How to open a travel agency from scratch? How to open a travel agency: step-by-step instructions What you need to open your travel agency

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

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

Tour operator and travel agency: find 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 of them are 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 in 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 transport for tourists.

As for the implementation of the tour, he can do it on his own or through agencies. The second is to sell the ticket. The travel agency selects the necessary option for the client, informs him about all its nuances

Therefore, the number one difference: the tour operator forms the tour, and the travel agency only implements it.

Secondly, to start a tour operator, you need to register only as a legal entity with certain financial support. While a travel agent can be both an individual entrepreneur and 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 support, 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 the tour at a certain price. And his reward will be a commission, which is set by the company that provides the trip.

Difference number three: the travel agent does not affect 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, the operator is responsible for the "failed" tour, and the claims from the clients will be brought against him.

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 ticket 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 travel agency work scheme

Having decided to open a travel agency, you need to understand the scheme of its work:

The current travel agent is looking for proven operators, with whom he signs a contract for further cooperation.
The travel agent studies the offers offered by the tour operator to the smallest details and starts looking for clients.
If one is found, then the travel agent concludes an agreement with him and submits an application for booking services with the operator.
The tour operator accepts the application and, which must subsequently be paid.
After that, the funds received by the travel agent minus the established commission (as a rule, it is 10-15%) are transferred to the account of the tour operator.
The tour operator transfers all the necessary documents to the agent, who subsequently issues all the information to the tourist.
After completing the transaction, the agency sends the report to the operator, who prepares an invoice for him.

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

The situation on the Russian tourist market

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

The tourist market in Russia does not stop constantly developing. Even in small towns you can find travel agencies that offer their services. Often they are approached by those who wish to travel abroad for impressions.

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

Therefore, deciding to open a travel agency, look for operators who are engaged in such tours.

It is also worth noting that in 2017 the situation in the tourism market has improved significantly compared to the two previous years. And by the way, Russian tourists began to prefer more exotic countries 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 are buying 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, deciding to open a travel agency, you need to bet on:

providing a wide range of services;
competent employees who are focused only on the number of tours sold, but also on high-quality customer service;
cooperation with trusted and well-known tour operators.

Opening a travel agency is associated with risks that must be taken into account:

Seasonality - it so happened 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 better.
Lack of stability- changes in the exchange rate, 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 customers may decrease.

Inability to accurately predict the results of work- even with a detailed study and analysis of tour sales, it is impossible to accurately calculate the estimated 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 costs will go to the arrangement of the office, the creation of a website and, of course, promotion.

The very process of opening a "tourist" business will consist of the following stages:

Stage	1 month	2 month	3 month	4 month
Choosing the name of the travel agency	+
Business registration	+
Search for premises and its arrangement	+	+
Operator search		+
Site creation			+
Recruitment			+
Advertising				+
Business start				+

With well-coordinated and properly organized work, it will be possible to open a travel agency in 3-4 months.

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

So, you have analyzed the market, assessed your capabilities and are sure that this business is for you. Now you need to start taking specific 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 that, you can proceed to 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 a whole network, or you want to start a business with a partner, then choose an LLC.

When applying 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 basics of tourist activity in the Russian Federation" it is allowed to use the simplified tax system: "Income" 6% or "Income-Expenses" 6-15%.

Step 2. Search and arrangement of premises for a travel agency

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

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

crowded places;
sleeping areas in which 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, decorative items.

The approximate expenses for the repair and arrangement of the premises will look like this:

Name	Quantity, pcs.	price, rub.	Total cost, rub.
Total:	-	-	RUB 147,000
Worker table	2	4 000	8 000
Chairs	4	1 000	1 000
Customer sofa	1	10 000	10 000
Rack	1	10 000	10 000
Laptops	2	30 000	60 000
IFIs	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 will be the search for operators. This step must be approached with all responsibility, since if any inconsistencies arise, then the client will remain dissatisfied with your work.

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

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

The most popular travel operators in Russia:

Step 4. Recruitment of personnel for opening a travel agency

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

The responsibilities of these specialists should include:

selection and consulting of clients;
monitoring of attractive tours and prices for them;
conclusion of transactions with tourists;
booking vouchers and their registration with a tour operator;
tracking novelties in the field of tourism.

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

Positions such as accountant, system administrator, cleaning lady may not be on the 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 if you do not declare yourself. And you need to engage in active promotion on an ongoing basis, especially if you want to lure tourists not only in the summer and New Year's season.

You can use advertising tools such as:

sign at the entrance;
distribution of leaflets on the street;
advertising in local publications;
radio advertising;
advertising in social networks of the city 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 items of expenditure:

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

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

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

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

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

Successful agencies with two managers can conclude up to 300 deals per month. But more often than not, such indicators are characteristic of an already established business in the market.

