How to open a tourism company. Business plan for opening a travel agency

The travel business is dominated by those businessmen who are sociable, resilient to stress, have the ability to convince people and are able to take risks. Additional benefits is knowledge of languages, as well as interest in foreign countries. This does not require specialized knowledge, although it can also be an effective starting point. Nevertheless, in the tourism business, a sincere interest in the very process of work and the ability to learn quickly are more important.

How to start opening a travel agency?

First, we recommend that you pay attention to our other article, which will tell you, this article will help you understand the plan for future actions.

You can start a travel business at home, having only a computer with Internet access and a telephone. The composition of the initial customer base can be formed from your immediate environment. Nevertheless, this kind of activity will not bring high income and can be considered only as a form of additional earnings, which at the same time has a seasonal nature. In order to make the tourism business the main source of income, it is important to bring it to the level of the entire country. Otherwise, it is better not to start this kind of business.

For a wide coverage of the tourist services market, it is important to observe several rules of success:

A tourist business should be opened in those areas where competitors have not yet made their way;

It is better to develop a small travel agency within the framework of a separate line of services, since it will be difficult for a wide-profile small company to compete with large competitors;

It is necessary to identify which segments of the tourist services market are not fully covered by other firms, that is, where there is still unsatisfied demand.

Preliminary cost estimate
Office. Premises for a travel agency is one of the most expensive items in this business. The office of a travel company should be located closer to the center or in the very center of the city, however, in this light, two problems arise: the cost of real estate and the presence of a large number of competitors. In this light, for the first time, you can confine yourself to premises in more remote parts of the city, but preferably in places with a large flow of people: stops, avenues, squares, etc.

Staff. According to experts, when organizing a travel agency, you should remember a simple rule: office costs are approximately equal to total staff costs. However, on average, salaries in this industry are very low, so staff should be motivated by providing additional services: benefits for the purchase of vouchers, internships and training at the expense of the company and other benefits. It will not be difficult to find the main body of personnel, since it is easy to learn how to work in the tourism sector on the spot. Nevertheless, it is necessary to involve in the work several professionals with excellent knowledge of foreign languages.

Advertising. Advertising is the main factor of survival in the market, as well as the initial opportunity to show customers about yourself. In the tourism sector, such types of it as television, press, outdoor advertising are especially popular. These areas of advertising are associated with high costs, which are inevitable. In the future, the reputation of the travel company among its clients will play a significant role. However, this kind of popularity can be gained in at least a year of responsible and persistent and meticulous work.

Stages of creating a travel agency

Developing a plan. When starting a business in the tourism sector, it is advisable to develop a business plan. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of evaluating competitors, which include not only other travel companies, but also sites that sell air tickets, book hotel rooms and other similar services on a remote basis. In addition, you need to carefully work out a financial plan in order to determine the payback period and the level of profitability of the business.

Determination of the market niche. When opening a travel agency, you should not strive to cover everything at once. It is important to be able to focus efforts on those areas in which there are knowledge, connections and partners. At first, it is most effective to use the tactics of one-way activity. For example, organize tours exclusively to Europe or work with corporate travel abroad. As part of further activities, it is possible to expand the coverage of the market and enter other market niches.

Formation of connections. When creating advertising messages for potential clients, it is extremely important to emphasize the distinctive features of a travel agency: its specialization, reliable partners abroad, specific services. In addition, it should be mentioned that it is much more convenient and profitable for clients to contact a travel company than to independently organize trips abroad. Initially, you should work out a system of discounts based on the factor of seasonality, as well as customer loyalty.

[b] Travel agency profit generation
The main source of profit for a travel agency is the difference between the purchase price of travel packages from tour operators and the cost of selling them to customers.

Additional income is also provided by customer consulting and ticket sales. If we consider the commissions from travel vouchers, they are about 10-15% of the cost for start-up companies, and 18-20% for well-known ones. Thus, the rate of return is very significant from the standpoint of covering the agency's fixed and variable costs. For example, if the price of a voucher is 20,000 rubles, and the commission is 10%, then selling three vouchers per day can earn up to 150,000 rubles a month.

How to start a travel agency franchise?

The tourism industry is fraught with serious risks, so more than half of the newcomer firms go bankrupt in the first months of activity. This situation is due to the lack of clients, contacts abroad, experience and reliable tour operators. However, it is possible to avoid the impact of such unfavorable factors for business by acquiring a franchise for opening a travel agency.

A franchise essentially implies the right of a young firm to use the brand, connections, management model, and business practices of an established company in the market for a fee. According to experts, the cost of a franchise for travel companies is cheaper than covering losses from the implementation of activities on an independent basis.

Features of work in the tourism business

The tourism business is a very broad field of activity. It includes the organization of travel of citizens abroad for recreation, education, business meetings, excursions, booking hotel rooms, purchasing air tickets, ensuring security, etc. However, the whole range of travel services can be divided into two areas:

Organization of departure of citizens of a given country abroad;

Reception of tourists from abroad.

The first direction is less expensive and associated with a lower level of risk. It does not imply the creation of an infrastructure industry, since it is completely focused on the foreign market. Nevertheless, competition in this sector is many times higher than in the second direction.

In the tourism business, it is important to distinguish between the activities of tour operators and travel agencies. The former are involved in organizing tours, and the latter are selling them. Activity as a travel agency involves working with ready-made travel products. Therefore, the main thing is to find clients and reliable tour operators. The level of profitability of such a business is on average about 15-17% per year.

