Tourism

The term tourism refers both to travel undertaken for pleasure and to the modern multimillion-dollar business that caters to the tourist's need for transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment, recreation, souvenirs, and social contact.

Tourism from Ancient Times Through the 18th century

Mass tourism is a relatively modern phenomenon, but travelers have reacted as tourists, regardless of the purpose of their journeys, since the beginning of recorded history. To write his history of the war between the Greeks and the Persians, Herodotus personally visited many of the areas making up the Persian Empire. Like many present cultural chauvinists, Herodotus reacted with shock to the foreign ways of Egypt, where, he found, nothing was done as it was in Greece. Probably the most famous traveler of all time was Marco Polo, who recorded his adventures at the court of Kublai Khan; his travels by land through Central Asia, the Gobi Desert, and the Mongol Empire from Tibet to Burma and southern India; and his 3-year sea voyage home after an extended stay of 17 years (127592). After 700 years tourists can still profitably read the observations of that Venetian trader when contemplating their own trips to China and the Far East. Few travelers of any age have ventured so widely or written so authoritatively as Ibn Battuta (c.1304c.1377), who, beginning with a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1326, over the next 30 years covered most of the Islamic world. For equally vivid descriptions of the Muslim holy cities, Africa, and themysterious East, armchair travelers would have to await the narratives of such 19th-century scholar-explorer-eccentrics as Sir Richard Burton and Charles Montagu Doughty. During the 20th century T. E. Lawrence, Lowell Thomas, Freya Stark, and H. V. Morton helped answer this need for vicarious adventure in out-of-the-way places by their knowledgeable accounts. If more people did not take to the road, it was because throughout most of recorded history travel was no pleasure. Roads were poor or nonexistent, inns uncomfortable, and
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transportation expensive and inconvenient. Only the favored few even tried to escape the city for mountain or seaside retreats in summer, or for curative thermal spas if they suffered from ill health. The country estate and the watering place of Roman times and the religious pilgrimage popular in the Middle Ages, however, represented the small beginnings of what would one day become a tidal wave of tourism. From the start some of the spas frequented by the Romans were also centers of luxury, gambling, and high living and thus attracted those who sought nothing but pleasure in other words, tourists. The prestige of Athens as a cultural center even after it had lost its political importance also made it a tourist attraction among Romans with pretensions to learning. By the 18th century the leisure time available to Europe's aristocracy led to a fashion for travel among the sons of the wealthier classes. On the Continent university students were encouraged to spend a year at a foreign institution, while in Great Britain was born the idea of the Grand Tour, an educational journey that comprised a year or two of travel and learning in the major cities of western Europe. One such privileged youth was the Scotsman James Boswell, who between 1763 and 1766 toured Holland, Germany and Switzerland, Italy, Corsica, and France. He was as zealous a journal keeper as he was a traveler, a habit that served him and English letters particularly well when later he recorded The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson (1785). An equally great boon to tourism was the revolution in aesthetic consciousness that transformed attitudes toward nature. Mountains, forests, and seas, which for centuries had seemed forbidding and malignant, were now endowed with majesty, glamour, and even divinity. The rediscovery of the beauties of untamed nature coincided with the newfound love bestowed upon ancient times and all the ruins and remnants of the distant past that were strewn about the European landscape, especially in Italy. This romantic sensibility created the appetite for viewing and sightseeing without which tourism as it exists today could never have evolved.

Tourism as a major International Industry

Both world wars contributed to the American taste for foreign travel by exposing millions of service personnel to the excitement of faraway places. International tourism as a giant industry did not get under way until the 1950s, however. Of the many factors contributing to this boom, the two most important were U.S. prosperity relative to other countries' faltering economies in the postwar world, which gave the U.S. dollar unusual purchasing power abroad, and the advent of jet travel in 1958, which made it possible to cross the Atlantic in seven to eight hours, half the time taken by propeller aircraft and about one-eighteenth that required by surface transport all for about the same price. Jet speeds not only made accessible places that were previously considered remote, such as the South Pacific, the Far East, South America, and Africa, but also opened up the world of international travel to ordinary working people with only a short annual vacation. Adding to the convenience and attractiveness of long-distance tourism were the availability of traveler's checks, which reduced the risks of travel; the incentive of reduced fares by way of Eu-rail passes, issued by Europe's state-owned railway systems; and the increased availability of packaged tours, where inexpensive transportation, accommodations, and sightseeing for groups are all arranged in advance. U.S. tourists no longer constitute a majority in the world of travel-for-pleasure. As other nations grew prosperous they too sent large numbers of tourists out into the world: European nationals, beginning in the 1960s; the Japanese, from the 1970s; and, notably, the once-Communist countries of Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. Tourism now plays a substantial role in the economies of African, Caribbean, and western European nations. Many regions of China and of the former Soviet Union both eager for foreign business and currencies have relaxed once-rigid travel restrictions and improved their tourist facilities.

The changing faces of tourism

The tourist industry is vulnerable to almost instantaneous change when war, terrorism, or disease threatens, or when economies shrink and vacations are spent at home. Some recent examples are: the recession of the late 1980s, which continued to spread its effects on U.S. tourism into the 1990s; the Persian Gulf crisis of 199091, which
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profoundly depressed tourism both to and from the United States; the upsurge of fundamentalist Muslim terrorism in Egypt, which gutted the tourist industry in that country beginning in 1993. On the other hand, new tourist attractions emerge constantly. As a tourist lure, prostitution has uplifted the economies of many nations most notably, Thailand. Ecotourism, the search for nature-in-the-raw, may well become the prime tourist fad of the 21st century, taking visitors to the great wild-animal parks of Africa and rarely seen regions of the Amazon, the Himalayas, and the Antarctic. Tourism is travel for recreational or leisure purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited. Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2007, there were over 903 million international tourist arrivals, with a growth of 6.6% as compared to 2006. International tourist receipts were USD 856 billion in 2007. Despite the uncertainties in the global economy, international tourist arrivals during the first four months of 2008 followed a similar growth trend than the same period in 2007. However, as a result of the economic crisis of 2008, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown beginning in June 2008, with growth in international tourism arrivals worldwide falling to 2% during the boreal summer months, while growth from January to April 2008 had reached an average 5.7% compared to its 2007 level. Growth from 2007 to 2008 was only 3.7%, as total international tourism arrivals from January to August were 641 million tourists, up from 618 million in the same period in 2007. Tourism is vital for many countries such as U.A.E, Egypt, Greece, Thailand and many island nations such as Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives, Seychelles due to the large intake of money for businesses with their goods and services and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services such as cruise ships and taxis, accommodation such as hotels and entertainment venues, and other hospitality industry services such as resorts.
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Tourism Industry
Tourism is one of the most exciting and progressive industries in India. Tourism is also big business. Tourism impacts on almost every industry. The total real output, including direct and indirect expenditure, was worth $73 billion in 2003/04.Tourism is now one of the largest industries in Australia accounting for 536,600 jobs. The tourism industry has a larger output than:
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Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining, Communication Service; and Electricity, Gas & Water Supply.

In 2000-01 tourism generated $23.3 billion to the Indian economy, of which $6.4 billion was generated by international visitors. Tourism also employs 5.3 per cent of the states workforce, or 182,000 people directly. In NSW, tourism is larger than the following industries: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining; Communication services; Personal and Other Services; Electricity, Gas and Water Supply; Government Administration and Defense; and Cultural and Recreational Services.

The Product

With beauty and diversity, India has a wide range of experiences for international and domestic visitors. Tourists enjoy the big city buzz of Bombay, its great restaurants and shopping, the beauty of its world famous harbor. They can then step away to soak up the local flavors of regional of New Bombay. Visitors can laze on a beach, hike in fresh mountain air and journey to the red outback, soothe their soul in one of the World Heritage national parks, take a leisurely drive through the States lush farm regions or stop in the quirky towns and cosmopolitan centers. Along the way visitors will be amazed at what they find fine food and wine trails, lively festivals, Aboriginal heritage tours, amazing landscapes and friendly locals.

Tourism is everyones business

Everyone gains from properly managed tourism. These benefits can be especially significant in regional areas by diversifying the areas economic base and expanding the employment market. In its broadest sense, the tourism industry is the total of all businesses that directly provide goods or services to facilitate business, pleasure and leisure activities away from the home environment. The chart below demonstrates the impact within our economy and community when someone goes on holiday. As you can see it is significant.

The consumer
In the tourism system the consumer is the most important element as the consumer is the reason tourism products and services exist. Everyone working in tourism must ensure that the consumer is fundamental to all business and planning decisions. Consumers have many choices about how to spend their money and leisure time. If they choose to spend their money on a holiday, they will then determine their budget, decide how much time they have available and what types of activities they would like to do while away. Then they will begin to select a destination, decide how they will travel there and make reservations accordingly through a travel agent, wholesaler, over the Internet or directly from the tourism operator.

Marketing your business

Marketing refers to a multi-faceted, on-going process that any successful business is continually working through. It includes activities such as: researching the market, your consumers and products; evaluating research data; developing your business and products; developing your own skills; and promoting, advertising or working with the media to raise awareness of your product and generate sales.

Marketing is often described as the four Ps: product, place, price and promotion. The product includes the physical attributes of the product, branding and packaging. Place is about distribution: the agencies, channels and institutions used to give consumers easy access to purchasing your product. Price must meet both the consumers and your needs. Promotion is explaining destinations, products and services to consumers to help them choose their holiday. Promotion can use a range of media such as print (magazines, newspapers, brochures, posters displayed on billboards, bus stops, the sides of buses, trains etc), television, radio, direct mail, Internet, etc. Providing a holiday package as a prize for a competition or even staying in touch with customers provides promotion of your product.

