Open an IP for a travel agency. How to open a travel agency? Advertising and promotion

The tourism business is subject to those businessmen who are sociable, have resistance to stress, have the ability to convince people and are able to take risks. Additional advantages are knowledge of languages, as well as interest in foreign countries. This does not necessarily require special knowledge, although it can also be an effective starting point. However, in the tourism business, a sincere interest in the process itself and the ability to learn quickly are more important.

How to start opening a travel agency?

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

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

For a wide coverage of the tourism services market, it is important to follow a few rules of success:

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

It is better to develop a small travel agency as part of a separate line of services, since it will be difficult for a broad-based small firm to compete with large competitors;

It should be identified which segments of the tourism services market are not fully covered by other firms, that is, where there is still unsatisfied demand.

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

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

Advertising. The main factor of survival in the market, as well as the initial opportunity to express yourself to customers, is advertising. In the tourism sector, such types of tourism as: television, press, outdoor advertising are especially popular. Direction data promotional activities are associated with high costs, which are inevitable. In the future, the reputation of the travel company among customers will play a significant role. However, this kind of popularity can be acquired after at least a year of responsible, hard and scrupulous work.

Stages of creating a travel agency

Plan development. When opening a business in the tourism sector, it is advisable to develop a business plan. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of evaluating competitors, among which it is important to include not only other travel companies, but also sites selling air tickets, booking hotels and other similar services on a remote basis. In addition, it is necessary to carefully work out a financial plan in order to determine the payback period and the level of profitability of the business.

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

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

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

Additional profit is also provided by client consultations and the sale of air tickets. If we consider commissions from tourist vouchers, then for start-up companies they amount to about 10-15% of the cost, and for well-known ones - 18-20%. Thus, the rate of return is very significant in terms of covering the fixed and variable costs of the agency. For example, if the price of a voucher is 20,000 rubles, and the commission is 10%, then by selling three vouchers per day, you can earn up to 150,000 rubles per month.

How to open a franchise travel agency?

The tourism industry is fraught with serious risks, so more than half of newcomers become bankrupt in the first months of operation. This situation is due to the lack of clients, connections abroad, experience and reliable tour operators. However, you can avoid the impact of such unfavorable factors for business by acquiring a franchise to open a travel agency.

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

Features of work in the tourism business

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

Organization of departure of citizens of this country abroad;

Reception of tourists from abroad.

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

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

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

Often, travel agencies work together with travel companies on the basis of long-term cooperation agreements.

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

If possible, purchase a franchise;

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

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

Determine areas of activity: leisure, business trips, training, sports, etc.

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

Find relevant tour operators and conclude cooperation agreements with them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Establishment of a travel agency to work with corporate clients

One of the promising segments of the tourism services market is the corporate clientele sector, which is distinguished by its constancy and significant volumes of orders. It should be noted that the direction of the tourism business associated with servicing corporate clients is characterized by increased demand, which attracts novice travel agents. However, breaking into this segment is extremely difficult. Firstly, large companies have internal departments for organizing trips abroad and do not use the services of third-party travel agencies. Secondly, those firms that do not have such departments have long established ties with specific large travel agencies and constantly use their services. However, the corporate sector should not be abandoned at all, since new firms are constantly appearing in the economy, which are looking for partners in the tourism industry. In addition, often, already established firms are looking for new travel agents, being dissatisfied with the services of the former ones. It is these customers that can be included in the initial lists of their customers.

It should be remembered that corporate clients are customers of a whole range of services that a travel agency must be ready to provide. These include:

Registration of documents, in particular passports and visas;

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

Booking hotel rooms and delivering items needed by customers (for example, medicines, exercise equipment);

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

Creation of conditions for holding business meetings of clients;

Overseas customer cost planning and security.

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

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

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

Who among us would not like to see the world and visit the most remote and exotic corners of the earth? The love of travel is not alien to anyone. Perhaps that is why, even in the most economically unstable times, most people still had the opportunity and financial means for a long-awaited trip. Thanks to this, you can organize for yourself a reliable and very profitable way to earn money - open a travel agency from scratch. How to do this, we will explain further, providing step-by-step instructions with useful tips.

We open a travel agency! Where to begin?

The essential advantages of the type of business associated with tourism are relatively low investments, as well as the absence of the need for special education. By not needing any special permits, you can avoid many of the barriers to opening a travel agency. However, it is worth noting that the competition in this area is still quite high, and the profit you will receive depends on the economic situation in the country. Nevertheless, it is quite realistic to open a travel agency from scratch even during the economic crisis.

