Midwest Night Travel

This is about taking advantage of the travel industry’s secrets. Taking that dream vacation at wholesale and making money!

Remember that Expedia was sold for $5. 1 Billion Dollars! Wonder why?

I really wondered why such a high price was paid for an internet travel store until researching some important facts.

People love to travel. It is the number one (1) thing that people say that they would do if they had the money and the time to do it. Because of the major trends that are taking place, more and more people now have the time and the money to travel.

So They Are Traveling!!

82% of all travel is booked online meaning, thru the internet. 79 million Americans booked their travel on line in 2005.

In the last decade, more than 200,000 travel agents have lost their jobs. By 2004 there were only 103,000 travel agents left in the United States.

People like you and me were buying travel from the Internet Travel Stores.

The travel industry today is a 1. 3 Trillion dollar business here in the US.

7 Trillion worldwide. Wouldn’t you like a piece of that! That amounts to $56 million a minute spent on travel in the U. S. alone.

The travel industry is growing 23% faster than the global economy.

Of that economy, tourism accounts for 11% of all consumers spending worldwide.

The travel industry is bigger than the oil business.

There is continued growth of Internet e-commerce. Consumers spend billions on the Internet, and travel is the fastest growing segment of that trend.

Consumers are comfortable buying things such as cars, homes, and, of course travel online.

Baby boomers are retiring at the rate of 1 every 8 seconds and what do they want to do? That’s right, Travel.

Because of this the travel industry is about to experience an explosive boom: it is expected to double to $14 Trillion worldwide in the next 10 years.

Why Would You Or Anyone, Not Want to Own An Internet Travel Store!

Let’s See Why:

You and the people you know are going to travel anyway, so, doesn’t it just make sense to. . .

1. Get paid for that travel?

2. Make a substantial amount of your personal travel tax deductible rather than paying for it with after tax dollars?

3. Travel as an insider, with potential perks and benefits, rather than as an outsider?

WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO THROW MONEY AWAY FOR NO REASON? This Is So Unique—It Has Two Opportunities in one!

1. You own your own travel business with a company supported website and Earn 60% of the commissions from all travel booked on your site!

2. You benefit from the greatest referral compensation plan in the industry and Make money every time you and your Rep team refer someone to the travel business. Just like I am showing you!

I don’t want you to be confused, so the first one is an Online Travel Agency where you have travel credentials and are referred to as a referring travel agent. This is where you make 60% of all commissions on all travel booked on your travel site. You, your friends and family do the booking on your site.

The second is as an Independent Marketing Representative showing your friends about this opportunity. The Company Is Financially Solid

The company was founded in January 2001 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of YTB International, a publicly-traded company (YTB. PK) The last three years the company has gotten the highest award from Carnival Cruise line for travel bookings. WOW

read comments (0)

YTB Travelmore an affiliate marketer for YTB (Your Travel Biz) is currently seeking travel agents through its travel agent marketing website Your Ticket to Paradise

YTB Travel Biz (YTB) brings you the perfect opportunity to transform your life through combining the fun of travel with the speed of the Internet, multiplied by the power of referral marketing to provide YOU with the ultimate home-based business solution.

YTB Your Travel Business – An online travel agency offering home business opportunities to get you fully licensed as an agent allowing you to build your very own professional online travel agency as well as receive all the travel perks that travel agents enjoy. We have a solid team and systems in place.

YTB brings you the perfect opportunity to transform your life through combining the fun of travel with the speed of the Internet, multiplied by the power of referral marketing to provide YOU with the ultimate home-based business solution. YTB is taking the industry by storm!!

The YTB companies offer two unique and powerful business opportunities, that of referring travel agent or “RTA” and that of independent marketing representative or “REP”. The travel agent opportunity has an initial fee under $500 and a monthly license fee of $49. 95. There is no fee or travel agency purchase required to be a REP. You may choose to participate in one or both opportunities.

Gay Travel Demographics:

The gay and lesbian community are self-identified travelers have a median age of 47, mostly coupled, median income of $80,000 and a history of taking three or more leisure trips per year.

“Do you have to be gay to sell gay travel?”

