Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Travel guide - What are the sales channels of travel agencies in 2017?

What are the sales channels of travel agencies in 2017?

Travel agency sales channels refer to the way travel agencies transfer products to final consumers. For this reason, I will share with you what are the sales channels of travel agencies in 2017. You are welcome to read them.

Sales channels of travel agencies in 2017

Travel agency sales channel strategy 1: Extensive sales channel strategy

Extensive sales channel strategy refers to entrusting retailers extensively or through A strategy used by travel agencies and related companies in various places to sell products and attract customers. Its advantage is that it can choose a wide range of channels to promote products, which facilitates tourists' purchases. It also facilitates travel agencies to contact the majority of tourists and potential tourists, and it is also conducive to finding ideal middlemen in the process of extensive sales. The disadvantage is that sales are too scattered, management is difficult, and the corresponding costs are also high.

Travel agency sales channel strategy 2: Selective sales channel strategy

Selective sales channel strategy refers to the strategy of selecting only a few middlemen in a certain market. Often after a comprehensive sales channel strategy, a few companies that are conducive to product promotion are selected from the vast number of middlemen as future product sales channels. The advantage is that the purpose is clear and the focus is concentrated, which can reduce sales costs. The disadvantage is that once the middleman is chosen improperly, it may affect product sales in the relevant market.

Travel agency sales channel strategy 3: Exclusive sales channel strategy

Exclusive sales channel strategy refers to the sales strategy of selecting only one middleman in a certain period and in a certain region. At this time, the middleman who is the general agent of the travel agency generally cannot sell the products of other competitors at the same time. The advantage is that it can improve the enthusiasm and marketing efficiency of middlemen. The travel agency has a single contact with the middlemen, which can reduce costs. The interests of both production and marketing parties are close, which is conducive to collaboration. The disadvantage is that if the middleman makes mistakes, he may lose part of the market in the region. If the middleman chooses improperly, he may lose the market completely.

Functions of travel agency sales channels in 2017

Generally speaking, travel agency sales channels have two main functions: on the one hand, they can expand sales away from tourism product producers and delivery locations. The number of points; on the other hand, enables the purchase of tourist products before they are produced. Sales channels serve as channels for the transfer of travel agency products from producers to consumers, overcoming the major barriers that separate products from consumers, such as time, location, and ownership. Specifically, members of the sales channel have the following main functions.

① Through travel agency sales channels, the economic relationship between tourism product producers (travel agencies) and tourism consumers is established, so that the tourism products produced by travel agencies can continuously enter the consumption field of the tourism market through sales channels. . In this way, the value of the tourism products produced by travel agencies can be realized, reproduction can proceed smoothly, and tourism consumers can also meet their consumption needs.

② Through the channel members in the travel agency sales channel, investigate and study the changes in demand of travel consumers in the market, conduct market forecasts, and promptly feedback changes in consumer demand to travel agencies with product production functions. These travel agencies are prompted to adjust the structure of tourism products according to market demand, continuously launch new products, and continuously supply best-selling products.

③ Through travel agency sales channels, adjust the contradiction between travel agencies and tourism consumers in terms of the types and grades of tourism products. Due to the specialization of production, the types and grades of tourism products produced by travel agencies are very limited. However, consumers demand tourism products with complete grades, varieties and specifications, and as consumption levels increase and purchase selectivity increases, this demand becomes even stronger. Moreover, the particularity of the needs of different categories of tourism consumers has also been greatly enhanced. After the middlemen in the travel agency sales channel purchase tourism products, they divide the tourism products into different grades, and arrange and classify the specifications and grades of the tourism products. Some tourism products also need to be reorganized, packaged, and promoted to adapt to consumption in different regions and different requirements. the needs of the users.

Selection of sales channels for travel agency products in 2017

1. Selection of direct sales channels and indirect sales channels

In today’s tourism market in my country, whether it is international Both the market and the domestic market have changed from a seller's market to a buyer's market, which has resulted in the profits of middlemen far exceeding those of travel agencies selling tourism products. This means that the profits of tour operators are higher than those of local travel agencies. The profits generated by travel agency products sold through direct sales channels are much higher than those obtained through indirect sales. Sometimes the profit from direct sales can be 2 to 4 times that of indirect sales. In the international tourism market, although China Travel Service, China Youth Travel Service, China International Travel Service and a few larger local international travel agencies operate in a few source countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Japan, and Hong Kong, my country, There are direct sales agencies in some areas or regions, but due to too few locations and unfamiliarity with the national conditions, direct sales tour groups account for a small proportion of inbound tour groups. For international travel agencies that do not have the financial resources to open overseas travel sales agencies, overseas direct sales can only be elusive.