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

70 * 28,000 * 10% = 196,000 rubles. (at an expense of 175,000 rubles)

And with this course of business, the profit will be penny:

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

Profit after tax:

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

But let's suppose that such indicators will be only in the first 3-4 months, while you declare yourself. And soon you will bring them to 120-140 transactions per month.

Then your projected income for the same expenses will be:

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

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

Based on such financial calculations, it can be assumed that investments in starting a business will pay off in 8-10 months.

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

How to start a travel agency from scratch?

From idea to first profit - in one video:

The tourism business itself is constantly evolving, so be sure to keep an eye on the novelties in this area and fully devote yourself to the business, and then success will not be long in coming.

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No crises, political battles in the country will force a person to give up his favorite and pleasant hobby - tourism. Travel business at all times has remained and will remain the most constant and demanded type of service provision. Why not take advantage of this popularity and build a successful business?

There are a lot of travel agencies. The competition is huge. But the flow of potential tourists is endless to one tour operator, while the other is in constant shortage. There is a desire, potential, then everything will work out and you will be able to become successful in this type of entrepreneurial activity.

Well, how open a travel agency, tips can be found here. The main thing is, armed with this idea, to make all the calculations correctly, to think over all the steps, using the tips presented here:

What is the tourism business;
Features of tour operator activities;
Registration of a travel agency;
Business plan for a travel agency;
Operator search;
Office space;
Furniture, equipment, interior;
An important component of success is employees;
Site - the face of a travel company on the World Wide Web;
Place your bets on prestigious beach resorts;
What are the prospects for such a business.

This story doesn't have to be the basis for starting a business. But many tips can come in handy.

What the article is about:

What is the tourism business

There are many types of entrepreneurial activity hidden under the concept of tourism business. This is one of the most profitable destinations. Therefore, travel agencies are opening up everywhere that are destined to be successful.

You shouldn't think: that's it, this is my niche and I decided open a travel agency. It remains to find an office, hire employees, place advertisements and the flow of clients is guaranteed. Haste, thoughtlessness of all steps, are the main mistakes of novice businessmen, and not only in the tourism industry. For all its seeming simplicity, it is quite difficult to survive and become the best in the world of tough competition.

Choosing a tour that suits the customer is not enough for future success. First of all, it is necessary to realize in what direction the future travel agency will work and what services to provide. After all, each travel agency can carry out activities in several directions:

tour operator activity;
travel agency;
timeshare.

If the first two types of activities are a little familiar to the common person, then many do not even have the slightest idea what a timeshare is. To put it simply, this is the sale of rights to club recreation. But even this gives little idea to a person whose activities were not related to tourism.

Moreover, a travel agency can be outbound, domestic, or inbound.

Outbound tourism is recreation and travel of citizens on the territory of other countries.
It is already clear that the inner is a journey or rest on the territory of one's own country.
Accordingly, entry is the rest and travel of citizens of other countries on the territory of our country.

The modern tourism business, in general terms, has a solid capital, provides a large number of well-paid jobs, and is closely interconnected with a variety of industries. After all, tourism is the combined activity of a huge network of hotels, restaurants, transport companies, recreation centers, sanatoriums, health and sports centers, entertainment establishments, excursion companies, private translators and travel companies themselves. The close relationship between these companies guarantees future success. Opening a travel business and working alone will not work. Read more: What is network marketing. MLM business on the Internet.

Features of tour operator activities

Such a travel business implies the work of a legal entity or individual to provide intermediary services between a tourist and a travel agent for a commission. The peculiarity of this type of activity is that the tourist operator buys a tourist product (tour) and provides it to the latter, that is, directly to the tourist.

Recently, the travel business has been combining the roles of a travel agent and a tour operator. So, acting as a tour operator, the company independently forms a tour or offers a tour that was formed by another tour operator. Then such a company already acts as a travel agent.

If it is difficult to deal with such puzzles at first, then before opening a travel company, an entrepreneur must understand that the activity is carried out on the basis of current legislation. This requires:

legal form of ownership;
financial security in the form of a bank guarantee;
liability insurance contracts;
a license to conduct this type of activity, although not always.

All travel agencies must be included in the Unified Register.

It is more difficult to register an agency than to simply open a travel agency. Therefore, it is best to read and carefully study all the step-by-step instructions. Despite the fact that this type of activity does not always require a license, the procedure itself to open a travel agency is not simple. If in doubt, it is best to seek help from a reliable law firm, which, for a small fee, will help you to go through this not so much complicated but painstaking procedure without hindrance.