Consumer Decision-making
The above diagram assists in understanding the process consumers work through in deciding about taking a holiday. It is important to understand this process because it influences all stages of the previously discussed model, especially the marketing/promotion element. Needs Going on a holiday allows people to take a break from their normal life, whether its restful idleness in scenic spots or extreme sports in challenging terrain, on their own, with a partner or friends, or in a large group. Awareness Consumers may have a recognized or unrecognized need for a holiday. Promoting a holiday destination, product or service can help consumers recognize they need a holiday, then raise their awareness of the choices available. Motivation If the consumer is positively aware of a destination, product or service they are more likely to be motivated to visit. Planning/Decision Promotional information helps the consumer decide how to get there, and what they want to do.

Satisfaction If a product delivers what has been promoted, the consumer is likely to be satisfied and have a quality holiday experience, and vice versa. Word of Mouth Consumers share their holiday experiences with friends, family and colleagues. Their word of mouth raises awareness of the destination, product(s) and service(s) with potential future consumers.

Travel Agency
A travel agency is a retail business, that sells travel related products and services, particularly package tours, to customers, on behalf of suppliers, such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and tour operators. In addition to dealing with ordinary tourists, most travel agencies have a separate department devoted to making travel arrangements for business travelers and some travel agencies specialize in commercial and business travel only. There are also travel agencies that serve as general sales agents for foreign travel companies, allowing them to have offices in countries other than where their headquarters are located.

Origins
The British company, Kings, is sometimes said to be the oldest travel agency in the world, but this rests upon the services that the original bank, established in 1758, supplied to its wealthy clients. The modern travel agency first appeared in the second half of the 19th century. Thomas Cook, in addition to developing the package tour, established a chain of agencies in the last quarter of the 19th century, in association with the Midland Railway. They not only sold their own tours to the public, but in addition, represented other tour companies. Other British pioneer travel agencies were Dean and Dawson, the Polytechnic Touring Association and the Co-operative Wholesale Society. Travel agencies became more commonplace with the development of commercial aviation, starting in the 1920s. Originally, travel agencies largely catered to middle and upper class customers, but the post-war boom in mass-market package holidays resulted in

travel agencies on the main streets of most British towns, catering to a working class clientele, looking for a convenient way to book overseas beach holidays.

Operations
As the name implies, a travel agency's main function is to act as an agent, that is to say, selling travel products and services on behalf of a supplier. Consequently, unlike other retail businesses, they do not keep a stock in hand. A package holiday or a ticket is not purchased from a supplier unless a customer requests that purchase. The holiday or ticket is supplied to them at a discount. The profit is therefore the difference between the advertised price which the customer pays and the discounted price at which it is supplied to the agent. This is known as the commission. A British travel agent would consider a 10-12% commission as a good arrangement. In some countries, airlines have stopped giving commission to travel agencies. Therefore, travel agencies are now forced to charge a percentage premium or a standard flat fee, per sale. However, some companies still give them a set percentage for selling their product. Major tour companies can afford to do this, because if they were to sell a thousand trips at a cheaper rate, they still come out better than if they sell a hundred trips at a higher rate. This process benefits both parties. Other commercial operations are undertaken, especially by the larger chains. These can include the sale of in-house insurance, travel guide books and timetables, car rentals, and the services of an on-site Bureau de change, dealing in the most popular holiday currencies. The majority of travel agents have felt the need to protect themselves and their clients against the possibilities of commercial failure, either their own or a supplier's. They will advertise the fact that they are surety bonded, meanings in the case of a failure, the customers are guaranteed either an equivalent holiday to that which they have lost or if they prefer a refund. Many British and American agencies and tour operators are bonded with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for those who issue air tickets, Air Travel Organizers Licensing (ATOL) for those who order tickets in, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), for those who sell package holidays on behalf of a tour company.
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A travel agent is supposed to offer impartial travel advice to the customer. However, this function almost disappeared with the mass-market package holiday and some agency chains seemed to develop a 'holiday supermarket' concept, in which customers choose their holiday from brochures on racks and then book it from a counter. Again, a variety of social and economic changes have now contrived to bring this aspect to the fore once more, particularly with the advent of multiple no-frills airlines.

Commissions
Most travel agencies operate on a commission-basis, meaning that the compensation from the airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and tour operators is expected in form of a commission from their bookings. Most often, the commission consists of a set percentage of the sale. In the United States, most airlines pay no commission at all to travel agencies. In this case, an agency usually adds a service fee to the net price.

Types of Agencies
There are three different types of agencies in the UK: Multiples, Miniples and Independent Agencies. The former comprises of a number of national chains, often owned by international conglomerates, like Thomson Holidays, now a subsidiary of TUI AG, the German multinational. It is now quite common for the large mass-market tour companies to purchase a controlling interest in a chain of travel agencies, in order to control the distribution of their product. (This is an example of vertical integration.) The smaller chains are often based in particular regions or districts. In the United States, there are four different types of agencies: Mega, Regional, Consortium and Independent Agencies. American Express and the American Automobile Association (AAA) are examples of mega travel agencies. Independent Agencies usually cater to a special or niche market, such as the needs of residents in an up market commuter town or suburb or a particular group interested in a similar activity, such as sporting events, like football, golf or tennis. There are two
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approaches of travel agencies. One is the traditional, multi-destination, out-bound travel agency, based in the originating location of the traveler and the other is the destination focused, in-bound travel agency, that is based in the destination and delivers an expertise on that location. At present, the former is usually a larger operator like Thomas Cook, while the latter is often a smaller, independent operator.

Consolidators
Travel consolidators or wholesalers are high volume sales companies that specialize in selling to niche markets. They may or may not offer various types of services, at a single point of access. These can be hotel reservations, flights or car-rentals, for example. Sometimes the services are combined into vacation packages that include transfers to the location and lodging. These companies do not usually sell directly to the public, but act as wholesalers to retail travel agencies. Commonly, the sole purpose of consolidators is to sell to ethnic niches in the travel industry. Usually, no consolidator offers everything; they may only have contracted rates to specific destinations. Today, there are no domestic consolidators, with some exceptions for business class contracts.

Cargo Airlines
Cargo airlines (or airfreight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.

Logistics
Air transport is a vital component of many international logistics networks, essential to managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and other resources like products, services, and people, from the source of production to the marketplace. It is difficult or nearly impossible to accomplish any international trading, global export/import processes, international repositioning of raw materials/products and manufacturing without a professional logistical support. It involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging. The operating responsibility of

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logistics is the geographical repositioning of raw materials, work in process, and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible.

Aircraft used
Larger cargo airlines tend to use new or recently built aircraft to carry their freight, but many use older aircraft, like the Boeing 707, Boeing 727, Douglas DC-8, DC-10, MD11, B 747#747-200F, Ilyushin Il-76. Examples of the 60-year-old Douglas DC-3 are still flying around the world carrying cargo (as well as passengers). Short range turboprop airliners such as the An-12, An-26, Fokker Friendship, and British Aerospace ATP are now being modified to accept standard air freight pallets to extend their working lives. This normally involves the replacement of glazed windows with opaque panels, the strengthening of the cabin floor and insertion of a broad top-hinged door in one side of the fuselage.A number of cargo airlines carry a few passengers from time to time on their flights, and UPS once unsuccessfully tried a passenger charter airline division.

Notable cargo airlines

All-cargo
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ABX Air Aeromodal Cargolifter Airnet Express Air Hong Kong American International Airways/Kalitta Aloha Air Cargo Atlantic Airlines ATRAN Cargo Airlines Nippon Cargo Airlines Atlas Air Arrow Airways Inc. Australian air Express Blue Dart Aviation
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y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y

Burlington Air Express Capital Cargo International Airlines Cargo 360 Cargojet Airways Cargolux Challenger Air Cargo DAS Air Cargo Emerald Air Emery Worldwide European Air Transport (branded "DHL") Evergreen International Airlines FedEx Express Fine Air First Flight Flying Tiger Line Gemini Air Cargo Heavylift Cargo Airlines Jade Cargo International K-Mile Air Kalitta Air Kelowna Flightcraft Air Charter (on behalf of Purolator) Kitty Hawk Aircargo Martinair Cargo Maximus Air Cargo MNG Airlines Murray Air (National Air Cargo Group) LAN Cargo Polar Air Cargo RAF-Avia Seaboard World Airlines Southern Air
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y y y y y y y y y y

Swiftport Tampa Cargo TCS Courier TNT Tol Air Transmile Air Services Turkish Cargo UPS Airlines World Airways Varig Log

Cargo Ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usually specially designed for the task, often being equipped with cranes and other mechanisms to load and unload, and come in all sizes. Today, they are almost always built of welded steel, and with some exceptions generally have a life expectancy of 25 to 30 years before being scrapped.

Types
Specialized types of cargo vessels include container ships and bulk carriers (technically tankers of all sizes are cargo ships, although they are routinely thought of as a separate category).

