Why are travel agencies necessary in the 21st century?

This is what we have learned from many experts in the pages of print publications, on television, on the Internet forums. In their opinion, one who asks the travel agency: a) overpays; b) a suction cup. Despite the enormous numerical superiority of the leading lights of tourism, I still venture to argue shyly with them. And to structure my own answer, I will divide my arguments into two parts: quantitative and qualitative.

In the first group it is a question of money. In short, it is more profitable to rest: via a travel agency or independently? And here is the answer: it all depends on where and why you are gathered.

For major beach destinations (Turkey, Greece, Montenegro, etc.), it is cheaper to go through a travel agency. If you are planning to visit a non-obscure point of the world (or a beach, but not very popular in our market) – yourself.

The explanation is simple and if you think about it, the evidence. If there is a constant flow of tourists in a certain direction, travel agencies will strive to direct it, for example. Yes, imagine, these bad guys want to make money from you! For this insidious goal, they exchange rush hour seats in the busiest hotels in advance.

Imagine that you own a famous hotel. Who would you give a bigger discount: a travel agency that buys a few dozen rooms for the entire season or a direct customer who reserves one or two rooms for a week or two? The answer is sad for sofa critics, but, alas, we expect that. In addition, guided by their indefatigable greed, the major travel agencies often order charter flights. Conceived? You must pay these merchants not only for accommodation but also for the flight. My God, now they want to pay you twice!

You should also pay attention to the fact that booking a tour in a travel agency makes sense if you pursue primarily the goals of your trip. This becomes especially obvious if you visit several cities during the tour. It is no coincidence that excursions to Europe (and not only) do not lose their popularity for many years. And here, the explanation is quite simple: the cost of group excursions is always much lower than that of individual excursions.

It's time to bring the arguments of second group. This is not a question of quantitative comparisons of the more / less expensive type, but of qualitative criteria. And the question remains the same. What is the best way to plan your vacation: through a travel agency or by yourself?

It seems that who knows your needs better than you? And what do you really need to discuss? The saying "Wanna do – do it yourself" was not born of anything. But not so simple. Let's start by comparing the main sources of information available to travel agencies and customers, on the basis of which the decision to choose a tour will be made.

Travel agencies:

• Internet notice.
• Notice of friends and acquaintances.
• Customers' opinion.
• Impressions received during study visits (promotional visits).
• Participation in webinars, workshops, seminars and exhibitions.
• Communication with colleagues (employees of travel agencies).
• Privileged information about hotels and tour operators.

customers:

• Internet notice.
• Notice of friends and acquaintances.
• Communication with the staff of the travel agencies.

It is clear that the ability to obtain the necessary information from travel agencies and their potential customers differs considerably. But this is precisely what directly affects loyalty to make the coveted decision.

Let's move on to concerns. And what will happen if … (followed by an exhaustive list of traveler's popular nightmares – from "unpopulated" to "stolen documents or money")?

In case of self-organized trip to a foreign country, you will be left to yourself. In the case of acquiring the circuit in the travel agency with qualified help, you will certainly help. Decent travel companies have accumulated considerable experience in solving such problems. I fear that most of those who read these lines do not even have a clear idea of ​​the type of incidents that occur each year for travel agency clients. And how many times.

The first example. In the morning, Australian tourists went to the car rental company, where a car was reserved for them a long time ago. In the evening, an expensive and expensive hotel in another city was waiting for tourists for half a thousand kilometers. The next day, an individual excursion was ordered, then something else. In short, the program was tight. And then, suddenly, it turned out that the employees of the company refused to provide them with a rental car. Our beloved Belarusian rights did not suit them, you see. Just in case: in Minsk, at that time, it was three in the morning (from Saturday to Sunday, of course). The clbadics of the genre, whether false … Nothing, we have discussed several times with the southern hemisphere, raised our partners and is facing an unexpected situation. All was well, the tourists continued their route along the road. But the night was restless.

