A sample business plan for opening a travel company (travel agency) in a city with a population of 350,000 inhabitants.
Despite the unfavorable economic situation and problems with leading tourist destinations (Turkey, Egypt), the tourism business is still developing. According to some data, the annual growth of this segment is at least 15%, which is higher than the growth in average wages.
Which OKVED code should I indicate when registering a tourism business?
You can use the following OKVED codes, both for registration and for further expanding the list of tours. services. 79.11 or 79.12 covers the business activities of travel agencies or tour operators, respectively. Then code 79.90 corresponds to other booking services and related work, which has subtypes:
- for the provision of tourist information services - 90.1 and excursion and tourism services - 2;
- travel agencies providing excursion and tourism services – 90.21;
- independent tour guides and guides for providing excursion and tourism services – 90.22;
- for the provision of tourist services associated with booking - 90.3;
- for booking tickets for cultural and entertainment events - 90.31;
- and other services related to the advance reservation service - 90.32.
The classifier contains codes for which registration of a business will require licensing. Therefore, when registering a company, choosing the main code for tourism services, do not forget to check this with the list of types of activities that are licensed.
How to organize an excursion business
The creation of an excursion business is usually undertaken by people who are well acquainted with this field of activity from the inside, who have worked in a travel agency, who already know well how to work with clients, and how to select suitable employees, and how to organize the work. The excursion business often also attracts active tourists who have visited many countries and cities for educational purposes, and not just for the sake of relaxing on golden beaches.
If you are lucky enough to live in a recreation area or close to places visited by tourists, the idea of opening your own excursion agency may be successful, even with strong competition. A large city, which does not necessarily have an ancient history, will also be a good field of activity - the main thing is the number of its residents and guests, as well as your ability to generate creative ideas for excursion routes and correctly present “forgotten” mysterious legends to clients.
It is unlikely that organizing excursions as an independent activity will generate significant income in a small town. But if you have, for example, a travel agency that sends tourists to standard holiday destinations, taking on the task of drawing up several tourist routes around your hometown is practically a matter of honor for you. Moreover, this “matter of honor” can pleasantly “weight down” the average monthly revenue...
Catch, catch, fish - maximum reach of the target audience
Who are your potential clients? Explore your city - social services, educational institutions, businesses, administrative enterprises, medical and health institutions.
What events are happening in the city? You must be aware of everything that is planned. Pay special attention to symposia, conferences and “gatherings” of various levels - they require the presence of out-of-town participants and guests. Most people, having a little free time while visiting unfamiliar cities, will be happy to take part in an educational excursion. This means that your flyers or brochures will attract attention in places where public events are held.
Where else do city visitors look for information about options for spending their free time? That's right, it's the Internet and hotel receptions. A travel agency's business card website usually brings in up to half of all clients. You can find a list of hotels on the official website of your city and decorate their information desks with your booklets.
In addition, sanatorium workers who provide leisure activities for their guests will be happy to cooperate with you. Work can be carried out here on an ongoing basis: for example, two weekly excursions of varying content.
Schools can be good suppliers of excursionists. Find time to visit educational institutions - go straight to the head teacher for educational work. Surely there are empty cells in his calendar plans for extracurricular activities, and they need to be filled with something.
Where does the guide lead?
Create a classification of your clients with the characteristics of all groups, since it is advisable to adapt excursion routes for each category of clients. How to make a list of places visited during an excursion for schoolchildren, where to take cheerful pensioners, what to tell and show businessmen - the popularity of your mini-tours will depend on the successful solution of these issues. Consider options for young people - as a rule, modern young people are interested not only in nightclubs, but a trip to the best nightlife spots in the city is also a good offer.
The Internet is at your disposal, but do not neglect such a source of information about historical events and legends of your hometown as the old city library, city archive, as well as people - indigenous residents of the city, long-retired employees of the local newspaper, teachers from history departments. Collect your exclusive tourist product bit by bit.
Perhaps in your city and its surroundings, in addition to historical monuments, there are also modern cultural attractions, as well as many simply very beautiful places.
Responsible for the client’s safety and own risks
The person accompanying the group must be prepared in providing medical assistance, have a first aid kit and the ability to contact emergency services if necessary. Provide tourists with maps of the area, indicating the telephone number of the accompanying person; As you move along the excursion route, mark your location. This is not only an interesting element of the excursion, but also eliminates the possibility of “losing fighters.”