The tour operator organizes tours independently, that is, purchases air tickets, book hotel rooms, organizes excursions with guides, provides multiple flights, and guarantees the safety of tourists. This kind of business requires significant financial investments, but its profitability is much higher - about 30-40% per year.

Travel agencies often work in conjunction with travel companies on the basis of long-term cooperation agreements.

In order to organize a business as a travel agency, it is advisable to implement the following activities:

If possible, purchase a franchise;

Conduct active advertising, in particular place advertisements in the press, on the Internet, on radio and television;

Form a permanent array of clients, attracting them with discounts and additional services;

Define areas of activity: leisure, business travel, training, sports, etc.

Determine the geographical scope of the business: trips to Europe, tours to Egypt or exotic travel;

Find relevant tour operators and conclude cooperation agreements with them.

After achieving certain success in the form of a travel agency, you can move on to activities as a tour operator, since it requires serious financial investments. Experts do not recommend starting a business immediately in the form of a tour operator due to the fact that at the first stage there is no accumulated client base and experience.

How to open a travel company from scratch (in the absence of start-up capital)?

Despite the fact that a travel agency, like any other business, is based on start-up capital, you can start even without it. However, in this case, the achievement of a stable position in the market, as well as high profits, will proceed more slowly. In addition, the main costs associated with the tourism industry will have to be abandoned, in particular, to negate the costs of personnel, office and advertising.

As for personnel costs, at first, with a small volume of orders, all the work can be done independently. It should be noted that in the absence of experience in this area, you can work for several months in any travel agency before opening your business.

The office problem is also unimportant, since most of the work can be done at home, and meetings with clients can be organized in other places, for example, in a cafe.

The central issue is advertising, as the new travel agent needs to build an initial customer base. For this purpose, you can use your own connections, advertising in social networks and on free classifieds sites on the Internet. If you managed to create a website on your own, then with the help of it you can noticeably. The main thing here is not to give up, because quality services will always find their customer base, even if not as quickly as we would like!

Creation of a travel agency to work with corporate clients

One of the promising segments of the tourist services market is the corporate clientele sector, which is distinguished by its constancy and significant orders. It should be noted that the direction tourism business, associated with servicing corporate clients, is characterized by increased demand, which attracts novice travel agents. However, it is extremely difficult to penetrate into this segment. At first, large companies have internal departments for organizing trips abroad and do not use the services of third-party travel agencies. Secondly, those firms that do not have such departments have long established contacts with specific large travel agencies and constantly use their services. Nevertheless, one should not abandon the corporate sector at all, since new firms appear in the economy every now and then, looking for partners in the tourism industry. In addition, already established firms are often looking for new travel agents, being dissatisfied with the services of the previous ones. These are the customers you can include in your initial customer lists.

It should be remembered that corporate clients are customers of a whole range of services, for which the travel agency must be ready. These include:

Registration of documents, in particular passports and visas;

Purchase of air tickets and delivery of clients to the airport;

Hotel reservations and delivery of items needed by customers (for example, drugs, exercise equipment);

Fulfillment of all requirements related to the participation of clients in conferences, negotiations, symposia, round tables and their organization;

Creation of conditions for holding business meetings of clients;

Overseas customer cost planning and security.

Another significant difficulty for a travel agent in working with the corporate sector is urgency. Indeed, often for the provision of the above services, only a few hours are provided, and sometimes orders have to be fulfilled on weekends. However, this also has its advantage - commissions are usually higher for urgent orders. However, this approach is best not used in relation to regular customers. Which rarely provide urgent orders.

As part of the activities for servicing corporate clients, it is advisable to consider high-ranking officials, artists and athletes who often travel abroad and need a reliable travel agency as potential customers. In this light, by providing them with a reliable and high-quality service, a travel company can get them into the ranks of regular customers, which seems to be very profitable. In addition, within the initial period of activity, it is possible to provide assistance to large travel agencies that cannot cope with their work or to serve medium-sized companies that do not have specialized departments for organizing foreign trips.

However, if you still have unclear points, then feel free to voice them in the comments to this post, we will be happy to share our opinion on solving this or that issue.

Travel agency is considered a relatively easy business, even if it is a beginner in the industry. Starting a business on a franchise () or on your own, you can snatch your market share even with a superficial analysis of competition. But advertising and thinking over a system of working with a client for his return is a significant part of the costs.

Choosing a field of work for a travel agency

In the tourism direction of services, there are two areas:

tourist operators;
travel agents.

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

Reservation of tickets in one or two directions for a certain period;
Hotel or hotel reservations;
Delivery of goods and escorting tourists to their destination;
Organization of excursions;
Additional services.

It is obvious that operators are large-scale businesses that often cannot withstand competition. Travel agents are another matter. Their work includes:

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

Travel agencies may well be the business of one person, therefore, investments will be required significantly less compared to opening a tour operator company.

Opening an independent company

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

Develop a logo and corporate identity;
Build relationships with suitable travel operators;
Choose an office;
Hire employees;
Launch ads.

Depending on the size of the city, you can manage on your own and periodically invite an accountant. The manager, at the same time managing the company, receives calls, registers vouchers and monitors tourists' trips, being in touch with the tour operator.

Opening a franchise company

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

Despite the limited choice in doing business, using a franchise network is convenient and often correct solution.