This is the most often-asked question among travel agents attending TAG marketing seminars. The answer is always posed as another question: “Do you have to be Jewish to sell a synagogue tour of Jerusalem? Or sight-impaired to serve a client with a vision disability?” Based on their own, experience, the answer is an obvious “no. ” By becoming sensitive to a gay client’s needs and preferences, by maintaining a resource library of gay travel guidebooks and maps, and by developing relationships with dependable gay travel suppliers, a retail travel agent can successfully build a loyal gay and lesbian following. But again we advise: Be realistic. The gay market cannot be won overnight. It takes a steady approach.

Your Own Specialty:

You can’t pick up a travel trade publication these days without reading the words: Specialize to survive. Identifying the gay market is already specializing, but now, savvy gay travelers are looking for further specialization within the gay market: Gay scuba trips, lesbian rafting adventures, gay Australia, etc. The possibilities are endless. With the advent of toll-free numbers, the proliferation of newsletters for gay clubs and organizations, and the increasing popularity of internet, you can identify and serve a specialized gay following from around the country or even the world. Don’t just pick a specialty because you think it might be “lucrative. ” Pick something you love. If you love sailing, and that’s what you do with your own weekends and vacations, you can flourish by developing this specialty for the gay market as well. Then you have the best of both worlds: Doing what you love, and earning your living in the process.

Be a Joiner:

“It’s all about who you know”. This is an advantage for travel agents developing the gay market. Participating in gay travel industry organizations such as the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) and the Travel Alternatives Group (TAG) as well as gay community organizations in your own area will allow you to network with key players. Through these organizations, you will have the contacts to identify powerful alliances with suppliers, participate in co-op advertising and marketing programs, develop group, association and corporate sales, and become known as a specialist in your own “niche within the niche. ”

The Key to Your Success:

Community Involvement Programs Gays and lesbians depend on non-profit organizations for almost all aspects of our daily lives. From health concerns such as HIV and breast cancer, to social and recreational organizations like “Frontrunners,” “Different Spokes,” and city gay community centers, to business organizations such as the IGLTA and local gay chambers of commerce, to political organizations which are protecting our basic human rights from attacks by the religious right these non-profits play a pivotal role in the day-to-day lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Most gays and lesbians belong and actively participate in some sort of organization, supporting them with both time and money.

Often mainstream agents and suppliers ask if they can be effective entering the gay and lesbian market. The answer is “of course!” but only if you work within the community; and are not seen as targeting the “gay buck. “

There are two very important reasons for any travel agent or travel supplier to have a Community Involvement Program. First, and foremost, it’s the right thing to do. Our network of non-profit community agencies needs every individual and every business to contribute in order to thrive.

Secondly, community involvement is a cost-effective marketing tool which can bring substantial results, increasing your business far beyond your charitable investment.

Many businesses serving the gay and lesbian market have ongoing community involvement programs. These businesses almost universally report that “being involved” leads to bigger profits and better morale among employees. Ultimately, profit comes from increased business. But business grows through increased customer loyalty and new clients, both of which result from an effective Community Involvement Program.

If you are interested in becoming a Referring Travel Agent (RTA) contact Brent Vanderstelt at 231-206-5333 or visit YTB Travelmore, Book Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, Vacations and Cruises

read comments (0)

“50% Discount!”

“Cut out the middle man”

“Its cheaper on the web!”

“Free Insurance for a year!”

“Book direct and save!”

“No Booking Fee!”

Are you confused? Do you know the difference between a travel agent, a tour operator and a consolidator. Do you know who is offering the best deals? Is free insurance and 20% discount better than 50% discount? The UK travel industry is a minefield and mine detectors are nowhere to be seen. ‘The Travel Industry Uncovered’ is our attempt to unravel some of the confusion and

advise you on the way. We don’t pretend to be unbiased and we acknowledge that our opinion doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of others in the business, but we do try to be honest and give the facts as we see them. Hopefully you will find the pages useful.

