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How to open a tourism business. Your own business: opening a travel company Open a travel agency in a year from scratch

In Europe and America, people have long been refusing the services of large agencies and companies in favor of independent consultants. Similar trends are observed in our country.

Becoming a tour operator is an opportunity to create an excellent launching pad for the further development of your own business.

What attracts people to this work? High salaries, constant travel... To many, the life of a travel agent seems like a real fairy tale. But at the same time, almost no one dares to take any decisive steps towards fulfilling their dreams. Don't want to be one of them? Then this article is for you!

Step 1. Training

If you are interested in how to become a tour operator, you first need to figure out where and how you will undergo training.

There are two options here: regular colleges and universities, as well as special operator training schools.

The first option is attractive because you will study in depth all disciplines related to tourism and hospitality and gain a huge base of theoretical knowledge. However, it will take several years to complete the entire course of study. An alternative is distance learning. Actually, you will appear at the educational institution itself 2-3 times a year, and you can use the rest of the time to prepare the ground for further work.

If you want to get as much useful practical information as possible and start working as soon as possible, it would be more logical to enroll in a special operator training school. Here you will learn how to become a tour operator, get a general understanding of tourist destinations, sales and booking systems, marketing, etc.

Step 2: Obtain Certification

Working as a tour operator is impossible without obtaining certification. For your future clients, this will be proof of your competence and deep knowledge of the specifics of your activity. Consequently, they will trust you much more.

As a rule, appropriate certificates can be obtained at the place of study. But some people turn to CLIA International, which offers well-known and respected certification programs in the travel industry.

Step 3. Obtaining a license

If you want to have your own travel agency, it is better to register your business as a legal entity (CJSC, LLC, etc.). But for those who want to become a travel agent (that is, an intermediary between a travel agency and its clients), it will be enough to register as an individual entrepreneur - PBOYUL. To obtain a license, you will need to pay a state fee of 1,300 rubles.

You should be aware that the sales license and pre-booking of air travel are issued separately. Certification conditions are dictated by Federal Aviation Regulations. At the same time, certain requirements are imposed on the premises, personnel, security and reservation systems. If you intend to sell not only travel packages, but also air tickets, you will need to enter into an agreement with the airline and obtain this certificate.

When deciding to become a travel agent, it is very important to choose the right OKVED codes. The most commonly used code is 63.30 - “Activities of travel agencies.” In addition, it is advisable to apply for inclusion in the All-Russian Register of Travel Agencies.

Step 4. Selecting a tour operator company

Perhaps this is the most important stage. A travel agent can independently choose which of the many operators to cooperate with. When choosing, you should take into account the size of the remuneration, the company’s reputation in the market and ease of work.

An important question that almost everyone who is interested in becoming a travel agent faces is: “Where to look for these same operators?” The easiest way to do this is by visiting specialized tourism fairs, exhibitions, etc. It is best to “catch your luck” in Moscow, where similar events are held annually (MITT, MITF, Intourmarket, Otdykh). Hundreds of representatives of various companies and organizations gather here. As they say, there is plenty to choose from. In addition, you can visit similar regional exhibitions.

A variety of conferences and fairs are also held in workshop format by professional travel publications (Tour Business, Banco, Turinfo, Travel Expert consulting group, etc.). The atmosphere at a workshop is usually calmer and more business-like than at exhibitions. There are more opportunities to meet partners, discuss important issues and get ready for work.

Step 5. Conclusion of an agreement

But now we get to the most important thing. How to become a travel agent? Once you have decided on the choice of tour operator, you will need to sign an agency agreement. According to the terms of such a document, you will receive a reward for each tour sold. The size of the reward may vary, but on average it is about 10-15% of the cost of the tour itself. If in the future you establish yourself well in the eyes of the tour operator and successfully sell tours, the percentage you receive from each transaction may increase.

In addition, partners of travel agencies that are part of agency networks (for example, Kuda.ru or the Last Minute Travel Chain of stores) receive an increased commission. Due to powerful corporate support, agencies that are part of such networks (which, by the way, are not so easy to get into) have the opportunity to deduct a fairly large percentage of their income.