The advantages are too obvious and suitable for newcomers to the field:

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

In the case of choosing a franchise, the network usually has courses that you can attend even before registration. entrepreneurial activity, which is useful if you need to learn about the pitfalls of business.

* Calculations are based on average data for Russia

The tourism business seems to many to be easy and attractive, but at the same time it is known that competition in this area actually excludes the possibility of new players entering the market. Despite this, many aspiring entrepreneurs are seriously thinking about starting their own business in the field of tourism.

But here it is important to understand that there are two types of companies in the market for the provision of such services: tour operators and travel agencies. The main work on the search and formation of the route is performed by the tour operator, while the travel agent acts as an intermediary who sells a ready-made tourist product. Therefore on this moment the number of operators relative to the number of travel agencies is very small, but it is tour operators that provide an opportunity to travel, creating a tourist product for clients.

Regardless of what kind of activity an entrepreneur wants to do, he should understand that in addition to high level competition is observed Tightening of the conditions for the activities of travel operators and agencies on the part of the state. It would seem that this business is absolutely hopeless and does not have all the opportunities that were in this direction a few years ago. This is partly true, but nevertheless, with the proper approach, it is possible to capture some part of the market, providing customers with quality services and conducting a full-fledged marketing campaign. It is worth noting that the sphere of tourism activity as a direction for his own undertaking in Russia will require considerable investments from a businessman, huge efforts, and the high risks and the presence of many other business alternatives that are not related to tourism make it possible to call it the niche that it is better not to try to occupy. , which does not need new players, there are already too many companies in it, many of which are superfluous. But those who dream of palm trees and golden sand, who want to work, visiting exotic countries, can try themselves in this direction. All of the above is a warning.

It is clear that the work of a tour operator is very different from that of a travel agency, but in tourism, many companies combine the work of an operator and an agency, using a variety of schemes and concepts, which greatly increases the efficiency of activities. In general, a travel agency should offer its customers a proven travel product, and therefore its employees had to independently visit those countries where tours are organized, evaluate the level of service, check the safety of the route.

The safety of the route is not understood as the safety of wandering in the wild jungle, but the guarantee that the client will board the plane on time, upon arrival he will be accommodated in the right hotel, he will receive the full range of services, nothing will threaten his life, health and freedom, and in the end On the tour, he is happy, tanned and with magnets he will safely board the plane and return home. So, the safety of the route directly depends on the tour operator, but travel agencies that work with the tour operator must also be sure of it.

The work of a tour operator is a complex, long and painstaking process of creating each tourist product, which is why a tour operator rarely has time for retail sales of a product, travel agencies cooperating with him are engaged in this. However, a travel agency can independently develop a tourism product in only one or several areas, acting here as an operator, as well as offering its customers tours to other areas of third-party operators for the range, and here already acting as an agent. There are very few large operators that develop tours around the globe in Russia, but many agencies are also involved in operator activities to some extent.

Ready-made ideas for your business

A tourist product is in its essence a service, but on the market it is most often presented precisely as a product that, unlike a service, can be sold outside the place of production. In order for the tour to be successful and safe for the client, the operator is engaged in its long development, for which he visits all the countries of his offers, where he first of all needs to find suitable accommodation places and agree with their owners about cooperation.

Next, you should find a reliable carrier that can deliver the client to the place of stay and back, while, if possible, the cost of the transport company should be low. These are, perhaps, the main parts of the tourist product, everything else is additional services that the client purchases as needed. This is followed by a search for suitable excursions, goods, souvenirs, additional entertainment, etc. The formation of a tourist product is taught at institutes in the relevant specialties, although history knows many examples when a person who independently visited a considerable number of countries, who has learned all the subtleties from his own experience and gained knowledge not from books, but in the process of his activity by trial and error, became a tour operator. In order to engage in tour operator activities, you need to have a sincere desire to do this and an understanding of what needs to be done in general, training in the formation of a route is not included in the provisions of this article. Tourism is a complex area that today can even be called a science.

Currently, it is better to register your travel agency as a legal entity, and in this case, the form of a limited liability company is more preferable. This is due to the fact that it is the legal entity that will have access to all the opportunities and privileges, namely, during the registration process and in further work, there is more confidence in the legal entity, and also specifically the LLC is responsible only for its property, but not for the property of the founders. In an area such as tourism, this is especially true, because in the event of failure, the debt obligations can be quite significant.

In principle, individual entrepreneurs are also engaged in tourism activities, these are so-called agents at home who find successful tours and try to sell them with their own on their own without the establishment of an enterprise. However, such an orientation can hardly be called a full-fledged business, and in the light of recent events, it is possible that domestic agents will be outlawed and cease their activities or go underground. Correctly you need to specify and OKVED codes, in this case, depending on the form of work, the activity falls under the definition (OKPD 2) 79.11 Travel agency services, (OKPD 2) 79.12 Tour operator services, (OKPD 2) 79.90 Booking services and other related services.

Ready-made ideas for your business

It should be noted that at the moment licensing of tourist activities is not required, however, it has already been decided that all travel agencies, including not only tour operators, but also travel agencies, were included in a special register. It will be common for the whole country, it is even possible that it will subsequently merge with the international one, but only open travel agency must immediately notify the state authorities of its appearance, transfer all the details and be included in the general list. It is forbidden to work without this, but it should be noted that in recent times the legislative base of the tourism sector is constantly being reviewed, and it is possible that in the near future there will be new bills or amendments.