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Role of Travel Agency

Travel Agent
The selection of an appropriate travel agent is yet another important aspect before planning a corporate travel. The selection of a suitable travel agent can lead to significant discounts and better facilities in a business trip to the overseas. Smaller businesses in particular are more prone to rely heavily on the travel agents before making overseas corporate travels. Nevertheless, a significant number of travel agencies have been seen to have established in the recent times. Most of the travel agencies have mutuality with the major airline companies and the hotels, as a result they are able to provide better discounts on air tickets and hotels for their clients, in exchange of a fee. However, before an appropriate travel agency is chosen before a corporate trip, it should be ensured that the travel agency is well-equipped and computerized. Computerized travel agencies give their clients the best service possible and they provide automated reservation and ticketing services. The role of travel agents is to help his or her customers to get knowledgeable concerning the top-valued packages best suitable to one's budget needs. Additionally, the travel agent also books airline tickets, rents a car service, and arranges accommodation. Informing his customers about the visa procedure and helping to procure the same is another important responsibility for international travel agents. The travel agent also helps in forecasting the weather of a particular destination as well as informs his customers regarding the ideal season to visit. A travel agent serves to provide the needs of these traveling people and educate them of the necessities that they have to consider while making their journeys. The work of a travel agent is pretty similar to that of a real estate agent. He reserves hotels for his customers, books tickets for their fight and is paid by the agency suppliers by a commission. The travel agent can also charge his customers for the service he provides. For example, if an agent books a hotel room for his customer, the agent would send the request to the hotel company and then the hotel would send a commission of
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about 10 % of the hotel price excluding the taxes and other fees. A hotel room for $100 per night would mean an earning of $10 each night for the agent. In order to register with a supplier, a travel agent should open an account with the provider. The membership with the supplier has a few requirements, such as bank balance, sales, experience or knowledge in the required field and some amount as the membership fees. For ordinary travel agents, it is not possible to affiliate with these organizations, in that process the agent can join a travel agency or can start working independently. It is particularly advantageous to work with the travel agencies as most of them are not able to make enough money in the sales with a definite supplier in order to obtain greater percentage of commission or bonuses. By working with an agency with the many other agents can help in increasing the percentage of commission that they can get as a combined result of the sales of all the agents. Working with an agency can also make an agent feel supported and non-isolated and that can boost up his morale as well as help him learn new things. The commissions that the agents get from the suppliers can come from the following products:
 Hotels  Cruises  International Airline Tickets  Travel Insurance  Train Tickets  Car Rentals

Apart from these products, the travel agents can also get additional commission on attraction tickets and some other forms of road transportations, for example, when some customer rents a limousine. Travel agents can provide their customers with prices that are the same as the suppliers and sometimes even cheaper through discounts and special offers. They achieve this by working with the suppliers who affiliate themselves only with the travel agencies. When a
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person wants to choose from the options of booking and information related to their travel, he might not know all the possible things. In that case a travel agent can be very handy. The travel agent can not only give the traveler valuable information, he can also give a good value to his customers, at the same time earning from it. These agents help people save their time and their money before on their travel preparations.

Role of Independent Travel Agent

As an independent travel agent, the individual is not directly associated with any travel agency, but works like a freelancer who is directly associated with various travel related facilities or travel agencies. The duty of independent travel agent is to settle all the necessary arrangements for travel once the customer sets up his or her plan. The travel agent is responsible for letting the customer know about the requisite details in terms of discounted air fare or negotiable hotel price. However, these types of discounts are greatly varied depending on the time of booking. For example: According to general rules, the discounts are more easily available during weekdays, whereas weekend prices are little higher compared to the former. On the other hand, if someone plans to travel during peak season, it is quite likely that booking on time may only come out with good outcome.

Online Travel Agent

In modern times, likewise other products and facilities, internet is the most accessible media in travel and tourism industry. Essentially in most of the cases, customer needs to fill up an online form, mentioning his or her requisites. After receiving the query, the online travel agent provides the customer the quotes available against the query. While submitting query, most of the online travel schedules customization on the basis of customer's own preference. It is the duty of the online travel agent to find the best suitable offer that is precisely aligned with customer's own needs.

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Travel Insurance
While discussing about different facilities provided by independent travel agent or travel agencies, if we do not discuss about travel insurance, the article will surely remain unfinished. Travel insurance covers the prepaid or non-refundable costs associated with cancellation of a trip, delaying in a trip and any sort of interruption occurring during a trip. This is particularly beneficial insuring the costs involved with airfare, hotels, and trip costs. While visiting for any seminar or session, it helps in reimbursing session fees or course fees whatsoever.

Online Travel Agencies

More and more people are using the internet to make travel arrangements. There are hundreds of different online travel agencies that are designed to cater to both the pleasure seeking traveler as well as the business traveler. Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, it behooves you to seek out the rates offered by online travel agencies. Because online travel agencies do not have an office or overhead, they can generally get better deals on airfare and hotel accommodations than travel agents with offices and overhead. Online travel agents usually work from the comfort of their own homes and are fortunate enough not to have to go into an office. The savings that the company receives by not having an office can often be passed on to the customer. There has never been a better time to travel, both on an international and domestic level. Prior to booking your trip with an online travel agency, you should investigate several different agencies so that you can be sure of getting both good service and the best rates available. If you are traveling for business, you may choose an agency that caters to business travelers. There are many online travel agencies that specialize in making business travel arrangements for customers. If you are charged with making your own travel plans when you travel for work, you should look into using an online travel agent who may be able to get you a cheaper rate for airfare and hotel accommodations. Online travel agents are usually privy to the best discounts available when it comes to both air fare and hotel bookings. They are also able to get you a rental car. It makes sense to use good travel agents
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when planning a large trip, particularly if it is an international trip. Not only will they be able to save you money, but they will know everything that you need to bring when visiting another part of the world.

Business Travel Agencies and Services

More people are beginning to travel farther for business travel. Because the internet has become such an important part of life worldwide, more companies than ever are doing business on an international level. Because of this phenomenon, there is a growing need for business travel agencies and services like never before. Today, commercial travelers have more options than ever when it comes to taking business trips. Business trips used to be routine and boring. Most people who worked for corporations would take one or two trips a year if they were in a management position. Others, who were in sales, would travel more frequently. Today, however, more people are traveling not only domestically but also internationally for business. It has become necessary, therefore, for commercial travelers to seek out certain business travel agencies and services such as those that cater strictly to the business traveler or act as a virtual tour guide. Commercial travelers usually have more needs than a holiday traveler. While a holiday traveler is out to enjoy sightseeing and have fun, a commercial traveler must be sure that they have all of the comforts of their office when traveling. A good business travel agent will know the best hotels where a business traveler can be assured of having uninterrupted service of their internet usage as well as their cell phone. Some of the services that business travel agencies offer include the following: Special rates for business class and first class air flights. Some airlines offer business class that gives a business traveler a little bit more room in flight. This can be especially helpful when embarking on a long flight, particularly if going overseas. Business class is a service offered by most airlines and is a step below first class and a step above coach. In some cases, it can cost the same as coach travel. A good business travel agent may be able to

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get you better air flight accommodations than you would be able to get if booking on your own. Hotel amenities for business travelers: A good business travel agent will know which hotels have the best amenities for commercial travelers. There are many different hotel chains that have emerged over recent years that cater strictly to commercial travelers. They realize the different needs of commercial travelers and provide internet access, facsimile access and telephone access as well as spacious accommodations and working space.

Car rental service

Business travelers can usually get a better discount on car rentals when booking through a business travel agent than if they book a car rental on their own. The automobile rental market is very competitive and it is important for rental agents to try to procure the favor of travel agents by offering them lower rates on automobile rental. In addition, because a business traveler can usually get away with a smaller vehicle than those traveling with a family, they can often save quite a bit of money.

International Travel Hosts

Some business travel agencies have private hosts that work on an international level to give first class treatment to business travelers. These travel hosts help business travelers find the best restaurants, nightclubs and will act as translators when necessary. They are also adept at understanding the rate of currency exchange. If your business takes you away on an international level and you find yourself booking a trip to a place where you have never been and do not speak the language, ask your business travel agent if they offer an international travel host service.

International Travel Services

If your business travel takes you to other countries, you will need to find out about obtaining a passport, an international driving license and laws and customs of other countries. In addition, you will need to know a little of the language of that country, the
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currency that is used and about electrical appliance adaptors. A good business travel agency will be able to offer the commercial traveler international travel services such as information on all of the aforementioned items. Business travel agencies and services that cater to commercial travelers are growing by leaps and bounds. More services are available than ever before for the commercial traveler to make business trips pleasant, affordable and productive.

Corporate Travel
The travel that is made for the purpose of business, keeping entertainment as a secondary motive is known as corporate travel. In most cases corporate traveling is financed by the corporations or the company under which the person makes a trip. Typically, the travel includes trip across the borders in the other countries for the betterment of the business or for signing a new contract. It is also known as Business Travel and is an advantage to the corporation financing the trip. Business travel is commonly known to be as luxurious as well as time efficient. The most common destinations across the globe where business travels take place at all times are Hong Kong, New York City and London. Many organizations have been developed on the basis of corporate travel, such as the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). Several factors are taken into account while planning a business trip and typically that depends on the size of the business. The factors include the selection hotels, airlines, car rentals, travel agents and others.

Hotels
The selection of hotel is perhaps the most important and critical factor while planning a corporate travel. A number of sub factors are taken into account such as the location of the hotel from where the business would be easier to carry out, the quality of the hotel where the business delegate would stay during the trip and carry out the task and most importantly the cost of the hotel which depends on the first two factors. However, smaller corporations are known to emphasize more on the last factor regarding the selection of the
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hotel. Budget hotels and cheap lodgings are mostly preferred by these corporations. Business corporations often rely on the accommodation provided by the airline companies incase of a delay or cancellation of a flight, especially during an important trip to the overseas.

Air Travel
Typically corporate travel is done in the overseas and thus the selection of the appropriate airlines is also an important factor to consider before planning a major corporate travel. The preference of a particular airline company depends on the comfort, reliability and punctuality. However, smaller corporations who emphasize more on minimizing the cost can take several steps in order to lower down the expenses. Smaller corporations can book the tickets in advance in order to lower the fare of the travel, using the services of a single airline in order to enjoy certain discounts as being the regular customers and lastly they can travel using the budget airlines that are quite available now a days to reduce on the cost.