In the meantime, the lawyer will deal with the preparation of the papers, the future travel operator or agent can deal with other preparatory issues.

Registration of a travel agency

Registration of a tourist business provides a number of features. An inexperienced person faces a lot of problems when registering their agency. After all, this is not just a procedure for registering an entrepreneurial activity. There are many more questions to be resolved:

determine the legal form of business ownership;
leave a sensible business plan;
develop a marketing concept;
choose an office space;
pick up staff;
employee training;
define the style of the company;
organize document flow and reporting.

These are by no means all the questions that have to be addressed at the first stage. A person who has no experience in this can simply panic at the first failure and give up everything, but having achieved the main thing.

And failures will and will have to be overcome not so much because of their own ignorance, but because of the negligence of some officials. No one in state-owned companies, where registration and business registration takes place, will explain anything. In such offices, you are more likely to encounter rudeness and this must be foreseen, embarking on a difficult journey to create your own travel agency.

It is more profitable to contact a legal or consulting company that will help in solving these and many other complex issues even at the moment when the agency starts its activities. These are professionals for whom such a routine, paper bustle is a familiar daily work. Or build a travel business using a franchise.

Business plan for a travel agency

A well-thought-out business plan is not some kind of clever paper. This is a personal, step-by-step program to promote your own business. With such a plan, it is easier to carry out activities and analyze possible errors, causes of failures and ways to eliminate them. When drawing up such a plan, it is necessary to enter the most important points into it, using only real data and opportunities. These items may include:

financial opportunities;
operator selection;
office and its renovation;
marketing and advertising;
office equipment and software;
recruitment and training of personnel;
forthcoming expenses, including rent, utility bills, salaries, taxes, contingencies;
estimated profit.

There can be many more items. It all depends on the personal preference of the manager. But without experience, you can make mistakes or simply not take into account important points. Such as financial risks, strategic development of the company, tools for expanding the client base, and so on. nothing to worry about. Drawing up a plan, as well as registering a company, can be entrusted to a consulting company or lawyers.

These are people who are worried about the development of the company under their care. Therefore, in case of failures, they conduct an audit and look for ways to eliminate errors. It is like a reliable teacher in the vast world of competitive business. But even an absolute beginner is quite capable of solving some of the questions on his own. These simple but important questions from the strategic business plan will be discussed below.

Operator search

The task of the future successful operator is not only to open a travel agency, but also to make it prestigious and in demand, popular. It is difficult even at the preparatory stage, but it is possible. Testimonials from grateful customers will benefit in the future better than any advertising. Therefore, it is important to take care of the prestige of your company, which depends not only on a bright sign.

Initially, especially if there is no experience, it is necessary to carefully choose a tour operator. This is a company that develops tours, approves routes, book tickets, pays for excursion programs and guide services. In a word, it provides the future tourist with everything necessary to make the vacation memorable, full-fledged, interesting and, of course, at a reasonable price. A new entrepreneur who is just planning to open a travel agency will have to offer all these formed tours to potential clients. The more tours are sold, the higher the commission. It's simple. Such joint activities should not be carried out on oral agreements.

This is preceded by an officially signed contract. Oral can only be a preliminary agreement, which is sealed on paper with signatures and seals after it turns out to collect all the documents and open a travel agency.

When choosing a tour operator, you need to understand that this way you provide not only income, but also earn the prestige of the company. They must be reliable companies with a good reputation.

Office space

Such a company cannot provide its services simply by telephone. The presence of an office with a prestigious, comfortable atmosphere is a must. Having come to the office, a person should see the happy faces of the welcoming employees. After all, he is sure that this person has seen everything offered with his own eyes, so he talks about this tour with such enthusiasm. It is important to captivate, interest, prove that this particular offer is the best for him.

If such a conversation takes place in a shabby office, then it will not inspire confidence in the client. It may be a rented space, but in a crowded area with many offices and businesses. As practice shows, a modern person prefers to select tours during lunch breaks or during a window in a busy work schedule. In sleeping areas, you can find an office. But the flow of people will be much smaller.

Well, the most profitable is to open offices of your company in large shopping centers. Walking in such a center in his free time, a potential client can simply see a bright sign and ask for proposals for the near future. Not the fact that he will immediately buy the tour. But the contacts of the company will certainly be taken into account if the conversation went exactly as it was described.

Do not be upset if a hundred of the past couples did not choose a single tour and only the one hundred and first agreed to buy. 80 percent of those who passed today will try to charmingly return and purchase what was recommended here.

If the office space does not have proper repair, then it is worthwhile to provide for such an item of expenses. Presentability is the prestige of a travel agency. It is equally important to take care of advertising. This is not only an advertisement in the press and its own website on the Internet, but also a bright catchy outdoor advertisement, a prestigious sign. There is no way to create a layout for this yourself, you can ask the designer for help.