Make rules for safe behavior on the route and a list of possible sources of danger, introduce them to tourists against signature. Most often, the source of danger is the tourists themselves, so pay special attention to drawing up a standard contract or liability agreement for your clients - this is your insurance. In any case, in accordance with the law, ensuring the personal safety and security of the property of tourists is your responsibility.
A good move would be mutually beneficial cooperation with any insurance company - you can insure your clients during the excursion (the cost of the insurance policy is included in the price of the excursion).
And don’t forget about insuring your own civil liability for fulfilling obligations under contracts with excursionists. By the way, in accordance with the legislation on tourism activities, if you independently form and promote a tourism product, then you are a tour operator. A tour operator can only be a legal entity and must insure its liability. If you plan to organize excursions lasting more than 24 hours, you will have to take care of financial support (study the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Tourism Activities in the Russian Federation”).
Counting money
The price of excursions is usually calculated using a cost method, adjusted for the contingent and intensity of the competitive environment. That is, all costs of conducting an excursion are divided by the average number of tourists in groups and a percentage of profit is added on top. The resulting price is compared with average prices for similar tourism products and with the amount that a particular category of clients will presumably be willing to pay for cultural entertainment.
By the way, when calculating prices, do not forget about covering overhead costs that are not related only to a specific excursion - advertising, hospitality, rental, etc. But keep in mind that even in the absence of competitive pressure on price, there is no need to be greedy: a full bus of customers who paid $100 is better than a half-empty one, but for $150...
Legal regulation
Regardless of whether you plan to create a tourism product yourself or resell excursions as a travel agency, your activities are regulated by a number of specific and generally applicable laws:
- Federal Law of November 24, 1996 No. 132-FZ “On the fundamentals of tourism activities in the Russian Federation” with amendments and additions;
- Rules for the provision of services for the sale of tourism products, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of June 18, 2007 No. 452;
- Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 24, 1998 No. 83 “On specialized services to ensure the safety of tourists”;
- National standard of the Russian Federation GOST R 50644-2009 Tourist services / Requirements for ensuring the safety of tourists, December 15, 2009, No. 773-st;
- Law of the Russian Federation dated 07.02. 1993 No. 2300-1 “On the protection of consumer rights” with amendments and additions.
And lastly: if you are planning to organize an excursion business abroad, then be sure to spend time studying the relevant local legislation, and do not walk “blindly” along other people's roads.
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Step-by-step plan for opening a travel agency
- Marketing research of the city's tourism services market
- Finding a suitable premises (office)
- Registration of a legal entity (LLC)
- Concluding agency agreements with tour operators
- Office arrangement, purchase of furniture and equipment
- Website creation
- Recruitment and training of personnel
- Advertising, promotion of services
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SWOT analysis
When analyzing risks, opportunities and finding ways to promote a business, it is very important to perform a SWOT analysis, which allows you to evaluate favorable and unfavorable factors.
SWOT analysis
Threats:
- changes in the economy in the country;
- the difficulty of accurately forecasting the development of the tourism sector;
- difficulty in working with partners;
- problems with tour operators;
- wars, natural disasters;
- staff incompetence;
- seasonality;
- inflation;
- increased competition and oversaturation of the segment;
- devaluation of the ruble.
Possibilities:
- development of tourism business;
- opening new tourist routes and destinations;
- growth in consumer demand.
Weak sides:
- high competition;
- lack of a regular customer base;
- lack of work experience;
- the need to establish partnerships.
Strengths:
- high demand;
- wide choice of services;
- the possibility of providing additional services;
- quality service;
- high professionalism of employees.
How much can you earn from tourism?
Our organization will be engaged in the selection and sale (resale) of tours from the country's leading tour operators. The main income of a travel agency will consist of commissions earned from the sale of tours. According to the agency agreement, the tour operator will pay from 10 to 14% of the tour cost. The percentage depends on the volume of tourists sent during the season. The more tourists a travel agency sends, the higher the reward percentage will be. The main directions in which it is planned to sell tours:
- Europe (Germany, Great Britain, France, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, etc.)
