If a foreign national already went to the U.S.
Keep in mind that an approved ESTA Travel Authorization is not a Visa. Embassy and has a valid B1/B2 Visitor Visa pasted in their passport it is not necessary to get an ESTA Travel Authorization because the traveler will be entering with a B1/B2 Visitor Visa and not through the Visa Waiver Program.
A major technological advance that allows this consolidation trend to flourish is the introduction of satellite ticket printers (STPs). Using STPs enables a travel agency to consolidate all operations to one home office, and still send all necessary tickets to various locations instantly via various wire services.
What If I am Denied an ESTA Travel Authorization and Have No Changed Circumstances? Applicants who receive a "pending" response are advised to check the website 72 hours later. Embassy to apply for a formal nonimmigrant visa, such as a B1/B2 Visa, which may take months.
There are three types of responses to an ESTA application; approved, pending or travel not authorized (denied). The ESTA system is designed to try to prevent individuals from changing and manipulating an ESTA entry until they receive an approval. Applicants who are denied will be required to go to a U.S.
Each office has access to immediate tickets and still manages to save by not having to pay courier and express mail charges that can range up to $15 for each of the more than 500 tickets each purchases annually. With an STP in their two locations, the company services both offices with one agency in Baltimore.
How Long Will the ESTA Application Data be Stored? Who Can Access It?
The ESTA Travel Authorization is valid for two years or until the traveler's passport expires, whichever comes first. The American government will maintain the information for at least 15 years to allow retrieval of the information for law enforcement, national security, or investigatory purposes.
Embassy in their passport to travel through the U.S. are required to either have ESTA Travel Authorization or a Visa from a U.S. What if I Only Have a Connecting Flight Through the U.S.?
Visa Waiver Program visitors who have a connecting flight in the U.S. If a traveler is only planning to stop in the U.S. even for a one hour stop.
The software allows the hospital to manage travel on-line, from tracking per-diem allowances and calculating expenses to generating cash advance forms and authorizing reimbursement vouchers. The software also lets the hospital keep a running account of its travel expenses and its remaining travel budget.
Perhaps the most cutting-edge of the advances is "ticketless" travel, which almost all major airlines are testing.
No More Tickets
Paperless travel is catching on faster than the paperless office ever did as both service providers and consumers work together to reduce ticket prices for business travelers.
Ballou, president of the Travel Services Group USA of American Express. In addition, many companies are embarking on quality programs that include sophisticated process improvement and reengineering efforts designed to substantially improve T&E management processes and reduce indirect costs."
As companies look to technology to make potential savings a reality, they can get very creative about the methods they employ.
As the term implies, the machinery prints out airline tickets on-site immediately, eliminating delivery charges. A major technological advance that allows this consolidation trend to flourish is the introduction of satellite ticket printers (STPs). Using STPs enables a travel agency to consolidate all operations to one home office, and still send all necessary tickets to various locations instantly via various wire services.
For London Fog, STPs are a blessing. Each location purchases the same number of tickets, so equal access to ticketing from their agency is a must. London Fog's annual T&E budget of more than $15 million is split equally between its two locations in Eldersburg, Md., and New York City.
One-time purchases of travel-management software can run from under $100 to more than $125,000. "We have better access to data, faster, in a real-time environment, which is expected to bring us big savings in T&E. Some software providers will accommodate smaller users by selling software piecemeal for $5 to $12 per booked trip, still a significant savings from the $50 industry norm per transaction. Now we have control over our travel information and no longer have to depend exclusively on the agencies and airlines."
The cost for this privilege depends on the volume of business.
The software tracks spending trends by interfacing with the corporation's database and providing access to centralized reservation systems that provide immediate reservation information to airlines, hotels and car rental agencies. These programs also allow users to generate computerized travel reports on cost savings with details on where discounts were obtained, hotel and car usage and patterns of travel between cities.
Actual data gives corporations added leverage when negotiating discounts with travel suppliers.Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for ESTA Travel Authorization:
What Countries Are in the Visa Waiver Program?
Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
What Are the Questions on the ESTA Travel Authorization Application? en route to another country, the traveler should enter the words "In Transit" and his final destination in the address lines under the heading "Address While In The United States" on the ESTA application.
The traveler must provide (in English) biographical data including name, birth date, country of citizenship, country of residence, email address, sex, telephone number, passport information, destination address in the U.S., travel information (round trip airline ticket, flight number and city where you are boarding) as well as questions regarding communicable diseases (chancroid, gonorrhea, granuloma inquinale, HIV, leprosy, lymphogranuloma venereum, syphilis [active], tuberculosis [active], and others), physical or mental disorders, drug addiction problems, arrests, convictions, past history of visa cancellation or denial, and prior deportations from the U.S.