TOUR OPERATORS

==============

Tour Operators put together the various elements of a typical holiday and sell them as package holidays. They sell their packages either direct to the public and/or through travel agents. The cost of a holiday can vary greatly between tour

operators (see examples). If they sell through travel agents, they pay a commission (usually a percentage of the holiday price) to the agent. Most people are familiar with the large tour operators such as Airtours, Thomson and JMC. Such tour

operators offer a vast range of holidays and a vast range of destinations, and their buying power ensures reasonable prices. However, never forget that there are thousands of other tour operators out there. Many are small operators, specialising in specific markets or specific destinations. and their prices can be very competitive. Tour Operators come in for a lot of criticism from consumer groups and watchdogs. Whilst, there are, of course, very good operators and very poor operators, we believe that in general, customer service in the travel industry leaves a lot to be desired (at all levels, including operator to agent, agent to the consumer and operator to consumer).

Direct Sell

===========

Some tour operators will only sell their package holidays direct to the consumer, bypassing the travel agent. Other will sell through travel agents and also direct to the consumer and others sell only through travel agents. “Is it not cheaper to buy direct then?”, you may ask. The answer is “well, perhaps sometime, if . . . and but. . . “. Let us explain. . . First we need to clear up a misconception which has evolved from a deplorable series of TV advertisements. These advertisements were designed to discredit travel agents. One in particular, indicated that travel agents ADDED commission to tour operators’ prices and therefore charged the client MORE than the quoted prices. This is totally inaccurate and resulted in complaints to the ITC (Independent Television Commission), which were upheld. The ITC also required the broadcaster to cease further transmission of the advertisement in its current form. The truth is, clients booking through travel agents do NOT pay more than the operator’s quoted prices. In many cases, they actually pay less than the operator’s quoted price because travel agents often give some of their commission back to the client as a discount. Further details and the ITC’s ruling is available here. Right, that’s that out of the way – back to the question and the answer. . . Generally, there is little advantage buying direct from a tour operator who also sells through travel agents. The tour operators do not want to alienate the travel agents and

consequently, you can usually get similar prices from both travel agents and ‘direct’. Tour operators who only sell direct to the public can offer good value. They don’t pay commission to travel agents which should allow them to sell holidays a little cheaper than if they did. However, bear in mind that:

* the tour operator has the extra cost of supporting the client that would traditionally be borne by the travel agent (resort and accommodation information, visa and health requirements, changes to bookings etc).

* there could well be identical (or very similar holidays) available cheaper with other tour operators, but of course,the direct sell operator will not be offering competitors products to the client, unlike a good independent travel agent

would. Equally there could be more suitable holidays available with other tour operators.

Our advice: – only buy from a ‘direct sell’ operator if you are absolutely sure exactly which holiday you want and that no other operator does it cheaper.

TRAVEL AGENTS

=============

Travel Agents are agents for tour operators. Generally, they sell package holidays (and other products/services) on behalf of the tour operator and are paid a commission or fee by the tour operator for doing so. In addition to package holidays, most travel agents will offer other products and services such as:

* Travel Insurance

* Flights

* Car Hire

* Ferry Crossing

* Train Tickets

* Advice and information

Independence

============

Many of the large UK chains of High Street travel agents actually belong to companies that also own the UK’s major tour operators. We class these as ‘non-independent’. Independent travel agents are those that are independent of their suppliers,

and usually, therefore, have greater freedom to supply a wider range of products from a wider range of tour operators In our view, non-independent travel agents will always have great difficulty in offering a totally unbiased service to their clients.

Range of Products/Services

==========================

The range of products/services offered varies from travel agent to travel agent. In particular, the number of tour operators supported by agents varies considerably. Most ‘High Street’ travel agents will actively promote and sell only certain tour operators’ holidays. Their ‘racking policies’ dictate which brochures they will display in their shops and this is generally determined by commercial agreements with tour operators. Basically, the more commission the operator pays, the better chance of their brochures being racked. Further, if a travel agent is non-independent, this can greatly influence which tour operators are promoted. These policies limit the number of tour operators that are actively promoted by sales staff. Holidays from many operators are not sold at all. At Holiday Bargains, we are often asked by our clients, ” Well why did Lunn Poly not offer me that one?” (for “Lunn Poly”, you can also read other ‘High Street’ travel agents). The difference is that we do not operate a ‘racking policy’ and we will not restrict our range of suppliers based on the commission that they pay. more

Coincidently, at the time of writing this document, one of our Holiday Bargains consultants has had an enquiry from an employee of a major ‘High Street’ travel agent, who was, apparently, unable to find the holiday she required at the same price as we could get. (We found the holiday with a smaller operator which isn’t part of the same group as the travel agent).

