New Tour Operator

Sam_Bee · 9 October 2006 at 12:02PM

OK, this looks the most logical thread to ask. I'm not going to name the company as I'm not advertising (or even trading till December), but I'm starting up a new Tour Operator (i.e. flights & accommodation) for a specialised region. We will not have online booking, but we are focussing on excellent, personal, customer service, which I believe is the main battleground against online companies. So my question is:

What really gets your goat about travel companies? What winds you up, frustrates you most when enquiring / booking a holiday? What has turned you off a company more than anything?

And on the other foot, who, and why has a particular company impressed you - more than anyone else? Why did you book with them, and have you recommended them to friends & family? What was their 'competitive' advantage?

It's my chance to right all the wrongs I see on here - by starting up the right way! Thanks!

barron_2 · 9 October 2006 at 1:36PM

Hi Sam.
Cant really comment on the wind ups etc,as in the game myself.
However,I would suggest having an online facility,even if it means the clients calling you.
Treat clients how you would want to be treated yourself.
You will get frustrated with ratio of enquiries to closures.
Its a dog eat dog biz,as you are going to be offering accom,it gets worse.
You(without teaching you how to suck eggs!),need to find good inbound agents,that you can use.

We use and get the same prices as the big four,this time of year we are competative.Later on ,when they are offloading,we resort to the big four late deals.
They have bought their allocations at beggining of year,so need to recoup some of their outlay.
Unless you have an endless pot,you cannot do this.
If you cannot beat a price,admit it and get the client to book even if its with someone else.
They will come back to you or reccomend.
I give a price,thats my best price,I do not "wheel and deal"as Martin suggests to people on here.

I have my own allocations,but if I can find it cheaper through another supplier then the client gets that price.
Please make sure you have all your liability insurances and bondings in place.
Its normally cheaper to link with a company that provide these.

Have you registered for WTM in November,you will get loads of contacts and suppliers there.
Also get a good accountant,you will hit tax limits quickly(I hope) you then have to think about VAT etc,this will obviously cause price changes.

I would be interested to know ,in what area you will specialise.
I do the Balearics(mainly Mallorca)if there is something,like cruises,which come in ,I normally pass these to a specialist.(in return for a %)!!
That way my client has the experts working for them,not even the best can profess to knowing everthing.

Stick to what you know,subscribe to the Trade Press(normally free).
Sorry if,I have run on.
PM me if you need,and let me know of your "speciality"(maybe will be able to put some biz your way!!)
Good Luck
and
Happy Hols

iwanttosave_2 · 9 October 2006 at 1:40PM

I hate having to call a 0845/0870 number to get a price for a holiday, that gets my goat. A thing that has also got on my nerves with a company, is when I phone them and they are busy, rather than passing me on to someone else (and lose potentail commision) they say they will call back, meaning I have to stay in, and most of the time, I end up having to call back.

I like to see loads of pictures of where I am going to help me decide.

Sam_Bee · 9 October 2006 at 1:52PM

iwanttosave wrote:

I hate having to call a 0845/0870 number to get a price for a holiday, that gets my goat. A thing that has also got on my nerves with a company, is when I phone them and they are busy, rather than passing me on to someone else (and lose potentail commision) they say they will call back, meaning I have to stay in, and most of the time, I end up having to call back.

I like to see loads of pictures of where I am going to help me decide.

I agree. We are thinking of using a 020 7 number so at least people know what they are paying. 0845 numbers have the association of the company making money from you, even if it's not true,

It's crucial to call someone back when you say you will... Not always possible to pass on to other staff I guess, as we only 3 staff including me! As long as you keep your promises and do call back when you say, that would be acceptable I presume?

iwanttosave_2 · 9 October 2006 at 1:58PM

Sam_Bee wrote:

I agree. We are thinking of using a 020 7 number so at least people know what they are paying. 0845 numbers have the association of the company making money from you, even if it's not true,

It's crucial to call someone back when you say you will... Not always possible to pass on to other staff I guess, as we only 3 staff including me! As long as you keep your promises and do call back when you say, that would be acceptable I presume?

Absolutly, when you are planning your holiday, and you are excited, you want to have all the plans, and waiting hours for an answer about something can be annoying.

With regards to the 0845 number, even though it is a lo-call number, it is stilll off putting ringing one.

barron_2 · 9 October 2006 at 2:17PM

It will cost more to say ring London from Scotland,than an 0845 number,having said that I can see your point.
We always arrange a conveniant time to call back,it then gives us the time to find the best deal,flight etc.
If local,we can visit the clients home and discuss the full details of their holiday.
The "Biguns"are only interested in selling their product,independant ops and agents are interested in selling theirs,but as I said earlier,better to find the client best price,even if from someone else,than lose them completely.
They 9/10 will come back to you or reccomend.
As example,had a client wanting Turkey,they had price from Going Places,I couldnt beat it,told them to BOOK IT asap.
Have now booked 5 hols for them and friends in the last 2 months.
Happy Hols

Edinburghlass_2 · 9 October 2006 at 3:08PM

If its money savers that are calling you it won't cost them more than 3p if dialling an 01/02 number no matter where in the country they are calling from as they will have signed up to www.call1899.co.uk if with BT and will pay 0p per minute and a 3p connection charge. At that price I am quite happy to make the call myself rather than wait for someone to call me back.

However if its an 0845 call it could cost me 3p per minute depending on the time of day with a 4p connection charge using www.call18185.co.uk so in that case I would prefer you to ring me back

lily_the_pink · 9 October 2006 at 3:57PM

I absolutely hate hidden extras. ie advertising one price, then once all the extras have been inputted, total price coming to almost double.

I think online is really important - I cant remember the last time I booked a holiday offline.

lily_the_pink · 9 October 2006 at 4:00PM

I think what could make a difference is having some sort of Rep system in place in the area you are specialising in. Although I am happy to be without a rep, my MIL and FIL would not be. (Medhotels offer this service in some resorts). Useful for ironing out problems with room allocations etc in resort or just help in the case of emergencies.

iwantitnow · 9 October 2006 at 4:24PM

Obviously you will not be charging fuel surcharges unless the price of fuel has actually gone up from the time you print your prices.

Sam_Bee · 9 October 2006 at 6:37PM

lily_the_pink wrote:

I absolutely hate hidden extras. ie advertising one price, then once all the extras have been inputted, total price coming to almost double.

I think online is really important - I cant remember the last time I booked a holiday offline.

I agree. As most of what we will be doing is tailor-made, bespoke, very little in the way of pricing will be advertised. What is advertised will be available in plentiful supply.

You wouldn't book a 3 centre Indonesia holiday, jungle trek to Papau New Guinea, or a week whale shark diving on Christmas Island online I hope - you'd want to speak to someone who had experience of all these destinations! (I hope!)

iwanttosave wrote:

I like to see loads of pictures of where I am going to help me decide.

One of our investors is a professional photographer. I get fed up of the same hotel image (inevitably taken in the 1970's) being used in every magazine. I also know that all the brochures that I've ever written, no-one reads a word

- a picture says a thousand words, so fantastic imagery is us!

lily_the_pink wrote:

I think what could make a difference is having some sort of Rep system in place in the area you are specialising in.

I agree. Already in place, the best in each country.

Iwantitknow wrote:

Obviously you will not be charging fuel surcharges unless the price of fuel has actually gone up from the time you print your prices.

Yes. And we'll be actually refunding money if the price of oil goes down! (Although please note all fuel charges are introduced by airlines, and were cynical in thinking they might not drop them as fast as they raised them!

Thanks everyone! Keep them coming!

New Tour Operator

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