We would like to see ourselves committed to a corporation rather than just involved."
As business travel expenses nose upward, companies are realizing that better cost-management techniques can make a difference. corporate travel expenses rocketed to more than $143 billion in 1994, according to American Express' most recent survey on business travel management. Kent stresses, "Airlines should approach corporations with long-term strategic relationships rather than just discounts. Private-sector employers spend an estimated $2,484 per employee on travel and entertainment, a 17 percent increase over the past four years.
The Visa process has separate procedures, which generally require an appointment, travel to a U.S.
While the ESTA Travel Authorization is completed online with no interview, there are Visas that require a U.S. Embassy, an interview with a Consular Officer, processing time, and the payment of an application fee. at the American airport.
What If I Already Have a Valid B1/B2 Visitor Visa?
With only a $6,000 investment, the hospital saved $70 each employee trip and saved almost half of its $200,000 T&E budget through the paper-reduction program.
Out There
Consolidation of corporate travel arrangements by fewer agencies has been a growing trend since 1982. Nearly three out of four companies now make travel plans for their business locations through a single agency as opposed to 51 percent in 1988. Two major benefits of agency consolidation are the facilitation of accounting and T&E budgeting, as well as leverage in negotiating future travel discounts.
If an applicant makes a mistake that cannot be "updated," he will need to submit a new ESTA application.
The ESTA website will ask applicants to review their application before submitting it. What About Children?
Accompanied and unaccompanied children, regardless of age, are required to obtain an independent ESTA Travel Authorization. Also, there is an update function for certain information such as email address, telephone number, or flight information.
What if a Mistake was Made on the ESTA Application?
STPs are a viable option in this process for any location that purchases more than $500,000 per year in tickets," says Shoen. The real benefit is that the machines are owned and maintained by the travel agency., so there is no cost to the company. Due to the major expense involved, however, STPs remain an option only for major ticket purchasers.
These fares are negotiated with the airlines at the corporate level, then trickle down to each of our seven geographical regions."
Frank Kent, Western regional manager for United Airlines, concurs: "United Airlines participates in corporate volume discounting, such as bulk ticket purchases, but not with net pricing. I have yet to see one net-fare agreement that makes sense to us. We're not opposed to it, but we just don't understand it right now." "At the present time, we have several net fares at various stages of agreement," he says.
Am I Entitled to Legal Representation?
While being interviewed at the American airport, all luggage (even locked bags) can be searched, as well as the traveler's body and his/her cell phone (including text messages and phone numbers) and laptop (including hard drive). The traveler is not allowed to be represented by an attorney or even call their attorney while in "secondary inspection." Bathroom visits, water and food may be limited, so it is best to prepare for such an occasion while still on the plane before landing. Can I Be Searched in the American Airport? The officers may "google" a traveler's name and check out their myspace, Facebook or hyves pages.As companies look to technology to make potential savings a reality, they can get very creative about the methods they employ. But all that changed in November 1992 when a Department of Transportation ruling allowed the general public access to systems such as Apollo and SABRE.
The Great Leveler
Centralized reservation systems were long the exclusive domain of travel agents and other industry professionals.
Yes, if you want to make $20,000-$50,000 working from home then reselling cruises or popular travel products will be the best option for you but if you want to make real money, six or seven figures and you want to build a business that has real tangible value and can be sold later then you need to develop and sell your own travel products.
corporations have travel policies. Only 64 percent of U.S. Hands-on management includes assigning responsibility for travel management, implementing a quality-measurement system for travel services used, and writing and distributing a formal travel policy.
Even with senior management's support, the road to savings is rocky-only one in three companies has successfully instituted an internal program that will help cut travel expenses, and the myriad aspects of travel are so overwhelming, most companies don't know where to start.
Great hotel rates 365 days of the year, Prices start at $130 per night [Stay in Hawaii or the Bahamas for only $179 per night]
4. Tickets good for three years
5. Travel on all major airlines to over 47 four & five star hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and condos in Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Lake Tahoe, etc. No restrictions, airfare good from Jan 1 through Dec 31.
carriers publicly proclaim that they don't negotiate corporate discounts below published market fares, the American Express survey on business travel management found that 38 percent of U.S. Although most major U.S. companies had access to, or already had implemented, negotiated airline discounts.
under the Visa Waiver Program.
Can I Change My Travel Itinerary?
It is possible to change an itinerary on an existing ESTA Travel Authorization; ESTA is designed so that you can update parts of it at any time. Travelers who did not get an ESTA approval may be denied boarding by the airlines, experience delayed processing, or be denied admission to the U.S.
