Travel Agency

RESUMEN Algunos de los rasgos característicos del turismo sostenible ofrecen una mejor predisposición a cumplir los protocolos sanitarios necesarios cuando se retomen las actividades en el sector turístico tras l a Crisis del COVID-19. Se observa este periodo como una oportunidad para reconsiderar una transformación del sistema turístico global hacia uno más alineado con los Obj etivos de Desarrollo Sostenible para 2030 (ODS) de las Naciones Unidas y se augure que existirá un auge de este nicho de mercado tras la pandemia. Las agenci as de viaj es se están quedando fuera de esta realidad y el presente trabaj o, por medio de una gran encuesta, analiza el impacto en un sector que percibe la coyuntura actual como un punto de inflexión a partir del cual el turismo sostenible va a ir en aumento en el mercado y observa con temor la escasez de oferta especializada a su alcance y el desconocimiento de este tipo de producto. Palabras clave : COVID-19, turismo sostenible, ecoturismo, masificación turística, intermediación turística, agencias de viajes, ODS.

This paper presents the role of travel agencies in choosing a tourist destination, a choice that is increasingly difficult for tourists due to the many existing offers. The travel agencies, in the tourist activity, have the role of informing and offering consultancy regarding the tourist offers, of organizing, commercializing and distributing tourist packages. They contribute to the development of tourist destinations, greatly influencing market trends and needs. In general, tourists travel for pleasure, but there are other motivations that determine them to choose a certain tourist destination. There are tourists who want to explore new territories, others want to get rid of the daily routine or are looking for social interaction. That is why the travel agency helps them very much in making the best decision when choosing their tourist destination, regardless of the motivation they have.

Tourist product is composed of an amalgam of services and products that are brought together to create an overall tourist experience. This multi-service product, by definition, includes a trip away and an overnight at the destination, and can either be created by the tourists themselves or by a tour operator. Travel trade is an important sector of the tourism industry responsible for packaging travel services and offering them to potential travelers. They also have an important role in commercialization of tourist products and destination development. Tour packages are usually cheaper, safer and more convenient for tourists. Hence, travel firms create the link between tourist products at the destination and the travelers. Tour operators even create and brand destinations. They take various risks and invest in the destination product ahead of the sales, hence they are an important stakeholder for tourism destination development. Despite there being extensive literature on transportation, accommodation, restaurants, attractions and events; the tour operators, their place in tourism system and their operations are neglected in education and research.
This book addresses this gap both in theory and practice. The first chapter discusses the nature of the tourism industry and tourism supply. Tourism resources, tourism types, tourist services and organizations are also explored in this section. The second chapter focuses on the tourist product, features of tourism as a service, standardization and distribution of tourism products. This chapter also introduces travel firms as both producers and intermediaries of tourism products and services. The third chapter focuses on the travel industry, defining travel agencies and tour operators. Differences between the two and different types of each are also detailed in this section. This book also recognizes tour guides as an important part of the tourism industry and a significant partner to travel firms. Tour guides, their roles, certification and their relationships with tour operators are examined in chapter four. Tourism education, its significance, characteristics and challenges are provided in chapter five. Chapter six delves into tour operation, its management and stages. The importance of tour operators for destination development, sustainability, branding and competition and their relationships with other stakeholders are examined in this chapter. Chapter six also explores ICT information and communication technology tools in tour operation, disintermediation and online travel agencies. This book is designed as a comprehensive destination management book as well. Hence the second part of the book delves into multinational tourism organizations, tourism types and offers case destinations for further discussion. The seventh chapter focuses on multinational corporations that invest in travel trade, including financial institutions. Vertical and horizontal integration in the industry and different types of investors are also examined in this chapter. Business travel and MICE tourism are discussed in chapter eight and nine. Their characteristics, types, operation, destination and choice factors are examined supported with sample itineraries, promotion kits and SWOT analysis. Faith tourism is another tourism type, explored in chapter ten. Istanbul and Anatolia as faith tourism destinations and their relationship with tourism are explored from the perspective of different stakeholders. Chapter eleven delves into culture tourism, which is another significant tourist segment for tour operators. Culture tourism is explored from the perspective of Istanbul and its cultural resources. This book, in chapter twelve, also makes a comparison between two popular destinations in Turkey: Antalya, the major leisure destination and Istanbul, the center for business travel and cultural tourism. The book finally concludes with an epilogue discussing the geopolitical dimensions of tourism and tourist flows.
As both authors are scholars with hands on experience in tour operation, who integrated theory with practice within the book and provided real life examples, illustrations and itineraries. It is very much hoped that the content will provide both theoretical and practical contributions and will be a useful resource for tour operator education and training.