Choosing a Travel Agent

=======================

(Yes, its obvious what’s coming, but we passionately believe it. . ) Our advice is to always book through an independent travel agent. This will not guarantee excellent service and prices, nor will booking with a non-independent agent guarantee poor service and prices. However, we believe that you will be more likely to get:

* truly independent advice and guidance

* an agent with the freedom to use a wide range of tour operators and other suppliers.

read comments (0)

You must be wondering where do all people travel but just imagine your life without traveling. We all like to travel and it is part of our life. People travel for many reasons as mentioned below.

Most of us do travel, as we want to spend our time with our friends and relatives no matter at what distance they live. This type of travel is solely decided by you just to be with them. Sometimes people travel in search of soul mates and they try their luck by traveling till they get their life partners. Sometimes people need to travel due to job reasons. In search of work you may be forced to travel or as a business traveler, you have to move around leaving your families behind.

Some people travel to different places to learn their culture. Culture aspects like celebrations, food, dressing, language etc are always strange and new to a traveler. Travelers want to experience this significant difference and learn with fun while traveling.

Some writers travel to destinations for writing articles and story relevant to the place. There are people who are nature lovers and they travel to different countries to see the nature and enjoy all beautiful sceneries.

There are people who travel just for shopping alone. Rich people alone do not travel; everyone travels depending on budgets. Travel always makes you relaxed with lot of fun and gaining rich experiences. Today the development in transportation and communication technologies has changed the people’s lifestyle with a lot of movement. You have a number of options for travel planning and by choosing wisely you can save your money and time.

Travel agents provide you all the services needed for your travel and there is a misconception that you have to pay the travel agent, an extravagant fee. It’s not true because the travel agent provides you all the services at a discounted price but they get commissions from the service providers like hotels, airlines and car rentals for the sales done by them. Another advantage of using a travel agent is that your travel package will comprise travel insurance and that’s a bonus to you.

By using the Internet you can do online booking and compare the rates and services offered by different companies. Online booking saves your time and also hard earned money, by sitting in your home.

The best friend for a traveler is the guidebooks and these books will be available in the local libraries free of cost. Seasoned and experienced travel writers compile these guidebooks and all our requirements will be available. Cruise lines and tour companies have special deals for customers who do bookings directly with them. If your travel plan is flexible, you will get best rates on last minute bookings.

In the Unites States, the following forecast for travel industry is made. First, the baby boomers will have huge effect on the industry and the recent estimation is there are one million of them reaching their sixties. So they won’t settle down for tea after retirement but they have serous travel plans. Secondly, consumer spending is increasing because of the outgrowing economy and so the economists strongly believe that travel will get double in this decade. Travel encompasses all facets of transportation and lifestyles like dining, boating, lodging, air transport, safari etc. and the list of activities does not have an end.

read comments (0)

The most convenient way for you to travel for a trip will be airline travel. It has a lot of advantages like saving your traveling time and making your travel comfortable with all the facilities on board. The advantage of air travel is that even infants and newborns can travel safely. Air travel is your key if you want to move from one destination to another immediately after your arrival. It also makes your planned activities to succeed with fewer constraints. If you are a frequent traveler, then air traveling will be relatively inexpensive for you more than other modes where you have to spend for lodging, gas and food.

For some people air traveling is frightening; but statistics reveal that many die more due to automobile accidents than air travel accidents. The safety record of the airline travel is high and the US government has hundreds of inspections every year to ensure the public safety. So air travel is the safest mode of transportation.

Air travel has great attractive deals available for you and if you check on the Internet you can get cheap air tickets available for any destination of your choice. This helps you to plan quickly for last moment weekend trips. Airline tickets are offered inexpensively even at the last minute if there are any vacancies so that the airline can get filled up. So you can easily plan for a long weekend to New York, Las Vegas or to any beach resort. If you plan in advance for a holiday, some air travel deals offer arrangements for rental cars and accommodation also.