It is beneficial to place posters with the best resorts in the office, and to distribute brochures with the best deals to each visitor. Brochures, booklets, catalogs will definitely be reviewed at home more than once. And not only by the owners, but also by their guests. The name of the company with the address of the site, legal address, contacts should appear on almost every page. Therefore, you need to think about the name. It should be simple, sonorous and simply memorable.

Furniture, equipment, interior

If you have to promote a new name in the huge world of the tourism business, you cannot save on the interior. This is how the first impression is made. After all, the client should not know that a huge fortune was spent on this chic, prestigious, comfortable environment. Maybe it was the last money. The visitor is sure that he has ended up in the office of a reliable, prosperous company that provides its services at a high level. This is a costly undertaking, but it is future prestige and glory.

The technical equipment is several telephone lines, computers with the Internet, a printer or MFP. It's important to have software. Which will help you select the most profitable tours and book them.

Employees are an important component of success

These are people who, in the very near future, should become reliable partners who can be completely entrusted with their business. It is advisable to select employees from among people with experience in this field of activity. But, as practice shows, having gained experience in another travel company, such people open their own travel agencies. But, if you set yourself a goal, then you can find such reliable assistants.

For the first time, you will need at least two managers. If the flow of clients increases, then you can expand the staff at any time. At first, it is not advisable to educate and train your own personnel. This can be done a little later, registering such newcomers as trainees at lower salaries. It is important that these are sociable people with a pleasant appearance and voice, who know how to conduct business or have negotiations, depending on the situation.

It is desirable that the leading manager has access and has information about all the most prestigious and beneficial directions for both parties. It should be recalled that prestigious travel agencies often send their employees on sightseeing tours at the expense of the firm. This practice greatly simplifies the work of a manager and broadens his horizons. The tour, which the manager knows everything about, sells much faster.

Moreover, it can be used as a reward system for your best employees. It is not necessary to pay a colleague in full for the tour. It could be a family trip with a decent discount. At the beginning of its activity, it is rather expensive to give such gifts to employees. There is also the tax and other government services, which are very counting on such gifts.

In addition to professionals of this level, you will need another specialist who monitors the financial condition of the company and not only. This is an accountant who is rightfully considered the boss's right hand. Business cannot be successful without high-quality accounting. Read more: How to open a coffee shop from scratch.

Site - the face of a travel company on the world wide web

A prestigious travel agency cannot do without a website. So you can declare yourself not only within one city, region. The site will help to increase the client and base around the world. It is important to trust the creation of a site to professionals who are not only able to create a beautiful site with a convenient navigation system, but will also constantly promote it on the web. It is necessary for it to be in the first positions of all search engines on the Internet.

Website design shouldn't be too flashy, but attractive enough. So that just one glance will cause the desire to go to him. The navigation system is important to visitors. It is simple and understandable even for children, so that in an instant it would be fashionable to find a suitable tour with complete information about it.

Count on prestigious beachfront resorts

In general, the following directions are considered the most popular in the tourism business:

beach tourism;
business;
sightseeing.

Beachfront accounts for over 50 percent of the entire share. It should be emphasized, especially at the very beginning of the activity, giving preference to inexpensive and most popular resorts in Egypt, Bulgaria, Turkey, UAE, Greece, Croatia, Bulgaria, Malta. Part of this list can be given to tours to Spain, Italy, southern France. Several months of work I will help to determine what is most in demand.

And another equally important aspect is the cost of the tour. It is easy to guess that resorts are more popular, the cost of vouchers for which does not exceed $ 500. This is economy class for people whose income is no more than $ 800 a month. There are most of them, respectively, this is the most demanded segment of the market.

What are the prospects for such a business

The prospects for this business are quite large, even despite the huge competition. It is developing rapidly and makes it possible to develop a personal agency. With such a rapid growth, in a couple of years there will be a real opportunity to create not just an agency, but to become a full-fledged travel operator with great fame.

This opens up even greater prospects. In this case, it is already possible to independently create tourist tours and implement them through other travel companies not only in your city, but also around the world. If possible, it is necessary to register with the Unified Register, to insure legal liability. If such a prospect is frightening, you can remain in the status of a travel agency, but expand your network, choosing not only one city. This is an activity in which you need to constantly grow. Otherwise, a lot of competition will simply survive from this prestigious market.

