TRAVEL AGENCY OPERATOR

• Travel Agency is a company or business that does arrangement, packaging, and costing of travel-related services for traveling clients.
• TRAVEL AGENCY - These businesses acquire and sell services on behalf of affiliate suppliers such as airlines, hotels, attractions and tour operators.
• Travel Agent is a person whose job is to arrange and book for services that are needed by a traveling client including but not limited to airlines, hotels, transfer services, tours and travel insurance.
• Travel Agent - is the one who does the usual packaging of the travel service components that are required by a customer.
• Travel Counselor/Consultant - it provides “ advice ” as the main value proposition of the service.
• Ticketing Officer - a specialist is responsible for booking transportation for customers, facilitating the reservation and confirmation of tickets.
• Reservations Associate - the primary role of a " suppliercustomer link" staff is to manage purchase orders with travel agency suppliers.
• Leisure Travel - This specialization involves a segment of travel business focused on recreation, adventure, entertainment, sports and gaming for a vacation or holiday break. The most common market of this specialization are couples, family, group and FITs (free independent travelers).
• Luxury Cruise Voyage- an emerging travel specialization among agencies nowadays due to its increasing demand. This type of travel is intended for leisure purposes with an all-inclusive holiday vacation on a cruise ship that usually lasts for weeks or months depending on a specific itinerary availed by the passenger. This service caters the market in a higher socioeconomic class of higher income
• Corporate Travel - This is a particular specialization of travel arrangements designed for corporate personnel for their business travels (mostly conferences and meetings) which services usually include arranged flight and accommodation with special features such as business class seats in airlines and access to the Business Center in the hotel.
• Pilgrimage - a type of tourism that intensely motivates travelers for the achievement of religious attitudes and practices.
• retail travel agency - offers services directly to the public consumer on behalf of the suppliers that in return gets commission from the selling rate or puts mark-up from the agreed contracted rate.
• WHOLESALE TRAVEL AGENCY - Offer travel services that are acquired from their suppliers in bulk. Applicable in all types of businesses, bulk purchase entails lower cost thus, resulting in a more competitive selling price in the market.
• Rack Rate - is the standard selling rate based on the published tariff defined by the supplier.
• Contracted Rate - is a special lower agreed rate written and indicated in the contract signed by the supplier and the travel agency.
• Corporate Rate - also known as the commercial rate is offered to privileged companies in return to their frequent purchase transaction with the travel agency as a loyal client
• Barter rate - is an applicable cost-based rate for two affiliates whose medium of exchange is not by monetary value but rather by the services that they offer.
• . ADHOC Rate - is usually a lower non-standard special rate which is being offered as an exceptional one-time rate for special occasion or event
• Group rate - is co me as a fere to roups of travelers e g, Barkada Package Rate) used as a pricing strategy to close a deal a arbader cost but at larger quantity.
• Promo Rate - is a discounted rate offered to a client redeeming an availed promo code that is also commonly used by low-cost airlines
• Complimentary Rate - is a free-of-charge (FOC) rate given to privileged individuals such as special guests or rates used in equivalent to gift certificates or vouchers.
• Early Bird Rate - is a time pricing strategy-based rate available for clients who will book for their travel services as early as specified which are usually months ahead of the travel date.
• Best Price Guarantee - Rate is the lowest discounted rate guaranteed and available for a day offered to clients which is typically under the book-and-buy policy
• FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE Small to medium-sized travel agency businesses often use a functional structure, grouping similar job descriptions into areas like sales, marketing, operations, and accounting
• TICKETING - The Global Distribution System (GDS) manages passenger bookings and confirmations, while the Central Reservation System (CRS) handles hotel, tour, and transfer services.
• RESERVATIONS - does the booking of hotels, tours and transfers service for guests through a Central Reservation System (CRS)
• CUSTOMER SERVICE - The Sales and Marketing Department handles customer service, assisting with queries and information, and establishing professional relationships with suppliers, requiring strong social skills and a pleasing personality.
• REVENUE - is responsible for pricing, determining mark-up and commission, yielding, and competitor analysis.
• advertising - industry engages in multimedia promotions and the creation of advertising paraphernalia.
• contracting - involves contract signing negotiations, bargaining with suppliers regarding rates and allocations, attending meetings and sales calls with affiliates.
• Product development involves creating packages, special deals, co-branding, and participating in travel trades. Accounting handles company finances, including auditing, refund processing, billing, collection, and cashiering
• Audit department reviews and checks daily transactions, identifying discrepancies and ensuring accuracy.
• Billing is the process of processing postpaid transactions, particularly for corporate accounts, to client
• refund process is responsible for processing and reimbursing changes made to or canceled transactions
• Cashiering handles both physical and virtual payment transactions, including cash, credit card, check, bank transfers, and PayPal, and implements security measures to detect fraudulent transactions
• DIVISIONAL STRUCTURE - Can be found in large-scale businesses of travel agencies that handle diverse operations covering various product types, markets, processes and territories.
• CEO (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)- He/she is responsible in implementing travel policies, recruiting a travel management company (TMC), and understanding the ROI (RETURN ON INVESTMENT) on business travel
• ADMINISTRATION - They are responsible to advise clients with booking flights to their desired destinations and make arrangements for transportation, accommodations, car rentals, and tours based on the organization or individual' s business and budget needs
• RETAIL AGENCY They sell tourists products directly to the public on the behalf of the products suppliers and in return get commissions.
• WHOLESALE AGENCY They assemble package holidays and sell them to the clients through retail travel agencies. A typical package tour includes air tickets, accommodation, and other services may also be included in it such as entertainment, sightseeing, and sports activities etc