Your business acts as a travel supplier providing tours, guiding, travel and tourism related activities or you own a lodging property. You can own your own travel product in two different ways. Your business partners with two or more travel suppliers to resell their individual travel products under a unique package that you own. It's really a business model established to fail in the long run.
How do you own your own travel product?
Online Tour Guide's provide tours to individuals and or groups. If I didn't scare you off from above that's ok, the tour guide business is a great business and it's easy to get started with limited investment. This is a great business to enter the travel business and starting learning about how to build a business.
It is recommended that the traveler print out the ESTA application approval in order to maintain a record of their ESTA application number and to have confirmation of their ESTA status.
Airlines will receive confirmation of a passenger's ESTA status visa the "Advance Passenger Information System" (APIS) which shows whether the ESTA authorization has been granted for a Visa Waiver Program traveler. Information submitted through ESTA can also be shared with any U.S. government organization.
What Information Does the Airlines Get?
The most successful travel promotion in the country today (I will be mentioning it later in this article) cost 1.5% of its market value! And travel is a long lasting gift. Then think of all the pictures that you take during your vacation and remember for a lifetime. First of all it is the cheapest. Memories of a vacation can last forever! Why not recreation travel?
For example, think of all the preparation that goes into effect for a long vacation. More important recreation travel appeals to everyone. How is that for a great incentive!
An approved ESTA is not a guarantee of admissibility at an American airport. You still have to establish to the satisfaction of the inspecting officer that you are entitled to be admitted to the U.S. port of entry, such as an American airport. In all cases, the American airport officers make the final determination whether a foreign traveler can enter the U.S.
If a foreign traveler has been denied entry into or deported from the U.S., they require a formal Visa.
Australia has a program called the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) that mandates travelers to submit an ETA application electronically through a website requesting permission to travel to Australia.
Do Any Other Countries Have a Similar Program? Airlines may refuse to accept passengers who do not have either an approved ETA or Visa to enter Australia.
Corporate T&E costs, now the third-largest controllable expense behind sales and data-processing costs, are under new scrutiny. corporate travel expenses rocketed to more than $143 billion in 1994, according to American Express' most recent survey on business travel management.
Private-sector employers spend an estimated $2,484 per employee on travel and entertainment, a 17 percent increase over the past four years. Corporations are realizing that even a savings of 1 percent or 2 percent can translate into millions of dollars added to their bottom line. As business travel expenses nose upward, companies are realizing that better cost-management techniques can make a difference
US.
But to continuously retain and motivate people can be a difficult challenge. What then can we conclude from these survey results?
The bottom line is loyal customers and productive employees are the foundation of a successful business. Vacation and travel incentives, a proven motivator, will achieve this purpose.
You won't be living any Internet lifestyle if every week you are giving tours. Sell Trips not Tours. This is the most important thing I can tell you regarding wanting to live the Internet life style and working from home enjoying the freedom that comes from owning your own online travel company.
Many companies have already discovered that standard incentives of just a few years ago just don't cut it with the customers as well as the workers in our continuously changing economy. Your choice of incentives have to widely appeal to your clients' and employees' wants or desires in order to measure up and get results you are looking for. Do your incentives measure up?
Today's business environment demands a new breed of incentive programs.
We introduced our first travel incentive for sales employees five years ago," says President Daryl Gamerman, "and since then we've only lost staff due to retirement. Employee Incentives - To motivate, retain and reward loyal and efficient employees
A small retail store in Maryland, Target Appliance, used travel incentives. I don't ever have a problem with our sales people not working hard or volunteering for extra work, because they know it will help qualify them for a great trip.
The Frequent Builders Program at Garco Building systems offered travel awards to individuals. Since launching the program, Garco has experienced a 15% to 25% growth rate, compared to the industry standard of 2% to 3%.
Travel incentives builds customer loyalty.
Our customers have been using our travel premiums successfully for over 16 years to:
Increase Revenue - New Customer Acquisition
Grow Sales of their Existing Base and increase Customer Retention
Generate More Lead Referrals from Customers OVER 8 MILLION HAVE BEEN SOLD! Over 90% of the businesses who use Fly Free America as an incentive in their business reorder the program.
Another question asked on the Wirthlin Worldwide Research 2003 survey was "Suppose your employer wanted to reward your work performance. -Travel has a universal appeal and high-perceived value.
USA Today, on their recent survey, stated that "93% preferred travel over other incentives." This is because vacation travel is something that some or most people would not be able to get for themselves. What would you find most rewarding?"
-Travel is desirable.
Sybase Inc., a client/server software leader with an annual T&E budget of more than $15 million, agrees. Actual data gives corporations added leverage when negotiating discounts with travel suppliers.
