Ural travel agencies under the threat of bankruptcy, tourists are deprived of discounts?

The reason is the policy of tour operators, which is to reduce the amount of commission fees for their partners. At the beginning of the year, several major tour operators took this step, but market experts believe that this measure may become universal in the short term.

The average commission that the tour operator provides to the agency is 10%. Some market players, such as Biblio Globe and Sunmar, at the beginning of the year reduced the size to 6-7% in foreign destinations and to 8-9% in Russian. By the end of the year, we can expect that all major travel operators operating in the Russian market will apply the same practice. The high cost of foreign exchange and the need to regularly allocate funds to several compensation funds at once force them to look for ways to save money. On the other hand, they are not afraid to lose partners – many agencies will go to such conditions to stay in the market. Especially in small cities, where there are 1-2 operators, says Olga Gulyar, director of the Winter-Summer group.

 

This situation can provoke a mass bankruptcy of travel agencies, for them the commission of the tour operator is the main source of income. But another scenario is more likely - tourists will lose their usual discounts.

If the tour operator gives a commission of 10%, 5 of them the agency gives the client in the form of a discount, and 5 takes. From these amounts, revenue is formed, employees' salaries, office rent and other expenses are paid. In the new conditions, the agencies will keep the same 4-5%, but the client will be provided with a discount of no more than 2-3%, Golyar said.

 

Source: Press Center of the Winter-Summer Group of Companies