What you need to open a travel agency. How to open a travel business. How to start a travel agency franchise

Tourism is developing in our country at a tremendous speed. This is enough profitable industry perfect for getting started travel business, and how to make it successful, you will learn in this article.

Business registration

Tourist activities are not subject to licensing; both legal entities and private entrepreneurs can be engaged in it. Before starting a tourism business from scratch, you should complete all established by law legal actions.

The tour operator must have financial security or a bank guarantee:

International tourism - 30 million rubles;
Inbound tourism - 10 million rubles;
Domestic tourism - 500 thousand rubles;

It is not at all necessary to have such an amount in a bank account. It is enough just to insure your activities. The cost of the insurance policy is 0.4% of the total amount. The tour operator must be registered in the Unified Federal Register.

In addition, you need to obtain a certification certificate, which is a confirmation that all services provided by your company meet the established standards. The more various diplomas and certificates in your office, the more clients will trust you. These can be diplomas issued for charity, or for participation in various advertising campaigns.

Start-up capital

If you do not have the funds to invest in the business, at first you may not need to rent an office space. It is enough to have a lot of friends and acquaintances, a telephone and a computer with Internet access. Sell tours that are offered by major travel companies and get a commission from it. Collect the earned money to accumulate start-up capital.

In addition, you can get a bank loan secured by collateral. Investors should not be relied upon as they are reluctant to invest in tourism.

For a business to develop, it is necessary to invest in it a certain amount of money.

Scheme: travel agency business plan

Main expense items:

Office rent;
Employee salaries;
Advertising.

You will spend 6-12 thousand rubles on the registration of a tourist business. If you want to avoid problems associated with paperwork, you can purchase a ready-made business. An operating travel agency costs 1–1.5 million rubles. For this money, you will receive a well-established business with advertising, an accumulated client base and an office. But this option is suitable for entrepreneurs with a fairly serious capital. And, as a rule, profitable business no one will sell, so be careful before buying.

In general, the organization of the tourism business will need a small start-up capital. Anyone can open such a case.

Premises

For an office, you can rent a small room, no more than 20 sq. meters. It should be located in an area with good transport accessibility, developed infrastructure and convenient parking. The most the best place for the development of the tourist business, it is the center of the city. There are usually many potential clients there.

Take away Special attention signboard. It should be bright and attractive. You can use three-dimensional letters or a luminous box for this.

Equipment

Try to make a good renovation in the office space, as your future clients are wealthy people who are used to comfort. Place a sofa and a small table in the client's corner. The interior of the room can be arranged in corporate identity and add some tourist paraphernalia. Prepare workplaces for employees.

To do this, you will need:

Chairs;
Tables;
Telephones;
Computers;
Office equipment.

Choose a good internet provider as your business success depends a lot on it. A slow connection or a disconnected connection can be the reason why the client will refuse your services.

Employee selection criteria

Don't hire your friends or family. It is quite difficult to translate friendly relations into business ones. Hire staff to meet your requirements.

Travel agency staff must know foreign languages and have experience in this field.

Pay special attention to the personal qualities of the applicants:

Conversation style;
Ability to express thoughts competently;
Ability to highlight important points;
Serious attitude to work;
Ability to communicate with strangers and find common ground with the most demanding clients.

Having these qualities is much more important than experience in the travel business, as employees will communicate directly with clients.

At the start, it is enough to hire 2-3 managers who will find clients and serve them. You will have to spend as much on their salary as on renting an office. To increase productivity, incentivize employees with bonuses and free vacations.

On tourist market there is a high level of competition in our country. Therefore, if you decide to open a travel business and want to stay afloat, you must adhere to simple rules:

First of all, develop a competent travel agency business plan. Remember that your competitors will be large companies who have been on the market for a long time. If you do not have experience in this field, you can complete special courses and work for some time as a tourism manager. This will give you an idea of how travel agencies work;
Decide on a direction of activity. Work in the area in which you are most competent. For example, if you have been organizing tours to Europe, you can continue to work in this direction;
Make connections. Your task is to convey to potential clients that they can fully rely on your agency. This will save customers time and money that would have to be spent on advertising.

Profit

To understand whether the tourism business is profitable, you need to figure out how much income such a company receives. The profit of a travel agency is the difference between the cost of the tour from the tour operator and the price at which it was sold to the client.

How to create a profitable travel company in Russia

Additional income can be obtained from providing advice to clients, as well as from the sale of air tickets. If we talk about the commission that the travel agency receives from the sale of the voucher, then in small firms this is 10-15% of the tour cost, and famous tour operators- 18-20%. It follows from this that the profitability of this business is very significant. If you sell about 3 vouchers a day, you can earn about 150 thousand rubles a month.