Car Rentals
The usage of cars can be mandatory for efficient and much easier business trip in the overseas. A number of car rental companies can be found in all the major hotels across the globe. However, car rentals can also be found on discount at times and are sometimes provided by the travel agents, as selected by the specific corporation for their travel. Smaller businesses can make car rental confirmations in advance in order to enjoy discounts on them or the special discount coupons obtained from the travel agents which had been selected by the corporation for the travel.

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Functions of Travel Agency

Preparation of Itineraries
Tourist itinerary is a composition of series of operation that are a result of the study of the market. A tourist journey is characterized by an itinerary using various means of transport to ink one locality with another. Preparation of different types of itinerary is another important function of a travel agency. A travel agent gives advice choice for their holiday or business travel. The study and the realization of the itineraries calls for a perfect organization ( technical and administrative) as also knowledge of the desires for a holiday and the propensity to receive tourist by the receiving localities.

Liaison with Providers of Services

Before any form of travel can be sold over the counter to a customer have to be entered into with, they provides of various services. These include transportation companies, hotel proprietors, the providers of surface transport like motorcars or coaches for transfer to and from hotels and for sightseeing etc.. and also for general servicing requirements. The work carried out under these heading is usually that of the owners or senior employees of agencies concerned. In the case of a large agency with worldwide ramifications, the liaisons work involved a great deal of coordination with the principals.

Planning and costing tours

The contracts and arrangements have been entered into and their, comes the tasks of planning and costing tours, both for inclusive programmers and to meet individual requirements. This job is intensely interesting and at the same time challenging. This job calls for a meticulously mined person and calls for considerable training and ability. Many agencies with the cooperation of airlines and other transportation companies take the opportunity of arranging educational tours for such staff to the countries with which they deal. Many large agencies have people who authorities on particular countries and, in addition to a general programmes, many will issue separate programmes dealing with territories. Separate programmes dealing with holiday offers based on specific forms of
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transportation, e.g. air, rail, road and sea, may also be prepared. Programmes also have to be issued to cover different seasons of the year. Publicity is an important part of the programme. Having spent considerable time and money on preparing all that goes into the issue of a programme, publicity must feature considerably in the activities of a travel agency and more so if the agency happens to be a large one. The majority of a large travel agencies have their own publicity departments under the management of a publicity expert.

Ticketing
Selling tickets to clients using different modes of transport like air, rail and sea is yet another important function of a travel agency. This calls for a thorough knowledge of schedules of various modes of transport. Air carriers, railway and steamship companies have hundreds of schedules and the man behind the counter should be conversant with all these. Ticketing is however not an easy job as the range and adversity of international airfares is very complex and varied. There are nearly 50 different types of fare combinations alone in the local air schedules and additions of new flights from time to time makes a job of the travel agent on the constant challenge. An up to date knowledge about various schedules of air companies, steamship companies and railways is very essential. Computerized reservation system has in the recent years rather revolution the reservation system both for air and rail travel. Many large travel agencies are using this system. This system comprises a computer network that can be used by the travel agent to reserve an air or rail accommodation in a hotel. Through a wide network, conformations of reservations are available in a matter of seconds.

Provision of Foreign Currency

Provision of foreign currencies to intending travelers is another specialized activity of a travel agency. Some of the larger travel agencies deal exclusively on the provision of foreign currencies, travelers cheque, etc. This is important facility to intending travelers as it saves them a lot of time and energy. Insurance, both for personal accident risks and baggage, is yet another important activity of a travel agency. Some of the larger travel

24

agents maintain sizeable shipping and forwarding departments, aimed at assisting the traveler to transport personal effects and baggage to any part if the world with a minimum of inconvenience. Looking at the various activities mentioned above, it is clear that the travel agents range of services in modern time has expanded a great deal. His field of experts is quite large and is consultancy growing with the facts changing travel need of the people. The job description of modern travel agents was summed up in an American magazine in the following words. (1)Preparation of individual pre-planned itineraries, personally escorted tours and group and sale prepared package tours. (2)Making arrangements for hotels, motels, report accommodation, meals, car rentals, sightseeing, transfer of passengers and special features such as music festivals and theatre tickets. (3)Handling of and advising on the many detail involved modern-day travel, e.g. travel and baggage insurance, language study material, travelers cheques, foreign currency exchange, requirements 9immunization and inoculations). (4)Possession of professional knowledge and experience schedules of train connections, rates of hotels, and their quality whether rooms have baths etc. All of this is the information of which the traveler, but for the principals include an airline, a hotel company, a shipping company and a tour operator. (5)Commission earned from ancillary services such as travel insurance and charges made for such services as travelers cheques.

25

PL Worldways Limited was set up in the year 1985 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Peirce Leslie India Limited - a leading corporate house with diverse interests including Coffee, Cashews, Distribution of Fertilizers, Pesticides, Insurance Related Services, Shipping and Freight Forwarding Services and Travel Related Services.Being one of the earliest recipients of IATA with over five decades of dedicated service, PL Worldways is today among the top travel companies in the country, with a wide network of 11 professionally managed offices in Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Cochin, Trivandrum, Calicut, Coimbatore, Pune, Trichy and Hyderabad. PL Worldways offers a wide range of travel related services, which includes International and Domestic Air ticketing, Hotel Reservations, Transportation, Inbound Tours and Outbound Tours and Money Changing. The company is recognized and accredited by premier travel

Our Philosophy
PL Worldways has a total billing of over Rs. 1.5 billion and this has been possible only with the focus on service quality. We at PL Worldways strive build permanent relationships with clients, based on quality service, transparent and ethical business practices and unique products. The emphasis has always been on ensuring Total Customer Satisfaction and providing excellent value for money. We believe in doing what is best for the client.

Network
PL Worldways has a network of 11 IATA offices spread across the country to provide a pan country service to all our clients and in locations where we are not present, we work through reliable agents capable of delivering the same high level of service to our clients. Each of our branches located at Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Trivandrum is geared to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

26

Personnel
A team of over 170 dedicated staff form the backbone of PL Worldways enabling us to provide superior service. At PL Worldways, "Putting People First" has been the guiding philosophy which extends not only to our clients but also to our own employees. We believe in fair employment practices. Professional Competence, Commitment, Total Integrity, Unfailing Courtesy and Reliability are the tenets on which PL Worldways has grown.

Quality of service
We pride ourselves in the high quality of service that we provide, and spare no effort to maintain the service levels. Our excellent relationship with airlines ensures seat confirmations even during peak season. The tours that we offer are itineraries tested by us personally which ensures that clients are not confronted by any unpleasant situations. To constantly update our knowledge we interact with other members of our industry and our membership of PATA, ASTA, IATO and recognition by the Government of India re-affirms our commitment to tourism and quality.

PL Conferences
PL Conferences is a division of PL Worldways Limited., one of the largest travel management companies in India. PL Conferences, with its focus on quality, competitive pricing and innovative tours, was set up in 1992 to offer its expertise in organizing special events, incentive tours and conferences in India. At PL Conferences, we provide full support to Corporate Houses, Industry Associations and Associations of Professionals in arranging events like conferences, seminars, business meetings and other corporate events. We have the capability to completely design the program and also conduct it on behalf of our clients. The range of services includes ticketing, accommodation, transportation, meet and assist, pre and post conference leisure trips etc. PL Conferences has an expert team of professionals who have immense experience in the tourism industry and conference management. The team has been instrumental in the
27

successful execution of several national and international conferences held in Delhi, Chennai and Cochin Among the successful events organized by the company are: A wedding in Royal style for a British couple at the Neemrana Fort Palace, Rajasthan, World Congress for the Round-tables in Chennai, McKinsey Retreat at Cochin, International Private Investors Meet in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, The Conference of Cardiology Society of India (CSI 2002), Association of Radiation Oncologists of India (ARIOCON 2003), The 51st Annual Conference of the Indian Association of Cardio-vascular Thoracic Surgeons (CTCON 2005, Common Wealth Telecommunication Organization meet (CTO 2006) etc.

Services
With an experienced team of professionals from the event and destination management industry, PL Conferences offers world-class services that focus on total customer satisfaction. Our service expertise includes:  Conference Promotion and Management  Venue Identification and Management  Media Coordination and Public Relations  Theme Dinner and Banquets  Accommodation Management  Logistics Management  Registration and Service Desk Operations  Traditional Reception and Cultural Destination Identification Shows  Destination Information  Aircraft Chartering  Guest Relations and Hospitality Services  Customized Corporate Packages  Tour Packages  Itinerary Planning and Management  Ticketing and Travel Management
28

 Foreign Exchange  Meet and Greet Services  Language Interpretation Services  Inbound and Outbound Travel At PL Conferences, we treat each conference as special and design unique programs that include, apart from the meeting schedules, tailor made pre and post conference tours, sightseeing trips and relaxation tours of short duration with everything focused around the traveler to ensure that you are absolutely at ease, as our esteemed guest.

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30

Ticketing Department Domestic Ticketing

For domestic ticketing there is an efficient section or department in sky blue tourist travels.

Reservation
Reservation for domestic journey can be done by a telephone call or directly. The time of reservation the ticketing department called all necessary information's from the passenger and writing in a card called reservation card. It includes the following: Date in which the reservation is made. Time The name of sub-agent and his sign The name and age of the passenger. Flight number. Classes of travel. Month of travel. Day of travel. Sectors of travel. Status. PNR number. Ticket number. Supplementary information.

