To open a travel agency. Development of a business plan for a travel company

“Seeing 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 making your own business out of it? Is it difficult to open a travel agency, where to start? Let's try to figure it out.

The good thing about the tourism business is that you can open a travel agency with minimal investment and without work experience. The activity is not licensed, so you do not need to obtain any permits. At the same time, competition in the travel business is high, and the demand for travel agency services in a crisis naturally falls. The population prefers to save rather than spend. How to open a travel agency from scratch in such difficult times and make it profitable?

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

Tourism business: who is who

If the decision to open a travel agency has been made, it is first worth studying industry legislation. The legal side of the tourism business is regulated by Law No. 132-FZ of November 24, 1996 “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation.”

According to the document, tourism can be international (inbound and outbound) and domestic, and tourist services provided by tour operators and travel 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 in accordance with the law are included in the Unified Federal Register, and those working to organize outbound travel must also be members of the relevant associations.

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

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

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

We open a travel agency from scratch: we take into account experience and financial capabilities

A travel agency can exist in different forms. It all depends on starting capital and the swing of a novice entrepreneur. Be realistic about your capabilities, but be optimistic.

You can go one of four ways:

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

How to open a travel agency: step-by-step instructions

So, what does it take to open a travel agency?

Registration. A travel agency can operate both as a legal entity and as an individual entrepreneur. It is easier for an individual entrepreneur to register, use the earnings for personal purposes and cease activities. This option is ideal for home-based travel agencies. In other cases, it is preferable to open an LLC - the level of trust in companies in Russia is traditionally higher than in individual entrepreneurs.
When choosing a tax system, you should focus on the simplified tax system with the object “income” (6% rate).
Office organization. For a travel agency, a premises (own or rented) with an area of 15-20 m2 is sufficient. The office should be bright and comfortable, have a telephone line and the Internet. You will need to make repairs, decorate the premises thematically, buy furniture, office equipment, and stationery. There must be space on the façade of the building to accommodate external advertising.
The location of the travel agency is important. The preferred accommodation option is 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 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 whose databases consolidate information on most tour operators. Such systems provide travel agencies with the most complete picture of current offers. The use is paid, but significantly saves time.
The most famous are the following search engines: TOURINDEX (www.tourindex.ru), “Ride” (www.exat.ru) and “TURY.ru” (www.tury.ru).
Choosing a direction of work. This key moment for the start, on which the further strategy when starting a business depends.
You may prefer the following tourist destinations:

personally known and verified;

matching 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: recruitment of personnel, selection of tour operators for cooperation, search for effective channels for advertising.
Website creation. Before creating/ordering a website, you should decide what function it will perform: representational (a regular business card website), informational with the ability to search for tours or an online store. The optimal solution in terms of the ratio between price and efficiency, the second option is.
Selection of employees. This is one of the main problems when starting a tourism business. Finding a professional with his own client base who knows how to work with people is difficult. Such specialists are rare and expensive, but investing in them pays off, so you shouldn’t skimp on remuneration. Salaries for tour sales managers are calculated traditionally: salary and percentage of sales.
Employees need to be developed: thematic trainings, seminars, regular study tours to selected countries increase the effectiveness of managers.

You can save money on an accountant, especially in the first year of work. For small sales volumes, the businessman himself can handle accounting and reporting using specialized free online services.
Selecting tour operator partners. You can enter into 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 regarding arrival dates, hotel level, etc.
When searching for potential partners, you can use federal register, where all legally operating tour operators are listed, as well as professional ratings, reviews in specialized Internet resources, tourist directories and other sources.

Main selection criteria:

the tour operator operates in key tourist destinations;

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

conditions offered to the travel agent (amount of agency remuneration, frequency of its increase, price offers for tours, etc.).
Advertising. Need to use everything available channels with high efficiency.
They work well: business cards in the checkout area of supermarkets, competent promotion of your own website, useful and beautiful handouts (calendars, metro maps, brochures and books), information on forums and social networks, announcements on information stands in elevators and entrances, preparation of joint broadcasts/publications with local media (print, radio, TV channels).

How to open a profitable travel agency from scratch?

Whatever they say about the year-round demand for tours, about the replacement of beach resorts by 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 also affects the tourism industry. Find out why you should start your own business during a crisis.

Is it profitable to open a travel agency? What techniques should you use to not only break even, but also make a profit?

Analyze the market, study demand, adapt when external conditions change. Start with interesting outbound destinations, including CIS countries where growth has been recorded: Vietnam, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Moldova. Organize non-standard tours.

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

According to Federal agency In terms of tourism, domestic tourism increased by 30% over the past year, 2014.

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

And, of course, the ratio of price and quality decides a lot. Offer discounts, develop bonus loyalty programs. Attract clients with quality service, cooperate only with reliable tour operators - create an image that will work for you in the future.

Watch the video interview with general director company "1001 tour":

How to make a travel agency profitable

The tourism business is a very popular service sector in our country. There are many options for running it - from a home agency to franchise work.

In this article, we will analyze all the possible options, highlight their advantages and disadvantages, answer the question of what is needed to open a travel agency, and give some useful tips.

Pros and cons of business

When deciding to open a travel agency, you need to think carefully and calculate all the pros and cons of such a step.

The advantages and prospects of the idea include:

a rapidly developing tourism business, which makes it possible to provide tourism services in many directions (in Russia, abroad, etc.), and as a result, the opportunity to receive corresponding profits;
a wide selection of tour operators and the possibility of concluding contracts with one or several of them;
a rapidly increasing flow of people who would like to use the services of agencies to organize their vacation;
relatively simple preparation of registration documents and opening of a license.

