The line separating travel agencies and tour operators is blurring each day. As the tourism industry is expected to generate $716.80 billion in 2022, the competition has grown fiercer. It has become extremely important to not only improve your existing offerings but to keep tabs on what your competitors are offering.
As a tour operator, you need to constantly compete with the travel agencies existing in the market. In order to expand your business further, you can observe the travel agency services offered and see what you can add to your array of facilities.
This will not only help you to diversify your business, but you can also connect with your customers more. Whether a tourist is looking for a travel agency or a tour operator, you can simply offer them the best of both worlds.
8 Travel Agency Services That a Tour Operator Must Provide
Here are a few travel agency services that you can start offering your customers:
Offering Top-Notch Packages for Different Countries
One of the major differences between a tour operator and a travel agency is that while the former sticks with mostly domestic locations, the latter dares to venture out to unknown territories.
One of the major services offered by a travel agency is creating international tour packages for their customers. Whether a tourist wants to explore the scenic white-sand beaches of the Maldives or explore the meandering lanes of Paris, a travel agency makes sure that the tour packages they offer fully satisfy all your needs.
This is one of the travel agency services that a tour operator must provide. After all, tourists are generally looking for all-inclusive packages in order to enjoy a hassle-free international holiday. These packages may include tourist attractions, accommodation options, enjoyable activities, and more.
In addition to offering wonderful international packages, you can also offer the best possible rates to your customers which is among the top travel agency services. You can organise the entirety of your customers’ trips, from the very beginning to the very end, by scheduling their flights, planning their schedule, and recommending activities and destinations.
Reserving Airlines, Railways and Bus Tickets
One of the major travel agency services is to reserve airline tickets or book railway and bus tickets on behalf of the customers. You can start your own travel operator business from the comfort of your own home and offer to book domestic and international flights for customers at the most competitive costs.
But that’s not all. A tourist might want to purchase a railway ticket for any of the coaches or ride a bus, sleeper, semi-sleeper, AC or non-AC seater bus. Therefore, a tour operator must provide flexibility to tourists to opt for this service.
Plenty of times, a tour operator can also offer exciting discounts and offers on the tickets or simply include the prices in the total cost of a tour package. This is among the top travel agency services that a tour operator can provide.
Offering Assistance With Visa
Travel visas are essential documents that must be shown in order to enter the majority of nations throughout the world. One of the most important travel agency services is to offer assistance to tourists with visas. A tour operator should be able to meet all of the travel requirements of a tourist in a timely and straightforward manner.
Everything, from acquiring a visa to purchasing airline tickets, should be taken care of for tourists by the tour operator. In this way, tourists are able to rely on the experienced assistance of a tour operator without worrying about any potential problems in the future or issues that may arise at the last minute.
By fulfilling all the requirements, a tour operator is able to facilitate people’s travel to the Schengen Area, the United States of America, Australia, Canada and more such countries.
Connecting With Local Businesses
Plenty of travel agencies also maintain professional relationships with local businesses of a destination. From restaurants to cab service providers, a travel agency may stay connected with various businesses that exist in the tourism ecosystem and hustle hard to provide their customers with the best possible rates.
This is one of the travel agency services that a tour operator must aim to include in the array of facilities provided by them. This can allow you to expand the conveniences offered to your customers and be a one-stop destination for them.
Offering online assistance
Leveraging technology in order to maintain communication with your customers is the need of today’s hour. This is one of the most effective travel agency services. Whether you need to send regular messages to your customers or resolve their queries, you need to have a good grasp of technology and the internet.
Not to mention, by offering online assistance, you are able to be present where your targeted audience is. As per a report, it is estimated that about 700 million people will make their bookings online.
We have truly turned into a society that doesn’t sleep. It means that you need to stay readily available for your customers, from the first step of planning the trip to the post-trip feedback loop.
In addition to having human staff available for tourists via online mode, you should also invest in an AI chatbot with a human touch. A chatbot can play an important role in resolving any basic queries and keeping customers engaged as well when they visit your website.
Travel Insurance
One of the most important travel agency services is offering travel insurance to their customers. There are various kinds of travel insurance available, and a tour operator must actively work on providing it to their customers. Travel insurance covers a wide range of services, including emergency assistance, money transfers, and more.
A tourist might need medical expense coverage in case of accident and sickness or need compensation in case of pre-paid expenses, such as hotel stays and plane tickets. Considering the concerns of your customers, you can provide them with the right travel insurance. There are several other kinds of coverage available for tourists as well. For instance, luggage coverage in case of delayed coverage or missing luggage can be covered by your travel insurance.
In fact, there is travel insurance available in case a flight get unexpectedly delayed or cancelled. Or in case, there is damage caused to other people or their property by the tourist, then it can also be covered by an insurance policy.
Bureau De Change Service
One of the significant travel agency services is related to currency exchange. A tour operator can include this particular service in the catalogue of facilities provided by them to their customers. Whether a tourist would like crisp notes to be delivered to their doorstep or invest in forex travel cards, a tour operator should be able to simplify the entire process of currency exchange for them.
Provision of Travel Information
One of the most basic travel agency services includes providing accurate travel information to tourists. Be it keeping tourists updated about vaccination requirements in a country, acquainting them with the culture and societal rules of a new place, finding the quickest and most cost-efficient routes or letting them know about the fun things they can try out at a tourist destination, a travel agency makes sure that their customers are fully prepared before embarking on a journey.
As a tour operator, you must try to include this service in your array of offerings. Not only does it keep the tourist informed but also makes them feel like you are genuinely involved in their plans.
Conclusion
It is important to become an all-rounder in today’s market in order to retain customers. Instead of allowing them to move from one company to another, be a one-stop destination for them and hold fast to their loyalty.
With the help of Pathfndr, you can easily manage all these travel agency services. Supported by 15+ algorithms, Pathfndr allows you to create a seamless booking flow for your customers and make use of travel booking management tools to simplify various operations.