Airline travel is not only used for pleasure and holiday purpose but it also acts as a great tool to fulfill the ‘Great Commission’. A mission trip by air travel helps you to travel to any part of the world.

When airline travel works, you feel great but if something goes wrong, it will be a nightmare for you. In the United States, all the airports are mainly focusing on optimal safety for people since every week people in millions are moving within and through the US airports. Though traveling long distances are tiresome, it is the best method and the fastest method of travel for covering longer distances. The commercial airline travel benefits you with comfort, speed and safety while traveling in the sky.

For traveling, your passport is very essential. A visa is also necessary for traveling abroad. With these hand, you can buy an air ticket for any country. You can buy tickets either directly from the airline or through agents. They may also sometimes help for getting necessary visas for travel to other countries. Online airline ticket booking is very popular nowadays and you can obtain your ticket within minutes. While searching online tickets, look for your specifications like departure date and arrival date, destination, class and other requirements like rental car and hotel room. Also check whether it’s a connecting or a direct flight. Your payment mode can be through your debit card or credit card and this is the easiest method for buying air tickets.

Though all the airlines follow different policies, they ensure their profit and also your safety. Quantas Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Aeroflot give best air travel prices. Many airlines stick only with first class flights and coach as business travel is down. Geography of Airports and aviation is getting more of attention as it involves movement of people all around the world. While on an air travel, follow the tips offered by Airports authority for smooth and safe travel.

read comments (0)

Traveling is not always expensive and extravagant. As both the airline fares and vacation fares are increasing day-by-day, hard working people are finding it difficult to travel and for them cheap travel is the affordable solution. You can make cheap travel possible by minimizing your expenses on travel and also make travel enjoyable.

For cheap travel you can follow these tips:

Travel packages with discounts are best travel deals; so look for discounted packages on sources like Internet and newspapers. It will be surprising for you that there are packages with discounts available especially for hotels, car rentals, airfares etc.

On your travel, the main expenditure will be on accommodation. The best tip for cheap travel will be opting for inexpensive accommodation. Cheap hotels offer lower prices on accommodation with all the facilities you require. You can also take an apartment on rental basis and it will be cheaper than hotels. You will have a chance to live with the native people and your vacation will be exciting.

Next to accommodation, your major expenditure will be on food. Limiting your food consumption particularly in restaurants can easily make your travel cheap. Eating in supermarkets is quite cheaper. Try to identify discounts offered by restaurants and by utilizing special discounts like senior citizens, kids and so on you can save a lot of money.

Cheap travel can be made if you plan ahead by buying air tickets earlier and choosing off-season vacations. Often the round trips air tickets and onward and return tickets are comparatively cheaper than the one-way air ticket. Always compare the airfare prices for getting the best offer. While looking for cheap air travel, your plan should be flexible. It is also important to remember that direct flights are expensive than stopover flights at one or two cities. By choosing non-direct flights, you can save a lot on travel.

You can plan for your flight and this will save your airfare. At times the airlines offer discounts up to 90 percent for unsold seats and if you are lucky, you can get such deals during eleventh hour travel planning. You have to frequently surf the airlines’ websites to find those exceptional deals. You can also subscribe for their newsletters and get deals through e-mail.

Weekend tickets are more expensive than weekdays and so cheap travel is possible on weekdays. The peak season for travel will be summer and all your expenses will be based on this. So traveling off-season will give you more savings. When you do last minute preparation for travel, you may end up in paying higher price for the services. Online searching for travel always gets you best deal on packages, air tickets and hotels. You get lots of information about cheap traveling from your location and also there will be no need to pay service charges.

Some destinations are offered cheap travel for specific customers and it might not be suitable for mass market. Relying on paid services on your destination will be quite expensive and hence opt for travel books and maps. You also request for compliment visitors guide from the destination’s tourist office, as it will include all the city attractions, coupons and up-to-date maps with accurate information. Even though discounts are not offered by the travel sources at all times, you ask them for discounts. If you are a budget-conscious traveler, you should not be afraid in asking for discounts.

read comments (0)

Travel insurance is necessary for your vacation packages and without it all your travel dreams cannot come true. Travel insurance is essential for a traveler as it covers your medical and financial expenses and losses incurred on your domestic or international travel. It’s usually arranged at the time of booking the trip and covers the exact duration of the trip.