An example of the second. A family with children tried to save money and bought an excursion to Egypt with a departure from Ukraine. The family went to Kiev by car, but did not take into account the summer waiting lines at the border (even though we warned them!) And were late for the full flight. Absolutely confused, they called us with one question: "Guys, what should we do?" High season, Sunday, the office does not work … In short, everything is fine. After phoning the entire Ukrainian capital, we still managed to negotiate with other partners (not those with whom the tour was purchased) to sell the shortest tickets to the nearest departure possible. The trip was not completely disturbed and the exhausted nerves of the sea were cured and returned to normal.

The third example. A Spanish woman stole a purse with pbadport and money – in the hotel lobby, where a transfer should arrive in a few minutes and take her to the airport. Home After a cool rest. Oil painting: the documents were gone, there was 20 euros left in the pocket, expelled from the hotel, the visa expired … We just sighed, we looked at each other in silence and it all started : calls, endless conversations in Viber, emails, accommodation and meals, transfer to the consulate. to issue a certificate of return to the country, to transfer at least a little money to a tourist, to buy a new return ticket … We are great. We succeeded.

… stories can last forever. But the idea that they illustrate, I hope, is understandable. A trip to another country is always an encounter with something unexpected and unusual. And all these meetings are not always pleasant. And it is not always easy to solve the questions that arise. Summary: It makes sense to enter into an agreement with a travel agency if you are not sure if you can deal with the problem in an unusual situation.

I may have listed the main arguments regarding the qualitative aspect of the question. He was ready to stop there and draw conclusions, but the inexorable logic of writing this article has led to that, in the process of opposition, invisible connoisseurs want to address two other points .

The moment first. Please answer the simple question: what is the big and terrible Booking.com, at the sight of travel agencies that should nervously smoke in the evening? I will not discover America if I say that in a sense it's the same travel agency, it's just great. And, like any commercial organization, it seeks to earn money from you. She too has her own achievements (many) and her weaknesses.

I will personally give a textbook an example that has been going on for ten years now. Be careful, I have not made a reservation: not an example, it was ten years ago, but ten years (!). Thus, a expensive expensive five-star foreign hotel during the high season on its website offered a price of 175 euros per night. On the site we are discussing now, the price was generally lower by 10 euros. The site is also perfectly familiar, the room of the Minsk travel agency in the same hotel was worth it – fanfare! – exactly 100 euros.

A huge difference, is not it? But now, I urge you not to applaud such a wonderful travel agency, but I want to convey the content of my informal conversation with the staff of the reservation department of this hotel. To the direct question: "Do Belarusian customers book vacations via Booking.com?" – an affirmative answer followed: they say, there are many. Curtain

How is it that the difference in cost between a weekly tour is "half a piece" of imported money, and that there are still many people reserving the same thing, but frankly more expensive? In order to complete you completely, I can say that the Minsk travel company for its military achievements and its considerable tourist flow is indicated on the hotel website as their representative in Belarus. Nevertheless, some of the potential customers did not even convince.

And the second moment. Just as there can not be a single tablet for all occasions, it is also wrong to use the same tool for independent travel planning. My colleagues will easily confirm the fact, unexpected for many, that for different tasks – and for different regions! – It makes sense to use different reservation systems. To order apartments – one, to look for sanatoriums – for others, for the selection of hotels – the third. In fact, there are many similar software packages, ranging from "optimized" solutions for private customers (and thus known to the general public) to solutions designed for business use (and, as such, the general public is unknown).

It's time to come to conclusions … I remember reading this maxim once: each pilot of his training goes through three stages:

1. I know nothing
2. I know everything.
3. I know something.

Thus, the vast majority of accidents occur in the second stage. When we are confident and confident. When we believe that the devil himself is not our brother. Like, swam, we know, and necha we noodle on the ears to hang. Nothing like? Do not you feel the badogy with the subject of the article? Trust the professional guys. They have always stayed in our country. Not as much as I would like, but they are. Look.

Alternative notice read here:

Traveler Oleg Sadovnichy: I have traveled a hundred countries and I have seen no reason to contact intermediaries

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