But this is the complexity of organizing your own tourism business do not end. The next attraction is the so-called Tourist Assistance, which is an association of tour operators, includes only legal entities and was created in order to provide assistance to tourists who find themselves in a difficult situation abroad. Material assistance is provided from the compensation fund to the injured tourists, and the fund itself is formed by contributions from its members. At the moment, the amount of the contribution is 0.1% of the amount of money that the tour operator received from the sale of tour packages in the field of outbound tourism. That is, Tourist Assistance exists only for tour operators who work in the field of international tourism, but not domestic. Another distinctive feature is that the amount of the contribution cannot be less than 100 thousand rubles, regardless of what percentage of the tour operator's revenue is. Thus, significant funds have to be allocated to this organization every year.

Moreover, a travel agency should also have its own compensation fund, and it doesn't matter here, it works in the field of inbound and domestic tourism. This is called a financial guarantee. These are the funds that do not need to be deposited anywhere, but which must be frozen in the bank as the insurance amount. At the same time, for a tour operator working in the field of outbound tourism, the amount of financial guarantees should be at least 10 million rubles, for travel agencies this amount is 20 times more, amounting to 500 thousand rubles, but for many small firms this figure is ruinous.

It turns out that to open your own travel agency, you need to have at least 500 thousand rubles, which will only go to insurance funds, but the entrepreneur still needs a lot of funds to organize the enterprise itself. And this is only for tourism within this country, which is not particularly popular among the population, because, for example, Yaroslavl is much less attractive for most as a holiday destination than Istanbul. To some extent, this monopolizes the market and destroys the existence of small and medium-sized firms in this area.

Ready-made ideas for your business

To open the enterprise itself will require slightly less funds than to ensure its financial solvency. To do this, you need to find a large room in the city center, furnish with furniture, computers and peripherals, make repairs, signage, create your own website and conduct an advertising campaign. For a small company, 200-300 thousand rubles may be enough, depending on the city of work and the level of competition in the area. But these figures are more suitable for creating a travel agency; opening a tour operator will require not only more time, but also money.

At the moment, it is very risky to open a travel agency with a new name, unknown to anyone on the market, and therefore many entrepreneurs turn to franchisors. Everyone knows that the so-called last minute vouchers are in high demand among the population, but according to some analysts, due to the innovations, too cheap tours will disappear, because travel companies will not have the opportunity to dump, or at least simply keep the cost of the voucher low.

In the case of expensive tours, the population generally prefers to contact the largest and most famous companies, even if the cost of the voucher is much higher. People still remember scammers and fly-by-night companies who promised cheap vacations and then disappeared with the money. Only for this reason, it is much more convenient to work with a well-known brand, in this case there will be more customers, which means that risks will also be reduced. The cost of a franchise is difficult to name, because it can vary greatly in different firms and even in one firm can be offered at different prices depending on the city of work.

To work in a travel company, it is required to attract graduates of the relevant specialty, who are taught the basics of the tourism business, work with clients, are taught the language, and in some universities they even provide their students with business trips to foreign countries with training in tourism at the place of stay, the local language and customs. What kind of specialists, as a rule, are travel agents of a narrow profile, and can be engaged in the sale of vouchers for only one country or region. However, today it is even preferable to universal travel agents who know a lot of information about all countries, but too little about each specific one. A small travel agency employs 3-4 people, the tour operator has a much larger staff who perform different types activities: from the sale of vouchers and the formation of tours to the study of general demand and advertising campaigns.

The tasks of the travel agency include many responsibilities, because it must provide quality rest to its client and fully undertake the implementation of all complex procedures. In the case when a client leaves the country for the first time, he may need a passport and a visa. And if he can get a passport on his own, and the company does not really decide anything here, then in the case of obtaining entry permits or visas, the agent must solve all the issues that sometimes take a lot of time and effort.

As you know, to the countries of the European Union Russian citizens entry without a visa is prohibited, and it is simply not issued. The travel agency must provide the embassy with proof that its clients are going on vacation for a limited period of stay, and none of them will remain as an illegal immigrant. In general, it is much easier for a travel agent to issue visas for their clients than if they did it on their own. But for this you need to know exactly what package of documents in each specific case is required, how long it takes and requires financial investments, what the results can be and what the difficulties can be.

Also, the travel agency is required to book tickets, and in this case, the travel agency must have information about flights and transfers, about transport companies, their suggestions and similar features. There are now global distribution systems in place to exchange information and store all booking data. International systems GDS (Global distribution system) are popular, but it is not always possible to use them, and therefore Russian counterparts... But at the same time, one must also count on the fact that it may be necessary to keep its own database, because there will be no access to the international one, and the Russian one, as always, will not work.

The travel agency also selects excursions for its clients, determines the list of attractions and features of the place of stay, for which it must have established connections with tour guides and guides in foreign countries. Very often a person also needs the services of an interpreter, because the overwhelming majority of the population leaves for a foreign country, not even knowing of English language not to mention local. The travel agency must solve all these issues, while the agents must independently check the level of service, the quality of its reliability of the information provided by partners. In this regard, regular business trips are required to form a tour, if it is planned to engage in at least not extensive tour operator activities. If a travel agency works on a franchise, and even with a well-known tour operator, then it is often required only to sell ready-made tourist products and receive small commissions (maximum - up to 15% of the cost of the ticket).

