How to determine the reliability of a travel agency. Reviews of tour operators. The most reliable tour operators. Tour operator rating. Amount of financial guarantees

1. Check the presence of the tour operator in the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators. To do this, follow the link http://russiatourism.ru. In the register of tour operators, enter the name of the tour operator you need.
2. Make sure that the agreement on the sale of a tourism product, which you are offered to sign in a travel agency, has an annex containing information about the tour operator.
3. Always ask for a cashier's receipt when making a prepayment for the tour. A cash receipt is not a financial document when buying a tour. A strict accountability form - a voucher can be issued to you only if the tour is paid in full.
4. If a travel company promises you a discount on the tour of more than 5%, you risk losing all your money for the trip for the following reasons:
a) a travel agency that gives a discount of 6% or more does not pay taxes, money is paid to the tour operator "in black", therefore, there are no supporting documents for the rights of the tour between the travel agency and the tour operator;
b) a travel agency that gives a discount of 6% or more - risks going bankrupt before you receive a package of documents for the tour;

c) a travel agency that gives discounts to clients does not plan to engage in the tourism business for a long time, most likely in its plans to "hit the jackpot" and cease to exist.

In the rating of reliable companies in the city of Omsk, the travel agency Mr. Fogg occupies a leading position. The official website of the Federal Agency for Tourism www.russiatourism.ru in the Register of Tour Operators contains complete information about the travel agency Mr. Fogg. Register number of Mr. Fogg BHT 003267.

The travel agency Mr. Fogg has been operating in the market of tourist services since 2000. Thousands of grateful regular customers. The list of Mr. Fogg's services is huge: cheap air tickets, hotels at favorable prices, visas, insurance, registration of a passport, school tours, children's camps, weekend rest.

Mr. Fogg works only with reliable tour operators, information about which is contained in the Unified Federal Register of Tour Operators.
Dear customers, read the financial guarantees at the download link. Remember, this application is mandatory when concluding a contract. Only reliable travel agencies provide clients with a complete package of documents.

IMPORTANT! On December 30, 2015, a number of tour operators of Turkish origin were excluded from the Unified Federal Register. As of January 4, the following tour operators continue their activities: Pegas Touristik LLC, Pegas Touristik LLC, Pegas Touristik LLC, Coral Travel Center LLC Travel), LLC "Operator of profitable tours SANMAR" (Sunmar). If the Tour Operator accepts the booking request, therefore, it guarantees the fulfillment of its obligations to the Client.

Check the reliability of the tour operator on the Rostourism website, find the history of its work on the Internet and carefully read the contract with the tour retailer - a travel agency - this is the minimum list of actions that every supporter of organized tourism needs to do, experts say. Otherwise, there is a high risk of joining the ranks of unfortunate tourists awaiting compensation for a spoiled vacation.

How to check the reliability of a travel agency? By following these steps. you can, with a high degree of probability, "sleep well" and wait for the date of your vacation.

Step 1

Having contacted the travel agency, you need to find out the name of the tour operator who will organize the rest, and check the agency agreement between the travel agency that sells the tour and the tour operator. It is necessary to contact those travel companies that have not existed for a year or two, but, preferably, for more than two years.

Step 2

It is necessary to check the information about the tour operator in the register on the regulator's website, that is, Rostourism (information about the tour operators of the Rostov region is on the Donskoy tourism website in the section). The main thing is to make sure that the tour operator has financial support for a large amount (from 500 thousand rubles if it is a tour operator in Russia, from 10 million rubles if it is a tour operator in foreign countries). Financial guarantees indicate that the tour operator's liability is insured, and if something happens to the company, the insurance company returns the money spent to the tourists. In addition, a compensation fund has now been created - Rosturpomosch, which guarantees assistance to Russian tourists in emergency situations.

Step 3

After making sure that the tour operator works legally, and his liability is insured, it is worth looking for information about him on the Internet. Read his story, reviews. It is imperative to look through the official website, it often contains documents and certificates confirming the legal activities of the company.

Step 4

If there is no doubt about the information about the tour operator, you should also carefully study the travel agency that retails the tours of this tour operator. You should know that there is no travel agency licensing in Russia. If a travel agency shows state licenses and certificates and says that these documents confirm its right to work, then at this stage it is already worth considering! At the moment, the All-Russian General Register of Travel Agencies has been formed. When choosing a travel agency, ask for its number in this Travel Agencies Register. You can check the validity of the registration number and information about the travel agency.

Step 5

It is necessary to pay close attention to the agreement that you sign with the travel agency. This must be a sales contract for the tour. Attention! The contract should not be for the provision of consulting services and not on one sheet. In the buyer's agreement with the travel agency, the tour operator must be indicated, its number in the unified federal register of tour operators.

Also, do not save on travel cancellation insurance, in case of illness, visa problems and other force majeure circumstances. It is insurance that allows you to return the cost of the voucher, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Instructions

Some replacement for licensing was the creation of the All-Russian General

register of travel agencies, created by the Russian Union of Travel Industry. Entry into the register is not mandatory for travel agencies, at the same time, the presence of a company on the list will not give a 100% guarantee of its reliability. But the agency you are going to work with for the first time is still worth it.

