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places for his airplane seat, his hotel reservation, his rental car, and whatever else he may want for his trip.

In return for the customers who are brought in by the agencies, the airlines give special care and attention to the agents. The typical airline reservation office has one or more agents who handle nothing but travel agency business. They may set aside seats on some popular flights just for the agencies. They also give assistance to the travel agents in working out fares. Airline fares have become very complex in recent years, with a great variety of special categories – high season and low season fares, for example, or 21-day excursions and 45-day excursions, family plans, and many others besides the customary price difference between first-class and economy class. The problem becomes even more complicated when the trip has several legs – different segments of the trip on different flights, often on different airlines. The routing of a particular trip also frequently makes a difference in the total fare.

Computerization already has caused some changes in the travel agency business and will continue to cause additional changes in the future. Practically all airlines in the United States, westernWestern Europe, Japan, and the more highly developed resort areas now have computerized reservations systems. Many of the hotel chains use computers to keep better control of their bookings. In fact, many of the hotel chains are really computer referral systems; in other words, independently owned hotels that have joined together to computerize their reservations.

Many travel agencies are equipped with computer terminals, devices that permit access to the information stored in the computer. An agent can use the terminal to ask the computer a question and receive an answer in a matter of seconds. This makes possible the immediate confirmation of reservations for airline seats, hotel rooms, or rental cars.

As packaged tours have assumed greater importance in the tourist industry, retail travel agents have become the principal channel for selling tours to the general public.

A typical travel agency has a rack of colorful brochures that illustrate the delights offered by a wide variety of tours. The cost of this kind of promotion is paid for almost entirely by the tour packagers. They prepare, print, and distribute the brochures, and they also absorb the national or even sometimes international, advertising costs. The retail agencies may do some local advertising, although even in the case costs may be shared with tour packagers or transportation companies. The agencies also make direct mailing to lists of customers who might be interested in particular travel offerings.

There is some difference in emphasis in the kind of business handled by travel agents in the major tourist markets and those in the major tourist destinations, especially those that do not themselves generate much tourist traffic. In the market

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areas, the emphasis is on selling travel services and tours to people who are going to some other place. The agencies in the tourist destinations, on the other hand, often put a great deal of emphasis on services the traveler will need while he remains in that area. These services include local sightseeing tours, arrangements for independent travel, currency exchange, tickets for local entertainment, and so on. Since the agencies in some tourist areas deal with many foreigners, language skills are often more important than in the market areas. It should be noted that many places are both tourist and market areas that offer the entire range of travel services.

The travel agencies business offers many attractions to people with experience in the tourist industry. Unlike most other retail businesses, there is no need for the storage

and display of large quantities of merchandise. This means that the initial cost of setting up an agency and the continuing overheads are low in comparison with other retail businessesestablishments. A good location, however, is an important factor in the success of an agency, and so office space may be expensive. Another factor in success involves establishing a steady clientele. The best customer for a travel agent may be a corporation whose executives make a large number of business trips every year. For customers who come in off streets, so to speak, satisfying their travel needs is the best way to assure repeated business.

A recent trend that has developed among travel agents is to operate on a chain basis, that is, with several outlets. Some of the large travel companies have operated in this way for many years. Now the smaller agencies are also branching out. Some of them have opened offices in different parts of the same city or its suburbs, while others have opened offices throughout an entire region.

Any retail business involves a great deal of contact with the public, with all the pleasures and pains that such contact may bring. This is doubly true for travel agents, since they are selling services and not goods. Many of their customers expect them to either advise them on where they should spend their vacations, or to advise them on hotels, restaurants, health problems, and so forth in all parts of the world. It cannot be emphasized too much that the successful sale of services depends on pleasing the customer. Among the ways in which the agent can serve the customer is by keeping up

with changing fares so that he can offer his customers the best bargains – or at least knowing where he can get reliable information – and helping them to work out complicated fares. The agent must also keep up with changing government regulations

for international travels – visa and health regulations, customs information, airport taxes

– so that he can give the traveler accurate information. The agent must even be alert for

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possible political problems in the tourist destination countries. One of the primary necessities for recreational travelers, as we observed before, is personal safety.

The retail travel agent is paid by means of commissions – percentages of sales made through the agency. The commissions vary from country to country and from time to time. However, some approximate figures would be about 7% for sales of tickets on

the scheduled airlines, from 5% to 15% from hotels (although some resort hotels may pay even higher commissions, especially in the off-season), about 10% for tours on the scheduled airlines, and about 5% for charter tours. These figures indicate a rather small profit margin, since they constitute the bulk of the business for great many agents. Some kinds of activity provide a higher rate of return, however. Travel insurance, which many agents handle, may bring in commissions of 25% or more; and tour arrangements for independent travelers also bring in higher returns. It should be noted that the transportation and accommodations companies pay these costs directly to the agents. They are only passed on indirectly to the consumer.