Confirmation
Confirmation can be done by the passenger through telephones, the computer system of travel agency is with the concerned airline system and the status of the tickets can be known by the system. Ticketing after getting confirmation of the ticket is the

31

status of the ticket is OK the travel agency will issue the ticket, sometimes they will issue tickets.

Flight number
Specific designation of flight expressed in letters and figures. Example: AI-Air India. AA- American Airlines. BA-British Airlines.

Classes of service
R-Super sonic P-First class premium F- First number. J- Executive. Y- Economy.

Passenger's reservation codes

A- Aisleseat W- Window seat.

Procedures
When a person is interested to travel by domestic airlines, he has to conduct the travel agency and ask for an air ticket. He has supplied all the required information to the travel agency-name, place, date, and flight etc. The reservation will take out a ticket from its stock and will ask the airlines for reservation on the specific date and flight. If the seat is available, it passes on the name of the passenger or ticket number to the airline. In case of onward travel, telex messages or telegrams or the letters are
32

sending to the status for information. When confirmation is received. The customer is informed and ticket is delivered to him. In addition to the reservation of the ticket the agency makes the necessary reservation of Hotel and transport (car etc.) at various places of his journey. If the client is in need of necessary vouchers are issued and the original copy is given to the client. The client hands over the voucher to the respective hotel or transport unit and signs the bill. He needs not to make any payment of hotel accommodation and transportation. The bills signed by the client are the proof of availing the services. They are forwarded to the concerned travel agency in due course for facilitating the payment. The travel agency makes the payment and receives it from the client when the counter foil is produced to him.

Airline Ticketing and Issuing

After the reservation procedure the travel agent can issue the ticket journey. Ticket ,first cash value document. Constitute pima-facie evidence of the contract of carrier between the carrier passengers.

Contents of a Ticket
Audit coupon: - For audit purposes of the issuing airlines, should not be given to the passenger, uplifted and submitted to the airline. Office coupon: - Uplifted on the flight and the class of service is mentioned in the ticket. The number of flight coupon is varying according to the form of ticket. Passenger coupon: - It is kept by the passenger as a proof of the receipt for money paid. journey or as a

Types of Tickets
Single coupon ticket: -Here the ticket contains only one flight coupon. Double coupon ticket: - Here the ticket contains two-flight coupon. Four-coupon ticket: - Here the ticket contains 4 flight coupons
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Domestic Airline Ticket

Customers approach a travel agency office to purchase a trip. The travel agency must find out the following information. 1. Name of the client. 2. Place to be visited. 3. Date and time of departure. 4. Other related information.

They're after i) Refer the official airline guide and select the appropriate flights and time and date of departure. ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) viii) ix) Next step is to enter the flights you have chosen on your reservation sheet, Call the airline to book the flights, After the airline reservation has confirmed the flight, as sir fare from the airline. Double the one-way fare of arrive art around trip first class fare, To complete the tax refer to arrive at a round trip first class fare, To compute the tax reference to the concerned taxable, Add international tax if any. Calculate the total of basic fare, tax and international tax. ix) Complete the ticket.
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Cancellation
If the passenger wanted to cancel their confirmed reservation some cancellation charges may be made from the passenger 1. 48 hours or more before the scheduled-service change departure of the flightRs.20/2. Less than 24 hours up to 1 hour before the departure the 10% of basic fare. 3. Less than 1 hour 100% of the basic fare.

Validity Of the Domestic Ticket

Domestic ticket issued against rope tariff the validity will be 6 months from the date of issue of the ticket. Domestic tickets issued against U.S.D fares the validity for a ticket will be 1 year from the date of travel on the first day of journey

Stopover
Domestic tickets have to stop over permitted on the published domestic fares.

Combination
Not combinable with any other fare. However combination of INR Domestic fare with Indo Nepal Rupee fare is permitted

Documentation
Domestic fares no documents required except restricted area permit (RAP).

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International Ticketing
The procedures can be made directly or through telephone at the time of reservation for an international journey. Then the agency issued ticket for international travel as per the rules of IATA. VOID. Sometimes the airline companies charge a fare of 350/- so the travel agents give great care while issuing on international ticket. It also the concerned from, or affects the reputation of the company. At the times of reservation of a ticket Rs.500/- is charged the travel agencies as advance if any reason the ticket may be cancelled before paying the price of the ticket by the client the travel agency take the advance amount and it is not returned to the client.

There are 4 coupons in an international ticket.

y y y y Auditors coupon Office coupon. Flight coupon. Passenger coupon

An Airline Ticket

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International fares
International fares between different cities are published in the Air tariff or tariff manual of the concerned airlines in local currency, NOC and in certain cases USD these fares are always expressed in the currency of the country were the travel commences. Only when the fares are not available in the tariff manual should a fare be constructed. However it always be born in mind that a published fare takes a constructed fare.

Fare Construction-International Sectors

Construction of International fares depends on the place where the ticket is paid for and the place where the ticket is issued. They are divided into 4 conditions. 1. Sin-Sold Inside Ticketed Outside. 2. SOTI-Sold Outside Ticketed Inside 3. SOTO-Sold Outside Ticketed Outside. 4. SITO-Sold Inside Ticketed Outside. The rules for construction of fare differ with each of these conditions.

Restricted Materials
Following are the materials, which are restricted to use f to not taken into the aircraft at the time of journey or cargo hole. 1. Fireworks. 2. Flammable gas (Butane gas). 3. Inflammable liquids. 4. Flammable solid. 5. Oxidizing materials. 6. Poison. 7. Radioactive materials. 8. Corrosive materials like wet battery, Mercury acids etc.
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9. Other dangerous goods.

Baggage
Baggage's with personal property of the passenger or crew carried on and air craft by agreement with the operator. Passenger can carry baggages but it is limited. There is a limit in the carriage of the baggage in each class. These are concluded free baggage. Person does not pay any money for the baggages if it is come under the allowed weight or pieces. Free baggage underweight concept: The weight concept is

according to the weight of the baggage, this is carried by the messenger. First class-40kg, C/J class-30kg, Y class-20kg. Piece concept: - some airlines give free baggage allowance according to the number of piece carried by the passenger and its size. Checked baggage: - Checked baggages are also called registered baggage and are carried in the Cargo compartment. These are checked and tagged with number tag (Baggage tag- a document issued by the carriers used for the identification of checked baggage). Un-requested or Un-checked baggage: -Placed in the cabin. It is under the supervision of the passenger. Baggage accompanied: - The baggage not carried on the same aircraft as that on the passenger is carried. Baggage excess: - The part of the baggage, which is in excess of the free baggage allowance and for which the passenger has to pay extra charges.

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Techniques of Fare Construction Types of fares

These are mainly 2 types of fares are applicable to the calculation. 1. Normal fares: - Normal fares are published fares for travel between two points their include domestic fare and international fare. 2. Special commission fares: - are given by the airlines to some categories of people.

Components of fare
1. Basic fare 2. Fuel surcharge (FS) - additional fuel surcharge will live from the passenger (YQ). 3. Passenger service fee (PSF): - It is collected by the airline along with fares on behalf of the airport authority. 4. Internal air travel tax (W).

Miscellaneous Charge Order (MCO)

When a client pays in advance for travel services and accommodation that are not included in ticket, a prepared order form is used which is known as MCO. It includes the following: 1. Air or surface transportation. 2. Refundable balances. 3. Land agreements. 4. Collection for prepared ticket advises (DTAS). 5. Additional collections. 6. Steam ship transportation e.g., air/sea tours. 7. Deposits (initial payment with balance due). 8. Car rental or hotel accommodation (other than those included in a tour package). 9. Upgrading under collections.
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Each MCO has an auditor's coupon, and agent's coupon and a passenger's coupon. The value of MCO must not exceed certain limits. Specified transportation and land agreements must not exceed the value of MCO.

Fare Construction Terminology

As per the basic fare construction principles of IATA when no through fare is specifically published for a desired itinerary, it needs to be constructed the main point to be taken into account is that the constructed fare must not be less than the lowest amount obtained by away of the other principles. Such as lowest combination of fare principle, mileage system, and more distance point principles. There are some elementary terminologies, which are very useful in fare Construction 1. Routing. 2. Itinerary. 3. One-day trip. 4. Round trip. 5. Circle trip. 6. Round the world trip. 7. Open jaw. 8. Surface. 9. Online service. 10. Off line service. 11. Interline service. 12. Local fare. 13. Joint fare. 14. Connections. 15. Stopover. 16. Intermediate stop. 17. Nonstop. 18. Direct.
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Global Indicator
EH-Eastern Hemisphere (are 2 and 3) TSTrans Siberian (via Moscow) PO-Polar Routing AP-Atlantic Pacific WH-Western Hemisphere AJ-Atlantic Journey PF-Pacific Journey

International Airline Ticketing

In case of international airline procedure is same as the domestic. But some difference is occurred. When the client approaches the travel agency the following information should be given by him. 1. Name of the client. 2. Type of the flight. 3. Place of Departure. 4. Place of Arrival. 5. Date of Journey. 6. Date of return. 7. Refer the worldwide edition of and look up to the place of departure from the place of destination. 8. Write the clients name and residential phone connected on 10. Again refer the DAU to select return flight of the flight 11. Content the concern airline and book the flights. 12. Transfer all his information to the itinerary pad. 13. Make a note of the airline reservations name and date on which the
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reservation pad.

9. Write the flight you have selected and date for customer's flight.

booking was made. 14 Convey the passenger's name, residential telephone contact and agency phone number of the airline reservations. 15 Check the fee with the airline etc. travel

Instructions to the Passenger

Before the travel of the passenger should take careful attention towards the instruction given by the airline. They are as follows: 1. Not to accept any package from unknown person. 2. Not to leave baggage unobserved at any time especially with in airport area. 3. To declare before checking in if carrying any arms or explosives. 4. To carry only one travel baggage the some of the mention viz. Length, breadth, height, which should not exceed 115cm.