As successful tourism firms invest heavily in marketing to defend or improve their competitive position, they increasingly need to measure their marketing performance. Previous studies related to tourism have largely focused on financial and operational performance, but the marketing perspective has been largely overlooked. Drawing on an in-depth investigation involving 12 hotel chains, 8 travel agencies and 8 tour operators, this study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art marketing performance measurements among some of the leading tourism firms in Italy. Several issues and unanswered questions are also identified.

This study explores the use of eLearning courses created by destination management organizations for education and certification in the travel trade. Phone interviews were conducted with travel agents based in the United Kingdom, India, and New Zealand to identify knowledge upgrade strategies with regard to tourism destinations. The study evaluates the rates of current usage and awareness of eLearning courses about tourism destinations among agents in the three countries.

El impacto de la pandemia del Covid-19 está siendo devastador para el sector turístico. Las consecuencias de la pandemia empiezan a verse en forma de fusiones, cierres o adquisiciones que dejarán tras de si un nuevo panorama en el subsector de las agencias de viajes. El presente estudio tiene por objeto analizar la situación de las agencias de viajes en España y, en base a este análisis, proponer un manual de buenas prácticas para su recuperación. Mediante una encuesta en línea se contactó a un total de 726 agentes de viajes. El estudio demuestra que se percibe la situación actual como un punto de inflexión a partir del cual se debe producir un cambio en el mercado que abarca desde la innovación tecnológica hasta la comercialización de productos más sostenibles, pasando por un posible cambio de modelo de negocio. Tras la observación participativa en el sector y analizar los resultados obtenidos se propone un manual de buenas prácticas articulado en forma de decálogo que, llevado a la práctica, ayudará a garantizar el futuro de las agencias de viajes ya de por si afectado ante los cambios producidos por la aparición de nuevos actores en el área de la intermediación turística.

El comercio electrónico se ha desarrollado aceleradamente en los últimos años; el turismo es uno de los sectores que más ha aprovechado estos canales de comercialización, específicamente el transporte aéreo. Las plataformas en línea que venden boletos aéreos facilitan un servicio importante para este sector, por lo que se quiso dar respuesta a la pregunta: ¿cómo es el servicio que prestan las plataformas en línea especializadas en venta de boletos aéreos? Se estructuró un estudio con enfoque cualitativo, tomando los datos de la red social Twitter a través del software Ncapture y procesándolos con el software Nvivo. Se encontraron cuatro categorías emergentes: servicio al cliente, interfaz, blogueros e influenciadores y zonas geográficas; luego se generaron algunas estadísticas básicas pero importantes para complementar la investigación. En cuanto a los hallazgos,  es significativo para estas plataformas mantener la comunicación que se da por medio de las redes sociales con sus clientes, ya que de no atender este canal se podría generar una mala publicidad. Se observó una regionalización de la mayoría de las plataformas. Muchos clientes siguen pidiendo la atención de un ser humano y no de una máquina.

Electronic commerce has developed rapidly in recent years; tourism is one of the sectors that has most taken advantage of these marketing channels, specifically air transport. The online platforms that sell air tickets provide an important service for this sector, so we wanted to answer the question: how is the service provided by online platforms specialized in selling air tickets? A study with a qualitative approach was structured, taking the data from the social network Twitter through the Ncapture software and processing them with the Nvivo software. Four emerging categories were found: customer service, interface, bloggers and influencers, and geographic areas; then some basic but important statistics were generated to complement the research. Regarding the findings, it is significant for these platforms to maintain the communication that occurs through social networks with their clients, since not attending this channel could generate bad publicity. Regionalization of most platforms was observed. Many customers continue to ask for the attention of a human being and not a machine.