Any retail business involves a great deal of contact with the public, with all the pleasures and pains that such contact may bring. This is doubly true for travel agents, since they are selling services and not goods. Many of their customers expect them to either advise them on where they should spend their vacations, or to advise them on hotels, restaurants, health problems, and so forth in all parts of the world. It cannot be emphasized too much that the successful sale of services depends on pleasing the customer. Among the ways in which the agent can serve the customer is by keeping up with changing fares so that he can offer his customers the best bargains – or at least knowing where he can get reliable information – and helping them to work out complicated fares. The agent must also keep up with changing government regulations for international travels – visa and health regulations, customs information, airport taxes – so that he can give the traveler accurate information. The agent must even be alert for possible political problems in the tourist destination countries. One of the primary necessities for recreational travelers, as we observed before, is personal safety.There are of course many rewards other than financial ones for the travel agent. One of them for some people simply involves dealing with the public and serving their needs. Another involves the opportunity to do a great deal of traveling themselves. Finally, since many travel agencies are small businesses that are owned by the people who manage them, they provide opportunities for independent operation that would not be found in a large corporation.

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Comprehension

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1. Answer the questions.

1. How does retail travel business differ from other kinds of businesses? 2. In what way is a travel agent different from a tour operator?

3. What makes travel agencies very attractive to customers?

4. How are the relations between travel agents and airlines built up? 5. In what way have computers changed travel agency business?

6. What kind of promotion do travel agents offer?

7. How does travel agency business differ in the market areas and in the tourist destination areas?

8. What factors are important for the success of a travel agency? 9. What is a recent trend in travel agency business?

10. What does any retail travel business involve?

11. What do the customers expect from travel agents? 12. What rewards do travel agents get for their work?

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2. Sum up what you’ve learned about:

a.important factors for success in travel business;

b.the difference between travel agents and tour operators;

c.advertising policy of travel agencies;

d.the relations between travel agents and airline companies;

e.the recent trends in travel agency business;

f.the emphasis on selling travel services in the market areas and in the tourist destinations;

g.the ways to make travel agency business successful;

h.the rewards for travel agents.

3. Read the statements, define whether they are true or false, and speak on them.

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1. All retail agents also operate as tour packagers or operators. 2. The growth in the number of travel agencies has closely related to the growth of the airlines.

3. Many travelers prefer to go to travel agents to conveniently make all their arrangements at the same place.

4. The airlines treat travel agents just like any other customers.

5. Airline fares are so easy to figure out that there is never any need for a travel agent to get expert help.

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6. Many transportation and accommodations companies now use computers to keep track of their reservations.

7. Even with a computer terminal in the office, it takes several days for a travel agent to confirm reservations.

8. All travel agencies in all locations throughout the world emphasize the same kind of services. 9. The initial cost of setting up a travel agency is very high.

10. The location of a travel agency is an important factor in its success. 11. A travel agent does not have any direct contact with the public.

12. One of the rewards of being a travel agent is the opportunity to do a great deal of traveling.

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объёме; обмен валюты; руководитель компании; расширить предприятие; прямая почтовая рассылка, надёжная информация; за считанные секунды; постоянная клиентура; необходимые стимулы; хорошее местоположение; обеспечивать личную безопасность туристов; финансовое вознаграждение.

Exercise 2. Give Russian equivalents.

Retail travel agent, one-stop convenience, customary price difference, computerized reservation system, intensely developed resort area, to permit access to the information stored in the computer, entire range of travel services, initial cost, overheads, steady clientele, profit margin, to constitute the bulk of the business, to provide a high rate of return, to keep up with changing fares, to be alert for; computer referral system.

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Exercise 3. Give synonyms.

To cause, to establish, to attract, to make up, to plan, reservation, vigilant, main, stable.2. Fill in the spaces in the following sentences with the appropriate word or phrase.

Clientele, in return, reservations, to distinguish, overheads, economy class, set up, commissions, alert, growth, the retail travel agent.

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1. ________ sells all kinds of tourist products to the general public.

2. He ________ a trust fund for his niece. 3. They let us use their computer, and ________ we are giving them the results of

our research.

4. ________ air ticket costs much less. 5. Their office is in central London, so their ________ are very high. 6. Our ________ have /has always favoured quality rather than quantity. 7. Even an expert would find it hard _________ between the original painting and the copy. 8. There has been a sudden ________ in the market for home computers. 9. Passengers should try to stay _________ at all times, and report any suspicious

packages to the police.

