Home
TOURISM
Posted by Chester Morton / Tuesday 17 July 2018 / No comments
The meaning of travel business and support groups associated with travel business
SUPPORT GROUPS IN
TRAVEL BUSINESS
Meaning of travel
business
A travel business can be a Sole Proprietorship or a limited
liability company established with the primary aim of facilitating travelling
for and related activities of individuals and or groups of individuals. It may
include such other activities as visa acquisition, booking of flights,
accommodation arrangement, foreign exchange procurement to mention but a few.
The travel business sector has contributed greatly to the
global tourism industry. According to available data, business travel spending
reached $1.3 trillion in 2016 and is estimated to hit $1.6 trillion by the year
2020.
SUPPORT GROUPS IN
TRAVEL BUSINESS
Financial support services
One important support group to the travel business sector is that of
finance. Tourism and its attendant structures such as hotels, restaurants,
transportation, resorts etc. all require capital to put in place. The banking
institutions that give out facilities to finance these projects have become
essential stakeholders to entrepreneurs and other movers and shakers of the
industry.
Also important is insurance as a support service. The entrepreneurs,
who need to secure their investments against things such as fire, burglary and
other unforeseen occurrences, need insurance companies who are ready to
recompense them when the worst happens to their business.
Another financial
service needed is the service of Forex Exchanges. Tourists need to change their
hard currency into the local currency of their destination country before they
enter town. The bureau de change offer them safer places to transact such
businesses away from the prying eyes of local hoodlums.
The availability of transport facilities to tourists to move
around their destination is also an important support service in the travel
business. There are tourists who would like to move around in public transport
and there are others who would like to rent cars and drive around on their own.
Car hires services are therefore useful in this sense. Coupled with this is the existence of a
very efficient road network to make movement less burdensome for tourists.
Souvenir shops
When tourists visit a destination, one of the things they
like to do is purchase something they can take home as a souvenir. Some go for
dresses made with local fabric, some go for sandals made with locally produced
leather and yet others go for locally made crafts. Most of these are sold in
souvenir shops dotted around the cities. The souvenir shops also therefore form
an important support service group in travel business.
Accommodation services
Visiting tourists need to have a place to lay their head when
the Sun goes down and everyone is gone to sleep. Even for those who like night life,
they must retire to bed at some point. Accommodation is therefore needed. Such
services are provided by hotels and other types lodging facility providers like
“Bread & Breakfast”. The kind of lodging a tourist would require rests on
factors such as money available and preference.
Catering services
A tourist may want to try the local dishes of his destination
or look for places where he or she can find food he is used to eating at home.
In all these, there are restaurants and other eatery where he or she can feel
comfortable to eat. Services provided by caterers are important in the travel
business and the support is very crucial to the development of the industry.
Health services
Health is an essential element in the tourism industry. While
nobody expects that a tourist or any player in the industry may fall sick or
experience anything untoward, one cannot also avoid these unforeseen circumstances.
The provision of health related services are therefore very crucial. This is
why some tour package providers include health insurance in their package to take of
the health issues if they do occur. A hotel with First Aid facility is an added
advantage. Well-equipped hospitals and clinics play a major role in supporting
the travel business.
Security services
In countries where terrorist activities are rampant or happen
occasionally, the importance of the security support service cannot be
over-emphasized. Even in countries where there is relative calm, security agencies
still need to assure visitors that all is well. Nothing is so welcoming than a
tourist recovering a lost item after it had been taken and the local police are
able to apprehend the culprit and return the stolen item.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. Explain the term travel business
b. Highlight the importance of six support
services to travel business
ALSO READ:
The meaning of a tour operator and the role he or she plays in the tourism sector
Tourism skills acquisition centres in Nigeria
<<Back to Home Page
Go to other topics in tourism>>
Go to the list of subjects>>
Related Posts