Travel agency franchise

It should be noted that the tourism business in Russia is subject to serious risks. Many start-up companies stop operating in their first month of operation. To avoid this, one can purchase a franchise from a reputable travel company. An aspiring entrepreneur can use her brand, management model, and business methods. But for this you will have to pay a certain amount. According to experts, it is much more profitable to acquire a franchise than to cover losses arising as a result of independent activities.

conclusions

Now you know how to organize a travel business and get started. Doing this business, or abandoning it - you decide. Modern people pay special attention to the quality of recreation, so a travel agency is a fairly promising area of activity. The most important thing is to correctly organize the work and prevent possible risks.

The organization of your own business in the field of tourism remains relevant, it has been a demanded area for many years. This business niche does not stand still, is constantly in a state of development and growth. As in other branches of business, there is also healthy competition here, so advertising your own unique services is simply necessary here.

Every year the flow of tourists is growing rapidly, this is another reasonable argument in favor of investing the accumulated funds in tourism. The number of clients is a factor that can influence the profitability indicators in the tourism sector, the growth of profits. Current seasonal offers and incentives for regular customers... New ones appear daily creative ideas organization of tourism business. Any company that seeks to achieve financial success in the tourism industry must not only engage in customer acquisition with beneficial customer benefits, seasonal benefits, but also create a unique market offer which will be in good demand.

Implementation of tourist equipment

An active type of tourism is gaining momentum today. Today there are many people who intend to spend their legal holidays not only in comfortable hotels and equipped sandy beaches, but also in an open-air tent. For the sale of tourist inventory to be efficient, an entrepreneur needs to find out the needs of customers in advance.

The first condition for the successful operation of a tourist shop is its good location, well-chosen, affordable assortment. You can also create a center for the issuance of such shells for rent, sell them via the Internet, create a second-hand sale of used tourist equipment. All these activities help to reduce the cost and increase the demand for these goods.

Today, a new direction of the tourism business called caravanning is gaining momentum. This term means a comfortable type of travel, in order to make it, you do not need expensive trips to resorts, plane tickets. The only thing that needs to be purchased or rented is a van specially equipped with all the comforts, the so-called mobile home. This way of travel has a lot of advantages - no need to carry a heavy load on your back in the shape of a backpack, live in a simple tent, pay for accommodation in motels, while travelers get complete freedom of action, because they are not tied to a specific place.

You can sell new vans, rent them out, or use them for special tours organized by the company for clients.

Cycling is not only a pleasant way of spending time, but physical activity, which maintains all the main muscle groups in good shape, significantly improves the overall condition of the figure. Riding a bike can turn into an exciting journey, the positive effects of which can be compared to a long visit to the gym. Another advantage of organizing this type of business is that the bike does not spoil environment, significantly save money and time.

To organize such cycling tours, you need to recruit experienced personnel, implement interesting ideas to create unique routes of all kinds of difficulty.

Extreme Rope Jumping

This type of extreme entertainment has arisen relatively recently, but many citizens of our country are not yet familiar with it. An increased interest in this kind of extreme is manifested among young people who want to experience an incredible rush of adrenaline; among the middle generation, there are also many people who are ready to experience new unforgettable sensations.

This type of entertainment is jumping from a high enough point on an elastic long rope that is firmly tied to the legs. This type of sports entertainment is fraught with a certain risk, so you need to select experienced staff for the staff, purchase high-quality equipment, and also learn how to select the right objects for extreme jumps.

The creation of animated holidays is becoming one of the most popular types of services today, since not every person has enough imagination to organize interesting leisure. Such a program can have not only an entertainment focus, but it can be organized on a sports theme. You can create a relaxing getaway for clients or some other form of entertainment, but the purpose of starting a business is to enhance the enjoyment of interesting holding free time.

Organization of sports and amateur tourism

Amateur tourism is a special tourist trip along the route chosen by oneself. Experienced instructors recommend proven routes to clients, from which they choose the most suitable option.

Sports tourism is considered an advanced form of self-tourism. Such trips are of high complexity, so their organization is carried out on state level... Both of these types of tourism are considered good views pleasure, so they make good profits.

Carrying out unique journeys to places of power

Nowadays, a fascination with various unusual phenomena is considered a rather fashionable trend. Some people firmly believe in various anomalous zones, in good luck. many travelers are sure that in places of power they will be lucky, for truths that were previously inaccessible to them will be revealed.

The organization of seasonal tours to such special places will also be quite profitable, because the flow of people wishing to visit them is growing every year. Such places, where a person feels himself perfectly, exist in reality. A special beneficial effect on human body mountainous beauty of Altai, Ural, clean forests of Siberia possess.

