General Travel Services

The general travel service industry consists of companies whose primary goal is to market travel services by providing the services of booking and arranging travel tours and accommodations to general and commercial clients. General travel services are primarily engaged for include reservations and tickets for lodging and flights while traveling, as well as arranging packaged tours and cruises. Operators in the general travel services industry are also able to arrange auto rentals, set up travel insurance, and help with the monetary exchanges for international travel.

This industry possesses a well-established base of suppliers.

The demand for travel agents relies on a number of factors: economic growth, business and leisure travel, consumer income, airline seat availability, technological developments, and the price of jet fuel. The primary costs this industry has to cope with include computer services and telecommunication services. As many consumers are more often turning to online booking services, computer access is imperative, and online services will increase overall profitability. The revenue of the general travel service industry is made of up the fees charged for their services, and what services the client requests.

Independent travel service companies depend on their marketing strategies to effectively appeal to the consumer and thus general a profit. Smaller companies put emphasis on catering to a small amount of large clientele, and serving a specific locale. Large travel service companies focus on corporate clients, and are able to provide a broad spectrum of services, as well as operate elaborate websites to promote their services.