"When you own the information, you don't have to go back to square one every time you decide to change agencies," says Mary Savovie Stephens, travel manager for biotech giant Chiron Corp. Software gives us unprecedented visibility into how employees are spending their travel dollars and better leverage to negotiate with travel service suppliers," says Robert Lerner, director of credit and corporate travel services for Sybase Inc.
"The industry of travel is based on information," says Steven R. Until such time as a passenger actually sets foot on the plane, they've [only] been purchasing information." Schoen, founder and CEO of The Global Group Inc.
Persons who have been arrested and/or convicted are generally not eligible for VWP and probably require a formal Visa, such as a B1/B2 Visa, to travel to America. If a foreign national has received tickets for speeding (which don't usually result in an arrest or conviction) they are probably still eligible for the VWP and ESTA. What If I Have a Criminal Record?
Only those qualified to travel under the VWP are eligible to pre-register through ESTA.
Dennis Egolf, CFO of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, Ky., realized that the medical center's decentralized location, a quarter-mile from the hospital, made efficiency difficult. We were losing production time and things got lost," he says. Every memo had to be hand-carried for approval, and we required seven different copies of each travel order." As a result, Egolf tried an off-the-shelf, paper-reduction software package designed for the federal government. These services reduce the need for paper and offer better service and such peripheral benefits as increased efficiency, improved tracking of travel expenses and trends, and cost reduction.During 2007, more than 15 million visitors from VWP countries arrived in the United States. For years, visitors from certain foreign countries have been able to travel to America without first getting a formal Visa sticker placed in their passport.
Implemented in 1998, the "Visa Waiver Program" (VWP) has allowed for visitors of several countries to come to America for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without getting a Visa put in their passport.
Let me describe our signature travel incentive, called Fly Free America. We are a certified full-service travel agency and a member of the leading travel agency associations.
Here is what our travel incentive includes:
1. Two Complimentary Roundtrip Airline Tickets to four & five star domestic and international destinations worth over $2,000![ at a recent charity auction, these two tickets sold for $1,000.]
In a special report in Promo Magazine, it was noted that LifeUSA attracted new agents and sent sales soaring by abandoning its annual cash incentive program for an inclusive campaign that gave out merchandise and travel. Travel incentives make great sales incentives.
But the recognition that comes from travel incentives lives on". Additionally, in a recent survey of American workers, 85% said they were motivated by vacation travel incentives.
Porterfield added, "When people spend their money, its gone. According to the results of an email survey conducted by the Incentive Travel Fact Book, 58% say travel is more effective than cash or merchandise. Survey respondents consider travel to be the most effective reward. Cash bonuses are necessary but travel is a higher reward", says Verizon's Porterfield.
Joe Devlin of Mitsubishi Fusco Truck of America Inc. They're a big part of how we motivate the salesperson at the dealership that has the opportunity to sell more than one product." (Incentive Travel Fact Book)
In 1994, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company sponsored an incentive campaign to improve sales of tires. The group receiving lifestyle and travel rewards outperformed the monetary rewards group by nearly 50%. quoted, "Cash goes straight into people's pockets, and they need it to supplement their salary, but our trips give us the competitive edge. This was the first documented evidence that cash, as a motivator, is not as effective as travel or merchandise. Two groups were formed; one was offered monetary rewards, and the other an equivalently priced selection of merchandise and travel - related rewards.
Surveys by Incentive Federation show that organizations use incentive travel because it creates lasting memories for the participants and generates positive buzz throughout the organization. The programs do not become an expected part of an employee's income. Using non-cash incentives such as travel will distinguish a company's campaign from cash compensation packages. Because they do not have an impact on compensation, it's easier to use incentives as needed without creating the impression that people are getting pay cuts when no program is in gear.
Now create overnight packages. Contract with two local restaurants to buy dinners for your kayak packages. Example:
Take an existing kayak guide that sells day trips for $250 for 2 people. Sell a 2 night, 1-day kayak excursion, with 2-dinners. Make money off the lodging, dinners and a 3rd activity and you can seriously start adding more profits to your business. Contract with a lodging supplier to buy lodging for your kayak packages. Create a new product line for your business.
The software also lets the hospital keep a running account of its travel expenses and its remaining travel budget. "Every memo had to be hand-carried for approval, and we required seven different copies of each travel order." As a result, Egolf tried an off-the-shelf, paper-reduction software package designed for the federal government.
The software allows the hospital to manage travel on-line, from tracking per-diem allowances and calculating expenses to generating cash advance forms and authorizing reimbursement vouchers.
Only 64 percent of U.S. corporations have travel policies. Involvement begins with understanding and evaluating the components of T&E management in order to control and monitor it more effectively.