New travel agencies are mushrooming. But not everyone is able to withstand the fiercest competition, and after a year, no more than thirty percent of last year's newcomers remain on the market. These are not simple words, but static data. But having survived this struggle, new prospects and stable, highly profitable business are opening up. Don't stop there. Only constant movement and the search for new, even more interesting directions will allow development and advancement. Good luck in a difficult, but promising and such an interesting field!

The tourism sector, despite the fact that it has been experiencing certain difficulties for several years, remains quite profitable. Anyone who does not have big savings can be engaged in tourism business. In addition, such entrepreneurial activity brings a lot of positive emotions, because it becomes possible to help people in organizing recreation. However, there are still some nuances that should be taken into account in order not to lose the funds invested in this business. We will tell you about all the intricacies of how to open a travel agency from scratch so that you do everything right.

Features of the tourism business

Before opening a travel agency, you need to understand what a travel agency is, what is the essence of its activities. First of all, you need to learn the meaning of some concepts.

A travel company is an agency that acts as an intermediary between the travel operator and the person who wishes to travel. It can fulfill obligations:

Tour operator - a company that must develop and advertise through the media various tours that are in great demand among the population;
Travel agent - a company that implements tourist tours: makes transfers, sells tickets, worries about accommodating clients and organizing excursions for them.

You should also know, before opening a travel agency in Russia, what will be the responsibilities of your company. Typically, a travel agency provides the following services:

Issue visas for clients in accordance with the requirements of the tour operator with whom the contract has been concluded. If something is done wrong, the responsibility for it should be the responsibility of the travel agency.

Provide clients with a full package of documents required for the trip:

Tickets (air and railway);
Medical insurance;
Accommodation voucher;
Memo about the state to which the tourist is going;
Book all the services requested by the client;
Timely pay for the tour operator's work.

Advantages and disadvantages

If you have made the decision to open a travel agency from scratch without experience, think over and calculate what positive and negative moments may arise on your way.

The main advantages of the tourism business include:

It is developing rapidly, which means that you will be able to provide services to people not only in Russia, but also abroad, which will also bring you great profits;
You will have a wide choice of travel operators, besides, you can conclude cooperation agreements with more than one operator, with several at once - this is the first thing you need to open a travel company;
The flow of people willing to go on a trip is constantly growing, and it does not end all year round;
The paperwork is simple, done quickly and fairly cheaply.

Now let's consider a few negative points that you should be aware of before starting a travel company:

Quite a high level of competition - many start-up entrepreneurs are thinking about how to open a travel agency from scratch, because they understand the profitability of this business;
If you do not pay enough attention to the advertising campaign to promote your travel agency, you can completely lose customers and be left without orders (in this case, the risk of losing your investment increases);
In the warm season, the demand for tourist trips is much higher than in the cold season, but this is a controversial issue, because there are winter resorts where people are happy to go for the New Year and Christmas holidays.

Activity registration

If you want to open a travel agency, you must carefully read the Law of the State "On Tourism", which outlines all the requirements for how to open a travel agency from scratch without work experience. We will list you in detail what you need to open a travel agency:

A travel agency can be registered as a legal entity LLC or as a private institution of sole proprietorship.

To register a new institution in the state register, one resident is enough, who can sell tours within the country and abroad.

You will have to obtain a written commitment from any banking institution that will vouch for the services of a travel operator in the event that the travel agency cannot do this (without this guarantee, no operator will agree to cooperate with the agency). However, the bank will issue an appropriate guarantee only if the founder of the travel company provides a package of documents, which will include:

Certificate of state registration;
Charter;
Current account data;
Copies of contracts confirming the lease of the premises where the company is located (if the premises are personally owned by the owner, then you must provide a document confirming the ownership);
Passport;
A copy of the head's TIN;
Certificate of registration with the tax service.

It is necessary to develop special client agreements that you will conclude with clients who will order tours from you. Everything must be spelled out in these agreements: the date of payment, the date of issue of the tourist voucher.

It will also be necessary to develop rules for tourists: who will meet them in the country where they go, accompany, conduct excursions. It is advisable to include these rules in the client agreement so that the tourist signs the document after reading them.

It is also recommended to conclude a contract with an insurance company, however, this is an optional moment. If you want your clients to be insured, then it is better to provide them with a medical policy and other types of property insurance (for example, a car).

Recommends to conclude a sub-agent agreement with any airline through which you will buy tickets for your customers. This is very beneficial because in such cases, airlines offer many lucrative bonuses.

Draw up an approximate business plan of how to open a travel agency, so that you know what expenses await you, how you need to act so that they are quickly reimbursed and begin to turn into consistently high income.