The disadvantages and difficulties that may arise when opening such a business include:

rapidly increasing competition in this area (every city now has at least several travel agencies that provide services similar to yours);
complex predictability of client flow (depending on the success advertising company and the relevance of travel packages, the agency can short term how to acquire a stable customer base, or not be able to withstand the offers of competitors and be left without customers);
seasonality of profitability. It is generally accepted that the business is all-season due to the possibility of selling winter tours (for example, Courchevel and other ski resorts). However, actual data show that in summer the demand for travel agency services is several times greater than the winter interest of clients.

We draw up a business plan

As with starting any other business, you will need to create a business plan. Outlining prospects further development and risks When opening a travel agency, it is necessary to take into account a number of fundamental factors that influence the success and profitability of the enterprise.

It is necessary to think through and calculate everything in as much detail as possible. possible risks, expenses, payback period of initial investments, additional costs in the promotion process, as well as estimated profits, based on the interest of the target audience.

The business plan must include expenses for:

paperwork (registration, license to provide services, certificates, franchising);
rent of office space;
marketing campaigns, advertising;
payments wages, including contributions to the tax service, Pension Fund, social insurance;
ensuring the functioning of the office (including furniture, office equipment, office supplies).

Also, it is necessary to roughly calculate the possible profit (calculated based on general market monitoring in this area, seasonality, competition, marketing effectiveness of your company) and the risks associated with the unprofitability of the travel agency. Consider ways to eliminate these risks.

Location

One of the main stages of opening a travel agency is choosing an office to rent. It is advisable to rent office space in the city center, in a location close to business centers. This will provide you with the opportunity to attract VIP clients and also attract more attention to yourself.

Also, it is necessary to take into account that for greater efficiency it is desirable that there are no companies in the building (on the same street) engaged in providing similar services (elimination of competition).

The rented office must have access to the Internet. It is better to give preference to buildings that have a separate exit to the street and a parking area for cars.

How to attract clients?

Considering the high level of competition between travel agencies, securing a client base is one of the main priorities of a young organization.

If you have chosen a simple, but quite colorful and memorable name for your company, this can serve as an additional advantage when promoting.

Also, do not forget about the most effective method - “word of mouth”. Before opening a travel agency, tell all your friends and acquaintances about your plans, make notes on your pages on social networks, in general, try to let as many people as possible know about your idea.

Schedule for its first customers the maximum possible discounts and interesting promotions(quite often these discounts are made even at a loss to the company and are written off to advertising expenses), try to ensure that the services provided are at the highest level. In most cases, after successful trips, satisfied clients tell those around them about it, which motivates them to contact you.

Mandatory additional attributes should be business cards and prospectuses, which will indicate promotional offers that are superior in terms of the offers of competitors.

Moving on to consider the main marketing moves when promoting a travel agency, it is necessary to focus on advertising on the Internet. These can be pop-up banners on the pages of visited sites or postal services(an agreement is concluded with the management of the sites to allocate an area on the page: the cost, the percentage occupancy of the strip on their Internet page, the frequency of appearances, the period of validity of the agreement are agreed upon), and contextual advertising(when when you enter keywords in the search service line, it is your site that appears in key positions). These nuances must be discussed with the programmer who will develop your site.

Enough effective method attracting customers is video marketing. You can film the most interesting and frequently visited places in the proposed tours and post them on the Internet (for example, on Youtube). It is not necessary to use expensive filming equipment. These may be videos filmed on amateur cameras, but the plot of the commercials should convey emotion. At the end of the video there is a navigation block, by clicking on which your potential customers will be able to familiarize themselves with the conditions and cost of purchasing tours from your agency.

The following video contains tips on opening an agency and attracting clients:

Nuances of opening an agency

If you would like to eliminate additional costs and are targeting relatively minimum investment, then it makes sense to think about the following options for opening a travel agency.

At home

To open a home-based travel agency, you will first need to register your activity (company registration). After completing all the basic documents, it is most advisable to enter into an agreement with a large tour operator.

When concluding an agreement, try to avoid taking on obligations to ensure a fixed number of sold tours; focus on a simplified scheme: you provide clients to the main agency - the agency pays you a commission according to the work actually performed. This option does not include the cost of renting office space, which significantly reduces the cost of the project.

Online

The specifics of opening and developing an online tourism business can involve both working in an office and being at home, running a business from a home PC.

When registering your entrepreneurial activity you will need to indicate the legal address of the enterprise and additionally record the name of the official website through which the vouchers (services) will be sold. If the site provides for payment by bank transfer, as a rule, it is also necessary to register the company account to which transfers will be made.

By franchise

You can turn to an already well-known tour operator for help in establishing a company and enter into a franchise cooperation agreement with him. As a rule, the cost of a franchise directly depends on the promotion of the franchising company and the conditions under which more big company will provide you with a franchise.

In this case, you will receive additional information support and financial insurance from the parent organization and eliminate additional advertising costs.

How much does it cost to open a travel agency?

Depending on the conditions under which you plan to open a travel agency, you will need to calculate the amount of future costs.

As a rule, the most expensive thing is renting an office and purchasing everything necessary for it (furniture, office equipment, etc.). Rent cost may vary on average from 30,000 to 60,000 rubles(it all depends on the proximity of the office to the city center, its general condition: repairs, availability of communications and conditions on which the lease agreement is concluded).

Completing the basic necessary documentation for registration (registration of LLC and license) may cost you from 8,000 to 12,000 rubles.

If a travel agency is opened under the auspices of a franchisor company, it is necessary to take into account the costs of concluding a franchise agreement.

In most cases, the contract is paid for once. However, over time, additional clauses and conditions may be included, which may change the value of the price originally agreed upon.