Hands-on management includes assigning responsibility for travel management, implementing a quality-measurement system for travel services used, and writing and distributing a formal travel policy.
Savings of that order are sure to get management's attention, which is a requirement for this type of project.
On a survey conducted by the Wirthlin Worldwide Research, a question "How did you spend your last cash reward?" was asked. nThe following results were gathered:
29% - Bills
18% - Don't remember
15% - Never received cash
11% - Gifts for family
11% - Household items
11% - Savings
Though its value is concrete and while it could be used to purchase a lifestyle award, most likely cash will be charged against a pile of bills or deposited into a leaky checking account where it soon ceases to exist. And with the demise of the cash award goes the memory of its origin leaving no trace of psychological branding.This statement is directed towards the home-based travel agent market. The truth is that you can't really make a lot of money reselling other businesses travel products. Yes, its easy to get started as a home-based travel agent and the online travel agencies can provide you with your own personalized white label branded website, including quality customer support but in the end you are NOT building a business, you are only paying yourself a salary.
Who really Makes Money in Online Travel.
Businesses who have used vacation incentives in their marketing and promotions have seen at least 30% increase in their sales! Vacation and travel incentives are one of the most powerful methods of attracting business, retaining profitable clients, increasing profits, enhancing product awareness, and improving employee productivity.
For example, the ability of corporations to collect and analyze their own travel trends has led to the creation of net-fare purchasing-negotiating a price between a corporation and an airline to purchase tickets that does not include the added expenses of commissions, overrides, transaction fees, agency transaction fees and other discounts. As airfare averages 43 percent of any company's T&E expenses, savings obtainable through the various uses of technology have become dramatic.
I believe this is a type of business you could start with literally no money. It's just a matter of understanding the travel business. Here is how an online travel broker operates. Online Travel Broker - this is a new business category I stumbled upon.
The information a traveler provides on the ESTA application can remain in their file with U.S. If a foreign traveler has some questions about how to answer the questions so as not to be permanently barred from America, it would be prudent to them to pay for a legal consultation with an American Immigration Attorney who is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Who Should I Ask For Help to Fill Out the ESTA Application? Beware of unauthorized private websites that offer ESTA application assistance for $49.99 - they are usually not authorized to practice immigration law and are asking travelers to pay for a copy of the application questions, which are free on the dhs.gov website. authorities for a minimum of 15 years - probably longer. Do I Still Have to Go Through the "US-VISIT" Program at the American Airport?
Foreign travelers arriving at American airports and seaports must still be photographed and fingerprinted every time they enter the U.S.
We ran fly fishing excursions with lodging and guiding. I would not change the past for anything.
I just wouldn't want to run that type of business again. Guess who was one of the guides? There are much better travel business models out there. We operated tours when my wife and I owned the Yellow Breeches House Fly Fishing Lodge and B&B. That's part of the beauty about this report is that I am able to share some true life, realities for you. I learned so much from being a fly fishing guide and owning a lodging property.
This business is just a matter of finding other travel suppliers that need sales representatives and finding larger companies looking for new travel products to sell and distribute. You represent the travel supplier's products, finding larger partners and or resellers that would resell or distribute your client's products. This may be your entry into the online travel business industry.
Let's say you live in a resort town or area and there are 4 golf courses nearby or 3 ski resorts.
This truth is probably the most important fact anyone will ever tell you if you are just thinking about entering the online travel business. You can get rich and build a business if you "own the travel product."
It is difficult to become rich and build a company reselling other companies travel products. Don't be fooled.
I am amazed at the amount of junk that there is online out there catering to the make money online from home crowd, touting selling travel as the route to freedom and riches. You can become rich over time by building a business that sells your own uniquely branded travel products.
Let me repeat this for you one more time.
Online Tour Operator's sell dynamically packaged trips and pre-packaged trips to vacationers. I believe building an online tour operator business is your best option at building a successful online travel business.
Now let me first state that the name is a little miss conceiving because of the word "Tour." There is a big difference from a tour and a trip. On a trip the traveler is traveling by themselves or with other people but there is no tour guide involved. On a tour there usually is a tour guide or person leading the tour with the travel participants.
A more exciting and memorable program can be built with travel than you can with cash. In addition, half of the respondents reported that travel incentives meet 75% - 99% of their objectives.
Do travel incentives work?
According to the 2003 Incentive Travel Facts survey, travel incentives increase sales by an average of 15%. 88% - indicated a trip they plan and take with a companion to the destination of their choice
5% - indicated a trip planned [1] for them and a companion of choice with their co-workers
5% - indicated a trip planned just for them and their co-workers
-Travel has a promotion value.
·Fewer than one in four American workers is working at full potential; half of all workers do no more than directly asked, and 75% of employees say they could be more effective in their jobs, according to the Public Agenda forum.