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Sample Electronic Ticket

43

Foreign Exchange Department

Simply foreign exchange means the money of a foreign country. Foreign exchange can be defined as that section of economic science , which deals with the means and methods by which right to wealth of one countries currency and converted into right to wealth in terms of another countries currency. For a travel agency to have foreign exchange department it has to pass certain formalities. It should acquire the permission from:    Ministry of external affairs The RBI The State Government.

All the forms and formalities of everything should be fulfilled, proper securities would be furnished, and then the permission is given to carry on the project. This is mainly important in the case of international tourist. They may be coming from a foreign country. They may be coming with their own currency to a foreign country. In that country they may require the currency of that particular country. So the foreign exchange department in the travel agency would be of a great help to the tourist, as he does not have to go to another place for that. The foreign exchange counter deals with buying and selling of foreign currency and also transferring various travelers' cheque

Accounts Department
Accounting involves recording, classification and summarizing the

accounting information directed towards the determination of financial strength and weakness of a travel agency. To manage a travel agency profitably demands accurate recording & preparation of financial statements. These are essential in determining the true & fair status of business& making strategic plans & decisions.

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1. Accounting System
The basic objective of accounting is to ascertain profitability & financial position of a travel agency operation. To achieve this every travel agency prepares the following journals and statements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Sales Cash receipt Account receivable Cash disbursement I ATA ledger Pay roll General ledger Profit & loss account Balance sheet

2. Cash Receipt Journal

It is used to record all revenue received by the travel agency during the period. For eg: profit form sale of tour package, commission received from the principles are recorded in it.

3. Account Receivable
When a travel agency purchase tourism products from the suppliers on credit, the amount owned to producers is referred to as an account receivable.

4. Sales Journal
In this journal all credit sales are recorded. Sometimes a travel agency provides credit facilities to its clients that is, leisure& commercial client. It in fact makes a loan to its unit. To maintain up to date record of all credit sale, every travel company prepares a sales journal.

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Travel Documentation Department

It is very important to give attention to the official document, which are taken by the passenger at the time of journey. The important official documents required are as follows:

Passport

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47

A passport is an official document issued by the government to identify an individual granting permission to travel abroad and requesting a protection from the government for him.

Types of passport
1. Normal passport: The color of this passport is navy blue, validity is 10 years .For getting a normal passport the period is 20 months. For applying a normal passport we require: a. If we are applying for a passport through a travel agency we should give 8 photos. If it is applied directly only 7 photos are needed. b. SSLC book or CBSE. c. Ration card or ID card.

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Official passport: These types of passports are issued to persons who are traveling on government expense. The color of the passport is gray. Validity of this passport is 1 year and can extended if needed. ECNR not applicable. They should surrender the passport when they leave their position or retire and this is issued for scientists, employees of central or state government. Diplomatic passport: This is issued to diplomats or consulates and govt. Officials who are in high rank like president, PM, Supreme Court judges. Color of this passport is white. And diplomatic passport holders can hold a normal passport also. Minor passport: This passport is issued for children below 17 years. Fee is Rs.600/-. For issuing a minor passport we should require: Both parents' passports. If the father is residing in a foreign country we need fathers concerned letter attested by Indian Consulate at the country. Thumb impression-male (L), Female (R).Birth certificate. Miscellaneous forms (Documents needed are):

ECNR (Emigration Clearance Not Required)

This endorsement or passport is issued from the passport office for professionals, degree holders etc. This is to enable the individual to avoid immigration check at airport. This is mainly introduced for gulf, African, Far East etc. This type of check is avoided for Europe &US. Those passengers, who are not belonging to the above category to obtain ECNR from the protector of emigrant office by submitting this passport, visa on arrival messages, return ticket etc ant then pay a normal fee.

1) ECNR 2) Name addition 3) Address channel

: : :

Degree certificate with mark list Maiden name, Marriage certificate Ration Card, Telephone Bill or ID Card.

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4) Police clearance

: You

should

fill

miscellaneous

form

when the Certificate passport is submitted. When a pax is leaving a Country, we should make sure that he does not Have any criminal background. It is normally issued the passport office. By

5) Lost Passport

: 13 photos, a separate form should be filled (lost and Damaged form). Advertisement in leading Newspaper. Confirm the local police

Police Verification (PV)

The following category of applicants is exempted from PV. I) II) III) Government employees who NOC from the Department. Minor children below 15 years where at least one of the parents have valid passport. If the previous passport has been issued by this office or its valid or expired within last one year.

The following categories are exempted from previous PV in verification the passport issue. i)

will be done after

Senior citizens at the age of 65 and above when one of their adult children hold valid passport,

ii)

Minor children between 15-18 years of age where at least one of their parents hold valid passport,

50

iii)

Family members of the government employee who furnish NOC.

Tatkaal Scheme
Under this scheme passport will be issued on the payment of additional fee over and above the normal passport submission fee. We can learn the eligibility of thatkaal scheme how to apply directly for tatkaal service and how to convert ordinary to tatkaal service. Tatkaal scheme only will be applicable in cases where either the PV report is not required. Minor less than 15 years of age or where passport can be issued on post. PV basis (duplicate passport -reissue of passport without change in address), government servants with NOC and their spouses and applicable with verification certificate. The following categories with genuine urgency would be covered under tatkaal scheme Businessman wishing to travel abroad urgently for trade, conferences etc. Blood relatives of person residing abroad who is initially ill. Spouse, parents, children or individuals working abroad. Winners of promotional awards or scheme were a foreign traveler in prize or incentive. Spouse of official passport holders going abroad. Persons going abroad for their own marriage. Students going abroad to join in foreign university. Patients requiring medical treatment.

If you are eligible for tatkaal services please obtain a passport form. Fill the form eligibility correctly in block letters with expanding initials. Paste 6 color photos and put cross signature or thumbs impression on all the pasted photographs. And it should be submitted to the regional passport officer and show the document regarding the urgency along with the verification certificate.If the regional
51

passport officer is convinced with the document of urgency, he may order for acceptance application form under tatkaal service. The following documents are submitted for this service: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) Proof of residence. Proof of date of birth. Proof of educational qualification NOC Fees Documents regarding urgency Verification certificate issued by compete tent authority.

Conversion of ordinary passport to tatkaal service

If you have applied for passport under normal routine and meanwhile due to some urgency you want the passport immediately. For that you should meet regional passport officer along with all relevant document of urgency and verification certificate signed by the authority. If the passport officer is satisfied with the document he may order for acceptance additional fees to be deposited and you will get the passport within few days.

VISA(Visitors Intended Stay Abroad)

To get a visa stamped on passport as the following details: Date of entry. Duration of stay Type of visa Date of Leaving Signature
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Schengen Countries
The name schengen originates from a small town in Luxemburg in January 1985 seven European countries signed a treaty to end internal borders check points and control. Most countries have joined the treaty over the past years. At present there are. 15 countries are in Europe.

Schengen Visa
Travelling in Europe has been simplified with the introduction of Schengen Visa. As a visitor to the Schengen area you will enjoy the many advantages of this unified visa system. With an Schengen Visa you may enter one country and travel freely through Schengen zone. Internal border controls have disappeared these one no or few stops and checks. This means that internal air, road and train travel one handled as domestic trips, similar to that of traveling from one state to another.

Where to apply
All depends on the basis of places you want to visit. If you intend to visit only one Schengen country, you must apply at the embassy or consulate at that country which is your main destination. If you intent to visit several Schengen but do not have a main destination you should apply for the visa at the embassy or consulate which is your fist point of entry.

Schengen Visa requirements

Balance sheet of the passenger Income tax returns Credit cards Bank account statements for the past 3 months Business contact from the company in Europe Invitation letter of the company giving details about your trip. Color photo, passport size-non-digital-most finish-3 photos
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Return ticket OMC (Overseas Med claim Policy)

Types of visa

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Visit visa/tourist visa (America-4-6mnths, Gulf 3mnths) Family visa/Residence permit/D-type visa Household visa (for housemaids etc) Student visa Missionary visa (for religious study of for visiting Rome) Job visa Transit visa

Embassy
The main representing office of a country headed by an ambassador. If it's a Common wealth country it comes under the high commissioner. These will be only on Embassy in a country but many Consulates.

Consulate
This comes under the Embassy headed by consulate general. Depending upon the size of the country these may be more consulates. E.g.: US Consulate in Calcutta, Mumbai And Chennai..

US Visiting visa Documents Required

Passport valid for at least 6 months. Affidavit or support original (it's a booklet sent from US by the sponsor) Salary certificate of the sponsor-Original bank account statement on bank letter headoriginal of both sponsors and client. Taxes bill original of sponsor. Income tax return of the passengers of 2 years Non-emigrant form duly filled up with 5 photos.
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Request letter (by the passenger to the consulate or embassy) Rs.400/- DD drawn on TT service (Drawn on American Consulate General)

Visa fee (4600/- for 6 months), visa-processing fee-2300/In normal case passenger above 60 years age need not have to appear on personnel interview. There are mainly 2 types of visiting visa 1. Immigrant Visa: For those intending to reside permanently in US. 2. Non-Immigrant visa (NIV): For those visiting US temporarily.

The most NIV are: y Visitors visa: Issued to persons who wish to enter US temporarily for business or pleasure other type of NIV given to are: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) Students Participants in exchange programmed Temporary workers Performing artists Professional journalists Representation of a foreign government.