Every aspiring businessman can organize special tours to special places, gain spiritual experience.

Another attractive niche in the tourism business is the organization of children's hotels. Many parents go on summer vacations with their children, and some just want to take a break from everything and relax. There are proven ways to solve this problem - give your dear child to grandparents or send it to health Camp... A small hotel designed especially for young guests is considered a creative idea.

For this purpose, you can choose a beautiful room in an attractive area, comfortable rooms for 1 to 4 children, different kinds entertainment programs for little fidgets. A hotel for young guests should have competent educators, a small cozy dining room.

Underground green park

Due to the rapid pace of urban development and dense development of territories, fewer and fewer free areas remain for green parks. If it is not possible to allocate space for a green park, then in some European cities it is necessary to break such sites on the spacious roofs of apartment buildings or create parks underground.

Such a unique underground park can be of real value for tourists; people from all over the world will come to see it. In order for such a park to function and develop normally, it is necessary to create special lighting and other conditions there for the comfortable development of plants. for this purpose, modern high-tech solutions will have to be used; the creation of such parks can become a source of excellent profits.

For many, doing laundry while hiking is a problematic task faced by almost every traveler. They, as a rule, take a minimum of things with them on a hike; in conditions of limited water, they have to postpone washing until a convenient occasion.

More recently, an Australian inventor, Ashley Newland, came up with a small portable washing machine that weighs only 150 grams and requires only 3 liters of purified water to run. This technical miracle costs only $ 40. This convenient thing will soon experience the peak of its popularity, you can start selling these compact models or organize a center where tourists can wash their clothes.

This is another profitable niche in the field of tourism, which, with the right approach, can become a permanent source of income. This type of tourism implies a complete rejection of the traditional rest in cozy hotels, where a full range of services is included. Its task is to leave the traditional comfort zone, to create an atmosphere of complete unity with nature. It is this type of recreation that is required by those businessmen who are tired of large metropolitan areas, fashionable five-star ones.

To open a business in the field of ecotourism, you need to find a place where there is pristine natural beauty. For this purpose, a small village is suitable, where every city dweller can feed chickens and ducks, take a steam bath in a real Russian bathhouse, and enjoy a true Russian feast. Rest in a real Russian outback is a great way to restore physical and mental strength.

Acquisition of an operating travel agency

On the basis of official statistics, the last year was characterized for tourism by a leap in the growth of sales of operating firms. But the demand indicator of this segment always remains constant. Against the background of a change in the exchange rate, many travel agency founders managed to foresee their probable collapse. The arisen financial difficulties at major tour operators and caused a sharp increase in their sales.

Despite this, domestic Russian tourism is still promising niche for many investors. Many business leaders have failed to meet the demands of today's clients because they have not fully applied innovation. Among them are the following important technologies of our time:

complete lack of proper communication with the client on the Internet;
available Internet sources are not updated as often as dictated modern times;
there is no detailed online source of information about the current travel agency;
all services posted on the page do not function correctly, the necessary payment systems do not work.

To avoid similar problems with the likely collapse of the company in the future, an aspiring entrepreneur can organize an online agency.

The main advantages of an electronic agency

The online segment, as a rule, offers the client goods at a reduced cost due to cooperation directly with suppliers.

These online agencies have the following beneficial advantages:

significantly save precious client time;
the client sees in front of him a ready-made offer with all the following details, he does not need to clarify the details. The only thing that may be required is assistance in filling out the electronic form and correcting the chosen route for travel;
application modern technologies and development.

Some travel agencies are developing unique search engines the information you need on the site. Those entrepreneurs who have already opened travel agencies note that Russians use the Internet more often when ordering any overseas tour than representatives of Europe. But the rate of penetration of our Russian tourists into the network is constantly growing. According to statistics, many Russians, before choosing a particular tour, look through the information available on the Internet. It is for this objective reason many travel agencies choose the organization of domestic tourism as their main activity, since our compatriots are primarily interested in the beauties of their country, prefer to spend more time on the territory of the country than to leave it.

When creating a similar online business a beginner entrepreneur may face the following problems:

in order to make sure that their funds transferred to the travel agency are safe, in order to entrust this or that company operating via the Internet, many clients prefer to personally visit the operating office of the company. There they will see the team that will help to settle all the formalities when registering a voucher;
all booking and payment systems uploaded to the site must work like clockwork, not give any failures, otherwise financial theft may occur. The unstable position of foreign currency affects the final cost of the ticket;
the procedure for returning and exchanging purchased tickets is quite difficult and time-consuming;
in such work there is always a risk of leakage of important information, because in order to make a payment, the client will have to enter a unique number of a personal plastic card, important personal data.

