Yes! travel agencies and tour operators’,they works together when I book my Tanzania safari because, these are two different person and they both work together. For booking your trip to Tanzania safari, you can decide either to book your ticket to tour operator directly, or book to tour or travel agent. Through travel agencies they can book with you a hotel, camp or lodge and even prepare your transportation.
Tour operator and tour agent have relationship. Travel agents sell their products direct to the public/consumers. Sometimes tour operators’ act as travel agents and this almost applied to all Tanzania safari travel operators. Tour agent sometimes referred as retailers and intermediaries. Most of travel operators sell their safari package and mountain packages (tourism products) to consumers through travel agency.
Is a person or a business which books and arranges Tanzania safari services, such as air tickets and holidays for a traveler for a commission. They are retailers, because they stock their premises with the safari products of tour operators (brochures etc), and as intermediaries because, the customers have decided the holiday, will choose the agents to book the holiday with the particular tour operator.
There are different types of travel agencies
This travel agents are located in institutions, hotels and big organisations. Their duty in Tanzania safari is to make travel arrangements for the staff or members of such institutions and incoming hotel clients.
This normally located in busy commercial areas, like airports, to make travel arrangements and booking for business people. Multinational travel agents
Operates in different countries mostly represented by overseas representatives operating on their behalf. For example work for Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi etc.
The Tanzania Association of Travel Agents (TASOTA) established to protect all tour agencies in Tanzania safari with the following purposes;-
Encouraging, promote and protect interests of member travel agents in Tanzania safari in the country,
Maintaining a code of conduct and code of ethics within the industry,
Enhancing cordial relations with associations in neighboring countries,
Promoting travel into and out of Tanzania and to promote the highest standards of professionalism amongst travel agents of Tanzania safari.
Travel Agent license will be issued to business firms which are fully owned by Tanzanians only after submission and verification of the following requirements:-
A certificate of registration and memorandum/ article of Association of the Company registered in Tanzania safari.
Must provide TIN/TRA certificate.
Must have suitable office for carrying out the business.
The applicant must have not less than two employees who are Tanzanians and have IATA recognized certificates/ diploma.
Advice to potential travelers on resorts, carriers, travel companies and travel facilities worldwide
Making reservations for all travel requirements
Planning itineraries of all kinds including multi-stop over independent tours.
Accurately computing airline and other transport fares
Maintaining accurate files and preservations.
Maintaining and displaying storks of travel brochures.
Interceding with principals in the event of customer complaints.
Provision of travel information
Planning and costing
sell tickets to clients using different modes of transport
Directional selling
Selling of travel insurance cover
Advising clients on visa and passports
Provide convenient location for the purchase of travel services.
On daily, weekly and monthly basis basing on the nature and size of the company, the travel agent staffs and management of Tanzania safari must observe the following
• Open the travel agent office in accordance with standard security procedures
• Re-set dates on validation equipments and stamps
• Read incoming mails
• Check the telephone answering machine for messages
• Check emails
• Check and arrange brochure racks etc
• Check brochure supplies for all holidays and tour companies
• Check petty cash
• Check the stock of tickets, traveler cheques and foreign currency
• Check principals weekly statements
• pay principals sales returns where appropriate
• check billing settlement plan (BSP) before remitting payments to the principals
• process and pay staff salaries
• check monthly performances against sales and expenses budgeted
• check all office equipments and other facilitie
• Review sales of previous years and effectiveness of promotions and policies
• Review any rental and lease agreement
• Prepare yearly accounts
• Prepare marketing plan
• Prepare sales and expense budget
• Review preferred principals and racking
• Plan training programmes for the staff
•Most travel agents work on a commission basis receiving a percentage of the product ranging from 7 - 40%. •Principals remuneration by offering a fee-based payment systems which is linked to the ticket, an example BA •Credit card transactions payment by an airline •They can as well be tour operators (refer directional selling) •Charges for travel services e.g. passports, visas etc •Investment of the customers money between the time it is paid to the travel agency and the time it is paid to the operator •The fluctuation of currency rates can as well be a source of income •Selling of travel related goods e.g. books, maps of cities to be visited etc