10. Have you made ________ for our holiday yet?

11. The retail travel agent is paid by means of _________ .

3. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

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A.

1.Рост числа авиалиний привёл к соответственному росту количества агентов по розничной продаже туристских услуг.

2.Компания собирается расширяться, и её руководитель поехал в Лондон,

чтобы открыть там филиал.

4.3. Путешествие, состоящее из нескольких этапов, создаёт дополнительные проблемы агентам, так как они должны обеспечить предварительные заказы на разные авиалинии.

5.4. Многие авиалинии в настоящее время имеют компьютеризированные системы предварительных заказов.

6.5. Гаваи – один из самых интенсивно развивающихся курортов в мире. 7.6. Компьютерные терминалы, которыми оборудованы сейчас многие турагентства, дают доступ к информации, содержащейся в компьютере.

8.7. Использование компьютерного терминала делает возможным немедленное подтверждение предварительного заказа на авиабилеты, комнаты в гостинице.

9.8. Красочные рекламные брошюры иллюстрируют удовольствия, предлагаемые большим разнообразием туров.

10.9. Так как агентства во многих туристических районах имеют дело с иностранцами, знание языка очень важно для турагента.

11.10. Хорошое местоположение, постоянная клиентура – важные факторы в успехе агентства.

12.11. Некоторые туристические компании открывают офисы в разных частях города или даже по всему региону.

13.12. Первоначальная стоимость открытия турагентства и последующие накладные расходы невелики по сравнению с расходами на создание других предприятий розничной торговли.

14.13. Турагент должен знать об изменениях в правилах для международных путешествий, чтобы он мог давать путешественнику точную информацию.

15.14. Возможно, компьютерные терминалы станут неотъемлемой частью в сфере международного туризма.

16.15. Турагенты оказывают помощь туроператорам в продаже туров, являясь главным связующим звеном между туроператорами и путешественниками.

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16.Комиссионные турагента зависят от того, каким видом деятельности он занимается.

B.

Турагентства являются неотъемлемой частью туристического бизнеса. Это те «розничные точки», где клиенты могут получить все виды туристических услуг в одном месте. Это удобство и определяет популярность этого вида бизнеса. Для успешной работы турагентства существенными являются такие факторы, как его месторасположение, наличие постоянной клиентуры и правильные методы рекламной кампании. Еще одним важным звеном в работе турагентств является их взаимодействие с транспортными компаниями, особенно авиалиниями.

За последние годы в работе турагентств произошли значительные изменения, вызванные внедрением компьютеров в этот бизнес. Компьютеры позволили настолько упростить доступ клиентов ко всем видам туристических услуг, что возникла проблема жесткой конкуренции с заказами через Интернет. Однако, несмотря на это, люди все же предпочитают лично обсудить проблемы своего отдыха с опытным экспертом.

Discussion

*Answer the questions.

1. How does retail travel business differ from other kinds of businesses? 2. What factors are important for the success of a travel agency?

3. What kind of services does a travel agency offer?

4. In what way is a travel agent different from a tour operator? 5. What kind of promotion do travel agents offer?

6. What makes travel agencies very attractive to customers?

7. How are the relations between travel agents and airlines built up? 8. Why are airline fares so complicated?

9. In what way have computers changed travel agency business?

10. How does travel business differ in the market areas and in the tourist destinations?

11. What does any retail business involve?

12. What do customers expect from travel agents?

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12. __________Language skills are more important for agents in market areas than in destination areas.

13. __________The initial cost of setting up a travel agency is very high.

14. __________The location of a travel agency is an important factor in its success. 15. __________Many travel agencies have begun to open branches within the same

city or region.

16. __________The customer pays the travel agent directly for all services that are purchased through the agency.

17. __________A travel agent does not have any direct contact with the public.

18. __________One of the rewards of being a travel agent is the opportunity to do a great deal of traveling.

Speaking

1. Think and answer.

1.Why is travel agency business attractive to very many people?

2.Are there many people in this business? Why (not)?

3.What qualities are needed for those who want to work as a travel agent?

4. Is travel agent business in Russia similar to that in other countries? Give examples. 5. Is this business well developed in Russia?

6.Does it have good prospects for further development? Give your reasons.

7.Would you like to be a travel agent?

2.Summarize the activities and methods of operation of a travel agency. If possible, use a specific travel agency in your locality as an example.

Part two

Listening The needs of the business traveller

Pre-listening

1.In groups, discuss the following questions.

1.From the travel agent’s point of view, what differences are there between dealing with a business traveller and an ordinary tourist?

2.What does a business traveller look for when arranging a trip?

3.When arranging (a) a flight and (b) a hotel, which of these things are most important for the business traveller?

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