Also, the priority expenditure part includes wages to employees and corresponding monthly contributions to government funds for each of them. Usually, at the start, an accountant is not included in the staff, and the number of employees varies from 3 to 5-6 people (including the director). The average salary in the travel services industry fluctuates from 12,000 rubles and above, depending on the type of mutual settlements: constant rate, rate + interest, interest only. It is necessary to take into account that, according to the Labor Code, payment must be timely, so it is advisable that the amount for its payment be deferred several months in advance.

We must not forget about the costs of marketing and promotions. This item must include printing costs advertising products(business cards, leaflets, printed price lists, etc.), payment for creating an Internet site and its promotion (updating information, hosting). As a rule, all these investments amount to not less than 30,000 rub.. If you are planning a wide-format discount system as an opportunity to promote a travel agency and attract more clients, this amount can be increased significantly.

If you wish, you can use television, but it is better to focus on city TV channels. The cost of advertising airtime varies by region, but on average you can count on the cost 15,000-30,000 rub. when broadcasting a video several times a day. The cost of the video itself will cost you from 12,000-20,000 rub.(without sophisticated special effects, but with the involvement of a professional cameraman and editing, cutting of shots).

Also, there may be additional costs for logistics, any unforeseen expenses, payment of penalties and much more.

In general, if you have calculated all the possible costs and risks and, after monitoring the market in the field of providing travel agency services, have come to the conclusion that your company will be worthy competition to existing companies, feel free to get down to business!

*Calculations use average data for Russia

A fragment of the book by Yulia and Georgy Mokhov “Travel Agency: where to start, how to succeed” by the publishing house “Peter. Published with permission from the publisher

Do I have enough money to open a travel agency? Should I risk my last savings or not? How long will it take for investments in the tourism business to pay off? How much will I earn? Create your own travel agency or buy a ready-made one? Or join a franchise network? Is it difficult to make a business plan for a travel agency? What are the requirements for a travel agency office? How many employees will you have to hire? Where to look for footage? Which tour operators to work with? Which countries do you sell tours to? Limit yourself narrow specialization or sell everything? Should we open air and railway ticket offices immediately or later? How to attract clients? How much to spend on advertising? Do tourists have many complaints? And still…

SHOULD I OPEN A TRAVEL AGENCY OR NOT?!.

We will try to dispel all your fears and support your desire to open a travel agency. But we guarantee: everything that is written here is a real reflection of the state of affairs in tourism business, without exaggeration or omission.

Development of a business plan for a travel company.

We offer for your reference a diagram that reflects the main parameters and expense items that can be used when drawing up a business plan travel company(agencies).

1. Travel agency concept

Kind of activity:

travel agent;
tour operator;
mixed activity.

Additional services:

sale of air and railway tickets;
transfer services, ordering limousines;
visa processing;
insurance;
preparation of documents for registration of foreign passports;
services of an individual guide and accompanying person;
translation services;
sale of guidebooks;
sale of related travel products;
implementation gift certificates;
booking and ordering tables in restaurants, tickets for events;
rental of tourist equipment;
Car rent.

Priority tourist destinations:

by type of tourist destination;
according to the cost of tours;
by country;
by type of tourism.

2. Organizational plan

Travel agency office location:

center;
outskirts;
distance from the metro.

Office status:

rent;
own premises;
other.

Office type:

showcase office on the first line;
in the business center;
in administrative office building;
V mall;
on the first floor of a residential building.

Office size:

two jobs, three five jobs;
one-room, two-room, three-room, more than three rooms;
free layout (number of meters).

Office furniture (cost calculation):

tables with reception places, chairs for employees, chairs for visitors, bedside tables with keys, rack for catalogues, wardrobe, hangers, hanger rack,
a board for information and special offers, a sofa for visitors, a coffee table, a safe, blinds, a mirror, dishes (for employees, for receiving visitors), frames for photographs and permits, plants.

Office equipment (cost calculation):

computers, telephones, fax, printers (minimum 2 pieces), scanner, copier, TV, CD and DVD player for showing films about countries and resorts, air conditioning, water cooler, first aid kit, clock, stationery, wall map of the world or globe.

Office design project:

zoning of space;
design of the premises according to the concept of the travel company;
floor plan.

3. Competitive environment

Competitors in selected tourist destinations.
Competitors within radius:

Ready ideas for your business

building;
district;
cities;
countries (if necessary).

Advantageous competitive qualities of a future travel agency.

4. Production plan

Staff:

staffing table;
wage formation policy;
training.

Tour sales technology:

search and booking of tours;
scheme of interaction with partners;
processing payment for tours;
document flow;
delivery and issuance of documents.

Range of travel agency services:

by season;
by directions;
by country;
by price;
by target audience.

Travel agency pricing policy.

Features of the tours sold.

Development corporate identity:

contractor;
list of required items;

Website creation:

concept and functions of the site;
contractor;
cost and timing of work.

Office design for sales.

signboard;
pillar;
signs;
a sign with operating hours and company details.

Printing products(description, circulation, contractor, production time, cost):

booklet;
Business Cards;
letterheads.

Opening presentation.

budget size for 3 months, 6 months, 12 months;
advertising media.

Structure and rules for maintaining a client base.

6. Legal aspects of opening a travel company

Legal form of a legal entity.

Tax system.

Drawing up a lease agreement.

Required permits depending on the type of tourism activity.

Trademark registration.

Purchase and registration of cash register equipment (if necessary).

Ordering strict reporting forms “Tourist voucher”.

Maintaining accounting(independently, with the assistance of an accountant, consulting company).

Legal support activities

7. Financial plan

Sources of funds.

Amount and duration of investment.

Initial expenses plan.

Fixed expenses plan.

Income plan.

Payback plan.

8. Conclusion

Long-term development plan.