Indeed, when registering in the register, companies provide not only their official data, but also copies of the agreement with the tour operator. And this already means that the company you have chosen has not only its own sign on the facade, but also a history of partnership in the tourism world. Registry data is open to everyone at http://reestr-ta.ru/... Find out in advance its number in the register at the travel agency.

Before starting cooperation with a travel agency, ask for a Certificate of Incorporation and a Certificate of Conformity. The agreement on the provision of travel services must contain the same company as in these documents. Make sure the CEO of the company signs the contract with you directly. If it is another person, ask for a power of attorney to delegate such authority from the head of the firm.

In the contract, pay attention to the clause on financial guarantees. They can be of two types: reserving funds in the bank for the payment of compensation or insurance of civil liability of the tour operator. The document must contain the number, date, validity period and address of the bank or insurance company, as well as the amount of financial security.

It will not be superfluous to look for the work of a travel agency on the Internet. True, objective data will only give you negative reviews. If tourists have already encountered problems in cooperation with this travel agency, then you should not choose it as your guide to distant countries.

Positive reviews, of course, are encouraging, but they do not give a complete guarantee of your peace of mind. Not only one-day firms are being closed, but also reputable companies with extensive experience. At the same time, a newly opened travel agency is not always a trap for the traveler. Sometimes experienced managers leave a larger firm to start their own small business. Their "baggage" includes many years of work experience and knowledge of all the specifics, and a young company is more likely to provide you with favorable conditions.

A very clear criterion for the reliability of a travel agency will be the competence of its employees. Do not be afraid to meticulously ask managers about the hotels you are going to visit, find out the peculiarities of the country and ask for advice. Friendly, detailed responses are an indicator of the company's seriousness. An excellent recommendation would be a narrow specialization of a travel agency. For example, some agencies work only on Asian destinations, some offer exclusively Mediterranean cruises or extreme tours to Africa. As a rule, such companies have their own niche and are steadily on their feet in it.

And yet, do not be lazy after purchasing a tour to contact the airline and send a request to the hotel. Request confirmation of booking tickets and room payments for you. Thus, you will save yourself from unpleasant surprises at the airport or already at the resort.

So, in order not to be deceived, you need to understand a little about the structure of tourism in the Russian Federation. A few basic brief points:

There is one big misconception: in different travel agencies the price for the same voucher will differ. But this is not so: every one of them offers the same assortment at the same prices, because everything is produced at the same, most often reliable, "factories".

Conclusion: in order to book a tour, profitable and carefree, you should find a pleasant person to talk to (for you), a close-minded and competent person. Everything.

But why, then, do prices differ anyway? Consider two typical scenarios for the development of events:

If the tour is cheaper than others

But in this situation, there are also negative consequences: a decrease in the quality of service (after all, the commissions of travel agents are already small in the light of what is happening in the tourism market, and then part of the modest earnings must be given to the tourist so that he does not go to competitors), lack of funds for further existence in the long term, the formation of a financial pyramid, ruin, etc. Dumping doesn't end well.

Please remember, if you require a discount, that any work must be paid for. Nobody wants to work for free.

Option two: Here we will already talk about the agent's dishonesty. He may deliberately understate the cost, thereby enticing you to book with him, and the next day he will call and say that the hotel has not been confirmed, will offer an alternative of equal price, which in fact will be cheaper. But you, most likely, will not know about it.

Even worse, if the travel agent initially, without your agreement, book another hotel for your trip, you will only come across this reality when you arrive on vacation. Therefore, read the contract very carefully, check the check-in voucher, the food category in it and the air tickets upon receipt of the documents.

What if the tour is more expensive?

Everything here is extremely simple: despite the fact that it is strictly forbidden for the agency to make a mark-up on the official price of the tour operator, some copies still do this. The amount of the premium depends entirely on the amount of conscience within the travel agent.

You can check whether you received an honest price in an offer from a travel agency on the Travelata website (completely free):

This is an online tour search service that checks the offers of all reliable tour operators and gives similar prices (or even lower). The offer you like can be immediately booked by paying by card (thereby you fix the cost of the tour) or you can arrange an installment plan. Travelata provides its tourists with round-the-clock telephone support, documents are sent directly to your mail. The future has already arrived 🙂

And remember - the so-called "last minute" tours do exist.

But they appear ONLY a couple of days before departure, and nothing else. There cannot be a sale of vouchers 2 months before the start date of the tour. These are all cheating and marketing gimmicks. A "hot" tour happens when the operator realizes that he does not have time to sell the required number of seats in the plane / hotel for a certain date, and the service provider has already paid for them. Thus, reducing the cost to the point of impossibility, the operator gets at least something and does not remain at the trough with an empty plane. But no one likes such situations, tour operators are not stupid, they try to avoid them.

Travel business: buy or build from scratch?

