Business travel is quite different from leisure travel. Since it is a more serious and formal affair and a lot of responsibilities are on you, careful planning and execution of a corporate business trip is necessary especially if it is meant to a foreign country. When you are already burdened with new responsibilities and assignments to work on during the trip why take the additional responsibility of planning the trip; especially when you have professional business travel agencies to help you out. Their expert corporate travel agents will take care of every aspect needed to make it a convenient and successful trip.
- Trips organized by business travel agencieswilliamcho / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
With the advancement of technology businesses are going global and it makes international trips on business purpose a common phenomenon in the modern business world. The corporate organizations can arrange the tour themselves but usually they look to outsource the job to a reliable business travel agency.
Now let’s take a look what makes a business travel agency different from leisure travel agencies –
“Business travel is the practice of people traveling for purposes related to their work” and the travel expenses are reimbursed by the company. A Business travel agent sells customized travel package that normally includes booking of flight, accommodation and arranging for transportation to meeting venues. They take care of every aspects of your business tour to make it convenient and hassle-free while you represent your company.
Commission: A commercial travel agency act as a third party service provider who operates on behalf of hotels, airlines and car rentals. They get a certain percentage or commission on every booking. Usually the commission ranges from 10% to 15%.
Certification: Certification from respective legislating agencies is a must for a business travel agency to prove its financial stability. For example, they need approval from International Airline Travel Agency Network to work with any airline for commercial purpose. As per the report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics at least one manager in the business travel agency should have the certificate of “Certified Corporate Travel Executive” from the National Business Travel Association.
Benefits of hiring a business travel agency to arrange business tours –
Designing Incentive tours: Business travel is not always meant for official purposes. Large corporate organizations often arrange of incentive travel to reward their employees. And they often hire professional business travel agencies to design such tour programs.
Efficient coordination: Corporate business tour involves tight schedule. The things get complex when multiple destinations are involved and the company is sending different groups of employees on different destinations at the same time. A business travel agency with its professional expertise efficiently arranges and coordinates the tours to ensure success. They help you in selecting the fastest route to the destination and meeting venues, convenient places to stay and eat within the company’s budget.
Documentation expertise: For international business trips you need to complete some paperwork as part of required formalities while clearing customs upon arrival to the destination country and return from there. Expert business travel agents keep their documentation ready on the rules and regulations for traveling worldwide and help you prepare your papers accordingly and quickly to save you from all the bureaucratic hassles.