9.Applications

Approximate costs for creating a travel agency in Moscow,
one-time:

Registration of a legal entity and preparation of necessary permits for travel agency activities: 20,000–25,000

Furniture and office preparation for sales: 50,000–100,000

Office equipment and communications 100,000–150,000

Development of corporate identity 15,000–25,000

Website development and registration 20,000–45,000

Trademark registration 50,000-100,000

Employee training 5,000–30,000

Additional possible costs

Ready ideas for your business

Purchase of a ready-made tourism business, payment of legal services to support the transaction
Payment for premises selection services
Payment for recruitment services
Payment for connection services
Internet and additional telephone lines
Payment for services of a consulting company

The cost of tours even in the same hotel category is different, and the choice of tourists does not always fall on the 3* level of accommodation. Therefore, in order to make an income plan, it is necessary to analyze season prices for selected destinations with data from 3*, 4*, 5* hotels and compare them with the expected amount of income

Approximate plan of monthly expenses of a travel company in Moscow (rub.)

Office and infrastructure

Rent of premises 25 m2 - 50,000

Communication services 3000

Internet 5000

Water (cooler) 500

Stationery 2500

Other administrative expenses 6000 Staff salaries

Wage

Director 35,000 +%

Manager 19,000 +%

Manager 16,000 +%

Secretary-manager 12,000 +%

Courier 16,000

Accountant (outsourcing) 10,000

Cleaning lady 3000

Advertising budget

Legal subscription service RUB 7,000. months

Payment for the online booking and tour search system is 1200 rubles/month.

Refilling cartridges 400 rub./month.

Unforeseen expenses RUB 10,000.

Total 241,500 rub. + percentage of salary

Selecting the status of a travel company. Tour operator or travel agent?

After the abolition of licensing for tour operator and travel agency activities in 2007, a mandatory state procedure was established only for tour operator activities. Anyone can engage in travel agency activity entity or individual entrepreneur. The only thing that determines the status of a travel agent today is the existence of an agreement with the tour operator, according to which the travel agent, on behalf of and at the expense of the tour operator, sells the tourism product generated by the tour operator. At the same time, the travel agent is obliged to comply with a number of requirements established by law, which we will discuss below.

But first of all, it is necessary to find out why it is so important to understand the difference between travel agency activities and tour operator activities and to carry out the necessary activities on time. legal actions. The fact is that the law establishes mandatory requirement- all tour operators registered in the territory Russian Federation, are required to have financial security. Financial security is a guarantee of the tour operator in case of non-fulfillment or improper execution contracts for the sale of a tour product, insurance of its civil liability to consumer tourists.

From funds financial security injured tourists are compensated for the actual damage they suffered, for example, the cost of the tour if it did not take place, or the difference in cost if the vacation time was reduced. Financial support is provided Insurance Company or banker. The law establishes the minimum amount for which an insurance contract or a bank guarantee contract must be concluded; today it is 10,000,000 rubles. For international tourism(entry and exit) and 500,000 rubles. for domestic tourism.

The cost of servicing financial security averages 1–1.5% per year of the amount of security.

Ready ideas for your business

For example, from the minimum amount of financial support for international tourism of 10,000,000 rubles. the cost of insurance compensation will be 100,000–150,000 rubles. This is the amount that will need to be paid annually to the insurance company for the tour operator’s civil liability insurance contract.

The contractual scheme of a travel agent’s work when selling tours looks something like this:

the tour operator enters into an agency (commission) agreement with the travel agent, according to which the agent is instructed to implement (sell) tours generated by the tour operator for a fee;
a travel agent attracts a client (tourist) and enters into an agreement with him on the sale of a tourism product, receives the documents necessary to register the tour;
the travel agent sends a request to the tour operator to book specific travel services for the client (tourist), indicating the dates, number and details of tourists, hotel, level of transportation, excursions and other components of the tour;
the tour operator confirms the travel agent’s request and issues an invoice for payment;
the travel agent provides the tour operator with the documents (or information) necessary to process the tour (for example, for a visa);
The travel agent accepts the final payment from the tourist (if paying in cash, he issues cash receipt or strict reporting form);
the travel agent makes payment to the tour operator minus the remuneration due to him (non-cash Bank transaction or in cash at the tour operator's cash desk);
the tour operator issues the travel agent with tour documents necessary for the tourist to travel;
the travel agent issues the tourist documents for the tour and all the necessary information to the tourist;
the travel agent reports to the tour operator - sends the agent’s report (act) indicating the amount of the tour sale and the amount of remuneration;
the tour operator signs the agent's report and issues an invoice for the services provided under the agency agreement.

But it should be borne in mind that the presented scheme reflects only the ideal version of document flow.

In practice, a travel agent may face various surprises; firstly, the tour operator may refuse to enter into an agency agreement with you and will offer a purchase and sale agreement, as a result your legal status, it will be necessary to adapt accounting and document flow;

secondly, when making a payment under a tour operator agreement, you suddenly discover that the invoice has been issued for payment to
another company or, making payment through the tour operator’s cash desk, you will be given a receipt cash order to physical
a person with a “paid” stamp without the organization’s seal.

Travel company staff

The optimal staff for a small travel company looks something like this:

¦ leader;
¦ manager1;
¦ manager2;
¦ secretary with an expanded range of responsibilities;
¦ courier;
¦ accountant and cashier;
¦ cleaning lady.

Director.

The head of the travel company is a key figure and decides a large number of issues, both economic and strategic, but in addition to this, it is advisable to have at least two sales managers.

The manager can also be the chief accountant, cashier, sign documents and register the receipt of funds.
If the head of a travel agency is a hired employee, he must have at least two years of work experience; this is the minimum time during which a specialist can go through all the “seasons” of a travel agency’s work - high, low, “dead” - and learn how to manage a company. If the head - founder of a travel agency has no experience in tourism, this is not a tragedy. It is necessary to invite managers with work experience and together with them develop a strategy, assortment, advertising policy companies.

