavily on recreational activities or hobbies can be called “adventure holidays” etc.
History of Travel Agents
INTRODUCTION
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Retail travel agents are the most important travel intermediary. They act as sales outlets for suppliers and wholesalers, from whom they receive commission for any sales made.
They act as travel consultants, advising people on where, how and when to travel and they advertise and sell different kinds of package holidays to a wide variety of customers.
HISTORY
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It is commonly agreed that Thomas Cook was the first travel agent. Cook began packaging domestic tours in his native England in 1841. In 1850 he began offering tours of Europe and by 1866 he was
offering tours of the USA.
In 1872, he escorted a group of travellers around the world. This trip is said to have inspired the Jules Verne novel Around The World in 80 Days.
AMERICA
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The first travel agencies in the USA began appearing in the early 20th century. Initially, travel agencies were desks in hotels that were serviced by the hotel porter. Railway operators would supply the hotel with tickets and the hotels would receive a commission for each ticket sold.In the late 1920s, airlines also began supplying these desks with tickets and provided a 5% commission. As air travel expanded, travel agencies began appearing in American hotels and high streets. However, the link between airlines and travel agencies was so strong that, until 1959, travel agencies had to be sponsored by an airline in order to operate legally.
EXPERTS
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Following World War II, there was a huge growth in the number of travel agencies in the USA and Europe. A recovering global economy and the increased affordability of air travel ensured a huge increase in the number of business and pleasure travellers.
As the number of service providers and travel routes increased, so did the demand for travel agents. Travellers now felt that they had neither the time nor the expertise, to make their own travel arrangements and sought the advice of experts.
Following airline deregulation of the US airline industry in 1987, the number of travel agencies in the country doubled. Similarly, the deregulation of airlines in the EU in 1993 greatly increased the number of travel agencies.
However, Internet retail has significantly affected the travel agency business in recent years. Many small, independent travel agencies are closing down, as a result of online competition.
LICENSING
No formal education is needed to become a travel agent. However some agencies prefer that their employees have qualifications. Many universities offer degrees and certificates in tourism and hospitality. Industry groups such as the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) and The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) also offer certificates.
To open a tourist agency in Europe, a company must obtain a travel retail licence. In the USA, the process is much more complicated. An agency may or may not need a licence, depending on the laws of the state in which they intend to operate. However, all travel agencies must be certified by four industry associations in order to legally operate.
Industry associations are groups that represent the interests of companies in the travel industry. The companies that they require certification from, in the USA are: Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC); International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN); Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA); National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).
Travel Company Licencing
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The travel industry is made up of different companies that sell particular services. The ARC represents the interests of domestic airlines (in the USA). IATAN's members are made up of international airlines. The CLIA represents cruise liners. AMTRAK represents the interests of the US rail industry.Normally, a travel agency will apply for an ARC certificate first. Once an ARC certificate is issued, the other licences will usually follow as a matter of course. However, it can take up to two years to be accredited by the ARC.
Financial Implications
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A retail travel agent's income comes from commissions paid by suppliers and tour wholesalers. A commission is a percentage of the total sale. The traveller does not pay for the services of a travel agent. Rather, the service provider or wholesaler incurs the cost of the commission fee.
When the travel industry was regulated in the USA and Europe, the governing body of each state/country decided what percentage of each sale would be paid as commission. Since deregulation, service providers and wholesalers can negotiate commission rates with travel agencies.
Often, tour wholesalers will offer agencies a progressive commission rate i.e. the percentage of the commission rises along with the number of packages sold. Such agreements help to motivate travel agents to sell more products.
COMMISSIONS B.
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On average, 60% of the income of a travel agency comes from air travel commissions. The average commission received from airlines is 10%. Cruise liners offer an average rate of 16%.Hotels usually offer 11%, while the average rate for car rental companies is 8%.Commissions rates for package tours are anywhere from 11% to 22%, depending on the agreement between the wholesaler and the travel agency
LIABILITY
Add caption Travel agents can be held legally responsible for their actions in running their business. Since travel agents are considered “travel advisors”rather than booking agents, they can be held responsible for the quality of their advice. Agents must take the age and health of the client into account when recommending a trip.Travel agents must also make customers aware of the role of tour wholesalers/tour operators when selling package vacations. Situations have arisen where a customer buys a tour package through a travel agent and prior to the vacation, the tour wholesaler goes bankrupt.Courts have ruled that when the customer is unaware of the existence of the wholesaler, the retailer is liable for the customer's loss. Agencies can protect themselves by dealing with reputable wholesalers, buying insurance, explaining the roles of intermediaries and by having travellers sign a disclaimer.