Types of visitors visa

Bl- For business B2- For pleasure or medical treatment, Tourism, Visiting friends and Relatives.

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Students visa
Type F: For academic studies. Type M: For non-academic or Vocational studies.

Temporary workers
L, 0, P- depending upon the kind of work to be performed. They must have a petition approved by the immigration and naturalization service in US before the apply for a visa.

Green card
Resident permit. Any citizen staying in a resident permit for more than 2 years is eligible for green card. If the person is staying for more than 5 years in America he is eligible to apply for citizenship. Green card holders must not stay in his home country or in other country for more that 6 months.

Saudi resident Visa (joining with family or spouse)

Documents required: 1. Passport valid 2. Marriage certificate 3. Medical certificate 4. 3 photos. 5. Husbands passport copy 6. One way ticket 7. Visa form duly filled up and signed

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Saudi Hajj
The applicant should have a passport valid for at least 4 months from the date of expiry of visa. 1. One visa form (photo copy allowed). 2. 12 photos. 3. Confirmed onward and return ticket. 4. Travelers cheques in original amount to rs.500/- or a draft of 400 Saudi riyals in the name of the passenger, payable at Jeddah plus draft for 789 Saudi riyals a "Moallam Fee" favoring United Agencies Jeddah. This is mandatory. 5. Vaccination certificate against Meninchittis and Cholera is required. 6. Visa validity depends upon the period of Hajj. 7. Stay permitted is till the 10th day of monaural month. 8. Hajj requirements are fixed of Hajj Ministry in Saudi Arabia and coordinated with Hajj Committee in India. It changes every year processing time in 24 hours.

Singapore visiting visa

Passport valid for at least 6 months. BTQ 500 dollars. Confirmed return ticket. Visa form duly filled up. \\\Request letter/Covering letter. 3 photos. Invitation letter (not necessary).

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DUBAI (Business and visiting visa)

Indian nationals intending to visit UAE must obtain a NOC through t heir spo nsor in UAE. The Indian nat ionals must submit t he passport details to the immigration officer for the issue of this. Processing time is 15 days. Visa is endorsed on arrival at the point of entry. Visa is faxed to the traveler and must be carried by the passenger (this contains NOC stamping also). No passenger is allowed to go to flight without the NOC. Visa is valid for 30 days. As original visa is not received by passenger, after the airline booking is made. E.g., COKDXB by AI. The PNR is faxed or telephoned to the sponsored that in turn produces the original visa in the airline office in Dubai who gives visa on arrival message to COK Air India office. The passenger has to get the visa message from the COK Air India office with a seal on it. If he has to obtain an ECNR he has to submit the visa on arrival message with other document to emigration office. When the passenger arrives at DXB airport he gets the visa stamped on the passport.

Qatar
The business associates in Qatar must obtain a NOC from the immigration department in Doha by submitting the details of the traveler's passport. NOC will state whether it is landing visa or a stamping visa. If it is a landing visa then the traveler should carry the NOC with him and visa is stamped at the point of entry. In case it is a stamping visa, the authority should instruct the embassy in India to stamp visa prior to travel.

Other Permits
Depending on the status of the traveler other types of permit may also be required to enter some entries. For example, travelers may be required to obtain a visitors permit or tourist card. When they first enter a foreign country. The forms for these permits are

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usually distributed to passengers on international flights. In some instances, the forms must be obtained at the airport to departure.

Health and Immunization Requirements

Some countries require an international certificate of vaccination for small pox, Cholera, or Yellow fever. Travelers traveling from US to other destination in North America, the Caribbean or Europe do not usually need the vaccinated for any of these diseases. However, other health precaution may be advisable. For instance, in some regions of South America, Asia and Africa, visitors are advised to take anti-Malaria medication prior to their trip.

Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is yet another important travel document which is needed for any passengers who intended to travel abroad. Anything can happens to a passenger while they are in travel especially when they travel to a foreign country. Many of the travelers are reluctant to pay out for insurance thinking that it may not be needed. As a travel agent it is our duty and responsibility what arrangements if any the client has made for the trip. Without creating panic of holiday horror it is the agent's duty to explain why insurance is necessary and describe what type of coverage is essential. Therefore it is the product knowledge of the travel agent that will influence the clients to buy insurance. As a good travel agent it is our duty to ensure the safety and security of our clients. So travel agents should urge all travelers to purchase adequate travel and medical insurance coverage's for their overseas trip. In addition to health coverage's, some policies compensate travelers for lost or damaged baggage, trip interruptions, financial failure of service providers and other possible misfortunes. But these are only some strong reasons why travel insurance is strongly recommended. Such insurance policies can be obtained from travel agents, clinics, banks or even directly through insurance companies. The clients often have a choice of different levels of coverage, because different travels for different reasons: for business, leisure, to visit families and friends etc. Whatever be the reason, the various travel insurance
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companies often pays a high rate of commission to the travel agents. When travel insurance is purchased a certificate will be issued, showing details of coverage and importantly a policy number. A good travel insurance policy should include coverage for:

Death and Permanent Disablement Medical and Other Related Expanses Luggage, Personal effects and Travel Documents Personal Liability Cancellation, Curtailment, Missed Departure Hi-Jacking Travel Trade Indemnity Legal Expenses

General details of coverage and common exclusions

Death and Permanent Disablement Coverage: Accidental Death, Personal Accident. Exclusions: Normal coverage does not usually apply to accidents caused or connected to What insurance companies refers to as hazardous or dangerous sports. Medical and other related expenses Coverage: Medical and Dental charges, Repatriation and Scratch and Rescue. Exclusion: In this section there will be much exclusion and the details can be found in the policy documents. Luggage, Personal Effects and Travel Documents

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Coverage: Passport, Tickets, Travel Documents, Money, Luggage delay or loss. Exclusion: Some policies do not cover loss of cash that can be replaced. There are often limits on the amount that may be for loss of personal effects. Personal Liability Coverage: Against causing injury or damage to people or property. Cancellation, Curtailment, Missed Departure Coverage: Protection against the need to delay or cancel the travel arrangement due to illness or death of the policy holder, traveling companies or family members. Travel Trade Indemnity Coverage: Protection against the travel agent or the company becoming bankrupt. Legal Expenses Coverage: It covers all legal expenses which is incurred for the fully settlement of the insurance policy.

Taxes, Customs and Currencies Taxes

Many countries levied various types of taxes on travelers. Payment is collected on hotel bills, car rentals by port charges on cruises and other services. A departure chare is often charged when travelers leave the country. Various transport or airport facility taxes may have to be collected by travel agents upon sale of tickets. Tax relating to air travel, collected by travel agents may be linked to the ticket price. Any tax collected by agents must be recorded on ticket coupon to show how much and what type of taxes have been collected. Taxes are levied for arriving, departing or transiting a particular country or airport and are a direct source of revenue for the government. Further, taxes are collected for
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security procedures, noise pollution etc. we will get the details of various taxes collected from a passenger from Travel Information Manual (TIM).

Customs
Customs regulations govern the transport of articles and species from one country to another. The regulations may protect one country's population from the spread of dangerous infectious diseases. Also, there are regulations that protect endangered species. The import and export of certain articles may be restricted or prohibited altogether. Import and export limits for permitted items may be exceeded, but if so, a duty must be paid. The duty collected by customs officials are another direct source of revenue for government. Most countries allow concessions of certain items. Such duty-free items include tobacco, alcohol and perfume. TIM describes the customs regulations of individual countries of the quantities of duty-free items that may be imported or exported. Personal effects, such as clothes, jeweler, cosmetics, camera, laptop computer, etc. are not normally subject to restrictions, because they arc for personal use. Customs includes the following: Passenger traveling with pets Wild flora and fauna Baggage clearance Firearms, other weapons and small caliber ammunition

Currencies and other forms of payments

Most of the travel agents are often faced with questions from clients about exchanging foreign currencies, how much cash to take and what other form of payment to travel with. As a travel agent, he will get such answers from the destination guide books and travel books- The travel agent advices the client to read such books and it is the duty of such travel agents to recommend good books for their customers. These books provide the local map, various forms of transportation, accommodation as well as its cost to the clients. In addition to this the client also gets the information about local attraction, festivals, etc. of a
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particular destination. A customer has to analyze all such tour components and decide how to finance the trip successfully. The following are the various forms of payments recommended by the travel agents for their clients: Cash Cash limits on the import and export of foreign and local currencies. In certain countries, the amount of currencies that may be imported or exported is limited. However, these limits are usually set high enough so as not affect the average traveler. Cash is the easiest form of payment, but it carries the most risk. Cash lost or stolen cannot be replaced without insurance and now more and more travel insurance policies are excluding cash over the limit stipulated in your insurance policy. The basic rule is to discourage clients from carrying large sums of cash overseas. However, some cash is necessary, as certain items such as local transport cannot be paid for in any other way. Carrying a small amount of local currency is always useful and sometimes essential to pay for local transport, food and drink, and entrance fees.

Traveler's Cheque
Some travel agencies are able to arrange issue of traveler's check. This is one good way to earn greater revenue through extra services to customers. Travelers check can also be obtained from a banker or foreign exchange agencies. All traveler's check are not acceptable world-wide. The agent should check the guide book whether a traveler's check is acceptable or not. Some well knew traveler's check include American Express, Visa Thomas Cook, City Bank etc. The most important advantage for the traveler's check is that it can replace if lost. But the traveler must only keep a record of individual check number, date and place where the check has been cashed.