Travel company manager.

His responsibilities include: negotiating with clients and partners by phone and in the office, arranging tours with tourists, booking tours and processing documents with tour operators, monitoring the fulfillment of orders, price changes, requirements for documents provided, terms of cooperation, special offers.

A universal manager must maintain and improve his skills (master classes, seminars, promotional tours), work at exhibitions and workshops. Requirements for managers: higher education, experience in tourism, lack bad habits, presentable appearance, competent Russian speech, sociability, initiative, ability to decide conflict situations, responsibility.

A manager without work experience should at least strive to work in tourism and have a specialized secondary or higher (incomplete higher) education, since this significantly affects the general level of culture. On
teaching someone who strives for knowledge is a rewarding task, but find out long-term plans this candidate to
the invested effort and money were not wasted - perhaps he will use the knowledge gained in another travel agency.

Travel agency secretary

receives incoming calls, distributes them according to the specialization of managers, answers questions general(“How can I get to you?”, “What time do you work until?”), ensures timely ordering of necessary office supplies, household goods, monitors the courier’s work schedule, carries out instructions from the manager, receives visitors and guests of the office. You must understand that sometimes it is very difficult to do without the help of a secretary, especially in the high season - in the summer, when the phone is ringing at the same time and the client is sitting in the chair.

Secretaries are also tasked with filling out questionnaires, recording and registering incoming and outgoing mail, and responding to corporate emails, ICQ, and Skype.

As a rule, a secretary is hired after several months of starting a travel company, when the phone is constantly ringing and clients demanding attention come to the office.

Courier

A very important and responsible position. With the strength (legs) of this person, money, passports, documents must get to the tour operator. Therefore, when choosing a candidate for this position, follow a simple rule: the person must be checked by everyone possible ways- call on previous place work, confirm the correspondence of the place of registration and place of residence, call home phone and communicate with relatives and ask for recommendations. These measures are not unnecessary. The problems that may arise due to the actions of the courier are, without exaggeration, catastrophic - loss of foreign passports and documents, theft of funds that the courier transports daily. Most the best option- this is a relative or acquaintance, but, unfortunately, such candidates are not always found.

Accountant-cashier,

certainly a necessary specialist, but the cost of his services is too high for a small travel agency (in Moscow from 30,000 rubles). Therefore, most travel agencies use the services legal companies or a visiting accountant. Such a personnel solution allows you to reduce accounting costs by at least three times.

Remuneration and bonus schemes in the tourism business

In the tourism business there is a general trend towards increasing wages. This is due to the existing personnel “hunger”. Specialists with experience move to another company, where they offer a slightly higher salary for the same full-time position, and this can happen every six months.

Options for calculating salaries for a tourism manager

The tour is considered sold when 100% payment is made.

1. Interest-free system: salary 22,000–30,000 rub.

2. Salary + interest:
Salary 10,000–15,000 rub. + 10% of tours sold by the manager.
Salary 15,000 + 10% after the implementation of tours for more than 150,000 rubles.
Salary 15,000 + 10% of revenue from sold tours, divided among all managers.
Salary 18,000–20,000 rub. + 5% of tours sold by the manager.
Salary 18,000–20,000 rub. + 10% of all tours sold, divided between all managers.

3. Planned system: fixed salary is paid when the plan is fulfilled; for example, from 50,000 rub. (this refers to the company's income, not the total cost of the tours). If the plan is exceeded by more than 50,000 rubles. + 10%, more than 100,000 rub. + 15%, more than 250,000 + 20%.

During the low season (January, February, May, June) the plan is 50%. In this case, the previous fixed salary is paid.

If the plan is not met, with the exception of the low season, there is a system of fines:

¦ the first month - no penalties, an analysis of the reasons associated with the decrease in sales is required;
¦ second month and beyond: 40,000–49,000 rubles. – 10% is withheld from the fixed payment (30,000–39,000 rubles – 20%; 20,000–29,000 rubles – 30%).

In the first months after the opening of a travel agency office, a planned payroll system, as a rule, is not used.

Options for calculating wages for a travel company courier

1. Salary 12,000–15,000 rubles, payment for a travel ticket, mobile phone, working hours: Monday-Friday.

2. Salary 15,000–20,000 rubles, payment for a travel ticket, mobile phone, working hours: Monday - Saturday.

During the high season and increased sales volumes, it is customary to give couriers a bonus of 20–30% of their salary. The courier is an important employee of the travel agency, so it is better to pay extra on time, issue bonuses and work calmly.

On the market you can find offers from courier companies that deliver documents anywhere
cities, they enter into an official agreement, bear full responsibility financial responsibility behind cash and documents in the parcel.

Options for calculating the salary of a director of a travel company

1. Salary from 40,000 rubles.
2. Salary 18,000–20,000 rub. + 1–5% of monthly income
agency after deducting expenses.
3. 12,000–15,000 rub. + 5–10% of monthly income after deducting expenses.

This was just a small fragment of the book by Yulia and Georgy Mokhov, “Travel Agency: Where to Start, How to Succeed,” published by Peter Publishing House.

In the guide itself you will find detailed advice on choosing a tour operator, organizing document flow, taxation, recommendations for promotion, working with the client base and many valuable links to specialized Internet resources for tourism industry practitioners.

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The travel agency acts as an intermediary between the tourist and the tour operator and receives a monetary reward for this. IN tourism sector very high competition. Let's look at what a travel agency does, whether it is a profitable business, and whether it is worth opening another travel agency in this market.

What does a travel agency do?

Agency for the sale of tourist vouchers is one of the areas of business activity dealing with sale of tours to the population.