Electronic Booking
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The internet has forever changed the landscape of the travel industry. The modern travel agency has its origins in the travel desks found in hotels in the early 1900s.
Following the popularisation of jet travel in the 1950s, the travel industry became centred on the working partnerships of tour wholesalers and travel agencies.The industry remained this way for decades, until the advent of online travel websites in the late 1990s. This unit will explain how online travel services have developed, how they benefit customers and their effect on the travel industry as a whole.
SABRE
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American Airlines were the first travel provider to create an “online” reservation system. Due to the huge growth in passenger numbers in the 1950s, airlines found that manual methods of booking seats had become slow, inefficient and confusing. American Airlines sought to find a solution to this problem by creating an online reservation system.In partnership with IBM they created SABRE (Semi-automated Business Research Environment). SABRE launched in 1964 and was made available to other airlines in 1976.
While it was an online system, SABRE pre-dated the internet and the WorldWide Web and was accessed via telephone lines. SABRE provided a fast and convenient way for airlines to reserve seats and track these reservations.
Summary
- Tour wholesalers are companies that purchase a variety of tourist services (flights, accommodation, trips etc.) and sell them as single products, i.e. package holidays, to customers through travel agents.
- The practical benefits of package holidays are convenience, expertise and price.
- Travel packages bought through agents, are generally less expensive for tourists, than purchasing each component separately.
- The average return on sales, for tour wholesalers is 3%. Since net profit is low, tour wholesalers need to sell large volumes of product.
- There are four types of package holiday: Independent, Hosted, Group Tours and Special Format.
- Retail travel agents act as sales outlets and travel advisers. They are not direct sellers. They take a commission on sales for wholesalers. They have legal responsibilities in the advice they give to customers.
- On average, almost 60% of the income of travel agencies, comes from commissions on air travel.
- The Thomas Cook travel company is considered the first travel agent. They began packaging domestic tours in the United Kingdom, in 1841.
- To open a tourist agency in Europe, a company must obtain a retail travel licence.
- In the USA, travel agencies must be certified by four industry associations, in order to operate legally.
- In partnership with IBM, American Airlines created the first online reservation system in 1964, called SABRE. SABRE was made available to other airlines in 1976.
- Today, approximately 38% of travel bookings are completed online.
- As more and more people are booking their flights online, airlines have begun lowering the commission fees they offer travel agents.
- Consumer research groups have predicted that by 2022, over 75% of travel plans will be purchased online.
- In order to remain relevant, agencies must place a renewed emphasis on the services they provide, which cannot be found online.
- Travel agencies are now using the Web to ensure that they are more knowledgeable than the customer.
Travel Purposes
RECREATION
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Tourism encompasses everything from the planning of a trip, to the destination, the stay itself and the return journey. It also includes the activities the traveller undertakes as part of the trip; the purchases bought and the interactions that occur between hosts and guests. In sum, tourism is all of the activities that occur when a visitor travels.
When talking about tourism, it is important to differentiate tourism from recreation. The term "recreation" overlaps in many ways with tourism.
Recreation is a pleasurable activity that is engaged in during leisure time. This may involve active or passive pursuits; indoor, outdoor activities etc.
The difference between recreation and tourism, is tourism involves travelling and takes time. There is no time or distance aspect to recreation. A round of golf three kilometres from home would constitute recreation while a weekend trip to a golf resort would be considered tourism.
TRAVEL OR TOURISM?
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All definitions of tourism include the word “tourist”. Therefore, it is important to understand what this word means. A variety of definitions exist for tourist and it needs to be distinguished from what a traveler is.
Being able to properly categorize tourists and travelers, helps companies to create business plans and marketing strategies that target both groups.
This section will explain various terms used for travelers and tourists, as defined by tourism and intergovernmental organisations. It will also explain how these definitions have been expanded upon and have developed over time.
Types of Traveller
Excursionist
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An excursionist is someone traveling for pleasure in a country in which they normally do not reside, for a period less than 24 hours. This type of traveler has not been acknowledged by the League of Nations.
A transit traveler is defined as “any person traversing a country, even for a period of more than 24 hours, without stopping, or a person traversing a country during a period of less than 24 hours, provided that the stops made are of short duration and for purposes other than tourism ".