Tourism in this country is far from being the most better times, at present it is quite difficult, risky and often unprofitable to engage in such activities. The rest itself will rise significantly in price due to the adopted amendments to the laws, so the demand for tourist products will decrease slightly. It is also worth adding to this that the tourism business is seasonal, and the greatest excitement, and therefore profit, occurs in the summer and New Year's holidays, while in the middle of autumn, in winter and in early spring vouchers are bought by a very small number of people.

Matthias Laudanum
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According to statistics, several thousand new travel agencies are opened in Russia every year. This type of business has one of the lowest "entry thresholds", that is, to open a travel agency "from scratch" requires very little investment. That's why given view business is attractive enough for newbies.

However, not everything is so smooth. The same statistics state that almost 100% of newly opened travel agencies close in the first three years, and more than half generally operate only for one season. And only a few are entrenched in the tourist services market. What is the reason for the unpleasant statistics and how can a novice businessman not join the ranks of losers? Let's figure it out.

The disappointing results are largely due to the seeming ease of this type of activity, which attracts people who are very far from business and have a very distant idea of tourism in general, of business planning and payback. Such entrepreneurs often do not have any, even the simplest, financial plan at all and have no idea how they will attract clients.

Meanwhile, the tourism industry is one of the most dynamic, it is very susceptible to a variety of factors - from weather to politics. You need to be constantly aware of the latest developments, react quickly to changes, show mobility and flexibility, and always have a “fallback”.

Types of travel agencies

First, let's figure out what a travel agency is from the point of view of the law. The basic law governing all activities of organizations specializing in tourism - Federal Law "On the basics of tourism in the Russian Federation". Here, a clear concept of travel agency activity is given, which consists in the promotion and implementation of a tourist product. That is, a travel agent can only sell a ready-made tourist product formed by a tour operator. A tourist product is understood as a complex consisting of several services sold to the end user for a total price.

Based on the provisions of the law, the travel agency can not only sell the so-called "package" tours created by the tour operator on the mass tourism market, but also provide tourists with additional services for a separate cost. For example, such additional services may include the order of air and train tickets, reservation of places in hotels, sale of tickets for concerts, etc. But the organization of a trip to the theater, which, in addition to tickets, also includes delivery by bus, is, strictly speaking, a complex tourist product, for the creation of which it is necessary to become a tour operator with all the ensuing consequences in the form of financial guarantees, inclusion in the register of tour operators, etc.

Often travel agencies bypass such restrictions by concluding an agreement with a tourist for each service separately, or, for example, by receiving a commission from a trucking company. Which, in turn, concludes a contract for organizing the trip. However, such an organization of activities is unlikely to be recognized as legal in the event of legal proceedings, therefore, it is very risky.

Actually, a travel agency at the very beginning of its activity can choose one of two ways of development - to remain independent or to join any network of travel agencies. Each of them has advantages and disadvantages.

An independent travel agency owes nothing to anyone, more freely in his choice of partners, can choose the location and design of the office. But at the same time, get ready that your commission will be minimal (at least until you provide a large volume of sales for each tour operator). You will also deal with your problems yourself.

Those who want to join the existing network still have to make a choice about which network to prefer. You can join one of the independent travel agency networks(1001 round, Last minute store, etc.). Each network has its own requirements and conditions, which should be carefully reviewed. In addition, there is often a mandatory entry and / or annual fee. For this, you will have an increased commission from many tour operators, legal support (very, of course, conditional), in case of problems, as well as a recognizable brand, which increases confidence in beginners.

You can also open a travel agency franchised by a tour operator. Coral, Intourist, Sputnik and others have their own networks, but here the requirements for a travel agency are even stricter, often a sufficiently large volume of sales of the tours of this tour operator or a guarantee of such sales are required. All networks impose certain restrictions on their members in the choice of partners, which may even be good for beginners, especially in light of the frequent bankruptcies. At least many network agencies are among the first to receive information about the financial difficulties of tour operators.

The video also tells about the creation of your own company.

Business registration from the point of view of the law

Both a commercial organization (LLC, CJSC, etc.) and individual entrepreneur... There are no obstacles in the form of licenses, permits, etc. That is, to open a travel agency, it is enough to pass state registration as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur and indicate OKVED 63.30, which is the most general and reflects the main aspects of travel agency activities, and also makes it possible to engage in the provision of information and excursion services, book hotels and provide transport.

Further, in order to sell a tourist product, you will have to work with each of the tour operators you are interested in. conclude an agency agreement. Beforehand, it is better to make a list of the main tour operators working in the areas of interest and find out the conditions for concluding an agreement with new agencies on the website or by phone.

Many tour operators now allow you to send scans of the necessary documents and a signed contract to access booking systems, and either send the original by mail or bring it in person only when booking or even paying for the first round.

If you are planning to open in spring or autumn, then it is convenient to conclude agreements at major tourism exhibitions that are held twice a year in Moscow. At the same time, stock up on advertising materials for the upcoming season!

After concluding a contract with a tour operator, you can already start working.

Premises

There are no uniform rules here. You can be guided by the following principle. If you have enough money, then it is better to choose a room either on through place, for example, near public transport stops or on crowded streets with private entrances, or in large shopping centers... Such premises cost a lot, but you will see the first customers right on the opening day.