Many businessmen today are thinking about what is more profitable: to buy a ready-made a travel company, or start everything yourself, from scratch. The correspondent of "TB" talks about the intricacies of the purchase with an experienced expert - this is the managing director of "Persona Grata Legal Agency" YULIA Mokhova. The sale and purchase of the tourism business is separated in this company into a separate line of business.

How attractive is the acquisition of a running travel company from an economic point of view?

That is, it is noticeably more profitable than creating a company from scratch?

Startup problems are inevitable for any new company, and the travel business is no exception. I will give a few examples of typical mistakes that those who open a travel agency from scratch face. First, the lack of a clear business plan, project concept, calculation of competitive advantages, financial planning and inattention to organizational work. Secondly, conflicts with partners. Unfortunately, there are a lot of cases when the business has not yet started working, but it is already being divided. Here the recipe is the same: friendship is friendship, but money apart. Business does not tolerate what is forgiven out of friendship, giving rise to conflicts and mutual claims. Third, the lack of initial investment. Opening a tourist business with the last money often ends at the stage of organizing and equipping an office. Fourth, the expectation of significant results in the first year of operations. The return on the invested funds in the first year of work, of course, is not a utopia, but it is not always an achievable task. Often this is not taken into account, causing then a loss of interest in the business, which requires no less attention after a year than at the beginning.

Finally, errors in accounting. Insufficient attention to accounting, preparation of primary documents and company workflow often leads to unreasonably high taxes or fines. It even happens that, based on the results of the first year of operation, it is easier to close a company than to restore accounting.

What is the best way to estimate the value of the business you are looking to buy?

Estimating the real value of a travel company is not an easy task. Often the price quoted by founders is based only on their idea of ​​how much they want to receive to offset their costs of starting a business. When a company is assessed by professionals and a selective audit is performed (financial indicators, operational efficiency, etc. are checked), the previously announced price, as a rule, decreases significantly.

Much depends on the formalities, on streamlined accounting and workflow, even on the way the lease is issued and other factors that require a comprehensive assessment. Naturally, when choosing such a company, the buyer usually has a lot of questions, for the solution of which the work of specialists is needed: it is necessary to conduct a legal examination, a selective audit, possibly the restoration of accounting, re-registration of labor relations.

The range of prices for travel agencies in Moscow ranges from 300 thousand to 2.5 million rubles. Usually the price is formed based on the annual or 10-month net profit of the company. Agencies worth up to a million rubles are more often bought.

What is the best way to check a travel agency before buying?

What is important to consider when buying a travel agency?

Usually, it stipulates such clauses as the precise definition of what is being transferred, by whom and to whom, at what price (this clause may include an indication of the value of each sub-clause of the property); details of all installments and commitments that you are willing to accept when making a purchase; method of payment, by what date, in what way; all changes in price that may occur between the moment of signing the contract and the end of the transaction (sale of property, purchase of equipment, tax payments, etc. may be included); the seller's guarantees regarding the reliability of the information provided and additional conditions in case this information turns out to be false (penalties applied to the seller) and much more.

What are the pitfalls when buying a ready-made business?

The most common mistakes when buying a travel business are the buyer's trust in the seller and the desire to save money on the transaction. Many buyers, especially those who have no experience in tourism, listening to the seller, take his word for it and forget or spend not enough time on checking and evaluating (audit, legal) documents, liability to partners, third parties. For these purposes, specialists should be involved who are able not only to identify the problem, but also to solve it. The main problem in the sale of a business is the assessment of the real value of a travel company.

As a rule, the price stated by the founders is based only on their idea of ​​how much they want to receive in order to compensate for their costs and, of course, earn. In reality, this formula works extremely rarely at this stage of the industry's development.

Probably, double-entry bookkeeping is also a serious problem today?

This is true. Often a significant part of the money received as payment for tours, especially cash, is not officially recorded. This is due to many factors: high taxes, difficult accounting, inability or unwillingness to establish a competent financial scheme of work and other reasons. There are situations when "white" indicators are many times at odds with the real turnover of the company. At the same time, for a legal transaction, of course, official accounting data will be used, and you will have to accept the “black” accounting department on faith, since its data cannot be verified against legal documents.

Now the situation on the market is changing, more and more companies "whitewash" accounting, and when choosing a company, you should pay close attention to this. But what if you were offered a profitable purchase of a company with a "black" account? The answer to this question cannot be given without evaluating the enterprise as a whole - as a property and production complex.

Many people, first of all, look at the favorable location of the acquired office. How important is it really?

It is necessary to evaluate all the pros and cons in the complex. Perhaps you will see positive factors that will outweigh all the disadvantages and will become the basis of your motivation when choosing the acquired company. For example, a favorable office location, a good and recognizable name, an established circle of clients can outweigh the problems with accounting and several outstanding claims of tourists.

Buying a ready-made travel agency is a complex transaction: preparation and analysis of documents, risk assessment, support in the negotiation process is the task of lawyers and specialists who have extensive experience in the field of tourism. It is experience that often plays a decisive role in determining positions at different stages of the transaction - qualification alone is not enough.