Step 6. Advertising

Let's say you have already found a suitable company and entered into an agreement. Done: now you are a tour operator in Italy, France, Greece or Russia. It would seem that everything is going well, but... But no, for some reason in a few weeks you managed to sell only a few trips. And then to my friends. This is where the lack of advertising of your services comes into play.

First of all, we would recommend that you pay attention to the numerous publications, catalogs and applications that publish tourism advertising. Of course, standing out among hundreds and thousands of other offers is not easy. Therefore, first of all, you need to decide on your target audience.

The tourism business today, despite its competitiveness, is a fairly promising area. But how not to get lost among powerful agencies and rating companies, where to start a tourism business? I will answer all these questions further.

Travel agency and tour operator: what is the difference

Before you open your own tourism business, you should know that all companies in this area are divided into two large groups: travel agencies and tour operators.

A tour operator is a company that is directly involved in the development of tours, organization and sales through a network of travel agencies.

Thus, the tour operator himself creates the product, enters into agreements with foreign partners, and thinks through routes and tour details. However, such companies very rarely sell their products independently. This work falls on the shoulders of travel agencies.

Travel agencies are companies that are exclusively engaged in the sale of tours developed by tour operators, while receiving a percentage of each transaction.

It is worth mentioning that it is more profitable to organize trips yourself. But at the same time, there are many more risks in this area. Therefore, to start, people often choose to create travel agencies.

As a rule, a travel agency receives 7-10% of each transaction. However, if sales managers are able to properly advertise the product, then the income can be many times higher. For example, the cost of a tour stated by the operator is $1,500, but the agency sold the same trip for $2,000. Thus, the income from the transaction is 7-10% of the declared value plus $500.

Company registration

So, you have decided on the format of your company. What's next? Further actions for tour operators and travel agencies are slightly different. A travel agency can act as a private entrepreneur or a legal entity (the second option is still preferable).

But the tourism operator must register in the Unified Register and receive a certificate certifying that the company’s services comply with the law and all regulations.

In addition, the tour operator must have financing or a bank guarantee of funds for activities such as domestic, outbound and international tourism.

Also, if you plan to organize international travel, then you will need to regularly make contributions to Tourist Assistance (an organization that provides assistance to tourists who find themselves in difficult situations abroad).

Start-up capital and business plan

Like any other business, tourism also requires a certain starting capital. The main cost items at the initial stage are:

Renting premises.
Office equipment.
Advertising.
Salaries of company employees.
Registration of insurance.
Payment of state fees.
Payment of utility services.

Also, before starting work, you will need to draw up a business plan, which should include the following points:

Characteristics of types of activities.
Organizational and legal form of the company.
Organizational structure of the company.
Production plan.
Financial plan.
Technical equipment plan.
Marketing plan.
Employee salary plan.
Possible risks.

Find out more about where to start a tourism business:

Search and equipment of premises

The next important stage in opening a tourism business is finding and equipping premises. Remember that the office is the calling card of every travel agency, since this type of activity involves constant work and communication with people.

Your office should be located in a walkable location, close to a metro station or transport stop. Also, there must be parking in front of the entrance. The best option for renting a building is the business center of the city, since that is where most of the target audience is located.

When equipping an office, you should pay great attention to the appearance of the building and outdoor advertising. It is advisable that the agency have its own unique banner above the entrance.

The office must have high-quality renovations, since any agency focuses on wealthy clients. It is necessary to equip tables and sofas for waiting, as well as places for employees. Also, you should purchase powerful computers, printers, a projector and enter into an agreement with a reliable Internet provider.

It is worth noting that most tourists are accustomed to looking for suitable offers via the Internet. Therefore, already at the initial stage it is necessary to start developing and promoting your own website.

Search for colleagues

When looking for employees for a company, be sure to pay attention to the following points:

availability of specialized education;
At least one year of experience in the tourism sector;
knowledge of foreign languages;
pleasant speech and ability to persuade;
pleasant appearance;
responsibility.

You should not hire relatives or acquaintances, since initially it will be very difficult to build business relationships with them.

Advertising

In any case, a new travel agency will need a high-quality advertising company, because not only recognition, but also the image of the enterprise depends on it.