Many travel agents offer insurance, as part of their travel packages but it will be worth for you if you arrange it on your own through an online source. You can search for a good insurance policy and choose between single and multi trip insurances. If you plan to travel once in a year, then travel insurance of single trip policy will be suitable. But if you have plans to travel frequently then you can consider taking multi trip insurance policy. Continuous insurance can be bought from travel agents, travel suppliers like tour operators, cruise lines and companies offering travel insurance.

A multi trip insurance policy is commonly referred as annual insurance travel policy and can save big money in the long run. While arranging for insurance policies for travel, be clear with what the insurance coverage is provided along with the inclusions and exclusions. Always remember to look at other things also if you look for a compromise between your travel insurance coverage and the premium to be paid. Never assume that a policy with cheap premium will not offer good insurance coverage. This may work in reverse also. A policy taken at a higher price need not cover all aspects of insurance coverage required by you.

As a traveler you face lot of problems and risks while traveling like loss of property and money, trip cancellation, natural calamities, accidents, occasionally death and terrorist attacks. You cannot prevent these risks or stop your travel plan but you can reduce the risk involved by taking travel insurance policies.

The concept of travel insurance is very simple. You pay a travel insurance premium to the company and they in turn covers for your loss of valuables, accidents and unforeseen things.

The premium you pay for travel insurance covers risks faced on travel like:

There are lots of possibilities for trip cancellation due to unavoidable circumstances and last minute cancellation will fetch you very less amount as refund. Your travel insurance covers such losses and provides the cancellation cost but the reason for cancellation must be part of the agreement you have signed with the company.

If you lose your baggage then the insurance company pays for the baggage cost but again based on the rules of your insurance contract. A travel insurance policy sometimes covers your medical expenses if incurred while traveling. But if you have got health insurance separately then you don’t have to spend again for health insurance during travel.

Generally travel insurance covers other things like accidental death, medical evacuation etc.

An important golden rule of all insurance policies is to go through the agreement carefully because most of the time you apply for insurance policies during emergencies.

Travel insurance is offered with various options for different types of travelers like student, business, adventure, international and leisure travelers. Travel insurance is also offered for participating in sports involving high risk and traveling to certain countries which have a high risk.

read comments (0)

There are several methods to use to save money on travel expenses online and people enjoy finding more each time they visit the internet. Some of these travel discounts are not available to all travelers and even those who do qualify for the discount might not use the method because they do not know how to get the discount. People that own computers are generally the first to know because the online travel discounts will show up in their email accounts every month.

An online travel discount might be allowed if the traveler uses a certain credit card to secure the reservations with. The credit card company might provide travelers with lodging discounts by giving them credit for staying at certain hotels for a certain number of nights. These travel rewards will be reflected on credit card statements every month but some travelers fail to read credit card paperwork because they pay their accounts through automatic debits from their checking account each month.

Online travel discounts will be given to travelers who have a membership in a travel club. The internet access provided by hotels in each room will allow travelers to check the travel membership sites for recently added travel packages that could include the place they are staying in that night. Discounts will be applied to the final hotel bill upon check-out and travelers can thank their lucky stars that they decided to log into the internet the night before.

Online travel discounts could come from rental car agencies that are known by name around the world. The credit card statements could give travelers discount codes that can be entered online in the shopping cart of the rental car booking site. Membership in insurance groups can give travelers a discount code that bears a better discount and travelers will learn to keep a list of the discount codes that are offered by companies they deal with on a month-to-month basis.

Some travelers will carry coupon books that are tailored to a specific city that is right on the way to a favorite destination. The coupons might provide travelers with discounted meals in restaurants, or discounts on various activities that can be done night or day. Online travel through internet portals will allow travelers to order other coupon books for discounts in cities recently added to travel plans and group travel arrangements could offer travelers further online travel discounts.