In order to understand in detail the legal side of the issue, you should refer to the law N 132-FZ of November 24, 1996 “On the basics of tourism activities in the Russian Federation”. Depending on the specifics of your activity, external and internal tourism differs. Services related to this industry are provided by tour operators and travel agents. Let us consider in more detail how these concepts differ.

The duties of tour operators include independent development, promotion and subsequent implementation of tours. Thus, using its services, the tourist can reach the destination and safely return home without experiencing any inconvenience during the trip. That is why in order to open professional activity they will be required to have insurance or a guarantee from the bank. Tour operators must be included in the Unified Federal Register, as well as be members of the necessary associations.

In turn, travel agents are a kind of link, an intermediary between the tour operator and the client. They are in the business of selling tours; while their earnings are commission payments (from 5 to 16% of the cost of each tour).

The travel agent must also:

Inform customers about the services provided.
Select tours depending on the wishes of the client.
Provide customers with all the necessary documents.
Ensure the quality of all services provided.

Depending on the size of the initial capital and the plans of the entrepreneur, travel agencies can exist in various forms.

To open a travel company from scratch, we need to rent an office, as well as hire all the necessary staff. Despite the fact that this method is the most expensive, it will provide you with maximum financial independence.

The easiest way to open a travel agency at home. In order to start this type of business, all you need is a phone, a computer, Internet access and a printer. After you register an IP, you can start promoting your services with the help of the media. In addition, you can organize meetings with interested parties both at home and in neutral territory (for example, in a cafe). This way of opening a travel agency is quite risky, but it is perfect for people with a wide circle of contacts and considerable professional experience.

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Good prospects are to open an online travel agency. You can select and book tours for your customers in advance by creating a website store. This sales channel can be used as both a basic and additional income option. An online travel agency does not require hiring a large number of employees and large financial investments, because. you can do without an office. You can manage a company of this type from anywhere in the world where there is Internet access. However, the implementation of many procedures related to the design of the tour exclusively through the network is impossible.

Aspiring entrepreneurs can try their hand at opening a franchise travel agency. Due to the fact that you will use a well-known and proven brand, you can count on the trust of potential customers, as well as count on assistance from the franchisor. In this case, the initial investments will not be so high, especially since all costs can be recouped in the first year and a half. The best companies providing franchising services in Russia today are such companies as Well, Wings and 1001 Tour!

So, we have considered all the main ways to open a travel agency from scratch. Now let's talk about how to organize a tourism business on your own.

Opening stages

To get started, you will need to go through the process of registering an individual entrepreneur. This form of registration makes it as easy as possible to use earnings for personal purposes and, if necessary, stop professional activities.

After that, you can proceed to the search for a room that you will set aside for the office of your own travel agency. The room must have Internet access and a telephone line. Make sure that a quality repair is made inside, and bright and noticeable advertising is placed on the facade. Responsibly approach the choice of the location of the future travel company: it is most desirable to give preference to the central part of the city, which is characterized by high traffic. It is best to open a travel agency in a shopping center, near the airport or inside a residential complex. Special attention should be paid to the name of the travel agency - the more interesting it is, the better it will be deposited in the memory of a potential client. About, how to name a company so that it is successful, we have already said. If you approach the analysis of demand and competition correctly, you can even organize a business in a small town or village. Everyone loves to travel, and if your company is first and also famous for its good level of service, this will attract even more people.

May be of interest: How to open your own photo studio from scratch?

Try to ensure that information about your agency is posted in full on the Internet and other media sources. Be sure to create your own website. With the right promotion, this will attract enough customers, which will make the business profitable.

The selection of employees is an equally significant step in opening a travel agency from scratch. Your potential profit largely depends on the quality work of your employees. The salary accrued by him may include a base (salary) and an incentive part (deductions from the cost of tours). The minimum staff should consist of a manager and a secretary. When the company expands, an additional accountant will need to be hired, even outsourcing. Sign an agreement with partners: if possible, enlist the support of several tour operators at once - this will significantly increase your chances of success. In order to protect yourself from possible risks as much as possible, use the federal register, as well as specially compiled ratings.