Many experts claim that the organization of online agencies should be included in the official tax base. At the same time, they need to really prove that this the new kind activities in the future will develop, over the years there will be only a progressive growth of this industry.

Important benefits of starting a tourism business

Many entrepreneurs choose tourism as their main activity; starting a business in this area has the following advantages:

the invested funds quickly pay off;
a small amount is required to open;
rapid increase in business profitability;
availability of stable legislative framework aimed at regulating the activities of travel companies and operating operators.

Instead of organizing a travel company from scratch, it is much easier to acquire an operating company with important intangible assets, among which a good, unblemished name, the accumulated experience of successful advertising campaigns, the presence of a developed customer base.

Small summary

Summing up all of the above, creating your own travel agency or acquiring a ready-made business is a promising action. At the initial opening of the entrepreneur, small costs are expected: monthly rent of office space, the hiring of 2 competent employees, the purchase of the necessary furniture and high-quality office equipment. After everything is settled, you can start your active work, because the commission for any tour operator is up to 10% of the total cost of the tour. Tourism loves accuracy and timely information; an error in the departure time of a flight can cost operators several thousand rubles.

"See the world" is one of the most persistent human desires. If we are not talking about a sofa TV show, then why not give people joy by doing your business on it? Is it difficult to open a travel agency, where to start? Let's try to figure it out.

The good thing about the travel business is that you can open an agency with minimal investment and a little work experience. The activity is not licensed, so you do not need to obtain any permits. At the same time, the competition in the travel industry is high, and the demand for travel agency services in a crisis is naturally falling. The population prefers to save rather than spend. How to open tourist agency from scratch in such a difficult time and make it profitable?

According to Russian Union tourism industry in 2015, the demand for mass outbound destinations fell by 30-60%. The reason is the decline in the purchasing power of Russians. Due to the latest events in the world, experts predict a large subsidence in the directions: Egypt, Turkey, France.

Market entities

If the decision to open a travel agency has been made, first you should study the industry legislation. The legal side of the tourist business is regulated by the law N 132-ФЗ dated 24.11.96 "On the basics of tourist activity in the Russian Federation".

According to the document, tourism is international (inbound and outbound) and domestic, and tourism services are provided by operators and agents.

Tour Operators- legal entities that independently develop tourism products (tours), promote and sell them. The mission of the operators is for the tourist to see Paris and ... return home safely. Therefore, the law obliges them to have financial security in the form of a bank guarantee or insurance. All tour operators operating under the law are included in the Unified Federal Register, and those working on the organization of outbound travel must also be members of the relevant associations.

Travel agents are legal entities or individual entrepreneurs who are the link between the tourist and the tour operator. This side sells tours designed by tour operators and earns on commissions. The relations between operators and agents are regulated by agency agreements, which stipulate the amount of remuneration - 5-16% of the cost of the sold tour.

The responsibilities of the travel agent are listed in the agency agreement and generally include:

informing about tourist products and selection of tours according to the wishes of clients;
preparation and issuance of documents for the tour to tourists (tickets, voucher for accommodation, insurance, memo about the peculiarities of the route, visas);
guarantee of reservation of all services.

Opening from scratch

A travel agency can take many forms. It all depends on start-up capital and the swing of an aspiring entrepreneur. Be realistic about your options, but be optimistic.

You can go one of four ways:

The initial investment when opening a travel agency for a franchise is 150,000-450,000 rubles. depending on the size of the city, and they can be recouped in the first six months of work. The main disadvantage is that the franchisor sets unrealistic sales plans, especially for the start-up period. Therefore, you need to either choose a partner who does not assign plans, or change the terms of the contract.

Key opening steps

So what does it take to open a travel agency?

Registration. The travel agency can function both in the form legal entity, and in the form of IP. It is easier for an individual entrepreneur to register, use the earned money for personal purposes and stop activities. This option is ideal for home travel agencies. In other cases, it is preferable to open an LLC - the level of trust in firms in Russia is traditionally higher than in individual entrepreneurs.
When choosing a taxation system, you should be guided by the simplified tax system with the object "income" (rate 6%).
Office organization. For a travel agency, a room (own or rented) with an area of 15-20 m 2 is enough. The office should be light and comfortable, have a telephone line and the Internet. You will need to make repairs, decorate the premises thematically, buy furniture, office equipment, stationery. There should be a place for outdoor advertising on the facade of the building.
The location of the travel agency is important. Preferred accommodation option - in a shopping center or business center, in an area with high business activity... It's good if kindergartens, schools, beauty salons are located near the office - usually it is the women who initiate the trip and collect all the information about the tours.
Software. Information on tours can be searched on the websites of tour operators or in specialized search engines - Internet resources, in the databases of which information on the majority of tour operators is consolidated. Such systems provide travel agencies with the most complete picture of current offers. The use is paid, but it significantly saves time.
The most famous are the following search engines: TOURINDEX (www.tourindex.ru), Go (www.exat.ru) and TURY.ru (www.tury.ru).
Choosing a direction of work. it key moment for the start, on which the further strategy depends when opening a business.
The following tourist destinations can be preferred:

personally known and verified;

coinciding with the specialization of potential employees;

promising and fashionable types of tourism (eco-tours, beach holidays, extreme sports, etc.).