If your start-up capital is limited or it is generally borrowed funds, then the premises can be chosen much more modestly. The main requirement, meanwhile, remains in force - there should be easy access to the premises, no one will look for a travel agency, especially a new one, when there are plenty of them within walking distance.

The calculation of the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe room is made based on the estimated number of employees. Each manager must have at least 8 m2.

Next, it is worth considering the layout of the room. There are some nuances here. Firstly, visitors to a travel agency often come not one by one, but whole families. Hence, you should be able to comfortably accommodate 4-5 visitors. For this a sofa will do, several armchairs or benches, which should be placed near the manager's desk.

It is worth thinking about the appearance of the room. Registration should be bright and catchy enough to attract attention from the street. You should not make too aggressive color accents, because clients often spend a lot of time at the travel agency, choosing leisure options, so inside the atmosphere should be calm and conducive to trusting communication.

Interesting solutions can be created by styling the premises to resemble a country that is a priority area of your business.

Equipment

In addition to the usual computer equipment and communication equipment, for travel agency equipment nothing out of the ordinary is required. Here, your fantasy is limited only by your budget.

Of course, every manager who works with clients, must have a desktop with a computer and telephone, as well as a printer. For the daily work of a travel agency manager, a monochrome laser printer is enough, which, in addition, can be made networked and provide the ability to print at once for several employees. The main thing is that access to the printer is convenient for each of them.

It looks very ugly when managers have to squeeze past clients and other employees to pick up a printed contract. Better yet, if it is not a printer, and MFP, because in a travel agency it is often necessary to make copies of documents or scan them for sending to partners.

Another nuance that should be taken into account when equipping a travel agency is monitors. Since the manager's working day passes almost entirely behind the screen, it must be a high-quality, serviceable monitor of a sufficiently large size. In addition, it should be located in such a way that a potential client does not see the information on the screen (there is no need for a tourist to see, for example, the size of the agency commission). At the same time, the manager should be able to easily turn the monitor towards the tourist to show, for example, photos of a hotel or country.

Do I need a fax? Today we can confidently say that fax has practically ceased to be used!

Cabinets are needed for storing documents and advertising materials, of which there will be many. Also include a wardrobe for your employees and a coat rack so visitors can get comfortable as well.

You will definitely need a safe, because even if you will not accept cash, which is difficult, but you may need to leave clients' foreign passports for visa processing, travel voucher forms, etc.

To work with cash, you will need a cash register.

As for the software, the usual office software package and one specialized program for a travel agency are enough, there are several of them on the market and each has its own advantages. All programs allow you to keep records of clients with their data, which greatly facilitates the work of the manager.

Staff

From the point of view of the law, there are no requirements for travel agency personnel. Actually, as a last resort, the entire staff can be represented by one individual entrepreneur.

But really, you must have at least 2 employees, so that they can replace each other in the event of vacations, illnesses and travel on promotional tours. In addition, 2 employees will ensure the work of the travel agency in the evenings and weekends, when the flow of clients is usually maximum.

Should employees be required to have special education and work experience? Unfortunately, now special tourism education is very far from the practice of modern tourism, therefore, its presence without real work experience will not give an employee any advantages. But work experience, especially if the founder himself does not have one, will not hurt. If the director has work experience and his own idea of what and how employees should do, then the best option there will be a selection of employees without experience - they will not have to be retrained.

Do I need to hire an accountant? A small travel agency usually has a very small volume of financial and accounting transactions, so a full-time accountant is usually not needed. A home-based accountant or service by a special company is enough to ensure the preparation and delivery of reports.

Promotion

Beginners have the hardest part here, especially independent travel agencies. It is difficult to convince clients of your reliability and competence.

With a limited budget, you need to be careful when approaching expensive outdoor advertising. One bright sign is enough visible from the street.

Better distribution of flyers works, especially with discounts. This is an inexpensive advertising method that can bring dozens of visitors on the same day. Social media advertising works well, especially in a small town setting.

For example, a travel agency negotiates with several cafes. That together with the invoice, each visitor will be given a travel agency discount card. And the travel agency, in turn, will provide its customers with a discount at this cafe as a bonus when buying a tour.

It should be understood that the promotion of a travel agency is a rather lengthy process, few people manage to make money in the very first season. But even if the summer, for example, turned out to be successful, it is difficult to survive the “off season” (February-March) even for “seasoned” travel agencies. Basically, it is possible to pass the break-even point and start making a stable profit only after three to four years.

Profitability

Under profitability, saying simple language, the ratio of the profit earned to the invested funds is understood. Profitability of 30% means that each ruble invested in turnover came back and brought another 30 kopecks profit.

How to calculate the profitability of a travel agency? Very simple. Calculate all the funds that you have invested in your business. Then count how much you received. Is the first greater than the second? Congratulations, you're at a loss! If you earned more than you spent, then this is success.

In order to open a travel agency from scratch to be successful, you need to immediately clearly understand what level of sales you need daily, monthly, annually, in order to achieve at least "zero". To do this, calculate all your running costs, leaving aside investments in equipment, furniture, etc. for now. Add up the cost of renting premises, employee salaries, utility bills, advertising costs. Don't forget to add your salary as well.

Now deduct the taxes that you will need to pay from here. This is exactly how much you must earn in order not to “burn out”. Once your sales are well above your spending figures, you will start earning a return on your one-time investment. And only after that we can talk about the profit made. Only then will your business become profitable.