Location selection criteria

If you do not have your own premises, then the main thing you need to open a travel agency is to find a suitable place to rent it. We've put together a few location options that you can consider before starting a travel agency in 2020:

You can open a travel agency in the central area of the city. At the same time, it is desirable that:

The room was at least 20 m² in size;
It should be located on the first floor of any apartment building, but still it is better to select office buildings;
It is necessary to hang a bright sign with advertising on the premises so that people passing by can see what services you provide (the fact that your travel agency is located in the city center will make them believe in your prestige and high level of customer service).

You can open a travel agency in the building of the business center. What you need to open a travel agency in such an institution:

The premises should have a fresh modern renovation so that the agency looks presentable and solid;
You will be able to serve not only tourists who will come to you from other parts of the city, but also employees of a huge business center;
However, you will not be able to advertise in such territory;
At the checkpoint in any business center, there is an access system that will repel customers.

You can choose premises for a company in a shopping center. We will give you some basic recommendations in such an institution:

Choose a boutique where there are always a lot of people (it is better for this to consider the departments where they sell clothes, shoes or electronic equipment);
You need to be prepared for the fact that in such an institution you will have to pay a high price for rent.

You can open a travel agency in a residential area of your city:

A large crowd of people who can become potential clients of your agency always concentrate here;
You don't have to pay a lot for rent;
There won't be much competition in such an area.

Room and interior equipment

There is also a very important point that you need to know before starting a travel company from scratch - it must be decorated in a modern, fashionable style. You must understand that if you have an old premises at your disposal, then renovation is what you should definitely start opening your travel agency with. All costs for this must be foreseen by you and included in the business plan.

The premises of your company should always be clean and comfortable. This is necessary so that your clients, coming to the office, can completely relax and unwind in it. This is especially true of situations when a line of people gathers. You need to put various magazines, catalogs, coffee makers on the tables. Also hang on your walls all sorts of interesting things that will inspire your clients to travel.

To open a travel agency from scratch without work experience, you need to purchase furniture and the necessary equipment. It is not necessary to choose expensive models, an economical option is also suitable, as long as it all looks decent and beautiful. You will need:

Computers with printers and necessary software;
Office tables, chairs;
Soft sofas;
Armchairs and coffee tables;
Air conditioning;
Coffee makers with appropriate utensils;
Telephones;
Wi-fi.

Financial investments

Of course, if you decide to start a travel business, you need to know exactly how much it costs to open a travel agency from scratch. We note right away that you will not have to make large investments. The main expenses you will have:

When renting a room;
For the purchase of equipment and furniture;
With an advertising campaign;
To pay a fee if you decide to open a travel agency for a franchise.

It is important to bear in mind that the answer to the question of how much it costs to open a travel agency depends largely on the city in which you live. After all, if you live in a metropolis, then the rent for the premises will be higher than in the provinces. You will only have to spend about 30-60 thousand rubles a month for rent.

In order to put the selected room in order (it must meet certain standards), buy the necessary furniture, equipment and draw up all the necessary documents, you will need to have at your personal disposal about 200,000 rubles.

To promote your travel agency, you will need at least 100,000 rubles. However, note that this amount is relative; it depends more on the channel that will carry out the advertising campaign.

Also, discussing the question of how much it costs to open a travel agency, you need to know that you still have to pay wages to your employees. As a rule, it should be 15 thousand rubles stably and another 20% of the travel agency's monthly profit.

Consider also that the next 6 months after you open an agency, it will not bring you any profit. Therefore, you need to have some financial resources in stock, due to which you can build your business.

Estimated profit

Living in the conditions of the economic crisis, you will surely have a question whether it is profitable to open a travel agency, whether others will use your services. They will definitely be, because, as a rule, people who could afford to travel earlier will be able to do so now. Therefore, do not hesitate whether it is worth opening a travel agency in 2020 if you have a desire to work in this interesting field and the required amount of savings.

If you learn how to sell more than 500 vouchers per year, then monthly your travel agency will make a profit of 50-100 thousand rubles. This is enough to establish itself as a popular segment of the tourism business. The more you sell the tour, the more you can earn. If you are satisfied with such layouts, then do not hesitate for a long time whether it is worth opening a travel agency, and immediately get down to business.

Travel agency as a business model

The organization of your own business in the field of tourism remains relevant, it has been a demanded area for many years. This business niche does not stand still, is constantly in a state of development and growth. As in other branches of business, there is also healthy competition here, so advertising of your own unique services is simply necessary here.

Every year the flow of tourists is growing rapidly, this is another reasonable argument in favor of investing the accumulated funds in tourism. The number of clients is a factor that can influence the profitability indicators in the tourism sector, the growth of profits. Top-of-the-line seasonal offers and loyalty incentives help boost your revenue stream. New creative ideas for organizing tourism business appear every day. Any company that seeks to achieve financial success in the tourism industry must not only engage in customer acquisition with beneficial customer benefits, seasonal benefits, but also create a unique market offer that will be in good demand.