In the domestic tourism market, in order to protect their vested interests, intermediaries often join forces and do their best to adopt exclusive group monopoly measures on local outbound tourists. Local tourism administrative agencies also often There are local protection policies for groups. Intermediaries in some cities will implement retaliatory measures against out-of-town travel agencies that directly organize groups in other places without local travel agencies, and cut off all business transactions. This forces many travel agencies not to easily organize group direct sales in other places.

The choice between direct sales channels and indirect sales channels for travel agency product sales should be based on indirect sales channels. Direct sales channels can only be selected under the premise of ensuring compliance with local tourism administrative regulations and not causing significant retaliation or punishment. Of course, in view of the considerable profits of direct sales, direct sales channels should not be abandoned when possible, but should also be carefully tried to open them as much as possible.

2. Selection of intermediaries

Since the types of intermediaries are different, and the intermediaries of each travel agency have different characteristics in terms of target market, business scale, marketing strength, solvency and credibility, as well as Aspects such as willingness to cooperate are not the same. Therefore, when choosing a middleman, travel agencies must first conduct a detailed investigation and analysis of the middleman's situation to be "well-informed." When the time is right, clearly express your willingness to cooperate with the intermediary. Travel agencies should choose intermediaries from the following aspects:

　(1) Geographical location

When choosing intermediaries, they should first consider their geographical location. Even in the same country, the source markets for outbound tourists will vary greatly due to factors such as the affluence, travel thinking habits, openness, distance from tourist destinations, etc. of each province and city. The selection of intermediaries should be carried out in the main source countries of the main customers. For example, 50% of U.S. overseas tourism is concentrated in six states: California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Illinois. Therefore, the U.S. middlemen we choose must also target these six states. The geographical location should be in these areas.

(2) Willingness to cooperate

The cooperative relationship between travel agencies and intermediaries should be a mutually beneficial relationship. Because when travel agencies choose middlemen, middlemen are also choosing travel agencies. This is a process of mutual selection between both parties. Therefore, when travel agencies choose intermediaries, they must choose people who are sincere in cooperation, especially intermediaries who act as retail agents for many similar travel suppliers. Otherwise, its ability to actively market its products will be in question.

(3) Group organizing ability

Affected by factors such as scale, manpower, publicity funds, experience, relationships, etc., different travel agencies may have vastly different group organizing capabilities. Travel agencies can send several tour groups to the same tourist destination in one day during holidays, they can send a series of tours, and they can even send out special trains and charter flights alone or jointly with other travel agencies: but some travel agencies have zero business volume throughout the year. Therefore, when choosing an intermediary, you must investigate and compare the other party's group formation capabilities.

(4) Reputation and solvency

Since travel agents engaged in agency retail booking business generally do not have debt repayment problems, the evaluation in this area is mainly for operators. of. Intermediaries should have good reputation and strong solvency. Paying attention to credibility is the guarantee that the travel agency's interests will not be infringed, while the solvency of the intermediary is the economic guarantee for the cooperation between the two parties. Information about the creditworthiness and solvency of intermediaries can generally be obtained through special investigations by relevant banking institutions.

(5) Number of middlemen

Choosing too many middlemen will cause a waste of sales expenses. At the same time, the increase in the number of transactions will also increase the cost of the product. Among middlemen, It will also affect the enthusiasm of sales because there are too many monks; too few middlemen may form a monopoly of sales. In terms of scale, middlemen are large in scale and strong in group formation, and are prone to form monopoly sales, which often makes our companies subject to middlemen. However, middlemen who are too small in scale and weak in strength are not conducive to the promotion of our products, so they should Reasonably consider their number and size.

　(6) Dependence

The business scope of intermediaries varies, and the degree of dependence on travel agencies in my country also varies greatly. Some foreign intermediaries specialize in my country's tourism business and are quite dependent on my country's travel agencies, such as the UK's Promotion Travel Agency, Japan's Japan-China Travel Agency, Japan-China Peace Tourism Company, etc., all of which operate China's tourism business. Some intermediaries operate tourism products from many countries and many travel agencies at the same time, and are less dependent on a specific travel agency. Our travel agency should also consider this dependence because it is directly related to the efforts of the middlemen.

In short, choosing an intermediary is an important issue for travel agencies in developing sales channels. It requires not only a strategic vision, but also a pragmatic spirit. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you obtain ideal travel intermediaries and establish efficient sales channels.