What's the first thing that comes to your mind the moment you hear the word "Travel Agent". Sounds like a childhood game but the word Travel Agent may bring images of a agent selling bus tickets, or a agent sitting in a rickety office selling air tickets and train tickets, worst still the initial memories may be of a travel agent who dupes people on pretext of taking and settling them abroad. Newspapers these days are full of news about a travel agent duping people on pretext of taking them to green pastures in western countries. Its not uncommon to read about touts often being referred as travel agents. How can a person with no office and business of travel can be classified as a travel agent if he is caught selling fake rail tickets or making duplicate passports or sending people abroad illegally (remember your morning newspapers say " Travel Agent dupes people of millions on pretext of sending them abroad" or "Travel agent caught selling fake tickets")
Being a travel agent myself for the last ten years, often I am all at see when I have to introduce myself.. The first glimpse of the person to whom I am introduced as a travel agent is a big question mark in itself and it is profoundly followed by a volley of questions like..."so you send people abroad", "so do you sell air tickets". Being professionally qualified I often have to be a speaking company profile of my company in such circumstances and relate and give some references to convince the person of my status as a genuine and real travel agent and not a tout who are often referred to as travel agents.
Call it a occupational hazard, but the travel agents have to find words better words like travel consultants, travel management company, travel advisors etc to introduce themselves. The vagaries of a travel agent's tale are long and diversified.
With no licensing in place for the travel agents in India everyone including a bus operator, a passsport submission agent, a person who book rail tickets, a person who gets visas (legally or illegally), a person sitting in a STD shop selling air tickets as his favourite passtime, anyone and everyone would call themselves a travel agent. They practically leave no room for a real travel agent and the later often suffer from low self esteem if called a travel agent.
Travel and tourism is the sunrise sector of the economy and generates maximum employment and enterpeneurship opportunities. Government too needs to see the sector in general and travel and tour operators in particular as harbingers of growth and put in place a system of licencing to distinguih between different types of travel agents.
Wikipidea describes a travel agency as a business that sells travel related products and services, particularly package tours, to end-user customers on behalf of third party travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, tour companies, and cruise lines. In addition to dealing with ordinary tourists, most travel agents have a special department devoted to travel arrangements for business travelers, while some agencies specialize in commercial and business travelers. Some agencies also serve as general service agents for foreign travel companies in different countries.
Not half of those individuals and companies using the word travel agent would be able to justify the above definition. I am certianly not against any of these companies using this name and status of a travel agent , infact I support any form of enterpeneurship, which I feel is a better way of economic freedom and growth than any other form of employment. Government needs to come out with a system of licencing wherein each category shoulds be spelt out seperately. Air Ticketing agent, railway ticketing agent, passport agent, visa agent, bus operators, immigration and student visa agents, hotel booking agents should be classified as sperate categories and only those who qualify on a minimum of three or more counts out of the above should qualify themselves to be called as a Travel Agent. The licensing should take into consideration parameters like professional qualification, experience, affiliations, recognitions and the range of services provided in the travel and tourism sector.
Travel Agent in bigger and mature socities are more saught after than doctors and CA's as only a good and well qualified travel agent can procure the best deals, give sound advise and generate savings for his clients. Travel Agents are a rare community who work under extreme pressure and time bound situations to deliver a pleasure holiday or a well crafted business trip or memorable family holidays or romantic honeymoons. Home based travel agency, individual travel agents, travel counsellors, are some of the concepts which can provide an imeteus to employment opportunities in the travel and tourism sector through enterpeneurship.
A system of licensing will more of less solve the problem of human trafikking and keep illegal immigration under check. The embassies infested with this problem will vouch for such an idea of licencing and the government (especially the Lok Bhalaia party) will have more of its time consentrating on its core business of politics than helping the people who suffered at the hands of the "Travel Agents".
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