Advertising on the Internet. First, you need to create your own website and then promote it. This could be SEO promotion or contextual advertising. Also, it is worth paying attention to other ways to attract an audience: working on social networks, working on brand awareness online, reputation management, crowd marketing, working on review sites.
Signboard. High-quality outdoor advertising is the face of your company. Entrust the creation of your banner to a trusted advertising agency.
Booklets and catalogues. Such advertising can be distributed not only in the office, but also on the streets. To do this, you will only need to hire several promoters.
Advertising in the media. This is a fairly expensive type of advertising, but nevertheless very effective. It will allow you to quickly make your brand recognizable and attract potential customers.

When organizing a tourism business, many points need to be taken into account. And it is impossible to consider all of them in one article. Therefore, I would like to give some tips to beginners that will help you not get lost among your competitors.

The travel agency acts as an intermediary between the tourist and the tour operator and receives a monetary reward for this. The tourism industry is very competitive. 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 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 obtaining travel documents such as voucher, transfer, insurance and incorrect visa paperwork rests with travel companies.

In order for the tour operator to be able to provide tourists with a full package of ordered services, travel agencies are obliged to prepare all the necessary 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 him you will receive a good income and constant travel to 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.

A simplified form of tax deductions is provided for travel companies. 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 the manager wants to increase the level of trust of 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. You should be wary of exaggeratedly 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. Here you can use any 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.

“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, Turkey, 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 tourism services are 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 the start-up capital and the ambition of the aspiring 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 placement 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), “Ehat” (www.exat.ru) and “TURY.ru” (www.tury.ru).
Choosing a direction of work. This is a key point for starting, 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 is the second option.
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 the federal register, which contains all legally operating tour operators, 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. You need 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 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 custom 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 the Federal Agency for Tourism, domestic tourism grew 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 the CEO of 1001 Tour:

How to make a travel agency profitable

How to open a travel agency: market analysis + 5 steps for starting a business + detailed financial plan + calculation of business profitability.

Capital investments: from 425,000 rubles.

Payback period: from 8 months.

Do you have good knowledge of geography and excellent organizational skills? Or maybe you just want to give people joy and organize an unforgettable vacation that they will want to repeat? Or are you a quick learner and want to experience the joy of financial independence and start your own business?

Then information about how to open a travel agency, will be relevant for you. Today we will find out the intricacies of running this business, as well as how much money will be needed to start it.

Tour operator and travel agency: finding out the difference

Before moving on to the answer to the question of how to open a travel agency, let’s start with the fact that many still work with a tour operator. And knowing the difference between these two categories is useful not only for those who are going on vacation, but also for those who wish to enter this industry.

Firstly, it is the operator who “creates” the tour from start to finish: forms, promotes and sells. Its specialists book a hotel, pay for a flight ticket, select excursions, and provide transportation for tourists.

As for the implementation of the tour, he can do it independently or through agencies. The second one’s responsibilities include selling the ticket. The travel agency selects the necessary option for the client, informs him about all its nuances

Therefore, difference number one: a tour operator creates a tour, and a travel agency only implements it.

Secondly, to start the activity of a tour operator, it is necessary to register only as a legal entity that has certain financial security. While a travel agent can be either an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity.

Difference number two: you can open a travel agency in any organizational and legal form, and it does not need to have financial security, since, unlike a tour operator, it does not pay insurance.

Thirdly, the tour operator is responsible for setting the price. That is, the agency sells a tour at a certain price. And his reward will be a commission, which is set by the company providing the trip.

Difference number three: a travel agent does not influence the cost of the tour; he works for a fee from the tour operator. In addition, sometimes in order to achieve large sales volumes, specialists can reduce the price, unfortunately to the detriment of their commissions.

Fourthly, by default, responsibility for a “failed” tour lies with the operator, who will be subject to claims from clients.

The travel agency is responsible only under the contract, and most often its responsibility is related to the fact that it must fully inform the client, pay for his trip and tell him about all his rights and obligations.

Therefore, difference number four: the tour operator is responsible for the quality of the tour, unless otherwise provided by the contract.