Credit Cards
Using a credit card can limit or even remove the need to carry traveler's cheques. Not only can one pay for many goods and services by card, but they can also be used to get cash advances at most banks and larger hotels. Automated Teller Machines (ATM) are more and more common in cities and are accessible 24 hours a day. Credit cards

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are safe and fees are often cheaper than using traveler's cheques. Travelers should not rely solely on credit card, as acceptability cab varies depending on how fast the credit card company is paying its bills. Travelers are best advised to take another form of payment as a backup.

Immigration
This department will guide the customer through the various formalities of the health and customs. Disembarkation cards must be completed and presented at the Immigration Counter on arrival at airport. Embarkation cards must be presented at the respective exit point counter on departure. In case the person concerned is leaving the country for non-employment purpose, he can obtain suspension from immigration clearance for the specified country and for the specified period from projector of emigrants.

Marketing and Sales Department

As applied to the tourism industry, the most important function of marketing is to bring about an awareness of the production in the minds of the consumers in the market areas. This is done by promotion. Tourism promotion is one of the essential element of the marketing mix & important tool of marketing. The purpose of promotion is to encourage or more specifically, to influence the potential customers or trade intermediaries, through communication to think and to act in a certain manner. The various sources of marketing are :

1. News & Feature Stories.

The new products & new attractive rates should constantly be present in the news paper, so that the prospective customers know about their existence. This would help the travel agency to attract new customers.

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2. Press Releases
There should be a press release at least every week. Press release is an announcement or a news article written by or for a travel company that objectively describes something news worthy. It should be prepared in a journalistic style. It should have all the information which is required

Sales Techniques
Travel marketing is a major responsibility of the travel agency. The owner usually establishes a marketing program with definite objective. Marketing policies involve product pricing, advertising and marketing coverage. The various marketing steps that are taken to promote a particular travel product is called as the sale techniques. The sales department informs the potential costumer about all the services provided by the travel agency and establishes direct personal contact with them. Sales personal go to the client in personally, sit with them and explain the various services and prices. Sales techniques can be group into main areas 'printed material1 and 'special offers'. Printed materials include brochures, direct main material, display material etc. Brochure Brochures pamphlet bound in the main form of booklet. It is a voluminous publication with special emphasize on the quality of paper, graphic design of the cover and the layout of the pages. It gives detailed information on accommodation, price, travel schedules etc. The Brochures should contain the following information Name of tour company Means of transport Details about destination Itinerary
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Accommodation, Location, Meals Name of overseas representatives Duration of each tour Booking, Reservation and cancellation conditions Details of other services-insurance, currency, entertainment Travel documents required Details of price

Folder
Folder is a single piece of illustrated paper, which can be folded. Folder is lee voluminous then the brochure and its production are less time consuming. Folder is short, tastefully illustrated and attractively designed produced. Sales letters are a direct main material. It is a tool through which an attempt is made to gain agreement of favorable action towards a product. These are sent out to those people whose address has been selected according to the likelihood of there being potential users of the service offered. Sales letters offer may opportunities for selling service. The sales letter can be measured very rapidly from the response it draws. This is done by way of replay card which is included with which the recipient can request for their information and also travel literature. Display Materials Display materials includes posters dispensers for sales literature cardboard stands, articles of handicrafts, exhibits etc. This material is used in the agency's office or in travel agents sailor rooms. The material is displayed in such a way that it attracts the attention of a visitor as soon as he enters the office. In many cases, cinema slides are also used, either fixed or on an automatic projector for display purposes.

Special offers

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It will include temporary price reductions, free gifts premiums and various types of contests are being used extensively in competitive industries like cosmetics, etc. The tourist industry has also started to adopt these techniques as additions sales support tool. Reduced air fares for students. Affinity group', special off-season rates at hotels and tourist resorts are the examples of some of the special offers in the tourist industry.

Marketing of Tour Packages

This significally different from marketing of other tourism elements. This is because of the nature and types of tour packages offered by tour operators. Moreover tourism industry, the marketing strategies that are effective and Profit for mass tour operators. Generally international tour marketing is relatively more difficult and complex than domestic tour marketing.

Tour Packaging Department

Another important part of a travel agency is tour package department. This is the more profit making department. Travel agency may combine the different tour products and they form a single package tour and sell to the group of individual at a markup price.

Types of Tour Package

A travel agency/tour operator deals with a variety of 'tour packages/ catering to the diverse needs of tourists such as adventure, beach, architecture, cultural, business, conference, incentive tours, ayurvedic packages, Buddhist, religious, incentive tour, special interest tours, cruise tour, group tour, educational tour, heritage, monuments, wildlife, lovers etc. These are classified into four categories.

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1.

Independent Tour
Independent tours are prepared/formulated for those tourists who want to travel

independently. The components of such tours are air travel, air transfer, accommodation, travel documents, sightseeing, boat riding, entertainment and other travel services. However, in some cases, the tourists are free to purchase each single component separately. Thus, this type of tour provides the tourists considerable freedom to plan the activities according to their own choice. An independent four may or may not be an all inclusive tour. Therefore, tour price varies depending on the type of air travel, air transfer, accommodation and is inclusive of other tour components. Today, several Indian and Foreign Travel Agencies offer independent tours to inbound and outbound tourists. The foreign independent travel and Domestic Independent Travel are examples of an independent tour.

2. Escorted Tour
When an agency includes the services of a well educated and trained tour manager in its package tour it is called escorted tour. Basically, escorted tours are meant for those travelers who are planning to visit foreign country for the first time. The escort's responsibilities and duties are to provide comprehensive information and assistance to the group, at the origin, enrooted and the destination place. The excursion tours are the examples of escorted tours.

3. Hosted Tour
A hosted tour means when an agency utilizes the services of another agency at a particular destination. Suppose a group of French tourists is coming to India. When the group arrive in India (Delhi), they are greeted at the airport by TCI, which assists them in clearing their baggage and transfers them to the hotel. Their tour-host is available to offer device and information about the local attractions and entertainment.' Further, when the group arrive at an other destination in India, a different travel agency greets them at the each tourist spot. Thus, a hosted tour provides the tourists
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maximum level of pre-arranged and personalized services.

4. Incentive Tour.
There are a number of other packages offered by a tour company such as a custom tour an excursion tour, an adventure and special interest package tour.

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Strength
y y y y Excellent supplier relationships Excellent customer relationships Adequate financial resources Reputation in market place is strong

Weaknesses
y y

Irregular company newsletter publication No understanding with local media.

Opportunities
* Customization of its products to cater the needs and wants of its prospective customers * Provision of quality customer services * Economical and attractive tour packages

Threats
* Emergence of large competitors with homogeneous products * Seasonality and perishability nature of its products * Emergence and development of E- Tickets * Threats from suppliers of services like Airlines, Hotels etc

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Findings
1. The introduction of online booking by airlines has created an adverse effect in sales volume of tickets in travel agencies. 2. The employees are asked to work overtime and this may affect their efficiency negatively. 3. Travel agencies in India are facing tough time due to the stoppage of commission by domestic airlines. 4. Due to low starting salary in travel agencies new comers are tend to quit the field. 5. Marketing procedures done by the travel agency are not up to the standard and this may affect the business. 6. Travel agencies lack talented staffs this may reduce the customer satisfaction.

Recommendations

1. The number of staffs should be increased so that the work timings can be shifted, and will reduce the strain of employees. 2. Travel agencies must be more concern about the clients and customer satisfaction must be their main motive, 3. Accounts and sales department should be computerized, it will help to maintain to up to date data information in a systematic way. 4. Travel agencies have to practices new marketing tools like participating in travel marts, travel exhibition etc. 5. Travel agencies have to maintained good relation with its customers because repeated customers are the greatest. 6. Travels agencies should be in good terms with other service providers like Airlines. Hotels, Car rentals etc, will be helpful in the time of crises.

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Conclusion
As, I have got only a little knowledge about this industry, is a very complex one. It includes the airlines, hotels, ships and other means of travel. We only know about some subjects like Tourism Business, Tourism Product, Travel Agencies and Tour Operators Business, Emerging trends in Tourism, Tourism Marketing to others, which they might not understand. But after this one month training we got a real picture about what the tourism industry really means. I have to say that this one month have really played its role to frame each to be good tourism professional fit for the industry. We found that each and every person has got his role to play in this modern evergreen tourism industry. There is a large scope for employment opportunity for each one of us, not a mere job, all the people who have a little knowledge about this industry, they are something or other for each of us to contribute to this industry as a new destination, an attractive itinerary and can shine in this field. I have realized that Tourism industry is really booming and a challenging industry. In PL Worldways I got an opportunity to explore what the real industry is. Professional, communication and technical skill is highly required for being a good tourism professional. Tourism is now the worlds largest industry. In the 50-year period from 1950 to 2000,the number of international tourist arrivals grew from 25 million to 696 million. From 2001, there was a market change in trend in international tourist arrivals as a result of the global economic downturn in major tourist generating markets. I have realized that there is a great difference between the academic knowledge and technical knowledge. I have worked in all the departments especially Tours and conferences. Tour operation is challenging and fascinating job. Liaison with the providers of service is also required. And it is my passion to became a good tourism professional. And this organizational study had laid a mile stone in my career for achieving the goals I have set.

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Bibliography
AUTHOR BOOK PUBLISHER YEAR

A .K BHATIA

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT,PRINCIPLE &PRACTICES

STERLING PUBLISHING

1997

PC SINHA

TOURISM TRANSPORT ANMOL PUBLISHING AND TRAVEL MANAGEMENT

2000

MANISH RATTI

HOTEL TOURISM RAJAT PUBLICATION ANDHOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

2001

Websites y y y y www.google.com www.travelindia.com www.travelhistory.com www.plworldways.com

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