The implementation of the business idea of a travel agency is not too difficult, but it faces high competition from other travel agencies.
Therefore, for the successful creation and development of a travel company, it is necessary to first study the local conditions of the tourism market, identify the degree of competition, and also pre-calculate the profitability of the future enterprise by conducting a marketing research.
First of all, in marketing research it is necessary to determine the location of the future location of the travel agency.
For a travel agency, just like a retail store, location is essential to success.
To assess the location of the premises of the travel agency, it is necessary to carefully identify the offers on the tourist market from competitors, as well as assess their market share. Then, on the city map, you need to mark the places where the points of sale of other travel agencies are located. It is desirable to locate a new point of sale in places where there are no competitors, but there are good transport routes, mass movements of residents, and there is also the possibility of parking.
In addition, already at the first stage of marketing research, it is necessary to determine the target segment of the future clients of the travel agency.
If the travel agency will focus on middle and economy class vouchers, then it is better to choose the location of the future travel agency near public transport stops, metro stations, large shopping and public institutions.
If the travel agency will be mainly engaged in sales of elite recreation, then it is advisable to locate its premises in large shopping centers, near elite shops, restaurants, nightclubs and other establishments.
To identify the requests of future customers, you can conduct questionnaires, surveys, and also study the offers of competing firms.
After determining the location of the future travel agency, it is necessary to assess the profitability.
The initial costs of organizing a travel agency will consist of the costs of acquiring, repairing and equipping premises, obtaining permits, as well as organizing an advertising campaign.
Since most people get most of their information from the Internet these days, it can be important to the success of a travel company to create their own website, the cost of which should also be included in the initial costs.
The current costs of the travel agency will largely depend on the direction of its activities. Regular costs include staff salaries; expenses for utilities, communications and rent of premises; fixed advertising costs, without which the activity of a travel agency is unthinkable; expenses for organizing the activities of the travel agency.
If the travel agency assumes part of the services provided by the tour operator, such as travel arrangements, transfers, excursions, and so on, then its current costs will be made up of these additional costs.
The profitability of implementing the business idea of a travel agency will largely depend on the volume of sales of vouchers to the clients of the travel agency. Skillful organization of work with clients, constant monitoring of the effectiveness of sales channels, friendly and polite staff, reliable partners from the tour operator can make the business of a travel agency very profitable, and in one season recoup the costs of its creation.