Implementation of tourist equipment

An active type of tourism is gaining momentum today. Today there are many people who intend to spend their legal holidays not only in comfortable hotels and equipped sandy beaches, but also in an open-air tent. For the sale of tourist inventory to be efficient, an entrepreneur needs to find out the needs of customers in advance.

The first condition for the successful operation of a tourist shop is its good location, well-chosen, affordable assortment. You can also create a center for the issuance of such shells for rent, sell them via the Internet, create a second-hand sale of used tourist equipment. All these activities help to reduce the cost and increase the demand for these goods.

Today, a new direction of the tourism business called caravanning is gaining momentum. This term means a comfortable type of travel, in order to make it, you do not need expensive trips to resorts, plane tickets. The only thing that needs to be purchased or rented is a van specially equipped with all the comforts, the so-called mobile home. This way of travel has a lot of beneficial advantages - you don't need to carry a heavy load on your back in the shape of a backpack, live in a simple tent, pay for accommodation in motels, while travelers get complete freedom of action, because they are not tied to a specific place.

You can sell new vans, rent them out, or use them for special tours organized by the company for clients.

Cycling is not only a pleasant way of spending time, but physical activity, which maintains all the main muscle groups in good shape, significantly improves the overall condition of the figure. Riding a bike can turn into an exciting journey, the positive effects of which can be compared to a long visit to the gym. Another advantage of organizing this type of business is that the bike does not spoil the environment, significantly saves money and time.

To organize such cycling tours, you need to recruit experienced personnel, implement interesting ideas for creating unique routes of all kinds of difficulty.

Extreme Rope Jumping

This type of extreme entertainment has arisen relatively recently, but many citizens of our country are not yet familiar with it. An increased interest in this kind of extreme is manifested among young people who want to experience an incredible rush of adrenaline; among the middle generation, there are also many people who are ready to experience new unforgettable sensations.

This type of entertainment is jumping from a high enough point on an elastic long rope that is firmly tied to the legs. This type of sports entertainment is fraught with a certain risk, so you need to select experienced staff for the staff, purchase high-quality equipment, and also learn how to select the right objects for extreme jumps.

The creation of animated holidays is becoming one of the most popular types of services today, since not every person has enough imagination to organize interesting leisure. Such a program can have not only an entertainment focus, but it can be organized on a sports theme. You can create a relaxing getaway for clients or some other form of entertainment, but the purpose of starting a business is to enhance the enjoyment of spending your free time fun.

Organization of sports and amateur tourism

Amateur tourism is a special tourist trip along the route chosen by oneself. Experienced instructors recommend proven routes to clients, from which they choose the most suitable option.

Sports tourism is considered an advanced form of self-tourism. Such trips are highly complex, therefore their organization is carried out at the state level. Both of these types of tourism are considered good forms of pleasure, so they bring good profits.

Carrying out unique journeys to places of power

Nowadays, a fascination with various unusual phenomena is considered a rather fashionable trend. Some people firmly believe in various anomalous zones, in good luck. many travelers are sure that in places of power they will be lucky, for truths that were previously inaccessible to them will be revealed.

The organization of seasonal tours to such special places will also be quite profitable, because the flow of people wishing to visit them is growing every year. Such places, where a person feels himself perfectly, exist in reality. The mountainous beauty of the Altai, the Urals, and the clean forests of Siberia have a special beneficial effect on the human body.

Every aspiring businessman can organize special tours to special places, gain spiritual experience.

Another attractive niche in the tourism business is the organization of children's hotels. Many parents go on summer vacations with their children, and some just want to take a break from everything and relax. There are proven ways to solve this problem - to give your dear child to grandparents or send him to a health camp. A small hotel designed especially for young guests is considered a creative idea.

For this purpose, you can choose a beautiful room in an attractive area, comfortable rooms for 1 to 4 children, various types of entertainment programs for little fidgets. A hotel for young guests should have competent educators, a small cozy dining room.

Underground green park

Due to the rapid pace of urban development and dense development of territories, fewer and fewer free areas remain for green parks. If it is not possible to allocate space for a green park, then in some European cities it is necessary to break such sites on the spacious roofs of apartment buildings or create parks underground.

Such a unique underground park can be of real value for tourists; people from all over the world will come to see it. In order for such a park to function and develop normally, it is necessary to create special lighting and other conditions there for the comfortable development of plants. for this purpose, modern high-tech solutions will have to be used; the creation of such parks can become a source of excellent profits.