- Dominican Republic
- Tunisia
- India
- Bali
- Thailand
- Costa Rica
- Cyprus
- China
- Russia (Sochi, Crimea, Anapa)
According to preliminary calculations, in the first month of operation (May) about 30 tours will be sold (an average of 1 tour per day). With an average price of a trip of 50,000 rubles. and 10% commission, income from one sale will be 5,000 rubles, and total revenue per month: 150,000 rubles. With the growing popularity of the organization (regular customers), monthly income in the first year of operation will increase by an average of 10%. As the number of sales increases, the percentage of commissions will also increase. Thus, in the first year of operation it is planned to earn about 3,500,000 rubles.
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Production plan
The first thing you need to do is find an office to house the organization. Large areas are not required for the full functioning of a business. Therefore, preference will be given to premises with an area of 25 to 35 square meters. m. with ready renovation. This area will be enough to accommodate three workplaces. At this stage, the main costs will be associated with the purchase of office furniture (tables, chairs, soft sofa for clients), office equipment and consumables. The rent for the premises will be about 25,000 rubles. per month.
Which tax system to choose for a travel agency
Next, you need to register the company with the local tax office. It is planned to register a Limited Liability Company (LLC) as an organizational and legal form. The status of a legal entity will look preferable both when working with clients and when working with tour operators. Licenses and certificates are not required for this activity. As a tax regime, the best option would be to switch to a special regime - simplified tax system (6% of revenue or 15% of profit). Upon completion of registration, the company will need to enter into agreements with the country's leading tour operators: Coral Travel, Tez Tour, Sunmar, Pegas Touristik, NTK-Intourist and so on. After concluding an agency agreement, you will gain access to the online tour booking system and open a bonus account. Upon completion of registration of the company and arrangement of the premises, it will be necessary to form a team of the organization. The main staff of a travel agency are customer service managers. Their responsibilities include selecting individual and group tours, advising clients on tourism destinations, booking all types of travel services, and working with tour operators. When starting a business, you will need to employ at least 3 managers with a 2/2 work schedule. The salary will consist of a salary of 15 thousand rubles. + percentage of sales. Also, for the operation of a travel agency, a visiting accountant and cleaner will be required (outsourcing). The responsibilities of the director/manager will initially be assigned to the project initiator.
Main risks
In a big city with a rich history, tough competition awaits a newcomer. But you shouldn’t give up on the idea - create an original route that does not coincide with the schedule of your competitors’ excursions. Introduce city visitors to attractions not included in the list of most travel agencies. Offer a more modern and creative approach to the methods of conducting excursions. Tourists hungry for new and vibrant experiences will definitely appreciate the originality of the information presented.
For a tourism business in a small city with a limited selection of attractions and a small flow of tourists, the problem of a lack of clients is typical. Find out all about the possibilities for interesting and active recreation in your area. It could be a nature reserve or simply a natural area of rare beauty, an ancient monastery located nearby, the ruins of a castle, a working historical museum with an interesting exhibition, a ski resort, a village with the opportunity to live in a peasant hut - you will definitely be able to experience at least something from this list offer to potential clients.
In recent years, the popularity of green tourism with maximum immersion in the natural world has been growing - organize cycling or horseback riding tours. Entrepreneurs from small towns will have to look for clients in large tourist centers, but with proper organization of the process this can become a real highlight and the beginning of a successful business.
“Step-by-step instructions on how to open a “city tour” business”
Marketing and promotion
Without advertising and promotion it is impossible to build a profitable tourism business. Today, the lion's share of tours is purchased via the Internet. Even if the travel agency is located close to the client, it is often easier for him to go to the website and book the tour he likes through a bank card. Therefore, creating a website for a travel agency is a must. What sections should be on the site first:
- Selection of tours according to parameters (destination of vacation, arrival date, number of nights, etc.)
- Last minute travel packages (holiday offers with discounts)
- School tours (organization of excursion tours for school and age groups)
- Business tours (organization of tours for group recreation)
- Online - tour booking
Creating a functional website can cost from 50 to 100 thousand rubles. You can advertise an online resource through contextual advertising (Yandex Direct and Google Adsense). In addition to online promotion, it is worth including in your business plan and methods of promotion through offline advertising:
- Placing a bright sign above the entrance to the travel agency office;
- Advertising on billboards (outdoor advertising)
- Placing information in specialized magazines
- Advertise on radio, television and local newspapers.
Advertising on television is very expensive, but it brings a tangible effect, because it allows you to get the impression that the travel agency is reliable and you can trust it with your vacation. Ultimately, at least 30,000 rubles can be spent on advertising and promotion of the organization. per month.
