In Russia, tourism is developing with fantastic speed. People began to live better, incomes increased, which means that the field of activity for firms working in this field has expanded.
Where to start a tourism business? Like any other, with cost and income planning. In the article we’ll talk about what the travel agency’s business plan should contain, how to organize the business, form an assortment of tours, and select partners.
The choice of the direction of work
This is the first thing you will encounter. All currently operating companies can be divided into two groups: those that organize and implement their own tours, in a word - tour operators, and those that specialize exclusively in selling offers of domestic and foreign companies, that is, travel agents.
Of course, working on the first option is more profitable, but the risks are higher. In addition, starting capital is needed very large. Therefore, starting an activity is more reliable and easier with the implementation of ready-made tours of reputable tour operators. The organization of the tourism business in this case will require much less investment from you, you can start with a capital of 200 thousand rubles (of course, this is the minimum figure).
A travel agent is a kind of intermediary between a large company and a buyer. But this does not mean that you should sell tours strictly at the price that the tour operator has determined. For example, the organizer of a tour to America suggested that you implement a route worth 80 thousand rubles, with the condition that you pick up 10 percent of the tour price. You sell a ticket in your city where there are no more similar offers, more expensive, say, for 100 thousand rubles. The benefit is obvious - your income is increasing.
Travel business. Where to begin?
After you have decided on the direction of work, you should register your company. You can create a legal entity, or you can function as an individual entrepreneur. As practice shows, for work in the field of tourism it is better to still give preference to LLC. The key point in such an activity is the trust of customers in the company they choose, and people trust more legal entities than individual entrepreneurs.
A registration fee of 4,000 rubles is charged for the registration of the LLC, and you will also have to make a stamp (another 400-600 rubles) and notarize the constituent documents (about 1000 rubles). The authorized capital must be at least 10,000 rubles, at least half of it must be transferred to a bank account (you will also have to pay about 500 rubles to open an account). Upon registration, the company will be assigned OKVED 53.30 “Activities of travel agencies”. Thus, the minimum amount that you will spend on the registration procedure is 6000 rubles.
License and taxes
What do you need to open a travel agency yet? Earlier, a license was required, but since 2007, compulsory licensing was canceled. Therefore, it remains only to choose the object of taxation. The work of travel agencies falls under the simplified tax system. At your discretion, two objects are proposed: income (rate of 6 percent) or income minus expenses (rate of 15 percent). The second option should be chosen only if a large share of the costs is expected.
Choice of premises
This step should be carried out before the registration process. Yes, you will not be registered if the company does not have a legal address.Of course, it is best to have an agency office in the city center, but focus primarily on financial opportunities. Pay particular attention to the design and decor of the room. In fact, a travel company sells promises, “air”, a person gives money now, and receives a service later, so you should create an atmosphere of confidence that the savings go into good hands.
Office equipment
Do not forget about office equipment: the office should be equipped with a computer with Internet access (one is enough for a start), a telephone, a printer, a fax - without all this, it will not be possible to organize work. The cost of furniture will also be rather big. A computer table costs at least 6,000 rubles, a swivel chair - about 3,000 thousand, you will also need to buy chairs for clients, a sofa for waiting, if suddenly a line is formed, a coffee table where booklets, leaflets and other things will lie.
On average, the cost of buying furniture will be 30-60 thousand rubles. On office equipment you will need to spend somewhere in 50 thousand rubles (with modest estimates). Yes, own travel company is not cheap! The business plan should also include the calculation of the monthly office maintenance costs, which will include the costs of stationery, utility bills, payment of the Internet, telephone bills, etc.
Partner selection
Selecting tour operators with whom you want to collaborate is what you need to open a travel agency, among other things. Today, there are many operators on the market organizing tours in various directions. An important point: you need to work only with trusted companies.
Many entrepreneurs who are just beginning to develop the tourism business make a serious mistake. They rush to cooperate with tour operators offering tours at the lowest prices. As a rule, such firms are unreliable. To avoid unpleasant moments, choose companies that have already established themselves in the market.
Be sure to find out which tour operators have representative offices in your city. Working with them, you will get rid of many troubles. The entire documentary circulation is carried out in the main office, if you have a representative office, you can directly submit documents, which is very convenient.
Staff recruitment
The travel agency’s business plan must include information on staff and payroll. A small company can consist of only four people: a director, manager, accountant and cleaner. When combining functions, the staff can be even smaller.