This term identifies a type of traveler that has been deemed “non-tourist” by the League of Nations.
Visitor
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In 1963, the United Nations Conference on International Travel and Tourism in Rome recommended: any person who visits a foreign country for any purpose that does not involve receiving pay be defined as a “visitor”.
Two sub-definitions of visitor were created; excursionist and tourist.
An excursionist, is defined here, as any person who visits a country for less than 24 hours. The UN stipulated that it was also suitable to refer to these visitors as "day visitors".
INBOUND/OUTBOUND
In 1978, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs published guidelines that included a definition of the term "international visitor". According to the report there are two types of international visitor; those who visit a given country from abroad (inbound tourists) and those who travel abroad on visits (outbound tourists).
It indicated that the maximum period a person could spend in a country and still be considered a visitor would be one year. Most UN member states accepted the department's definitions of international visitors.
OVERNIGHT
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Today, the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) defines a foreign tourist as a person who spends at least one night, but no more than one year, in a foreign country.
The tourist can be there for a variety of reasons, but must not be earning money in the country being visited.
In keeping with the IUOTO definition, the WTO defines an “excursionist” as a person who visits a foreign country but does not stay overnight.
Business and Leisure
DOMESTIC
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As with international tourists, the World Tourism Organisation's definition of domestic tourists is based on length of stay. According to the WTO, any person residing within a country, traveling to a place within that country other than his/her usual residence for a period of more than 24 hours, is deemed a domestic tourist.
This definition applies regardless of the person's nationality. People travelling for business reasons are included in this definition. However, people engaging in activities for which they receive pay are not included.
According to the WTO, a person that meets the above definition but who does not stay overnight is a “domestic excursionist”.
TRIP
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In 1973, the National Tourism Resources Review Commission published its landmark study of tourism in the United States. In it, the commission proposed that a domestic tourist was a person who traveled at least 80 kilometres away from home. The travel could be for any reason except commuting to work.
The US Census Bureau publishes the National Travel Survey every five years. In the 1963 and 1967 surveys, the bureau defined a "trip" as "each time a person goes to a place at least 160 kilometres away from home and returns, or is out-of-town one or more nights". From 1972 onwards the phrase "or is out-of-town one or more nights" was omitted from the definition.
Essentially, this means that since 1972, weekend trips to locations less than 160 kilometres away are not counted in US Census Bureau's tourism statistics.
CREW
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The prestigious US Travel Data Centre regularly collects, analyses and publishes data on travel and tourism in the United States. It accepts the definition of travel
provided by the US Census Bureau.
People that travel as part of an operating crew on a train, plane, bus, truck or ship are not deemed tourists by the centre.
Similarly, people commuting to a place of work and students travelling to and from school are also not categorised as domestic tourists.
Employment Types
INTRODUCTION
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The tourism industry comprises a variety of different businesses, markets and staff, that involve various skill sets, qualifications and expertise.
The following units present a comprehensive analyse of these factors, with advice on how to conduct business and/or gain employment in the industry.
AIRLINES
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Airlines employ over one million people worldwide. Airline employees fall into one of two groups; flight crew and the ground crew.
The flight crew is made up of the cockpit crew and the cabin crew. The cockpit crew consists of the captain, co-pilot and the second officer. The captain is responsible for operating the aircraft and supervising other crew members.
The co-pilot is responsible for charting the route and calculating flying time. The second officer inspects the plane before take-off and after landing and determines the amount of fuel needed. Smaller planes are designed to require only two people in the cockpit: the pilot and the first officer.
Criteria for Working as a Pilot
In order to be legally able to fly pilots must have the following:
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- A university degree
- 1,500 hours of previous flight hours in the military or general aviation
- A radio operator's permit
- An airline transport pilot's license
- An instrument rating
- Commercial pilot's licence
Pilots begin as second officers. Promotion to first officer takes five to ten years. Promotion to captain takes an additional ten years.
Airline Staff
CABIN CREW
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There can be up to 16 people in the cabin crew. The cabin crew is responsible for the care and safety of the passengers. Their duties include serving food and beverages, demonstrating safety equipment, giving first aid when required and calming nervous flyers.
A college background is preferred for flight attendants. Training consists of a four-week to six-week training program.
Entry level cabin crew can aspire to positions such as a purser (the team leader of a flight crew), training supervisor or a variety of ground positions in sales or public relations for the airline.