The tour may include a certain number of services selected for individuals individually or take the form of an already fully formed (package) tour.

A tour that includes a standard set of services: a booked hotel room, round trip flights and insurance is called package tour.

A tour that includes all the same services, but selected individually depending on the customer’s preferences, is called individual.

If you have never worked in the tourism business before, it makes sense to start by selling certain types of tours: either packages or individual ones. Everyone chooses for themselves which type of tour they prefer to implement.

If you have no experience at all in the tourism business, then you can first work for some time in an existing travel company to understand everything from the inside. Or you can open a franchise travel agency.

Travel companies that have chosen the market segment consisting of VIP persons sell only individual tours. The percentage of orders here is, of course, lower, but the cost of tours is many times higher. As a result, income from sales of individual tours is much more significant than from package tours.

In turn, the implementation package tours much simpler - in in this case everything has already been selected. Often, potential tourists know what they want and apply only to arrange everything, book and pay. Package tours help reduce the time it takes to select a particular service and eliminate the possibility that the customer will be disappointed.

The agency's profit lies in the difference in prices for tours between the tour purchased from the tour operator and the tour sold to an individual. The tour operator is responsible for organizing the tour.: draws up contracts with the embassies of host countries, concludes contracts and monitors the mandatory implementation of them with insurance and transport companies, hotels, etc.

Requirements for paperwork when applying for a visa are strictly regulated by each tour operator in its own way. Responsibility for receiving travel documents, such as voucher, transfer, insurance and incorrect paperwork for obtaining a visa are the responsibility of travel companies.

In order for the tour operator to be able to provide tourists with a full package of ordered services, travel agencies are required to formalize all Required documents and transfer payment for them within the prescribed period.

Tourist operators provide for fines if the customer decides to terminate the contract for the provision of services. The amount of fines is specified in the contract and may vary depending on the selected tour operator.

Is it profitable to open a travel agency?

Many entrepreneurs prosper after opening their own travel agency. But experts are convinced that before opening your own travel agency, you need to think very carefully, after weighing all the pros and cons.

If you agree to exchange a measured life for constant worries and stress (and you can’t do without it!), you can start planning your business. After all, with it you will receive good income and constant travel around different countries, - after all, the head of a travel agency is obliged to establish business connections.

Among other things, it is necessary to mention the high competition in this business area. Statistics show that 30% of travel agencies operate for less than a year.

If you decide to work in the tourism industry, you need to think through everything to the smallest detail and make every effort. So, what does it take to open a travel agency?

What you need to open your own travel agency

Stages of registering a tourism agency.

The most important principle in the tourism business is trust level travel agency chosen by the customer. Therefore, when registering a travel company, an LLC should be preferred to an individual entrepreneur, since such an organizational and legal form of management inspires more confidence in the customer.

At the same time, the main thing in trust and reputation is how you will work with clients, and the organizational and legal form of your travel agency can be any.

For travel companies a lightweight form is provided tax deductions. For example, for the simplified tax system, two calculation options can be used: at a rate of 15% for the difference between expenses and income, or at a rate of 6% of the total amount of income. The most favorable tax rate will be 15% if the company has a significant share of expenses.

Travel agency licensing.

Currently no license required. Although until 2007, licensing was mandatory for travel agencies. Now it has become a voluntary matter, that is, at the discretion of the owner.

If a manager wants to increase the level of trust potential clients, then a license should still be issued.

Selecting tourism operators for cooperation.

After registering an agency, the first thing you should pay attention to is choosing a tour operator.

And there is plenty to choose from - there is a large selection of tour operators on the market. In this case, you should not enter into cooperation with dubious operators. The alarm should be exaggerated low prices for services, this will not lead to anything good. A tourist's trip can be disrupted for various reasons, and a dubious operator, in pursuit of profit, is unlikely to warn about this.

Main focus when choosing a reliable operator you need to do the following:

company priorities,
the duration of its functioning in this area,
financial support.

It will be very convenient for you to choose an operator if its main office is located in your city. In this case, paperwork will be completed without intermediaries.

Staff

Selecting a location

Advertising, clients

For a client to come to you, you need so that the client knows about you. Any means can be used here mass media: newspapers, magazines, banners, as well as advertising on radio and television, advertising in transport. It all depends on the amount you are willing to invest in advertising.

So, if you decide to open your own travel agency, you need:

correctly draw up and execute documents;
select qualified workers;
choose a crowded place for an office;
competently advertise your services.

*Calculations use average data for Russia

A fragment of the book by Yulia and Georgy Mokhov “Travel Agency: where to start, how to succeed” by the publishing house “Peter. Published with permission from the publisher

Do I have enough money to open a travel agency? Should I risk my last savings or not? How long will it take for investments in the tourism business to pay off? How much will I earn? Create your own travel agency or buy a ready-made one? Or join a franchise network? Is it difficult to make a business plan for a travel agency? What are the requirements for a travel agency office? How many employees will you have to hire? Where to look for footage? Which tour operators to work with? Which countries do you sell tours to? Limit yourself to a narrow specialization or sell everything? Should we open air and railway ticket offices immediately or later? How to attract clients? How much to spend on advertising? Do tourists have many complaints? And still…

SHOULD I OPEN A TRAVEL AGENCY OR NOT?!.

Development of a business plan for a travel company.

We offer for your reference a diagram that reflects the main parameters and cost items that can be used when drawing up a business plan for a travel company (agency).

1. Travel agency concept

Kind of activity:

travel agent;
tour operator;
mixed activity.

Additional services:

sale of air and railway tickets;
transfer services, ordering limousines;
visa processing;
insurance;
preparation of documents for registration of foreign passports;
services of an individual guide and accompanying person;
translation services;
sale of guidebooks;
sale of related travel products;
sale of gift certificates;
booking and ordering tables in restaurants, tickets for events;
rental of tourist equipment;
Car rent.