Special care should be taken to select employees who will work directly with clients, that is, managers. They should be charming, friendly, look presentable, have a good orientation in the field of tourism, have a pleasant voice, it is desirable that they speak English.
Advertising campaign
This is another item that should contain a travel agency business plan. In this case, there is a lot of competition, so firms desperately need advertising. It is important from the very beginning to create an easily recognizable and unique image of the agency. An advertising campaign begins with the placement of a sign, and then - advertisements in the press. You can distribute leaflets to passers-by on the streets of the city, publish advertisements in newspapers, and promote your services on television and radio.
Work tactics
The management of the tourism business in the first months after the opening has its own nuances. At this stage, the most important thing is to build up a client base. Customers choose those companies where they are given discounts. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that at first you will have to concede a certain percentage of the cost of the tour, respectively, the agency fee will be less.
Ticket prices are constantly changing, sometimes tour operators update offers several times a day. Therefore, finding a route at the lowest possible price is a painstaking task.Get customers email addresses and send suitable tours. But there is one trick - the name of the tour operator should not be indicated, otherwise a tourist with your selection may contact another agency or even book a tour on his own.
How to succeed
Where to start the tourism business, so that subsequently it successfully develops? With gaining trust and consumer recognition services. And for this you need to organize high quality service. If the client likes you, he will definitely recommend the agency to his relatives and friends. And in the tourism business, as you know, word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Therefore, try to pay maximum attention to the people who are contacting you. Be sure to call the client after he returns from the tour and ask about how the rest went, if there were any problems and shortcomings. Everyone likes it when they are taken care of!
Travel agency business plan. What tours to sell?
Travel product can be of two types: batch and individual. In the first case, you are implementing a finished tour formed by a tour operator. It includes flight / relocation to the place of rest, medical insurance, transfer from the airport to the hotel, hotel accommodation. An individual tour will also include all of these services, however, in the layout that the client wants.
What exactly to sell is your choice. But do not try to take on everything at once if you are new to this business. A company that simultaneously offers fishing on the Pacific coast, travels in Europe, shopping tours to Turkey and more, will not inspire confidence. Define the category of potential consumers in advance, try to focus on a specific social stratum.
For example, some agencies only work with VIP clients on individual tours. Of course, the flow of tourists in this case will be much less. But on the other hand, solvent customers choose routes whose cost is much more expensive than those trips that average customers are oriented on, respectively, and you will get more profit from sales.
On the other hand, a batch product is much easier to sell, because it is fully formed. Often, tourists, coming to the agency, already know which particular tour they want to choose, and they only need you to book the option they like and prepare the necessary documents.
"Dead Season
The biggest problem in the tourism business is seasonality. The number of people going on vacation in summer is not comparable with the number of tourists who prefer to travel in winter. Remember the main sales peaks:
- the second half of April - people want to relax on the May holidays;
- the whole of July and the beginning of August is the height of family vacations;
- the whole of September - couples without children and young people go on vacation;
- from late November to mid-December - the purchase of New Year's tours.
Absolutely failed months when it is very difficult to find tourists is October, January and February. You may not even have a single customer. And you still have to bear the costs. Of course, now there are year-round resorts, for example Thailand, Egypt, where you can send vacationers all year round. But, as practice shows, they do not provide sufficient turnover.
Travel agency business plan should reflect all these nuances. Indeed, in the first two seasons of work there may not be any profit at all, on the contrary, activity will be unprofitable. There is no need to talk about regular customers yet, the main volume of sales at the initial stage depends largely on advertising, and it requires considerable expenses.
There may not be any money at all, but what if, for example, you started the implementation of the project not with your own funds, but with borrowed money, and you still need to pay back the loan? That is why it is necessary to calculate in advance all the possible risks.Many companies close when they barely open, because when planning their costs they did not take into account all the nuances, and the business plan was poorly prepared.
Future prospects
From the article you learned about where to start a tourism business. Is it worth it to start at all? What trends are observed in this market segment? It is fair to say that the situation is not in favor of entrepreneurs. More and more often, tourists prefer to travel on their own: they issue a visa at the embassy, buy a plane ticket, book the hotel themselves - and go!
In addition, now every Internet user can easily book a tour. All the necessary information is available on the websites of tour operators, documents are sent by e-mail, and payment for services is carried out without leaving home using plastic cards or instant payment systems such as WebMoney. Nevertheless, experts believe that travel agencies will remain afloat for a long time. True, for this you need to establish a good service. I wish you success!
