Travel agency is basically a service provider that sells products and services that are related to travelling purposes. These are provided on behalf of airliners, car rentals, and cruise liners for some sightseeing tours along with some package of holidays.
They not only deal with ordinary tourists but they also provide their services for arranging and providing package deals for all the international customers. These types of services include the ticketing, providing accommodation services at the required destination along with all the help in obtaining a visa.
Some of the agencies in the world specialize in commercial travel only while others deal with business travel. Many of the agencies around the world have their representatives in all major countries of the world to help customers in the best possible manner and to have a better coordination in respect of issuance of visas and other pertinent issues.
The oldest travel agency in the world is known as ‘Cox and Kings’. One of the modern travel agency was ‘Thomas Cook’ that appeared in the second half of the 19th century. It was one of the first travel agencies of the world that created one of the first holiday packages along with a chain of agencies in the last quarter of the 19th century.
They not only offered tours to the general public but also offered tours in support with four other tour companies. The response was well received with travel industry growing fast with the introduction of modern airlines, low costs and maximum benefits of traveling around the world in economical costs.
Other pioneering British travel agencies of the world were ‘Dean and Dawson’. Another of the most prominent travel agencies of the world was ‘Polytechnic Touring Association’ and the ‘Co-operative Wholesale Society’. North America also hosts one of the oldest travel agencies of the world with the name ‘Brownwell Travel’. Walter T.Brownwell set a sail from New York on a European tour on July 4th 1887 on the ship SS Devonia.
With the advancement of commercial aviation in the early 20th century, travelling became more and more convenient and more economical. Initially the travel agencies used to serve only the middle and the upper class customers but with the boom in the industry and introduction of economical packaged holidays, travel agencies have also gained momentum. One of the most popular places of the customers of that time was travelling to the beaches, a newfound attraction for the people of that time.
Most of the travel agents collect some commission in order to keep their business running. In most of the countries, the travel agents are required to be licensed in order to offer services to customers. Travel agencies basically sell products and services on behalf of the supplier.
The suppliers in that case are mostly the airliners who provide hefty discounts on their travelling packages. Along with them are the leading hotels of the world such as ‘Marriot’ and ‘Serena’ that offer customer friendly packages for staying in their hotels and enjoying many luxuries that they offer.