Why use incentives? Companies of all sizes and virtually any type of retail, wholesale, manufacturing, internet, service, distributor or direct sales business will benefit from incentive travel programs.
Here are some compelling reasons why you should consider using incentives:
·Knowledgeable and attentive employees account for 80% of the reasons consumers feel satisfied, according to a PNC Bank Corp.
Does the ESTA Travel Authorization Guarantee Entry to the U.S.? Applicants are not required to update their destination addresses or itineraries if they change after their ESTA Travel Authorization has been granted.
An ESTA Travel Authorization only authorizes a traveler to board an airline or ship for travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. After they arrive, travelers who obtained an ESTA Travel Authorization may still be denied entry (also called "admission") at a U.S.
Target Appliances President Daryl Gamerman in Maryland said, "We introduced our first travel incentive for sales employees five years ago and since then we've only lost staff due to retirement. By the program's conclusion enrollments exceeded LifeUSA's initial goal by 700%!
Travel incentives make great employee incentives. I don't ever have a problem with our sales people not working hard or volunteering for extra work, because they know it will help them qualify for a great trip".
Fly Free America is trusted by these and hundreds of other companies to facilitate client and employee acquisition/retention programs.
If you think offering a travel incentive program is expensive, think again. Our travel incentive of two complimentary roundtrip tickets on major airlines costs you only $30.00 or less in volume while your customers/employees get a luxurious dream vacation with a savings value in airfare of $2,000.
Dennis Egolf, CFO of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Louisville, Ky., realized that the medical center's decentralized location, a quarter-mile from the hospital, made efficiency difficult. These services reduce the need for paper and offer better service and such peripheral benefits as increased efficiency, improved tracking of travel expenses and trends, and cost reduction. We were losing production time and things got lost," he says.
It is almost impossible to guess what they want. What is left to offer, a CD player? Products work quite well, and it is true you can by them at a discount off retail but the problem is, most of your clients already have everything. Printed mugs, shirts, pens are very old fashioned.
'Send back our questionnaire, we will send you and a companion to Orlando near Disney with free hotel and airfare!' Member Perks - Sell new accounts or member ships.
'Join our golf club now and we will send you and a companion to Las Vegas with airfare and hotel for free!'
'We will send you and a companion to a free vacation for 3 days/2 nights in over 30 destinations when you open a checking or savings account with us.'
Encourage responsiveness or trial of product or service.
We're not opposed to it, but we just don't understand it right now." I have yet to see one net-fare agreement that makes sense to us. These fares are negotiated with the airlines at the corporate level, then trickle down to each of our seven geographical regions."
Frank Kent, Western regional manager for United Airlines, concurs: "United Airlines participates in corporate volume discounting, such as bulk ticket purchases, but not with net pricing. "At the present time, we have several net fares at various stages of agreement," he says.
Keep in mind that applying for an ESTA Travel Authorization with false information can cause a foreign national to be permanently barred from ever entering America. Can I Re-Apply for an ESTA Travel Authorization if Denied?
Yes, but you must wait at least 10 days to reapply and your circumstances must have changed. Unless there is a change in a substantive fact, re-application will not change the result.
Many smaller travel businesses don't have sales representatives. Every travel supplier needs sales representatives. Your travel broker business contracts with travel suppliers to represent their business and help them sell more of their travel products.
VACATION INCENTIVE COST MARKET VALUE
Two night stay for two
at major resort $16 $400.00
Three day cruise for two
to Mexico or Bahamas $50 $1,500.00
Round-trip airline tickets for two
To major resorts throughout
North America $30 $2,000.00
Seven night eight day vacation
At major resort including round trip
airfare $1,000 $3,500.00
Technological innovations in the business travel industry are allowing firms to realize the potential of automation to control and reduce indirect [travel] costs," says Roger H. In addition, many companies are embarking on quality programs that include sophisticated process improvement and reengineering efforts designed to substantially improve T&E management processes and reduce indirect costs." If that's the case, information technology seems a viable place to hammer out those elusive, but highly sought-after, savings.
Ballou, president of the Travel Services Group USA of American Express.By assigning someone with the responsibility of overseeing travel, you are getting a single point of contact both internally and externally for travel issues. If your company spends less than $1 million in air travel, you probably do not need a full time travel manager. Here is a look at the advantages to be gained by centralizing travel.
In these cases, travel oversight can be given to the finance department, human resources, or even an executive level assistant.
When you centralize travel with a single agency, you gain in a number of important ways. This eliminates the problem of consolidating a travel report from among several sources. You will have a single point of contact for problems while travelers are on the road, and you will have one entity to go to for all your travel needs.