Well, the last thing I would like to talk about is what costs you expect when opening your travel agency. As for documents, you will need no more than 7,000 rubles to open an IP. It is necessary to allocate at least 20 thousand rubles per month for renting an office, while initially it will be necessary to invest money in repairing the premises, purchasing office equipment and furniture. For all this, you will have to pay at least 200 thousand rubles. In addition, you need a website, the creation of which in 2020 costs about 20 thousand rubles (budget option) and up to 50 thousand for a well-designed website with a user-friendly design and all the necessary services. Add to this the salary of employees, the monthly payment utilities and additional possible expenses, you will need about 500 thousand rubles to open a travel company. All these costs will quickly recoup if you draw up a business plan correctly, evaluate competition and build relationships with tour operators.

Download ready travel agency business plan you can with our partners. The quality of calculations is guaranteed!

Real experience in questions and answers:

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That's all the tips to help you open a travel agency from scratch! As you can see, organizing a tourism business is not too difficult, it is much more important to approach the promotion of the company correctly so that as many customers as possible can find out about you!

The tourism sector, despite the fact that it has been experiencing certain difficulties for several years, remains quite profitable. Any person who does not have large savings can engage in the tourism business. In addition, such entrepreneurial activity brings a lot of positive emotions, because it becomes possible to assist people in organizing recreation. However, there are still some nuances that should be taken into account in order not to lose the funds invested in this business. We will tell you about all the intricacies of how to open a travel agency from scratch, so that you do everything right.

Features of the tourism business

Before you open a travel agency, you need to understand what a travel agency is, what is the essence of its activities. First of all, it is necessary to learn the meaning of some concepts.

A travel company is an institution that acts as an intermediary between a travel operator and a person who wishes to go on a trip. It can fulfill obligations:

Tour operator - a company that must develop and advertise through the media various tours that are in the greatest demand among the population;
A travel agent is a company that implements tourist tours: makes transfers, sells tickets, takes care of the accommodation of customers and organizes excursions for them.

You also need to know before you open a travel agency in Russia what will be the responsibility of your company. As a rule, a travel agency provides the following services:

Issue visas to clients in accordance with the requirements of the tour operator with which the contract is concluded. If something is done wrong, the travel agency should be held responsible for it.

Issue to customers a full package of documents necessary for the trip:

Tickets (air and railway);
Medical insurance;
Accommodation voucher;
A memo about the state to which the tourist is sent;
Book all services requested by the client;
Timely pay for the work of the tour operator.

Advantages and disadvantages

If you have decided to open a travel agency from scratch with no experience, think over and calculate what positive and negative moments may come your way.

The main advantages of the tourism business include:

It is developing rapidly, which means that you will be able to provide services to people not only in Russia, but also abroad, which will also bring you big profits;
You will have a large choice of travel operator, in addition, you will be able to conclude cooperation agreements with more than one operator, with several at once - this is the first thing you need to open a travel company;
The flow of those wishing to go on a trip is constantly growing, and it does not end all year round;
Paperwork is simple, done quickly and fairly cheaply.

Now consider a few negative points that you should be aware of before you open a travel company:

Quite a high level of competition - a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs are thinking about how to open a travel agency from scratch, because they understand the profitability of this business;
If you do not pay due attention to the advertising campaign to promote your travel agency, then you can completely lose customers and be left without orders (in this case, the risk of losing your investment increases);
During the warm season, the demand for tourist trips much higher than in the cold season, but this is a moot point, because there are winter resorts, where people are happy to go for the New Year and Christmas holidays.

Activity registration

If you want to open a travel agency, you need to carefully read the State Law “On Tourism”, which describes all the requirements for how to open a travel agency from scratch without work experience. We will list you in detail what you need to open a travel agency:

A travel agency can be registered as a legal enterprise LLC or as a private institution of FLP.

To register a new institution in the public register, one resident is enough, who can sell tours domestically and abroad.

You will have to obtain a written commitment from any banking institution that will guarantee to pay for the services of a travel operator if this cannot be done by a travel agency (without this guarantee, no operator will agree to cooperate with the agency). However, the bank will issue an appropriate guarantee only if the founder of the travel company provides a package of documents, which will include:

Certificate of state registration;
Charter;
Current account information;
Copies of contracts confirming the lease of the premises where the company is located (if the premises are personally owned by the owner, then you need to provide a document confirming ownership);
The passport;
A copy of the TIN of the head;
Certificate of registration with the tax service.

It is necessary to develop special client agreements that you will conclude with clients who will order tours from you. Everything should be written in these contracts: the date of payment, the date of issue of the tourist voucher.

It will also be necessary to develop rules for tourists: who will meet them in the country where they go, accompany them, conduct excursions. It is advisable to include these rules in the client agreement so that the tourist signs the document after reading them.

