Suppliers of Business Travel Services

 

There is a wide range of travel agencies that meet the needs of business clients including;

Business Travel Agents – These specialise in serving only business clients, gearing all their operations  to this one sector of the travel market. Many are members of the Guild of Business Travel Agents and their staff hold business travel qualifications such as the certificate in Business Travel created by the GBTA. Business Travel agents vary from single person operations to multinational operations such as American Express Travel

 

Retail Travel Agents- Although arranging travel for leisure purposes accounts for the bulk of the work of a retail travel agent, some may have a business travel specialist or even a business travel department  catering exclusively for the needs  of corporate clients. These specialist services are offered across the whole range of retail travel types- ,multiple  agencies (e.g Lunn Polly, Thomas Cook), maniples (small chains in a particular region) and independent agents(predominantly single branch owner operated agencies)

 

Implants- This is where a travel agency  is invited by a business customer to set up a branch within the business premises and organise all the company’s travel arrangements. The branch is staffed by travel agent employees who are sub contracted to the business customer . Those working as ‘implants’ remain the employees of the travel agency, but they work on the premises of the company whose travel they organise.

 

 

The levels of business travel services provided by these different suppliers will vary depending on the nature of business handled in the agency. Business travel agents will devote 100% of their time and resources to business clients  whereas a typical high street travel agency will handle a wider range of clients depending on the nature of the surrounding population, e.g. if there is a sizeable business community nearby, the proportion of the agency’s work for this sector will be greater.

 

Task

Try and find a business travel agent on the internet

 

Find out the main services they are providing for the business traveller and print them out

Bring back the printouts to class

 

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