《旅游管理专业英语》（第二版） 讲义 Lesson10 Lesson 10.docVIP

PAGE PAGE 163 Lesson Ten Text Travel Agency Management Notes Vocabulary Comprehension Discussion Exercises Translation Writing Further Reading Case Study of American Express Company Terms Chapter 11 Chapter 7 Profile Thomas Cook References Text Travel Agency Management 1. Travel Agency and Suppliers In terms of selling travel, the travel agent is one of the most important members of the travel industry. For the majority of pleasure travelers, and for a sizable segment of the business travel market, the travel agent is the person who brings together the suppliers of travel services with the buyers and who offers buyers sound travel counseling on destinations, routing, transportation, accommodations, sightseeing, and other elements of travel. U.S. travel agencies employ well over 200,000 workers to carry out this function. A retail travel agent is a commissioned intermediary who serves as a sales outlet for carriers, hotels and resorts, entertainment centers, car rental companies, and other suppliers, including wholesalers. As a commissioned intermediary, the travel agent usually does not own the services he or she sells to travelers. The agent is paid a commission by suppliers for sales of airline tickets, hotel rooms, and so on. The sales are referred to as bookings, meaning, for instance, that a travel agent who had $1 million worth of bookings during a year would have sold that dollar value of travel services to clients. Travel agents represent all suppliers of travel services. They are free to make reservations with any supplier of travel services, with the exception of suppliers who do not pay commissions to travel agents (such as some government-owned operations), small suppliers who are not experienced or equipped to work with travel suppliers, and a few suppliers who do not believe they need business generated by travel agents. Some travel