It is also recommended to conclude an agreement with an insurance company, however, this is an optional moment. If you want your clients to be insured, then it is better for them to provide a medical policy and other types of insurance for property (for example, for a car).

Recommends to conclude a sub-agency agreement with any airline through which you will buy tickets for your customers. This is very beneficial, because in such cases, airlines offer many lucrative bonuses.

Draw up a rough business plan on how to open a travel agency in order to know what expenses await you, how to act so that they are reimbursed faster and begin to turn into consistently high incomes.

Site Selection Criteria

If you do not have your own premises, then the main thing you need to open a travel agency is to find a suitable place to rent it. We have put together a few location options that you can consider before starting a travel agency in 2020:

You can open a travel company in the central area of the city. It is desirable that:

The room was at least 20 m² in area;
It should be located on the first floor of any apartment building, but still it is better to choose office buildings;
A bright advertising sign should be hung on the premises so that people passing by can see what services you provide (the fact that your travel agency is located in the city center will make them confident in your prestige and high level of customer service).

You can open a travel agency in the business center building. What you need to open a travel agency in such an institution:

The premises should have a fresh modern renovation so that the agency looks presentable and solid;
You will be able to serve not only tourists who will come to you from other parts of the city, but also employees of a huge business center;
However, you will not be able to advertise in such territory;
There is a pass system at the checkpoint in any business center, which will repel customers.

You can choose a room for a company in a shopping center. We will give you some basic recommendations in such an institution:

Choose a boutique where there are always a lot of people (for this, it is better to consider departments that sell clothes, shoes or electronic equipment);
You need to be prepared for the fact that in such an institution you will have to pay a high price for rent.

You can open a travel agency in a residential area of your city:

There is always a large crowd of people who can become potential clients of your agency;
You don't have to pay a lot for rent;
There won't be much competition in such an area.

Room and interior equipment

There is another very important point that you need to know before you open a travel company from scratch - it must be designed in a modern, fashionable style. You must understand that if you have an old room at your disposal, then repair is what you should definitely start opening your travel agency with. All costs for this must be provided for by you and included in the business plan.

The premises of your company should always be clean and comfortable. This is necessary so that your customers, when they come to the office, can completely relax and unwind in it. This is especially true when there is a queue of people. You need to lay out different magazines, catalogs, coffee makers on the tables. Also hang interesting things on the walls that will inspire your customers to go on a trip.

To open a travel agency from scratch without work experience, you need to purchase furniture and necessary equipment. It is not necessary to choose expensive models, an economical option is also suitable, as long as it all looks decent and beautiful. You will need:

Computers with printers and necessary software;
Office tables, chairs;
Soft sofas;
Armchairs and coffee tables;
Air conditioning;
Coffee makers with appropriate utensils;
Phones;
WiFi.

Financial investments

Of course, if you decide to go into the tourism business, you need to know exactly how much it costs to open a travel agency from scratch. We note right away that you do not have to make large investments. Your main expenses will be:

When renting a room;
For the purchase of equipment and furniture;
With an advertising campaign;
To pay the fee if you decide to open a franchise travel agency.

It is important to consider that the answer to the question of how much it costs to open a travel agency depends to a greater extent on which city you live in. After all, if you live in a metropolis, then the rent for the premises will be higher than in the provinces. You only have to spend about 30-60 thousand rubles a month on rent.

In order to put the chosen room in order (it must meet certain standards), buy the necessary furniture, appliances and draw up all the necessary documents, you will need to have about 200,000 rubles at your personal disposal.

To promote your travel agency, you will need at least 100,000 rubles. However, we note that this amount is relative, it depends more on the channel that will carry out the advertising campaign.

Also, when discussing the question of how much it costs to open a travel agency, you need to know that you will still have to pay wages to your employees. As a rule, it should be 15 thousand rubles stably and another 20% of the monthly profit of the travel agency.

Also keep in mind that the next 6 months after you open an agency, it will not bring you any profit. Therefore, you need to have some financial resources in reserve, through which you can build a business.

Approximate profit

Living in an economic crisis, you will probably have a question whether it is profitable to open a travel agency, whether others will use your services. Definitely will be, because, as a rule, people who could afford to travel before will be able to do it now. Therefore, do not hesitate to open a travel agency in 2020 if you have the desire to work in this interesting field and the necessary amount of savings.

If you learn how to sell more than 500 tours a year, then your travel agency will make a profit of 50-100 thousand rubles a month. This is enough to establish itself as a popular segment of the tourism business. The more tours you sell, the more you can earn. If such layouts suit you, then do not hesitate for a long time whether it is worth opening a travel agency, and immediately get down to business.