You should choose a niche where it will be interesting to work. All subsequent organizational stages will depend on the decision made at this step: staff recruitment, selection of tour operators for cooperation, search for effective advertising channels.
Website creation. Before creating / ordering a site, you should decide what function it will perform: representative (regular business card site), informational with the ability to search for tours or an online store. The optimal solution in terms of the ratio between price and efficiency is the second option.
Selection of employees. This is one of the main problems when starting a tourism business. Finding a professional with a client base who knows how to work with people is difficult. Such specialists are rare and expensive, but the investment in them pays off, so it is not worth saving on remuneration. Wages Tour sales managers are traditionally calculated: salary and percentage of sales.
Employees need to be developed: thematic trainings, seminars, regular study tours to selected countries increase the effectiveness of managers.

On the other hand, you can save money on an accountant, especially in the first year of work. With small sales volumes, accounting and reporting can be handled by the businessman himself, using specialized free online services.
Selection of partner tour operators. You can conclude contracts with several tour operators at the same time. For each chosen destination, it is worth concluding agreements with several operators in order to satisfy all possible requests of tourists in terms of arrival dates, hotel levels, etc.
When looking for potential partners, you can use the federal register, which includes all legally operating tour operators, as well as professional ratings, reviews in specialized Internet resources, tourist guides and other sources.

The main selection criteria:

the tour operator works in key tourist destinations;

fame of the tour operator, positive image, degree of reliability;

the conditions offered to the travel agent (the amount of the agency fee, the frequency of its increase, price proposals for tours, etc.).
Advertising. It is necessary to use all available channels with high efficiency.
Work well: business cards in the checkout area of supermarkets, competent promotion of your own website, useful and beautiful Handout(calendars, metro maps, brochures and books), information on forums and social networks, announcements on information stands in elevators and entrances, preparation of joint programs / publications with local media (print, radio, TV channels).

Profit and prospects

No matter what they say about the year-round demand for tours, about replacing beach resorts with ski resorts, the business is still seasonal - experts note a decline in the market from January to February. In addition, the crisis that the economy is going through affects the tourism business. Find out why it is worth starting your own business in times of crisis.

Is it profitable to open? What techniques should be used to not only work to zero, but also make a profit?

Analyze the market, study demand, readjust when external conditions change. Start with interesting outbound destinations, including growing CIS countries: Vietnam, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Moldova. Organize custom tours.

It is also worth taking a closer look at domestic tourism, the potential of which is enormous. A competitive infrastructure has already been formed in some regions of Russia: the Black Sea coast, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring. Russian exoticism is also promising in terms of tourism: Gorny Altai, Baikal, Kamchatka, Kola Peninsula, Karelia, Khakassia, ski resorts in the foothills of the Caucasus.

According to Federal agency on tourism domestic tourism grew over the past, 2014, year by 30%.

Lazy rest is going out of fashion, so the future belongs to active tours that combine travel and hobbies: yoga tour, eco tour, photo tour, trekking, jeeping, fishing tours, etc. Agritourism is gaining momentum.

And, of course, a lot is decided by the value for money. Offer discounts, develop bonus programs loyalty. Attract customers with high-quality service, cooperate only with reliable tour operators - create an image that will work for you in the future.

Watch the video interview with director general company "1001 Tour".

More and more often, citizens of our country spend their holidays abroad, travel different country... But tourist trips around the country do not stop. following this trend is also developing. New agencies, tour operators are appearing, hotels are being built. not a very complicated process. The biggest challenge is huge competition. And before joining their close ranks, you need to decide in the role of whom you will act. Currently, the most common two types of organizations: Tour Operator or Travel Agent. So who are they.

What is a tour operator and travel agent

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

There are several ways to implement a tourist product. For example, using travel agencies. In this case, all responsibility for the quality of the service provided lies with the tour operator.

A travel agency is an organization that promotes and sells a tour operator's tourism product. In accordance with the law of the Russian Federation "On the basics of tourist activities." A travel agency can be opened as a legal entity or individual entrepreneur... It is an intermediary between tourists and the tour operator who receives their commission. The travel agent buys the formed and ready-to-sell travel product from the operator. And offers it end consumer... Receiving a monetary reward for this sale.