To take advantage of some online travel bargains it might require that the traveler find a friend to join in on the travels. It’ is hard for travelers to use a coupon for a free flight unless someone else is along for the trip. These bargains always seem to come along after a family has booked several flights. The preferred airline company will use these free flight offers as a way of saying thanks for choosing them for all of their flying need in the United States. The online travel opportunities are limitless and there are many online travel bargains to be discovered, so travel often and make sure a friend is available to take advantage of the best travel deals around.

read comments (0)

By Jose Allan Tan

Booming economies mean more people are traveling. Whether for business or pleasure the entire industry is taking advantage of this.

Consider the upward spiral of hotel prices in Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing. With prices up across the board, you’d think there is a conspiracy within the travel industry to milk the cow for what its’ worth. Then again blame it all on the law of supply and demand.

According to the Barclaycard Business Travel Survey 2005/06, almost 45 percent of business travelers said they traveled more for business in 2005/2006 than they did in 2004/2005. One third of these are due to business expansion overseas.

The report, “Traveler Tribes 2020″ (published by the Henley Centre HeadlightVision — a global strategic futures & marketing consultancy) notes that both cosmopolitan commuters (domestic travelers) and international commuters are on the rise. A personnelzone. com survey suggests that the growth in international commuting will be facilitated by a decline in fixed hour jobs.

Time efficiency and flexibility will become increasingly important to commuters. These travelers will select to use suppliers who facilitate smooth and fast travel. “They will not want to waste unnecessary time traveling. Therefore the ease of booking, speed of check-in and security, along with the convenience of a travel hub location will influence their travel choices significantly,” says David Brett, president of Amadeus Asia-Pacific.

The second type of business traveler is the Global Executive who travels in premium or business class. According to the report, by 2015, the number of business travelers using business class services will rise from 17 percent (in 2005/6) to around 33 percent in 2015, driven by the demand for improved service and better working conditions. Travel providers will need to think about technology and premium services that fit in with their needs.

Airline operators will also see an uptake in business-class travel as Global Executives take to the sky in style and comfort. For these executives, it is not so much the perk of comfort and luxury, as it is the ability to work on board the aircraft and continue working uninterrupted after the executive has disembarked the plane and headed for the office.

The trouble with traveling

To be fair, there are problems on the horizon. Security remains one of the biggest hurdles to frequent travel. Political and economic instability arising from insurgencies and bombings continue to escalate with no immediate resolution in the near-term. This may lead to the need for additional security measures, visa regulations and entry controls, which could restrict travel. Fear of the spread of global pandemics (bird flu, SARS) may also impact international travel.

This also impacts the cost of fuel which remains uncertain in the mid-term. A paradox to this is the apparent resilience business travelers have developed over the last 18 months.

While new technologies do offer an alternative method of communication for meetings, it is still maintained that this channel will be no substitute for face-to-face interaction and personal contact will be preferable as long as it remains economically viable.

Awareness of environmental issues such as global warming may lead some businesses to restrict travel in an effort to do their part to reduce carbon emissions. However, research today reveals that consumers will continue to travel as needed to meet work commitments and may only choose other more ethical options when they are comparable in price and quality.

Technology not to the rescue

Advances in video conferencing and VoIP promise to reduce the need for business travel, this has not translated into a reduction in travel particularly in Asia where businesses are often conducted face-to-face, allowing for executives to share insights into different cultures.

Airports and airline operators are not sitting idly in the stands. Working with industry bodies such as IATA, many are looking at various technologies to see what would contribute to the continued positive business atmosphere even in the face of threats beyond their control.

“Airports are also turning to technology to help solve the challenges associated with the changing security requirements while minimizing passenger inconvenience. One area where we are beginning to see convergence is between security and self-service. New applications and peripherals will allow this convergence to take place without compromising security and transaction or processing time, keeping it simple for the passengers,” says Russ Lewis, Regional Vice President of Airport and Desktop Services, Asia Pacific at SITA.

Technology is not taking a backseat to development. Brett believes that “key trends in technology that will impact the profitability of the industry are integrated information systems that offer more convenience for customers and new ways for travel providers to reach them. Over the next few years, we will see travel bought and sold as a commodity via non-traditional retail outlets, and the offerings will be personalized according to customer profiles. ”

Integrated sales systems will allow travel providers to cross-sell additional products and services, and the ability to sell to customers via mobile telephony.