Travel agency as a business model

Business payback periods

The second most important question of those who decided to open a travel agency in 2020 from scratch is how long it will pay off. Here you need to be aware that this moment largely depends on how you start. If you create a large turnover of the tour from the first days, then in the first year of work you will earn 600-800 thousand rubles, which means that you will return the invested personal funds.

However, experienced entrepreneurs who have been spinning in this area for a long time claim that the payback period for a travel company is 2 years, at least. But we do not advise you to be equal to someone else's achievements. If you have seriously approached the question of how to open a travel agency from scratch in Russia, then you will find a way to quickly unwind in order to return your investment and start making a profit.

At the end of this article on how to open a travel agency, we want to give you some useful tips on how to quickly promote your business and get a consistently high income from it:

If you wondered how to open a travel agency at home, then for promotion you only need to have an official website at your disposal, through which you will carry out all the work. Opening a travel agency from scratch at home is much easier and more economical. At least you can save the extra 200,000 rubles. It is better to invest some of this money in creating a unique site. Consult with experts on how to open a travel agency at home so that your activities are official and in demand;
Come up with a very catchy and colorful name for your company. This does not apply to those who decide to open a franchise travel agency;
Think over a system of promotions and various bonuses for the first clients of your agency in order to attract them. Create several accounts on social networks where you will promote your entrepreneurial activity and advertise different tourist trips.

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According to statistics, several thousand new travel agencies open annually in Russia. This type of business has one of the lowest "entry thresholds", that is, to open a travel agency "from scratch" requires very little investment. Therefore, this type of business is quite attractive for beginners.

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

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

Meanwhile, the tourism sector is one of the most dynamic, it is very exposed to various factors - from weather to politics. You need to be constantly up to date with the latest developments, quickly respond to changes, be mobile and flexible, and always have a “fallback plan”.

Types of travel agencies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Setting up a business according to the law

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

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

Many tour operators now allow you to send scans to access booking systems required documents and a signed contract, and the original can either be sent by mail or brought in person only when booking or even paying for the first tour.

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

After concluding an agreement with the tour operator, you can already start working.

room

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

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

The calculation of the area of the premises is carried out based on the estimated number of employees. Each manager must have at least 8 m2.

Next, consider the layout of the room. There are some nuances here. Firstly, visitors to a travel agency often come not one at a time, but with whole families. Consequently, you should be able to accommodate 4-5 visitors comfortably. For this, a sofa, several chairs or banquettes are suitable, which must be placed near the manager's desktop.

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

Interesting solutions can be created by stylizing a room for a country that is priority your business.

Equipment

In addition to conventional computer equipment and communications equipment, for travel agency equipment nothing fancy is required. Here, your imagination is only limited by your budget.

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

It looks very ugly when managers have to squeeze past customers and other employees to pick up a printed contract. Even better if it's not a printer, and MFP, because in a travel agency quite often you have to make copies of documents or scan to send to partners.

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

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

Cabinets are needed for storing documents and promotional materials, which will be many. Also provide a wardrobe for employees' clothes and a coat rack so that visitors can also sit comfortably.

You will definitely need a safe, because even if you do not accept cash, which is difficult, but it is possible, you will need to leave foreign passports of clients for visa processing, tourist voucher forms, etc.

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

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

Staff

From the point of view of the law, there are no requirements for the staff of a travel agency. Actually, in extreme cases, all the staff can be represented by one individual entrepreneur.

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

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

Do I need to hire an accountant? In a small travel agency, there is usually very little financial and accounting activity, so a full-time accountant is usually not needed. A home-based accountant or service by a special firm is enough to ensure the preparation and submission of reports.

promotion

Beginners have the hardest time here, especially independent travel agencies. It is difficult to convince customers of their reliability and competence.

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

Better distribution of flyers works, especially with discounts. This is an inexpensive method of advertising that is able to bring in several dozen visitors on the same day. Advertising on social networks works well, especially in a small city.

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

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

Profitability

Profitability, in simple terms, is the ratio of profit received to invested funds. Profitability of 30% suggests that each ruble invested in turnover came back and brought another 30 pennies profit.

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

In order for the opening of a travel agency from scratch to be successful, you must immediately clearly understand what level of sales you need on a daily, monthly, annual basis in order to at least reach zero. To do this, calculate all your current expenses, leaving aside investments in equipment, furniture, etc. for now. Add up the cost of renting the premises, wages of employees, utility bills, advertising costs. Don't forget to add your salary as well.