Quite often, a travel organization combines the functions of a travel agent and a tour operator. For example, a tourism organization organizes and offers a tour of Italy, acting as a tour operator. And at the same time, this travel agency acts as a travel agent, implementing a tour to France, formed by another tour operator.

It is important to know that tourism is:

inbound - travel on the territory Russian Federation people not permanently residing in Russia;
outbound - travel of citizens of the Russian Federation abroad;
domestic - travel within the Russian Federation of Russian citizens.

Back to the table of contents

For the opening and operation of a travel agency, special permits not required by law. Therefore, this type of tourism business, as practice shows, is more widespread. Let's take a look at the main stages of creating a travel agency (travel agent).

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Business plan

At the first stages of starting any business, it is necessary to draw up a business plan. First, you need to decide for what purpose it is being compiled and for whom. For example, to obtain a loan, for a private investor, for oneself. It is necessary to calculate the amount of capital investment for a year, half a year, or a month. A business plan can be drawn up independently or ordered from a consulting company.

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Choosing the name of the travel agency

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

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Site creation

Nowadays, in order to organize your business, you need the support of the Internet. Take care of creating your own company website. This service can be ordered from professionals, but it is possible to make a simple website on your own. To do this, you need to select a hosting (place of "physical" storage of your site) and a domain name. This is the address of your page, which should overlap with the name of your company. So, potential clients it will be easier to remember and find you.

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

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Selection of tourist destinations

As experts advise, a narrowly focused business sells its goods and services better. Buyers are more likely to contact specialized shops... The same rule applies in the tourism business. It is better to offer your clients specific tours. For example: "Our agency selects medical tours around Russia using a unique method for children and adults." Instead of the offer "We will pick up any tour". The first option is more informative and understandable.

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How to choose partners of tour operators

When signing a cooperation agreement with a tour operator, pay attention to the availability, duration and amount of financial security. To number in Federal Register tour operators. For the duration of work in the tourism business. Pay attention to the number of employees in the staff of this company, to the availability of diplomas and awards. Find out where the tour operator's office is, its size and presentability, the availability of guide information, etc. There are no exact criteria for selecting the best and most reliable partners. Try to learn as much as possible about them.

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Where does the tourism business start?

So, where should you start when starting a travel business:

selection of an office. In order to organize a tourism business, it is necessary to find a suitable premises. It is worth choosing an office space in places with maximum traffic. In the promoted mall, in the business center, on the central streets of the city, next to the metro;
preparation of a business plan;
recruitment. According to experts, decency and diligence are the most important criteria in the selection of personnel. Quite often, start-up entrepreneurs hire their friends and relatives. This may not be such a bad choice in the travel business;
Advertising: Print business cards, advertise on the internet, post or distribute flyers. Students can be hired for this job;
paperwork. Find out what documents you need to issue to open your own travel business in the appropriate authorities. The main thing is to arrange everything legally.

How to open a travel agency: market analysis + 5 steps for starting a business + detailed financial plan+ calculation of business profitability.

Capital investments: from 425,000 rubles.

Payback period: from 8 months.

Do you have a good knowledge of geography and have excellent organizational skills? Or maybe you just want to give people joy and organize them an unforgettable vacation that they want to repeat? Or are you a quick learner and want to experience the joy of financial independence and start your own business?

Then the information about how to open a travel agency, will be relevant to you. Today we will find out the intricacies of doing this business, as well as how much money will be needed to start it.

Tour operator and travel agency: find out the difference

Before moving on to the answer to the question of how to open a travel agency, let's start with the fact that many of them are with a tour operator. And knowing the difference between these two categories is useful not only for those who are going on vacation, but also for those who wish in this industry.

Firstly, it is the operator who "creates" the tour from start to finish: forms, promotes and sells. Its specialists book a hotel, pay for a flight ticket, select excursions, and provide transport for tourists.

As for the implementation of the tour, he can do it on his own or through agencies. The second is to sell the ticket. The travel agency selects the necessary option for the client, informs him about all its nuances

Therefore, the number one difference: the tour operator forms the tour, and the travel agency only implements it.

Secondly, to start a tour operator, you need to register only as a legal entity with certain financial support. While a travel agent can be both an individual entrepreneur and a legal entity.

Difference number two: you can open a travel agency in any organizational and legal form, and it does not need to have financial support, since, unlike a tour operator, it does not pay insurance.

Thirdly, the tour operator is responsible for setting the price. That is, the agency sells the tour at a certain price. And his reward will be a commission, which is set by the company that provides the trip.