Every airline employs a station manager at every airport from which they operate.
Station managers are responsible for the coordination of an airline's flights from a particular airport.
GROUND CREW
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Ground crew positions are in reservations and sales, passenger services, maintenance and security.
Reservation agents handle calls from passengers inquiring about flights and make reservations. A college education is preferred for these positions, as well as office experience and typing skills.
Reservation agents can advance to sales representatives or flight attendant positions. Passenger service employees work in the airport terminal, checking luggage, assigning seats and boarding passengers.Criteria for Working as a Pilot
Criteria for Working as a Pil
Every airline employs a station manager at every airport from which they operate.
Station managers are responsible for the coordination of an airline's flights from a particular airport.
Careers at Sea
CRUISE SHIPS A
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Cruise ships employ approximately 200,000 people worldwide. Employees work either on-board or ashore. The on-board crew of a cruise ship consist of two groups; the ship's crew and the hospitality staff.
All members of a ship's crew must have Coast Guard certification and be a graduate of a marine academy. The captain is in charge of the crew aboard a ship. He/she is responsible for the operation of the ship and the safety of the crew and passengers. The captain has a number of officers who assist him/her.
Officers begin their career as third mate and receive promotions in line with performance. Engineers are responsible for the maintenance of the ship. They are required to have studied engineering at a marine academy. The purser is responsible for the ship's paperwork and for handling money. The purser has a great deal of contact with the ship's passengers, as they handle traveler's cheques and assist with customs and immigration requirements.
CRUISE SHIPS B
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The hospitality staff on a cruise ship typically consists of an accommodation manager, various assistant managers, food and beverage staff, a cruise director, social and recreational staff and housekeeping staff.
Most positions are available to people with relevant experience. People who aspire to management positions should have a college degree in hotel and restaurant management in combination with practical experience in various industry operations.
To become a part of a cruise ship's hotel crew, one should apply through the cruise operator's office on-shore. Cruise operators' on-shore staff consists of sales and administration staff. Entry-level sales representatives are involved in selling cruise packages through tour operators and retail travel agents. With good performance, staff can be promoted to sales supervisor or to the marketing department.
Building your Holiday
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
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Tourist attractions operate in both the private and public sectors. Private sector attractions, such as theme parks and resorts, are in business to make a profit. Public sector attractions, such as zoos, national parks and museums, operate on a non-profit basis.
In theme parks, opportunities exist in staffing food service areas, gift shops and rides. Many of these positions are seasonal, depending upon when the park is open. Often the way to a full-time position is by working as a seasonal employee.
Many holiday resorts require recreational staff. Instructors are needed to teach the activities offered at the resorts. Recreation programming or guest activity directors are needed to plan, design and organize the guest activity programs for those staying at the resort. Such positions are similar to the social director position aboard a cruise ship. A degree in park and recreation administration is desirable for such jobs.
SPECIALIZATIONS
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Public sector attractions, such as zoos, museums and national parks, aim to teach the public about the natural world. Most jobs in public sector attractions are civil service positions and require that the applicant pass appropriate civil service tests.
The people in charge of public attractions require specialized knowledge and degrees. In a museum, a curator is responsible for locating, acquiring, and exhibiting the items on display. Advanced degrees in fine art are required for such a position. A zoo director may be required to have a degree in zoology, while national park specialists require degrees in botany, biology or ecology.
Employment Opportunities
EDUCATIONAL
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Public attractions also have staff that engage with the public through lectures, walks, exhibits and displays. As well as qualifications, these workers should have the ability to attract and entertain visitors whilst educating them about the natural world. This can be done through lectures, walks, exhibits and displays.
In national parks, the most visible position of this kind is the park ranger. Support jobs are also needed for public attractions. For example, museums need security people and zoos require people to care for animals and maintain their enclosures.
HOSPITALITY
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A variety of jobs are available in the accommodation industry. Within a hotel there are several departments, each with job opportunities. The major operating departments are the front office, housekeeping and food and beverage service.
Typical entry-level positions would be baggage porter, desk clerk, room attendant, server or kitchen helper. In the kitchen a specialised diploma in cooking would be required.
