TS1 Foundation Course in Tourism

Q5: What do you understand by travel agency? Explain its operations in detail.

Travel Agencies are organizations that sell and organise tourism and travel related services to individuals and groups.
They help with the planning of trips on behalf of suppliers, whilst helping clients with their professional expertise.
Individuals/travel agents working in travel agencies have the right qualities, knowledge and skills needed to provide
their customers with the help they require.

Keeping all that has been mentioned above in mind, it can be said Travel Agencies are not only a crucial link between
tourists/travellers and suppliers of tourism services but also play a vital role in destination promotion.

Qualities of a travel agent are being courteous, helpful, able to look at miniscule details, ability to work under pressure,
a problem solving attitude, proficiency in languages to name a few. They have knowledge and skills that aid them in
their tasks, such as: a sound knowledge of geography, information on customs & practices in different countries,
administrative work capabilities, immaculate communication skills, mathematically sound and well informed regarding
health, visa, permits, foreign exchange rates etc.

Services and responsibilities of travel agencies are far too many, hence are divided into 3 parts:

Operations
Facilitation and…
Additional Responsibilities.

1) Operations of a travel agency aim to cover several tasks the agency undertakes like ticketing, booking/cancelation
and special services.

a) Ticketing is the primary function of a travel agency. In India the three major forms of ticketing services by travel
agencies are Air, Road & Rail travel. Road & Rail travel involves domestic travel whilst Air travel could be domestic
or international. The responsibilities with ticketing include knowing about fares and discounts available, unique client
requirements, informing clients of departure & arrival time to name a few.

b) Booking & cancelation is a fundamental service, as one cannot organize a trip efficiently without it. Travel agencies
are familiar with all booking & cancelation processes and are capable of providing their clients with relevant
information regarding the same, i.e. reservation codes, class of travel available, city/ airport codes and cancelation or
rebooking charges.

c) Special services are the extra services provided by travel agencies that could be booked prior to departure to make
the trip more comfortable/ enjoyable, such as: meal requests (veg or non-veg), special seat assignments (window seats),
etc. Also special services such as insurance coverage, or an alternative/next train/bus/flight if the same are delayed or
canceled.

2) Facilitation as the name suggests, involves the travel agency providing its clients services that facilitate their travel,
i.e. Passport, Visa/Immigration Facilitation, Travel Vaccinations, Medical/Travel Insurance, Customs, Permits,
Baggage and Airport facilitation.

a) Passport facilitation involves helping the client obtain the proper forms required for travel i.e. valid passport, enough

pages for visa stamps etc.

b) VISA/Immigration facilitation involves the travel agency checking if the traveller has the required endorsement to
leave or enter a country, as some countries require an entry VISA depending on the traveler’s nationality.

c) Travel Vaccination service entails informing and sharing guidelines to the traveler of the health regulations regarding
their visit i.e. mandatory yellow fever vaccination, etc.

d) Medical/Travel Insurance facilitation entails informing and helping the traveler with the relevant insurance, which
may be mandatory in certain countries.

e) Customs facilitation entails informing the traveler of customs rules and regulations i.e. limit on the quantity of
certain items allowed in personal baggage, etc.

f) Permit facilitation is all about checking and informing the traveler of any permits that may be required for the
intended area of visit.
g) Baggage facilitation informs the traveler of several baggage related queries i.e. excessive baggage charges and
what’s allowed in hand luggage etc. whilst Airport facilitation informs the traveler of several things, such as, which
terminal to go to, which aircraft the traveller will travel in and the facilities available at the airport i.e. duty free shops,
restaurants, pre-paid taxi services, etc.

3) Additional responsibilities of travel agencies are proper vetting & selection of their vendors & partners, up to date
ticketing & travel information, all communicated with utmost transparency, as client goodwill is very important in this
industry.