Difference number three: the travel agent does not affect the cost of the tour, he works for a fee from the tour operator. In addition, sometimes in order to achieve large sales volumes, specialists can reduce the price, unfortunately to the detriment of their commissions.

Fourthly, by default, the operator is responsible for the "failed" tour, and the claims from the clients will be brought against him.

The travel agency is responsible only under the contract, and most often its responsibility is related to the fact that it must fully inform the client, pay for his ticket and tell him about all his rights and obligations.

Therefore, difference number four: the tour operator is responsible for the quality of the tour, unless otherwise provided by the contract.

Typical travel agency work scheme

Having decided to open a travel agency, you need to understand the scheme of its work:

The current travel agent is looking for proven operators, with whom he signs a contract for further cooperation.
The travel agent studies the offers offered by the tour operator to the smallest details and starts looking for clients.
If there is one, then travel agent concludes an agreement with him and submits an application for booking services with the operator.
The tour operator accepts the application and, which must subsequently be paid.
After that received by the travel agent cash minus the established commission (as a rule, it is 10-15%) are transferred to the account of the tour operator.
The tour operator transfers everything Required documents to an agent who subsequently issues all the information to the tourist.
After completing the transaction, the agency sends the report to the operator, who prepares an invoice for him.

Note: if the client refuses to travel after payment, then you will be forced to pay the operator a fine. Such a "pitfall" must be taken into account if you want to open a travel agency according to this scheme.

The situation on the Russian tourist market

Opening a travel agency and not analyzing this industry is extremely reckless. Any business should start by studying the market situation, finding out its strengths and weaknesses.

The tourist market in Russia does not stop constantly developing. Even in small towns you can find travel agencies that offer their services. Often they are approached by those who wish to travel abroad for impressions.

But at present, under the influence of many factors (exchange rate, unstable situation in a number of foreign countries, etc.), domestic tourism began to be in demand. And this is not surprising, because our country is famous for many beautiful places that also attract foreign tourists.

Therefore, deciding to open a travel agency, look for operators who are engaged in such tours.

It is also worth noting that in 2017 the situation in the tourism market has improved significantly compared to the two previous years. And by the way, Russian tourists began to prefer more exotic countries than Europe. Therefore, opening a travel agency is now quite profitable due to the development of this area.

Special attention is paid to online sales. Nowadays, people are buying more and more on the Internet, so creating your own website with the possibility of online booking and payment is mandatory.

Concerning strengths business, then everything will depend only on the quality and organization of your work.

Therefore, deciding to open a travel agency, you need to bet on:

providing a wide range of services;
competent employees who are focused only on the number of tours sold, but also on high-quality customer service;
cooperation with trusted and well-known tour operators.

Opening a travel agency is associated with risks that must be taken into account:

Seasonality - it so happened that for the most part people like to travel abroad in the summer and for the new year.
High competition- the tourism business is a fairly filled niche, new players are constantly appearing on the market who can provide customers with something new and better.
Lack of stability- changes in the exchange rate, the political and economic situation in the country, inflation affect the work of travel agencies, since as a result of these factors, the purchasing power of customers may decrease.

Inability to accurately predict the results of work- even with a detailed study and analysis of tour sales, it is impossible to accurately calculate the estimated profit.

For this reason, you need to focus on advertising in order to attract as many customers as possible.

Step by step instructions on how to open a travel agency

When answering the question of how to open a travel agency, you need to understand that the main costs will go to the arrangement of the office, the creation of a website and, of course, promotion.

The very process of opening a "tourist" business will consist of the following stages:

Stage	1 month	2 month	3 month	4 month
Choosing the name of the travel agency	+
Business registration	+
Search for premises and its arrangement	+	+
Operator search		+
Site creation			+
Recruitment			+
Advertising				+
Business start				+

With well-coordinated and properly organized work, it will be possible to open a travel agency in 3-4 months.

Step 1. Choosing a name for a travel agency and registering a business

So, you have analyzed the market, assessed your capabilities and are sure that this business is for you. Now you need to start taking specific actions. And the first step is for your travel agency. It should be simple, but memorable, and also evoke associations with relaxation.

You can come up with a sonorous name yourself, or you can use the services of specialists.

After that, you can proceed to registration. You can open a travel agency as an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity. It all depends on your ambitions, so if your plans include expanding your business and creating a whole network, or you want to start a business with a partner, then choose an LLC.

When applying for registration, do not forget to indicate the OKVED code. But remember that the classification is constantly changing. As of 2017, for the tourism business it looks like this:

As for the taxation system, according to the law "On the basics of tourist activity in the Russian Federation" it is allowed to use the simplified tax system: "Income" 6% or "Income-Expenses" 6-15%.