Typical scheme of a travel agency

When you decide to open a travel agency, you need to understand how it works:

An existing travel agent is looking for proven operators with whom it enters into a contract for further cooperation.
A travel agent studies the tour operator's offers down to the smallest detail and begins to look for clients.
If one is found, the travel agent enters into an agreement with him and submits an application to book services with the operator.
The tour operator accepts the application and, which must subsequently be paid.
After this, the funds received by the travel agent, minus the established commission (usually 10-15%), are transferred to the tour operator’s account.
The tour operator transfers all the necessary documents to the agent, who subsequently provides all the information to the tourist.
After the transaction is completed, the agency transmits the report to the operator, who prepares an invoice for it.

Note: if the client refuses the trip after payment, then you will be forced to pay the operator a fine. This “pitfall” must be taken into account if you want to open a travel agency according to this scheme.

The situation on the Russian tourism market

Opening a travel agency and not analyzing this industry is extremely reckless. Any business should begin by studying the market situation, finding out its strengths and weaknesses.

The Russian tourism market never ceases to develop. Even in small towns you can find travel agencies that offer their services. They are often approached by those who want to travel abroad for impressions.

But currently, under the influence of many factors (exchange rates, unstable situation in a number of foreign countries, etc.), domestic tourism has begun to be in demand. And this is not surprising, because our country is famous for many beautiful places, which also attract foreign tourists.

Therefore, when you decide to open a travel agency, look for operators who deal with such tours.

It is also worth noting that in 2017 the situation in the tourism market has improved significantly compared to the previous two years. And by the way, Russian tourists began to prefer more exotic countries rather than Europe. Therefore, opening a travel agency is now quite profitable due to the development of this area.

Special attention is paid to online sales. Nowadays, people buy more and more on the Internet, so creating your own website with the possibility of online booking and payment is mandatory.

As for the strengths of the business, everything will depend only on the quality and organization of your work.

Therefore, when deciding to open a travel agency, you need to bet on:

providing a wide range of services;
competent employees who are focused not only on the number of tours sold, but also on quality customer service;
cooperation with proven and well-known tour operators.

Opening a travel agency involves risks that must be taken into account:

Seasonality - it so happens that for the most part people like to travel abroad in the summer and for the New Year.
High competition- the tourism business is a fairly filled niche; new players are constantly appearing on the market who can provide customers with something new and of better quality.
Lack of stability- exchange rate changes, the political and economic situation in the country, inflation affect the work of travel agencies, since as a result of these factors the purchasing power of clients may decrease.

Inability to accurately predict performance results- even with a detailed study and analysis of tour sales, it is impossible to accurately calculate the expected profit.

For this reason, you need to focus on advertising in order to attract as many customers as possible.

Step-by-step instructions on how to open a travel agency

When answering the question of how to open a travel agency, you need to understand that the main expenses will go to setting up an office, creating a website and, of course, promotion.

The process of opening a “tourist” business will consist of the following stages:

Stage	1 month	2 month	3 month	4 month
Choosing a travel agency name	+
Business registration	+
Search for premises and its arrangement	+	+
Search for operators		+
Website creation			+
Recruitment			+
Advertising				+
Starting a business				+

With well-coordinated and properly organized work, you can open a travel agency in 3-4 months.

Step 1. Choosing a name for the travel agency and registering the business

So, you have analyzed the market, assessed your capabilities and are sure that this business is for you. Now we need to start taking concrete actions. And the first step is for your travel agency. It should be simple, but memorable, and also evoke associations with relaxation.

You can come up with a sonorous name yourself, or you can use the services of specialists.

After this, you can begin registration. You can open a travel agency as an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity. It all depends on your ambitions, so if your plans include expanding your business and creating an entire network, or you want to start a business with a partner, then choose LLC.

When submitting an application for registration, do not forget to indicate the OKVED code. But remember that the classification is constantly changing. As of 2017, for the tourism business it looks like this:

As for the taxation system, according to the law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation” it is allowed to use the simplified tax system: “Income” 6% or “Income-Expenditure” 6-15%.

Step 2. Finding and arranging premises for a travel agency

A well-chosen location is the key point in how to open a travel agency. If you are planning to start your business in a small city, then do it only in the center.

In a big city, the choice of premises is more extensive:

crowded places;
residential areas where competitors are not yet operating.

The room itself should not be large, 25-35 sq.m. is enough. But at the same time, it must be carefully equipped with furniture, office equipment, and decorative items.

