Travel Agency and Tourism

Contents: Preface. 1. Travel agency: an introduction. 2. Types of travel agency. 3. Tourism contribution to economic conservation. 4. Tourism and educati5. Growth of world on. tourism. 6. Business tourism. 7. Free Independent traveler/tourist FIT. Bibliography. Index.

A travel agency is a business that sells travel related products and services particularly package tours, to end-user customers on behalf of third party travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, tour companies, and cruise lines. In addition to dealing with ordinary tourists, most trave agents have a special department devoted to travel arrangements for business travellers, while some agencies specialise in commercial and business travellers. Some agencies also serve as general service agents for foreign travel companies in different countries.

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. They will advertise the fact that they are bonded posting a financial bond with an organisation. 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 agencies and tour companies too are bonded with IATA for those who issue their own tickets, ATQL for those who order tickets in or ABTA for those who sell package holidays on behalf of a tour company. As the name implies, their main function is to act as an agent, that is to say selling travel products and services on behalf of a supplier.