For many, doing laundry while hiking is a problematic task faced by almost every traveler. They, as a rule, take a minimum of things with them on a hike; in conditions of limited water, they have to postpone washing until a convenient occasion.

More recently, an Australian inventor, Ashley Newland, came up with a small portable washing machine that weighs only 150 g and requires only 3 liters of purified water to run. This technical miracle costs only $ 40. This convenient thing will soon experience the peak of its popularity, you can start selling these compact models or organize a center where tourists can wash their clothes.

This is another lucrative niche in the tourism industry that, with the right approach, can become a permanent source of income. This type of tourism implies a complete rejection of the traditional rest in cozy hotels, where a full range of services is included. Its task is to leave the traditional comfort zone, to create an atmosphere of complete unity with nature. It is this type of recreation that is required by those businessmen who are tired of large metropolitan areas, fashionable five-star ones.

To open a business in the field of ecotourism, you need to find a place where there is pristine natural beauty. For this purpose, a small village is suitable, where every city dweller can feed chickens and ducks, take a steam bath in a real Russian bathhouse, and enjoy a true Russian feast. Rest in a real Russian outback is a great way to restore physical and mental strength.

Acquisition of an operating travel agency

On the basis of official statistics, the last year was characterized for tourism by a leap in the growth of sales of operating firms. But the demand indicator of this segment always remains constant. Against the background of a change in the exchange rate, many travel agency founders managed to foresee their probable collapse. The financial problems encountered by large tour operators were the reason for a sharp increase in their sales.

Despite this, Russian domestic tourism is still a promising niche for many investors. Many business leaders have failed to meet the demands of today's clients because they have not fully applied innovation. Among them are the following important technologies of our time:

complete lack of proper communication with the client on the Internet;
available Internet sources are not updated as often as modern times dictate;
there is no detailed online source of information about the current travel agency;
all services posted on the page do not function correctly, the necessary payment systems do not work.

To avoid similar problems with the likely collapse of the company in the future, an aspiring entrepreneur can organize an online agency.

The main advantages of an electronic agency

The online segment, as a rule, offers the client goods at a reduced cost due to cooperation directly with suppliers.

These online agencies have the following beneficial advantages:

significantly save precious client time;
the client sees in front of him a ready-made offer with all the following details, he does not need to clarify the details. The only thing that may be required is assistance in filling out the electronic form and correcting the chosen route for travel;
application of modern technologies and developments.

Some travel agencies are developing unique systems for finding the necessary information on the site. Those entrepreneurs who have already opened travel agencies note that Russians use the Internet more often when ordering any overseas tour than representatives of Europe. But the rate of penetration of our Russian tourists into the network is constantly growing. According to statistics, many Russians, before choosing a particular tour, look through the information available on the Internet. It is for this objective reason that many travel agencies choose the organization of domestic tourism as their main activity, since our compatriots are primarily interested in the beauties of their country, prefer to relax in the country rather than leave it.

When creating such an online business, a novice entrepreneur may face the following problems:

in order to make sure that their funds transferred to the travel agency are safe, in order to entrust this or that company operating via the Internet, many clients prefer to personally visit the operating office of the company. There they will see the team that will help to settle all the formalities when registering a voucher;
all booking and payment systems uploaded to the site must work like clockwork, not give any failures, otherwise financial theft may occur. The unstable position of foreign currency affects the final cost of the ticket;
the procedure for returning and exchanging purchased tickets is quite difficult and time-consuming;
in such work there is always a risk of leakage of important information, because in order to make a payment, the client will have to enter a unique number of a personal plastic card, important personal data.

Many experts claim that the organization of online agencies should be included in the official tax base. At the same time, they need to really prove that this new type of activity will develop in the future, over the years only progressive growth of this industry will be observed.

Important benefits of starting a tourism business

Many entrepreneurs choose tourism as their main activity; starting a business in this area has the following advantages:

the invested funds quickly pay off;
a small amount is required to open;
rapid increase in business profitability;
the presence of a stable legislative framework aimed at regulating the activities of travel companies and operating operators.

Instead of organizing a travel company from scratch, it is much easier to acquire an operating company with important intangible assets, among which a good, unblemished name, accumulated experience of successful advertising campaigns, and the presence of an accumulated client base can be noted.

Small summary

Summing up all of the above, creating your own travel agency or acquiring a ready-made business is a promising action. At the initial opening of the entrepreneur, small costs are expected: monthly rent of office space, the hiring of 2 competent employees, the purchase of the necessary furniture and high-quality office equipment. After everything is settled, you can start your active work, because the commission for any tour operator is up to 10% of the total cost of the tour. Tourism loves accuracy and timely information; an error in the departure time of a flight can cost operators several thousand rubles.