Now subtract from this the taxes that you will need to pay. That's exactly how much you have to earn in order to "not burn out." As soon as your sales volume steadily exceeds the costs, you will begin to recoup your one-time investment. And only after that you can talk about the profit. Only then will your business become profitable.

Problems faced by travel agencies

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

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

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

Partner dishonesty. Bankruptcies of tour operators put travel agencies in an unenviable position. After all, they often have to deal with angry customers. And in the case of a trip that has taken place, a dissatisfied client often goes to a travel agency, which in no way can affect the quality of the tourist product. The imperfection of the legislative framework also makes the travel agency business risky.

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

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

“To see the world” is one of the most enduring human desires. If it's not about a couch 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 tourist business is good because you can open an agency with minimal investment and little work experience. The activity is not licensed, so you do not need to obtain any permits. At the same time, competition in the tourism industry is high, and the demand for the services of travel agencies naturally falls in a crisis. People prefer to save rather than spend. How to open a travel agency from scratch in such a difficult time and make it profitable?

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

Market entities

If the decision to open a travel agency is made, for starters it is worth studying the industry legislation. The legal side of the tourist industry is regulated by law N 132-FZ of November 24, 1996 “On the basics of tourism activities in the Russian Federation”.

According to the document, tourism can be 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 organizing 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 from commissions. 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 a travel agent are listed in the agency agreement and typically include:

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

Opening from scratch

A travel agency can exist in different forms. It all depends on the starting capital and the swing of a novice entrepreneur. Be realistic about your options, 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 you can pay for them in the first six months of work. The main drawback is the setting by the franchisor of 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, as well as in the form of IP. For an individual entrepreneur it is easier to register, use the earnings for personal purposes and stop working. This option is ideal for travel agencies at home. 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, it is worth focusing on the simplified tax system with the object "income" (6% rate).
Office organization. For a travel agency, a room (own or rented) with an area of 15-20 m 2 is sufficient. The office should be bright and comfortable, have a telephone line and the Internet. You will need to make repairs, thematically arrange the premises, buy furniture, office equipment, stationery. On the facade of the building there should be a place for outdoor 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, in the databases of which information on most tour operators is consolidated. Such systems provide travel agencies with the most complete picture of current offers. The use is paid, but it saves a lot of time.
The most famous are the following search engines: TOURINDEX (www.tourindex.ru), "Ride" (www.exat.ru) and "TURY.ru" (www.tury.ru).
Choice of direction of work. This is a key moment for starting, on which the further strategy depends on opening a business.
The following tourist destinations may 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: recruitment, selection of tour operators for cooperation, search for effective channels for advertising.
Site creation. Before creating / ordering a site, you should decide what function it will perform: representative (a regular business card site), informational with the ability to search for tours or an online store. The best 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 investing in them pays off, so saving on remuneration is not worth it. 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 accountant, especially in the first year of work, you can save money. With small volumes of sales, accounting and reporting can be handled by the businessman himself, using specialized free online services.
Choice of partner tour operators. 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 in terms of arrival dates, hotel level, etc.
When looking for potential partners, you can use the federal register, which lists all legally operating tour operators, as well as professional ratings, reviews in specialized Internet resources, tourist guides 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 (the amount of the agency fee, the frequency of its increase, price offers on tours, etc.).
Advertising. It is necessary to use all 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 programs / publications with local media (print, radio, TV channels).

Profits and prospects

No matter what they say about the year-round demand for tours, about the replacement of beach resorts by ski resorts, but the business is still seasonal - experts note a decline in the market from January to February. In addition, the crisis that the economy is experiencing affects the tourism industry. Find out why you should start your own business in times of crisis.

Is it good to open? What tricks should be used in order not only to work to zero, but also to make a profit?

Analyze the market, study demand, rebuild when external conditions change. Start with interesting outbound destinations, including those in the CIS countries that have recorded growth: 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 huge. A competitive infrastructure has already been formed in some regions of Russia: the Black Sea coast, St. Petersburg, the Golden Ring. The Russian exotic is also promising in terms of tourism: Gorny Altai, Baikal, Kamchatka, the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, Khakassia, ski resorts in the foothills of the Caucasus.

According to the Federal Agency for Tourism, domestic tourism grew by 30% over the past year, 2014.

Lazy rest 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. Agritourism is gaining momentum.

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

Watch video interview with CEO company "1001 tour".

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