Challenges faced by travel agencies

The first problem that creates difficulties is pronounced seasonal nature of the business. Usually people actively use the services of travel agencies in the summer season and before the New Year holidays. The rest of the time, clients in the travel agency are "worth their weight in gold" and there is a tough fight for them.

Hence the next problem of the tourism business - discounts, often on the verge of dumping. Not uncommon, especially in the off-season, discounts of 5-8%, which almost completely "eat up" the already small commission, which is the source of the travel agency's income.

Incompetence of staff Is another scourge of tourism. In order for the travel agency manager not only to sell package tours, but to be well versed in different directions, to know the conditions of each country and the hotel base, it is necessary to invest in its development (send to exhibitions, seminars, advertising tours), and the travel agency often does not have free funds.

Bad faith of partners. Tour operator bankruptcies put travel agencies in an unenviable position. After all, they are the ones who often have to deal with angry customers. And in the case of a trip that has taken place, a dissatisfied client often goes to a travel agency, which in no way can affect the quality of the tourist product. Imperfection legislative framework also makes the travel agency business risky.

Do you still want to open a travel agency? This is a really interesting business, not even just a business, but a lifestyle! It suits people who are dynamic, willing to take risks, and active. The main thing here is not to count on quick windfall profits and always be ready to apply “plan B”. We must always look for non-standard approaches, access to new clients, make the most of personal connections and charm. And then you will succeed!

In the video below, Sergey Vatutin, the founder of the company 1001 Tour, shares the secret of his success.

In the tourism business, not only the financial side of the issue is close, but also his idea of the possibility of traveling around the world. This business makes it possible to make new acquaintances and learn a lot of new things.

What does it take to open a travel agency from scratch?

Before deciding to open a travel agency, it is important to understand that there are two types of services in this market:

services of a tour operator who develops the route and takes care of all organizational issues
travel agency services. It sells ready-made tours of the operator and receives a percentage of the commission for this.

In turn, the agencies work in two directions:

domestic tours
international tours

It is necessary to immediately determine the priority line of business. Choose the main category of tourists with which you are going to work.

More cost effective for big city is the opening of a car wash. Read the instructions about: what difficulties await, what profitability and how to build a business process.

When opening a travel agency, a guide to an LLC will undoubtedly come in handy: where and how to register, which premises to rent, which tour operators to choose and whom to hire.

How to start opening a travel agency?

1. Choosing an organizational and legal form. The Tax Code offers two optimal options:

registration of a travel agency as an LLC (legal entity)

No tour operator refuses to work with legal entity... LLC registration is a more solid and fundamental approach to doing business. The level of trust among clients is higher than in a travel agency registered as an individual entrepreneur.

The presence of the authorized capital is required. As a result, LLC registration requires more financial investment than registration of an individual entrepreneur.

registration of a travel agency as an individual entrepreneur (individual)

Low costs compared to opening an LLC, the package of documents is minimal.

But not all tour operators work with travel agencies that are registered as individual entrepreneurs. The level of trust among clients is lower than in a travel agency registered as an LLC.

Special documents for opening a travel agency are not required.

2. When we have decided on the form of registration, there are still several organizational issues.

Necessary:

choose a suitable name
decide on the registration address
choose activities in accordance with the classifier
pay the state fee
sign the registration application in the presence of a notary

Additionally for LLC:

determine the size of the authorized capital (minimum - 10,000 rubles)
if there are several founders, it is necessary to fix the size and par value of the share of each founder

Choosing a room

For a newly opened travel agency, it is better to choose a cozy room of modest size. The best option for a travel agency is rent small spaces Enough 20 square meters in a passing place with developed infrastructure and convenient parking.

The city center or a place where potential tourists gather is the best option for renting an office for a travel agency.

Particular attention should be paid to the sign. It should be bright and vibrant colors. A neon light box or volumetric letters will do.

We decorate the interior of a travel agency

If the room requires repair, then it will have to be done. The important thing to remember here is that travel agency clients are not poor people. They highly value coziness and a comfortable environment.

For a client's corner, for the first time, it is enough to put a coffee table and a sofa. Add corporate identity and tourist attributes to the overall interior of the office.

Workplaces need to be prepared for employees. For 2-3 people, you will need desks, chairs, computers, telephones, stationery, one rack for the office and a multifunctional device with a copier, printer and fax.

Take your choice of Internet service provider very seriously. This link with the outside world can very well spoil the business if there is a weak Internet speed or, even worse, systematic accidents.

After all the preparations, you can take the staff.

What to be guided by when recruiting

A rule that applies to any business.

Don't hire your relatives and best friends! This is not a field where they can help you as much as possible. Friendship very rarely turns into a business relationship. Accept people from whom there will be returns.

Ideally, if they already have experience working in a travel agency. But first of all, try to discern the personal qualities of the candidate:

his manner of speaking
how much correct speech and competent presentation of thoughts
does he know how to separate the main from the secondary
can I focus on the task at hand
how serious about the case
how he presents himself to others
how to communicate with strangers
how wide is his outlook
how to relate to conflicts.

Travel agency is about working with people. Therefore, the qualities of the applicant are more important than the accumulated experience.

Enough 2-3 managers who will be involved in sales, search and customer service. At first, you can do without an accountant, programmer and cleaner.

The salary that motivates the staff consists of the minimum wage salary (5554 rubles). Everything else is interest (bonuses) from the conclusion of contracts with clients. You should not save on this part of the salary if you want to have productive employees in your agency.