In addition to increased efficiency due to consolidation, Conde Nast now has the ability to change travel plans at a moment's notice and have new tickets in hand instantly. Conde Nast Publications' annual T&E budget of more than $20 million is allocated among its locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Detroit. Since 1994, travel arrangements have been handled by a centralized agency, Advanced Travel Management in New York City, by installing an STP in each of these five locations.
When Is the a "New" ESTA Travel Authorization Required?
A new ESTA Travel Authorization is required during the two years if (1) the traveler is issued a new passport (2) the traveler changes his name (3) the traveler changes his or her gender (4) the traveler's country of citizenship changes or (5) the circumstances underlying the traveler's previous responses to any of the ESTA application questions requiring a "yes" or "no" response have changed (such as a new arrest).
If you live in a world- renowned destination area or region where foreigners come visit you can build a successful receptive tour operator business. The receptive tour operator business takes longer to develop as the buyers of your travel products will be other travel companies, tour operators and seasoned travel business won't necessarily want to do business with a company that is new or just in startup mode.
Adversity can be overcome though, through focus, determination and having an owned travel product that a wholesaler or foreign tour operator believes he can sell and make money.
The traveler will be asked if they have ever detained a child of a U.S. The traveler will also be asked whether they are seeking work in the U.S., have ever been deported or tried to get a visa by fraud or misrepresentation. Citizen granted custody of the child, and whether they have ever asserted immunity from prosecution.
Even with senior management's support, the road to savings is rocky-only one in three companies has successfully instituted an internal program that will help cut travel expenses, and the myriad aspects of travel are so overwhelming, most companies don't know where to start.
Your online travel business sells the travel product directly to consumers online or wholesales it too other travel agencies, travel agents, tour operators and resellers. The new travel product becomes your own brand. Your business creates the travel product by doing deals directly with travel suppliers.
Your contracts with the travel suppliers become your businesses own unique inventory for the travel products you will be selling. Owning the travel product means that you are contracting directly with travel suppliers under your company's own contracts, you are not just reselling a travel product owned by another travel business, tour operator, travel agency or travel consolidator.
For the past 16 years, we have been helping business owners attract new customers, generate leads, referrals and appointments and helping retain good employees using an extraordinary inexpensive travel promotion. All these vacation incentives are marketed through
my company, We are the premier travel incentive company in North America and provide companies with an inexpensive way of leveraging the most exciting and effective promotional premium available today.
In the travel business they call this a FIT trip, Drive vacation or Fly-Drive package.
I favor selling trips, where the traveler buys a tour or trip product then attends the trip by themselves on their own time. You don't have to be the tour guide and you don't have to hire one either. Just think of the time involved of actually going on a tour with a group or individual people. The reason being for this is two parts. You have 100% more freedom by not actually participating in the tour itself.
It's obvious from industry surveys of companies using incentives that travel is the most widely appealing incentive where everyone wins.
Your sales people will close more sales, your clients will enjoy an exciting vacation experience and your business will increase its profits.
Why use travel incentives? Hundreds of promotional companies offer incentive programs that are designed to evoke an emotional response and motivate people to take a positive action.The three top incentives to get people to do anything is cash, products and travel. Why not try an incentive? What extra can you add to your presentation to make the sale? Cash incentives cost the most and believe it or not are the least effective. The reason being is that you pay dollar for dollar and what little cash you offer is used to pay bills and is quickly forgotten.
Conde Nast Publications' annual T&E budget of more than $20 million is allocated among its locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Detroit. Since 1994, travel arrangements have been handled by a centralized agency, Advanced Travel Management in New York City, by installing an STP in each of these five locations.
Do not neglect hotel volume
Hotel volume is sometimes overlooked but it should not be. Individual hotels near corporate locations will negotiate discounted rates for you in exchange for a minimum room/night commitment. Negotiated rates can be had through your travel agency or directly with the hotel properties of your choice.
By utilizing a travel agency, you are likely to receive discounts of 5% to 50% on thousands of hotels worldwide. Have at least one car rental contract
But the recognition that comes from our travel incentives lives on." Copyright IPC)
Porterfield added, "When people spend their money, it's gone. Specifically, 69% strongly agree with this statement. -Nothing beats travel for long-term results.
In a 2003 Incentive Survey of Buying Practices conducted by the Incentive Federation, survey respondents believe that travel and merchandise awards are remembered longer than cash payments.
On a hierarchy level of all online travel businesses, this would be the most expensive and most challenging type of online business to start.
-Online Travel Agency
-Online Tour Operator
-Online Tour Guide
-Online Travel Broker
-Receptive Tour Operator
-the Hybrid
Let's discuss a little about each type. What type of Online Travel Business do I need to start where I can own my own travel product, sell packages and build a real business?