Priority tourist destinations:

by type of tourist destination;
according to the cost of tours;
by country;
by type of tourism.

2. Organizational plan

Travel agency office location:

center;
outskirts;
distance from the metro.

Office status:

rent;
own premises;
other.

Office type:

showcase office on the first line;
in the business center;
in the administrative office building;
in the mall;
on the first floor of a residential building.

Office size:

two jobs, three five jobs;
one-room, two-room, three-room, more than three rooms;
free layout (number of meters).

Office furniture (cost calculation):

Office equipment (cost calculation):

Office design project:

zoning of space;
design of the premises according to the concept of the travel company;
floor plan.

3. Competitive environment

Competitors in selected tourist destinations.
Competitors within radius:

Ready ideas for your business

building;
district;
cities;
countries (if necessary).

Advantageous competitive qualities of a future travel agency.

4. Production plan

Staff:

staffing;
wage formation policy;
training.

Tour sales technology:

search and booking of tours;
scheme of interaction with partners;
processing payment for tours;
document flow;
delivery and issuance of documents.

Range of travel agency services:

by season;
by directions;
by country;
by price;
by target audience.

Travel agency pricing policy.

Features of the tours sold.

Corporate identity development:

contractor;
list of required items;

Website creation:

concept and functions of the site;
contractor;
cost and timing of work.

Office design for sales.

signboard;
pillar;
signs;
a sign with operating hours and company details.

Printing products(description, circulation, contractor, production time, cost):

booklet;
Business Cards;
letterheads.

Opening presentation.

budget size for 3 months, 6 months, 12 months;
advertising media.

Structure and rules for maintaining a client base.

6. Legal aspects of opening a travel company

Legal form of a legal entity.

Tax system.

Drawing up a lease agreement.

Required permits depending on the type of tourism activity.

Trademark registration.

Purchase and registration of cash register equipment (if necessary).

Ordering strict reporting forms “Tourist voucher”.

Maintaining accounting records (independently, with the assistance of an accountant, consulting company).

Legal support of activities

7. Financial plan

Sources of funds.

Amount and duration of investment.

Initial expenses plan.

Fixed expenses plan.

Income plan.

Payback plan.

8. Conclusion

Long-term development plan.

9.Applications

Approximate costs for creating a travel agency in Moscow,
one-time:

Registration of a legal entity and preparation of necessary permits for travel agency activities: 20,000–25,000

Furniture and office preparation for sales: 50,000–100,000

Office equipment and communications 100,000–150,000

Development of corporate identity 15,000–25,000

Website development and registration 20,000–45,000

Trademark registration 50,000-100,000

Employee training 5,000–30,000

Additional possible costs

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Purchase of a ready-made tourism business, payment of legal services to support the transaction
Payment for premises selection services
Payment for recruitment services
Payment for connection services
Internet and additional telephone lines
Payment for services of a consulting company

Approximate plan of monthly expenses of a travel company in Moscow (rub.)

Office and infrastructure

Rent of premises 25 m2 - 50,000

Communication services 3000

Internet 5000

Water (cooler) 500

Stationery 2500

Other administrative expenses 6000 Staff salaries

Wage

Director 35,000 +%

Manager 19,000 +%

Manager 16,000 +%

Secretary-manager 12,000 +%

Courier 16,000

Accountant (outsourcing) 10,000

Cleaning lady 3000

Advertising budget

Legal subscription service RUB 7,000. months

Payment for the online booking and tour search system is 1200 rubles/month.

Refilling cartridges 400 rub./month.

Unforeseen expenses RUB 10,000.

Total 241,500 rub. + percentage of salary

Selecting the status of a travel company. Tour operator or travel agent?

After the abolition of licensing for tour operator and travel agency activities in 2007, a mandatory state procedure was established only for tour operator activities. Any legal entity or individual entrepreneur can engage in travel agency activities. The only thing that determines the status of a travel agent today is the existence of an agreement with the tour operator, according to which the travel agent, on behalf of and at the expense of the tour operator, sells the tourism product generated by the tour operator. At the same time, the travel agent is obliged to comply with a number of requirements established by law, which we will discuss below.

But first of all, it is necessary to find out why it is so important to understand the difference between travel agency activities and tour operators and take the necessary legal actions in a timely manner. The fact is that the law establishes a mandatory requirement - all tour operators registered on the territory of the Russian Federation are required to have financial support. Financial security is a guarantee of the tour operator in case of non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of the contract for the sale of a tour product, insurance of its civil liability to consumer tourists.

From financial support, injured tourists are compensated for the actual damage they suffered, for example, the cost of the tour if it did not take place, or the difference in cost if the vacation time was shortened. Financial security is provided by an insurance company or banker. The law establishes the minimum amount for which an insurance contract or a bank guarantee contract must be concluded; today it is 10,000,000 rubles. for international tourism (entry and exit) and 500,000 rubles. for domestic tourism.

The cost of servicing financial security averages 1–1.5% per year of the amount of security.

Ready ideas for your business

The contractual scheme of a travel agent’s work when selling tours looks something like this:

the tour operator enters into an agency (commission) agreement with the travel agent, according to which the agent is instructed to implement (sell) tours generated by the tour operator for a fee;
a travel agent attracts a client (tourist) and enters into an agreement with him on the sale of a tourism product, receives the documents necessary to register the tour;
the travel agent sends a request to the tour operator to book specific travel services for the client (tourist), indicating the dates, number and details of tourists, hotel, level of transportation, excursions and other components of the tour;
the tour operator confirms the travel agent’s request and issues an invoice for payment;
the travel agent provides the tour operator with the documents (or information) necessary to process the tour (for example, for a visa);
the travel agent accepts the final payment from the tourist (if paying in cash, issues a cash receipt or a strict reporting form);
the travel agent makes payment to the tour operator minus the remuneration due to him (by bank transfer or in cash to the tour operator's cash desk);
the tour operator issues the travel agent with tour documents necessary for the tourist to travel;
the travel agent issues the tourist documents for the tour and all the necessary information to the tourist;
the travel agent reports to the tour operator - sends the agent’s report (act) indicating the amount of the tour sale and the amount of remuneration;
the tour operator signs the agent's report and issues an invoice for the services provided under the agency agreement.