Step 2. Search and arrangement of premises for a travel agency

A well-chosen location is the key point in how to open a travel agency. If you are planning to start your business in a non big city, then do it only in the center.

In a large city, the choice of premises is more extensive:

crowded places;
sleeping areas in which competitors are not yet "operating".

The room itself should not be large, 25-35 sq.m. is enough. But at the same time, it must be carefully equipped with furniture, office equipment, decorative items.

The approximate expenses for the repair and arrangement of the premises will look like this:

Name	Quantity, pcs.	price, rub.	Total cost, rub.
Total:	-	-	RUB 147,000
Worker table	2	4 000	8 000
Chairs	4	1 000	1 000
Customer sofa	1	10 000	10 000
Rack	1	10 000	10 000
Laptops	2	30 000	60 000
IFIs	1	15 000	15 000
Electric kettle	1	1 000	1 000
Modem	1	2 000	2 000
Phone line	2	15 000	30 000
Internet	1	3 000	3 000
Decor items	1	2 000	2 000
other expenses	-	-	5 000

Step 3. Search for tour operators for cooperation

The next step in how to open a travel agency will be the search for operators. This step must be approached with all responsibility, since if any inconsistencies arise, then the client will remain dissatisfied with your work.

So, when choosing operators, pay attention to the following factors:

time spent on the market;
recognition;
the size of the commission;
terms of cooperation.

The most popular travel operators in Russia:

Step 4. Recruitment of personnel for opening a travel agency

The success of the business depends on the quality of the work of the staff. And for starters, you can only hire two sales managers who will receive a salary and a percentage of the number of completed transactions.

The responsibilities of these specialists should include:

selection and consulting of clients;
monitoring of attractive tours and prices for them;
conclusion of transactions with tourists;
booking of vouchers and their registration with a tour operator;
tracking novelties in the field of tourism.

If you decide to open a travel agency, then initially take the reins into your own hands. At the beginning of work, this will be correct and expedient, since you will be able to fully control the process and instantly identify errors in the work.

Positions such as accountant, system administrator, cleaning lady may not be on the permanent staff. For this you can.

Step 5. Promotion and advertising for opening a travel agency

You can't just open a travel agency and wait for clients ...

No one will know about your services if you do not declare yourself. And you need to engage in active promotion on an ongoing basis, especially if you want to lure tourists not only in the summer and New Year's season.

You can use advertising tools such as:

sign at the entrance;
distribution of leaflets on the street;
advertising in local publications;
radio advertising;
advertising in social networks of the city and on the Internet.

How much does it cost to open a travel agency?

And now we have come to the culmination of the answer to the question of how to open a travel agency - the financial component.

So, capital investments will consist of the following items of expenditure:

Expenditure item	Amount, rub.
Total:	RUB 425,000
Business registration	25 000
Payment for the first month of renting the premises	20 000
Indoor renovation	50 000
Room equipment	147 000
Website development	30 000
Payroll for the first month of work	40 000
Outsourcing	40 000
Advertising costs	60 000
other expenses	13 000

But opening a travel agency is not all. You need to constantly invest in it.

Therefore, approximate monthly expenses on opening a travel agency will look like this:

Calculation of the profitability of the business and the payback period of investments in a travel agency

Having in your arms approximate costs to open a travel agency and support it, you can predict the level of business profitability.

Successful agencies with two managers can conclude up to 300 deals per month. But more often than not, such indicators are characteristic of an already established business in the market.

We will imagine that the average cost of one sold tour is 28,000 rubles (we take the current dollar rate into account). The commission from the transaction is 10%. And in order for income to exceed expenses, you need to conclude at least 70 transactions per month (2-3 transactions per day):

70 * 28,000 * 10% = 196,000 rubles. (at an expense of 175,000 rubles)

And with this course of business, the profit will be penny:

196,000 - 175,000 = 21,000 rubles.

Profit after tax:

21,000 - 3,150 = 17,850 rubles.

But let's suppose that such indicators will be only in the first 3-4 months, while you declare yourself. And soon you will bring them to 120-140 transactions per month.

Then your projected income for the same expenses will be:

130 * 28,000 * 10% = 364,000 rubles.

With such work, the profit will be: RUB 160 650

Based on such financial calculations, it can be assumed that investments in starting a business will pay off in 8-10 months.

The main focus is how to open a travel agency, you need to do on advertising and, of course, cooperation only with trusted operators. Also, do not discount the motivation of specialists. Come up with rewards for a job well done. The simplest thing is to pay a percentage of tour sales.

How to start a travel agency from scratch?

From idea to first profit - in one video:

The tourism business itself is constantly evolving, so be sure to keep an eye on the novelties in this area and fully devote yourself to the business, and then success will not be long in coming.

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