Coming process innovation

“Traveler Tribes 2020″ offers one caveat — it does not mandate nor predict with certainty what the future will be. “We see the report as supposed to start a conversation within the travel industry and stimulate debate about what the future of travel holds and the implications for travel service providers such as airlines,” notes Brett.

Executives are increasingly demanding more technologies to make their travel easier and more efficient. In the future, humanization of technology will mean more personalized services to meet the needs of business travelers, and information that is readily available to support their business activities.

This means that travel providers can deliver exceptional and engaging customer experience that makes travel hassle-free. For example, a business traveler who is going to miss his flight would appreciate the ability to quickly and easily reschedule another flight.

The continuing evolution of processing power will support technological developments, and it is expected that mobile communication devices will become even more advanced. Open systems architecture and web-based applications will further enable travel providers to meet the needs of customers.

The Traveler Tribe report outlines a number of technologies that are expected to be developed over the next few years. These include:

1. Digital personal identities (detailed customer information held digitally and therefore easily and quickly accessible), to enable a far more personalized service.

2. Integrated Information systems that combine information from a variety of sources.

3. Real-time information delivered to individuals based on need and location.

4. Increased customer interaction through social computing.

5. Visual information technologies becoming cheaper and more sophisticated.

read comments (0)

Travel is one of the most popular activities and there are a large number of tour packages to choose from. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to ensure that you have chosen the best travel package. The problem is no so big and can be avoided by simply taking the services of a good, reliable travel agency or travel agent. But, how to make sure that the travel agency you have chosen is good enough? Don’t worry; all you have to do is a little homework before going for a particular travel agency. The travel and tourism industry is on its peak right now and therefore, the market is full of travel agents. Almost, all come with attractive tour packages and offers for the customers. The increasing usage of Internet allows people to know more about different travel agencies and their packages.

A good travel agency can provide you with a wide range of services. An important aspect that makes an agency a good one is their communication and support skill. A professional travel agency will have the ability to explain various choices in detail and if required or help the customer through a problem. Before choosing any travel agency one should look for its “Registration” and enquire whether the government recognizes it. The agents working for the agency must have proper license to do the job. However, registration does not guarantees professionalism or good service, but it only ensures you that the travel agency is not a fraud.

A travel agency is of great help to you in planning out your vacations. Travel is usually split into two parts – business or corporate travel, and leisure or personal travel. Even though, travel agencies will be delighted to serve you all types of travel, but most of them are likely to be stronger in either business travels or leisure travel services. Ask the travel agency about their specialty. If your need is ‘leisure’ then go for the one more focused into arranging personal or leisure trips. Try to find a specialist if you have special rather than general needs.

One more interesting way of knowing the goodwill of a travel agency is to carry out the acid test, i. e. ask the people what they think about the agency and its services. Ask the agency for a list of its customers and clients, and contact them to know about their opinion about the travel agency.

A tourist is munificent if he is attended well. Every travel agency or guide must behave as a representative of the destination because it is through him the tourist gathers impressions and information of that particular place and country. Ask your travel agency if they take care that all the facilities provided to the traveler are comfortable enough? Do they arrange hygienic food that is reasonably priced, offer neat and clean affordable lodging etc. ?

These days a travel agency offers a lot of value-added services to tourists to make their vacation a memorable and luxurious one. A travel agent arranges escorted tours, discounts in hotel booking, incentive travel, and so on. A travel agency also arranges transport, hotel accommodation, and car rentals for their clients. They are also the primary source of booking for most cruise liners. Travel agencies know about weather conditions, customs and local ordinances, attractions, and so on. For international travelers, they provide necessary information on custom rules, essential papers like passports, visas, and currency exchange rates. Also, if there is any change in the itinerary in the middle of the journey, then the travel agents make alternate arrangements for the client. Find out if your travel agency offers these services at competitive prices?

Traveling can be of great fun if you take a little care and choose a good travel agency. Do meticulous planning and enjoy a pleasant vacation.

read comments (0)