But it should be borne in mind that the presented scheme reflects only the ideal version of document flow.

In practice, a travel agent may face various surprises; firstly, the tour operator may refuse to enter into an agency agreement with you and will offer a purchase and sale agreement, as a result your legal status will change, it will be necessary to adapt accounting and document flow;

secondly, when making a payment under a tour operator agreement, you suddenly discover that the invoice has been issued for payment to
another company or, making payment through the tour operator’s cash desk, you will be given a cash receipt order for a physical
a person with a “paid” stamp without the organization’s seal.

Travel company staff

The optimal staff for a small travel company looks something like this:

¦ leader;
¦ manager1;
¦ manager2;
¦ secretary with an expanded range of responsibilities;
¦ courier;
¦ accountant and cashier;
¦ cleaning lady.

Director.

The head of a travel company is a key figure and resolves a large number of issues, both economic and strategic, but in addition to him, it is advisable to have at least two sales managers.

The manager can also be the chief accountant, cashier, sign documents and register the receipt of funds.
If the head of a travel agency is a hired employee, he must have at least two years of work experience; this is the minimum time during which a specialist can go through all the “seasons” of a travel agency’s work - high, low, “dead” - and learn how to manage a company. If the head - founder of a travel agency has no experience in tourism, this is not a tragedy. It is necessary to invite managers with work experience and, together with them, develop the strategy, assortment, and advertising policy of the company.

Travel company manager.

A universal manager must maintain and improve his qualifications (master classes, seminars, promotional tours), work at exhibitions and workshops. Requirements for managers: higher education, experience in tourism, absence of bad habits, presentable appearance, competent Russian speech, communication skills , initiative, ability to resolve conflict situations, responsibility.

A manager without work experience should at least strive to work in tourism and have a specialized secondary or higher (incomplete higher) education, since this significantly affects the general level of culture. On
teaching someone who strives for knowledge is a rewarding task, but find out the long-term plans of this candidate so that
the invested effort and money were not wasted - perhaps he will use the knowledge gained in another travel agency.

Travel agency secretary

receives incoming calls, distributes them according to the specialization of managers, answers general questions (“How can I get to you?”, “What time do you work until?”), ensures timely ordering of the necessary office supplies, household goods, and monitors the courier’s work schedule , carries out instructions from the manager, receives visitors and guests of the office. You must understand that sometimes it is very difficult to do without the help of a secretary, especially in the high season - in the summer, when the phone is ringing at the same time and the client is sitting in the chair.

Secretaries are also tasked with filling out questionnaires, recording and registering incoming and outgoing mail, and responding to corporate emails, ICQ, and Skype.

As a rule, a secretary is hired after several months of starting a travel company, when the phone is constantly ringing and clients demanding attention come to the office.

Courier

A very important and responsible position. With the strength (legs) of this person, money, passports, documents must get to the tour operator. Therefore, when choosing a candidate for this position, follow a simple rule: the person must be checked in all possible ways - call the previous place of work, confirm the correspondence of the place of registration and place of residence, call the home phone and communicate with relatives, ask for recommendations. These measures are not unnecessary. The problems that may arise due to the actions of the courier are, without exaggeration, catastrophic - loss of foreign passports and documents, theft of funds that the courier transports daily. The best option is a relative or acquaintance, but, unfortunately, such candidates are not always found.

Accountant-cashier,

certainly a necessary specialist, but the cost of his services is too high for a small travel agency (in Moscow from 30,000 rubles). Therefore, most travel agencies use the services of law firms or an external accountant. Such a personnel solution allows you to reduce accounting costs by at least three times.

Remuneration and bonus schemes in the tourism business

Options for calculating salaries for a tourism manager

The tour is considered sold when 100% payment is made.

1. Interest-free system: salary 22,000–30,000 rub.

During the low season (January, February, May, June) the plan is 50%. In this case, the previous fixed salary is paid.

If the plan is not met, with the exception of the low season, there is a system of fines:

¦ the first month - no penalties, an analysis of the reasons associated with the decrease in sales is required;
¦ second month and beyond: 40,000–49,000 rubles. – 10% is withheld from the fixed payment (30,000–39,000 rubles – 20%; 20,000–29,000 rubles – 30%).

In the first months after the opening of a travel agency office, a planned payroll system, as a rule, is not used.

Options for calculating wages for a travel company courier

1. Salary 12,000–15,000 rubles, payment for a travel ticket, mobile phone, working hours: Monday-Friday.

2. Salary 15,000–20,000 rubles, payment for a travel ticket, mobile phone, working hours: Monday - Saturday.

On the market you can find offers from courier companies that deliver documents anywhere
city, they enter into a formal agreement and bear full financial responsibility for the funds and documents in the parcel.

Options for calculating the salary of a director of a travel company

1. Salary from 40,000 rubles.
2. Salary 18,000–20,000 rub. + 1–5% of monthly income
agency after deducting expenses.
3. 12,000–15,000 rub. + 5–10% of monthly income after deducting expenses.

This was just a small fragment of the book by Yulia and Georgy Mokhov, “Travel Agency: Where to Start, How to Succeed,” published by Peter Publishing House.