Why is selling additional services to tourists not only profitable, but also useful for the company's image? The head of the travel company "Belmare", the host of a popular video blog about tourism, the founder of one of the most visited professional tourist groups on Facebook, teacher and coach Diana Ferdman.
“Extra services are what make a service a real service. When a client gets more than he expects, more than he pays for under the contract, it means that the contractor has fulfilled his task to the fullest extent. In the highly competitive travel industry, it is not enough to simply sell a finished product of a travel operator to a client. Fortunately, it is now easy to do this on your own, more and more travel agencies are adapting their websites for this and offering favorable conditions to direct buyers.
So is it worth spending your time on providing additional services or is it better to focus exclusively on selling package tours?
It is the little details that turn a travel agent into a professional. They may seem unnoticeable or unimportant at first glance, but in practice they become the very spices that give a trip a unique taste. Let's start with the tour presentation. It is one thing to send a tourist a link to a dry official description of a hotel, where the concept indicates the number of square meters in the room and the opening hours of the pool bar.
It is quite another thing to present a resort, to tell why it is worth going to this particular country or region, to emphasize how a specific option differs from hundreds of others. The following question becomes relevant: should such presentations, consultations be free or paid for additionally? I am absolutely convinced that deposits are the future, in those unpleasant cases when a tourist, having received all your knowledge, goes to look for a discount, the consultation remains paid for.
In my agency we do not sell airline tickets. The level of responsibility is high, time is spent on searching and registration, and the financial result leaves much to be desired. However, many colleagues are engaged in selling these tickets, believing that a wide range of services attracts more clients.
What do we do anyway? For an additional fee, we help fill out forms for Schengen and American visas, prepare a package of documents together with you, consult on the rules for the departure of minors, other nuances, instruct on filling out migration cards when necessary. We issue basic and additional medical insurance.
Need a private transfer to the airport or from the airport to the hotel? Perhaps tourists want to arrive at the hotel by limousine or helicopter? Everything is possible. We make tourists' dreams come true, receiving pleasure in the form of financial reward for this.
Professional travel agents of "Belmare" know exactly where to find proven tour guides, organize their meeting with tourists for a walking tour or book a car for these purposes. The tourist does not waste his precious time on vacation on organizational issues, we get satisfied clients, their gratitude, a salary increase.
Do you think that providing additional services is a profitable undertaking in principle? For example, do you register tourists for a flight for an additional fee or for free? Let's discuss providing additional services as a source of material profit and as a way to win customer loyalty."
Source: trn-news.ru