While some hotel managers rise to the top through on-the-job experience, the preferred route is through a specialised degree in hotel and restaurant administration followed by a period of working in the various departments. Opportunities also exist in a number of support departments, such as marketing, accounting and convention services.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
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There are two different staff teams in a restaurant: dining room staff and kitchen staff. Most dining room staff are waiters/waitresses and are under the supervision of a maitre'd. They are responsible for taking customer orders and ensuring the dining room remains presentable and clean.
Entry level waiting positions are often available in restaurants. The majority of kitchen staff are chefs. Specialist qualifications are required for such positions. Entry level positions are available in kitchens as dishwashers and kitchen porters.
Working in the Travel Industry
TOURIST BOARDS
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Tourist boards and tourist information offices also offer employment opportunities. Tourist boards promote a country as a tourist destination, in other countries. Most tourist board jobs are in marketing and PR and require a specialist qualification. Entry level positions can be found in administrative positions.
Tourist information offices are offices established by a country's tourist board to promote tourism at a local level. These offices are open to the general public and offer free information on the attractions in an area. They also offer free maps and brochures etc. Entry level positions are available for information desk staff. However, a qualification in tourism/hospitality is preferred.
TRAVEL AGENTS
A travel agency is a company that offers travel services to the public on behalf of suppliers. Essentially, travel agents negotiate with tourist companies in order to get the best price for customers. They earn money by taking a commission on all sales.
Specialised training is required to become a travel agent. A number of schools offer hands-on training for people interested in such work. It is also possible to move into the operations of an agency from other areas, particularly airline reservations. Such people can transfer skills and knowledge gained in working for the airlines to an agency. Entry level employees work as sales representatives, selling the agency's services to individuals and groups.
TRAVEL MANAGERS
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Travel agents can take advanced courses to further their qualifications. For example, in the USA, the Institute of Certified Travel Agents (ICTA) and The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) both offer courses.
There is a lot of room for promotion and advancement within travel agencies. Agents may rise within an agency, go on to own their own agency, or move into a related area of travel.
One such area is corporate travel management. A corporate travel manager handles the travel budget and policy for a company. This person can either work with an outside travel agency or establish an in-house travel department.
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Formal Definitions
DEFINITION
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The League of Nations (LN) was the first organisation to create a formal definition of 'tourist' in 1937. Their definition of "foreign tourist" was largely one of time.Foreign tourists were people who stayed in a country for more than 24 hours. The only exception to this definition was people visiting on a cruise stopover for less than 24 hours.According to the LN, the motivations for travel as a tourist were rather diverse. The term “tourist” included people visiting for pleasure and business. Similarly, people staying in a representative capacity were also deemed to be tourists.
TRAVELERS
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The League of Nations also created a list of travelers they did not consider to be tourists. Notably, they did not create terms for these travelers. Such people included those arriving in a country to work, live or study as well as people living in one country and working in an adjoining country.Subsequently, non-tourists have been considered those who travel through a country en route to a destination. This includes people whose journey may take longer than 24 hours.
The League of Nations' classification and definitions were highly influential and have provided a framework for other organisations to expand upon.
Electronic Booking
INTRODUCTION
Add caption The internet has forever changed the landscape of the travel industry. The modern travel agency has its origins in the travel desks found in hotels in the early 1900s.Following the popularisation of jet travel in the 1950s, the travel industry became centred on the working partnerships of tour wholesalers and travel agencies.The industry remained this way for decades, until the advent of online travel websites in the late 1990s. This unit will explain how online travel services have developed, how they benefit customers and their effect on the travel industry as a whole.
The Growth of the Web
E-BOOKING
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Online retail has grown at an amazing rate. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, 15.1 million US tourists booked their travel online in 1999. Today, that number has risen to nearly 70 million people.
Furthermore, 38% of travel arrangements are now done without the services of a travel agent. Most of this figure is accounted for by online reservations of airline
travel.
Air travel is often the most expensive component of a vacation and airlines were quick to capitalise on the reduced expenses offered by online booking. By no longer paying commission fees to travel agents, airlines could offer customers better prices for flights. This has ensured that travel agencies could not compete with the airline fares offered online.
REDUCED RATE
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As more and more people begin booking their flights online, airlines have begun lowering the commission fees they offer travel agencies. In 1995, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) put a limit on the commission fees airlines were allowed to offer travel agencies. A maximum of $50 was allowed for return trips while $25 was the maximum for one way trips.
In the late 1990s, European and Asian airlines began reducing their commission rates. In 2002 Delta Air Lines announced that they would no longer be providing commissions to travel agencies in the US and Canada. Gradually, other US airlines have also begun to offer 0% commission.