Choosing a tour operator

The question is no less important than the choice of an Internet provider. The wrong choice of operator can also cause great losses to the company.

To minimize all risks, it is worth concluding an agreement with at least ten tour operators. Half of them should specialize in your main area.

For example, if a travel agency operates on a route to Egypt or Bali, then half of the operators with whom you are going to sign a contract must work strictly in this direction.

When choosing a tour operator, do not forget to be guided by his degree of fame, reliability, how long he has been working in this market. The percentage of the travel agency's remuneration for the sold vouchers is 5-16% of their value.

Initial rewards are small. But as soon as the first group of tourists returns from the trip, the percentage of commission increases depending on the sold tours. Any tour operator is interested in increasing sales, so the terms of cooperation with promising travel agencies are being revised.

A good help is a single database for searching for tours and tour operators. The most common tourindex.ru. Acquiring access to the database will greatly facilitate the work. The cost of annual maintenance on the site is about 26,000 rubles.

Registration on the site tour-box.ru will help a young travel agency. After registration, you will be given access to the tour booking system.

Everything preparatory work finished. You can accept the first clients, but where can you get them?

Attraction of clients

The first clients are remembered for a long time. There are many ways of attraction and ... a lot.

Even at the stage of opening a travel agency, it is advisable to create your own company website. This will greatly facilitate the work of finding clients. Today is the most effective tool to find clients.

Professionally designed and well-run contextual advertising can dramatically increase the flow of people wishing to use tourist services.

It is equally important to master e-mail marketing and build your own subscriber / customer base.

Do not neglect and write off the well-known search options:

media advertising
advertising on banners and billboards
radio announcements
broadcast on television
connection of promoters for distribution of leaflets
word of mouth

Customers sometimes have a habit of showing up suddenly, from where you don't expect them at all. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly maintain an electronic journal of the channel of new customers. On its basis, conduct analytics and statistics.

In order for new customers to become regular, more often provide discounts, bonuses, periodically hold promotions.

Is it profitable to open a travel agency: payback and profitability

Three main questions before opening a travel agency.

How much does it cost to open a travel agency?
How quickly will the investment pay off? Is it profitable?
What kind of return should you expect?

Before answering the first question, it's worth remembering how much money was spent. Each has its own investment size. Everything is individual, so the numbers are very approximate.

According to the most conservative estimates, investments range from 300,000 rubles. and higher.

With a correctly chosen strategy and the absence of "pitfalls", you can count on the return on business in six months.

And then the most crucial moment comes. Hold on, gain a foothold and confidently take your place in the business of providing travel services.

An indicator of confidence that you have reliably strengthened your position is the sale of 500 vouchers per year. When this figure is reached, you can count on a stable monthly net profit in the range of 50,000-100,000 rubles.

What is the profit made up of?

This is a percentage of the tours sold by the travel agency of the tour operator with whom the contract was concluded. After the sale, the travel agency takes its interest and transfers the remaining amount to the operator's account or vice versa. First, he gives the entire amount to the operator, and the operator then transfers the percentage to the agency.

A fairly wide corridor of the border of the net profit range depends on the season. The travel business is a seasonal type of business.

Off season: forewarned is forearmed

For a newly minted travel agency, the off-season is the most big test... For the first two years, planning losses will be the wisest decision. But this is not enough.

If you approach this issue wisely, then you need to start preparing for winter in April, before the upcoming May holidays.

During the off-season, there is a system of discounts. This is specifically done in order to somehow attract tourists and stay afloat.

Additional types of income when there are no people willing to go on vacation:

visa processing services
self-sale of air tickets

The main work is to build up the client base. During the low season, you can always offer your clients vouchers to holiday homes and domestic tours in Russia.

How to develop a travel agency: further strategy

When the travel agency is firmly on its feet, it is worth moving to a new stage of development. It makes sense for a travel agency to move to a new status by registering as a tour operator.

There may be some difficulties with mass tours due to the great competition. Therefore, first it is better to focus on the formation of an individual tour for your regular clients. Here you are free to set your own prices.

Additionally, you will need:

purchase a liability insurance policy
enter the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators

How to open a travel agency franchise

A very good option for beginners in the travel business. There are two types of franchising:

independent travel agencies of federal significance with a developed regional network
tour operator retail

Isn't it easier to buy a travel agency franchise?

This is by far the simplest solution. With the acquisition of a franchise, you have all the conditions so as not to go bankrupt in the first year and not fly out of this market.

You are getting:

a ready-made business model
ready brand
contact with the tour operator
streamlined business processes

You just have to choose a quality franchise. It costs money, of course, but this investment is guaranteed to keep your travel agency safe from bankruptcy.

On Russian market there are famous travel franchises:

Hot tours (http://www.hott.ru)
Orange (http://apelsin.travel)
Tour 1001 (http://www.1001tur.ru)

And in order to keep abreast of developments in the tourism business market, do not forget to follow the news of Rostourism, keep your finger on the pulse and periodically look into the Law "On Tourism".

How to open a travel agency at home?

Unfortunately, experts advise against doing this. There are practically no successful examples. Opening a travel agency at home is not solid, does not inspire the trust of tourists and creates additional minor problems. And inviting people to the office is much more respectable than to your apartment. Of course, you can make appointments with tourists in public places, but the effect of such meetings is questionable.