Travel Agents & Consultants

A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides tourism-related services to the public on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways and package tours. People who work in this industry are known as travel agents or travel consultants. Travel agents can provide a range of services for private, group and corporate travel requirements.

Travel agents are able to provide expert advice on the full range of travel and leisure-related activities and concerns. Knowing the visa conditions of other countries and how to get visas processed quickly is an important service provided by travel agents. Travel agents are also easily able to source and – more importantly – hold discounted airfares, or compile multi-leg air journeys.

Some travel agents work predominantly in a niche market, such as corporate travel, cruise travel, group tours, or even with a particular country or language group. Corporate travel agents will often be retained on a preferred supplier basis, providing all the travel requirements of a client company. Travel agents may be independent operators or may be part of a larger chain or buying group of businesses. While the internet has changed the way many people book holidays, nothing can replace the advice and assistance of an experienced professional travel agent.