PROJECTIONS
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The growth of online travel is expected to continue at a phenomenal rate. While 62% of travel booking is still done through a travel agent, that number is falling rapidly. Consumer research groups have predicted that by 2022 over 75% of travel arrangements will be made online.
However, travel industry associations have disputed these projections and feel that the growth of online travel services is beginning to decline. Such groups are keen to point out that while certain travel agencies have gone out of business, these were mostly “travel supermarkets” i.e. agencies that simply sold flights and/or packages and did little else. Such agencies did not provide the valuable travel advice found in upmarket agencies.
The Personal Touch
TRUSTWORTHY
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It is worth noting that in recent years, agencies have begun embracing the web and understand that it provides a number of opportunities. Initially, the web reduced the knowledge gap between travel agencies and tourists. Tourists could become well informed about the hotels and attractions of an area and the demand for travel agent expertise declined.
However, in recent years more and more tourists are finding that they are confused by the information they find online. There is an overwhelming amount of information about destinations, which is often contradictory. Tourists are seeking travel agents' advice, to gain reliable and trustworthy information.
RETAIL DEMAND
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Clearly, online travel has had a substantial effect on travel agencies. In order to remain relevant, agencies must place a renewed emphasis on the services they provide, which cannot be found online.
Travel packages continue to be a product which people prefer to buy from a travel agency. According to ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), 64% of vacation packages sold in the US in 2012, were booked through a retail travel agent.
Such packages are multi-beneficial. Service providers are happy to have the guaranteed income from tour wholesalers; tour wholesalers are likely to receive a commission fee from travel agents and travel agents have a product that is desirable to customers.
Are Travel Agents Dead?
COOPERATION
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It's interesting to note that when online travel was initially rising in popularity, most travel agents were not familiar with the internet. People that were working in the industry for years prior, were slow to realise the travel information and services that were available online.
However, as travel agents became more web-savvy and younger people entered the industry, agencies began using the internet to their advantage. Travel agencies are now using the web to ensure that they are much more knowledgeable than the customer, just as they were before.
Tourists have only a certain amount of time to research trips on the internet. Travel agents can spend a portion of their working day conducting effective online research. According to the American Express Travel Study, 52% of travel advisers found that customers will come to them with a strong idea of the vacation they would like, but need the services of a travel agent to make the final arrangements. They gained a sense of their preferences from online research, but do not have the time or expertise to plan the entire trip.
CONCLUSION
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It is impossible to know the long term effects of online retail on the travel industry. What is clear, is that tour wholesalers and travel agencies are still an integral part of the industry.
2012 was the first year in which international tourist numbers exceeded 1 billion people. In the same year, there were 8,000 U.S. travel agency firms in the US, which completed more than 143 million transactions.
Furthermore, these agencies sold $86 billion worth of air travel, $15 billion worth of cruises and $9 billion in tour packages. Such numbers suggest that tour wholesalers and travel agents can remain relevant in the coming decades.
SUMMARY
- Tourism is the name given to a range of activities travellers engage in, when they visit somewhere temporarily.
- The League of Nations (LN) was the first organisation to create a formal definition of foreign tourists in 1937. It defined foreign tourists as individuals who stayed in a place for more than 24 hours.
- The International Union of Official Travel Organizations, created the terms 'excursionist' and 'transit traveller'. The former refers to a form of limited visitation. The latter refers to travelling through a place, en route to somewhere else.
- In 1973, the National Tourism Resources Review Commission, defined a domestic tourist as a person who has travelled at least 80 kilometres away from their home.
- Airline employees fall into one of two groups: flight crew and ground crew. Airline ground crew positions are in reservations, sales, passenger services, maintenance and security.
- Cruise line employees work either on-board or on-shore. The on-board crew consists of two groups: the ship's crew and service/hospitality staff.
- Tourist attractions (parks, zoos, museums etc.) operate in the private and public sectors.
- Most jobs in public sector attractions are civil service positions, that require the applicants to pass occupational entry exams.
- The major departments in tourist accommodation are: front office; housekeeping and food and beverage services.
- Tourist boards promote a country as a tourist destination in other countries.
- Most tourist board jobs are in marketing and PR and require educational qualifications.
- A travel agency is a company that offers travel services to the public, on behalf of suppliers. To become a travel agent, formal training (and sometimes certification) is required.
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