Manual of Travel Agency Practice, Third Edition

243 Pages·2003·3.05 MB·English

by  Gwenda Syratt

Manual of Travel Agency Practice
Dedicated to the memory of
George Syratt, Sylvia, Daisy and Frederick Plumley
Manual of Travel Agency Practice
Third edition
Gwenda Syratt FInstTT, FInstCM
with
Jane Archer
AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD
PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO
Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann
Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP
200 Wheeler Road, Burlington MA 01803
First published 1992
Reprinted 1993
Second edition 1995
Reprinted 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Third edition 2003
Copyright © 1992, 1995, 2003, Gwenda Syratt. All rights reserved
The right of Gwenda Syratt to be identified as the author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 0 7506 5689 1
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Printed and bound in Great Britain
CONTENTS
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
1 Introduction 1
2 Package and group tours 3
Introduction 4
Planning a group tour 6
3 Short breaks, special interest holidays, theme parks, holiday centres,
accommodation and theatre reservations 21
Short breaks 22
Special interest holidays 23
Useful addresses 26
National parks 28
Skiing 30
Holiday centres/hotels 32
Accommodation 37
Theatre reservations 40
4 Coaching and incoming tourism 44
Coaching 45
European coach holidays 48
Making a reservation 48
Incoming tourism 51
5 Cruising 62
Introduction 63
Passengers and passenger density 64
Factors in cruise costs 65
Some nautical terms 66
International river cruise destinations 67
Ocean, river and canal cruising 68
Client information on cruising 71
Cruising areas 73
6 Car rental 78
Benefits of car rental 79
Growth of car rental 79
Contents
Tariffs 80
Car groups 81
Fuel consumption 81
Car rental insurance 82
Organising car rental 84
7 Ferry services and railways 90
Ferry services 91
Making the reservation 96
Railways 97
8 Airlines 105
Introduction 106
IATA traffic and conference areas 107
Most logical routings 110
Aircraft types 111
Fear of flying 112
Deep vein thrombosis 112
Seat pitch 114
Charter airlines 114
Organising an itinerary 119
Time differences and elapsed flying time 121
Passports, visas and health regulations 123
Special services for passengers 125
Airport information 127
Stopover holidays 128
9 Technology 135
Introduction 136
Understanding systems 136
Travel agency systems 136
Viewdata 139
Global distribution systems 142
GDSs and e-commerce 143
10 The Internet 145
Introduction 146
A brief history 146
How the Internet works 146
Getting on-line 147
Tour operators and the Internet 147
The Internet as a marketing tool 150
Travel portals 151
11 Insurance 154
Holiday insurance 155
What is included in a travel insurance policy 155
Exclusions 156
vi
Contents
Specialist insurance – pre-existing illness, dangerous activities 157
E111 coverage 158
Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) code of conduct 158
Terminology explained 159
Making a claim 161
Information required before issuing a policy 164
Insurance tips for travel agents 165
12 Finance 167
Introduction 168
How travel agents earn their income 168
Operational costs of an independent travel agency 169
Security 170
Legal and regulatory requirements 170
Handling cheques and credit cards 172
Cheques 172
Foreign currency 175
Travellers’ cheques 176
The euro 177
Disposable income 180
13 Skills 182
Skills required to work in a travel agency 183
Product benefits for the client 183
Using the telephone 185
Sales techniques in the office 186
Identifying the client’s needs 187
Closing the sale 188
After-sales service 188
Client relations 189
Time management 191
14 Handling complaints 193
Introduction 194
ABTA and arbitration 196
Solutions 203
Glossary of terms 219
Index 221
vii
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Foreword
The growth of the Internet has had a huge impact on travel, with mor e businesses
driving sales direct to consumers via the web and airlines reducing distribution costs
by cutting commission to travel agents.
Ironically, though, there’s never been a better time to be a travel retailer.
Notwithstanding terrorist attacks, international upheaval and health scares, research
proves people now see an annual holiday as a necessity, not a luxury. And the
growth of the no-frills carriers has meant more people are taking more overseas trips
more often.
There’s no doubt the drive by airlines and tour operators to cut costs makes it an
extremely challenging environment for the trade, but the best staff in the best
agencies will continue to thrive.
Many high street retailers now charge service fees on air ticket sales where the
airline does not pay commission, and this trend looks set to continue. But only those
travel agents providing quality service will be able to persuade customers to pay a
fee rather than go to an Internet cafe´ and do it themselves.
With its comprehensive guide to selling everything from coaching and cruising to
car rental and air tickets, this book tells you how to stay ahead of the pack.
Martin Lane
Editor
Travel Weekly