Approximate costs for repairs and arrangement of the premises will look like this:

Name	Quantity, pcs.	price, rub.	Total cost, rub.
Total:	-	-	147,000 rub.
Worker table	2	4 000	8 000
Chairs	4	1 000	1 000
Sofa for clients	1	10 000	10 000
Rack	1	10 000	10 000
Laptops	2	30 000	60 000
MFP	1	15 000	15 000
Electric kettle	1	1 000	1 000
Modem	1	2 000	2 000
Phone line	2	15 000	30 000
Internet	1	3 000	3 000
Decor items	1	2 000	2 000
other expenses	-	-	5 000

Step 3. Search for tour operators for cooperation

The next step in how to open a travel agency is to search for operators. This step must be approached with all responsibility, since if any inconsistencies arise, the client will remain dissatisfied with your work.

So, when choosing operators, pay attention to the following factors:

time spent on the market;
recognition;
commission size;
terms of cooperation.

The most popular tour operators in Russia:

Step 4. Recruiting staff to open a travel agency

The success of a business depends on the quality of staff work. And to begin with, you can hire only two sales managers, who will receive a salary and a percentage of the number of transactions completed.

The responsibilities of these specialists should include:

selection and consulting of clients;
monitoring attractive tours and their prices;
concluding deals with tourists;
booking tours and their registration with a tour operator;
keeping up with new developments in the tourism industry.

If you decide to open a travel agency, then at the beginning, take the reins into your own hands. At the beginning of work, this will be correct and appropriate, since you will be able to fully control the process and instantly identify errors in the work.

Positions such as accountant, system administrator, and cleaner may not be on permanent staff. For this you can.

Step 5. Promotion and advertising for opening a travel agency

You can’t just open a travel agency and wait for clients...

No one will know about your services unless you introduce yourself. And you need to engage in active promotion on an ongoing basis, especially if you want to attract tourists not only during the summer and New Year seasons.

You can use advertising tools such as:

sign at the entrance;
handing out leaflets on the street;
advertising in local publications;
radio advertising;
advertising on the city’s social networks and on the Internet.

How much does it cost to open a travel agency?

And now we have come to the culmination of the answer to the question of how to open a travel agency - the financial component.

So, capital investments will consist of the following expense items:

Expense item	Amount, rub.
Total:	425,000 rub.
Business registration	25 000
Payment for the first month of rent	20 000
Indoor renovation	50 000
Room equipment	147 000
Site development	30 000
Payroll for the first month of work	40 000
Outsourcing	40 000
Advertising expenses	60 000
other expenses	13 000

But opening a travel agency is not all. You need to constantly invest money in it.

Therefore, the approximate monthly costs of opening a travel agency will look like this:

Calculation of business profitability and payback period for investments in a travel agency

Having in hand the approximate costs of opening a travel agency and maintaining it, you can predict the level of profitability of the business.

Successful agencies with two managers can conclude up to 300 transactions per month. But most often such indicators are typical for a business that is already established in the market.

We will imagine that the average cost of one sold tour is 28,000 rubles (we take the current dollar exchange rate into account). The commission on the transaction is 10%. And in order for income to exceed expenses, you need to make at least 70 transactions per month (2-3 transactions per day):

70 * 28,000 * 10% = 196,000 rub. (with expenses of 175,000 rubles)

And with this progress, the profit will be pitiful:

196,000 - 175,000 = 21,000 rubles.

Profit after tax:

21,000 - 3,150 = 17,850 rubles.

But let’s assume that such indicators will only be in the first 3-4 months while you are making yourself known. And soon you will bring them to 120-140 transactions per month.

Then your projected income with the same expenses will be:

130 * 28,000 * 10% = 364,000 rub.

With such work, the profit will be: RUB 160,650

Based on such financial calculations, we can assume that the investment in starting a business will pay off within 8-10 months.

The main emphasis is how to open a travel agency, you need to do advertising and, of course, cooperate only with trusted operators. Also, do not discount the motivation of specialists. Create rewards for a job well done. The simplest thing is to pay a percentage of tour sales.

How to open a travel agency from scratch?

From idea to first profit - in one video:

The tourism business itself is constantly evolving, so be sure to follow the latest developments in this area and fully devote yourself to the business, and then success will not be long in coming.

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