OTAs or Online Travel Agencies traditionally sell everything underneath the sun; including lodging, air, cars, vacation packages, and much more. There are many directions you can go.
Direct billing arrangements with hotels and car rental agencies are also a great way to increase efficiencies and make the job of the accounting department easier. Often your travel agency will already have discounted rates through consortia affiliations and agency car contracts. For example, if ground transportation is a concern, most suppliers will offer discounted rates and a direct billing option. There are also some less common areas that should be investigated. Leverage hard dollar and soft dollar contracts
I will not sugar coat it. This article will put to rest any misgivings you may have had about starting an online travel business. I am aiming to tell it like it is. You can make money online working from home and can actually make a lot of money if you work hard, stay focused and execute.
You can build a home travel business and live the Internet lifestyle you always dreamed of by operating an online home travel business.
In fact much of what I have to say will probably cause an up-roar in some parts of the online travel industry.
Most major airlines today offer hard dollar discounts as well as soft dollar incentives in exchange for company loyalty to their product. If your travel program is over $1 million in air spend, you can secure a discount off of the lowest fares of your carrier of choice in return for a market share commitment.
Can an American Immigration Attorney, Travel Agent or Employer Fill Out the ESTA Application?
A third party, such as a relative, travel agent or American Immigration Attorney, is permitted to submit an ESTA application on behalf of a VWP traveler. Be aware that the traveler is still responsible under the law for the answers submitted on his or her behalf by a third party.
ESTA is not required for land crossings. As of January 12, 2009 America's new ESTA program requires Visa Waiver Program visitors coming to the U.S. for tourist or business purposes via a plane or ship to "register" online before entering the United States to see if they pose a law enforcement or security risk to the U.S. An ESTA Travel Authorization is free, valid for 2 years, and valid for multiple entries. Officials are asking that the ESTA registration be done at least 72 hours prior to leaving, but theoretically it is possible to register at the last minute.
This will allow you to gain more from airline soft dollar programs, which means more free tickets and upgrades, get a higher percentage discount from our preferred airline, and get better negotiated rates from your hotel and car contracts. If you can measure total travel among various divisions or locations, you can get more for your money from travel suppliers. By bringing travel together, you will gain significantly from economies of scale.
Your fulfillment costs will decrease as well, as your travel agency will often discount their fees for a higher overall volume of travel.They may change positions in the company later and be required to travel.
I suggest that everyone in the company signs a copy of the travel policy, whether they travel or not. All that remains is that it is edited to reflect corporate culture, and disseminated within the company so that everyone understands and agrees to follow it. For this reason, it is a good idea to have everyone sign a copy of the travel policy to ensure that it is read, understood and owned by all company staff. Some of the best travel policies I have ever seen were only a few pages long. One can be found online quite easily. A travel policy need not be long or complex.
He runs eco-adventures that include island hoping for three to five nights. If you love dealing with people and spending much of your time outside then this is probably the best travel business for you. This travel business could be a stepping-stone for you to then go ahead and build an online tour operator business.
I have a really good friend that owns a kayaking guide service. This is serious work, day-in-and-day-out, as you are always outside in the elements.
Customer Loyalty Incentives - To build customer loyalty and trust
The Frequent Builders Program at Garco Building Systems offered travel awards to individuals. In 2000, the company grew a robust 37%. Since launching the program five years ago, Garco has experienced a 15 to 25% growth rate, compared to an industry standard of 2-3%. While it's impossible to measure precisely the role that the Frequent Builders Program played, "there is no doubt in mind that it helps to build customer loyalty," says Loomis.
of Homeland Security has stated that travelers may contact the DHS Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP at dhs.gov) but there are no guarantees that information about a denial will be divulged. Embassies and Consulates are not required to provide details about an ESTA denial nor resolve the issue that caused the ESTA denial. Can a Traveler Find Out the Reason Why an ESTA Application was Denied?
The U.S.
Survey respondents consider travel to be the most effective reward. Incentive Travel Fact Book)
"Cash bonuses are necessary but travel is a higher perceived reward," says Verizon's Porterfield. -Travel is considered to be the most effective reward.
According to the result of an email survey conducted by CMI, 58% say travel is more effective than cash or merchandise.
Additionally, in a recent survey of American workers, 85% said they were motivated by vacation travel incentives.
Incentive magazine in their September2003 issue said travel is remembered two to one over cash or merchandise and a USA Today survey said "93% preferred travel over other incentives". Incentive Magazine said business respondents to a recent survey said travel incentives meet 99% of their objectives.
The Internet is NOT causing Travel Agencies too shut down.
I believe that the main reason that brick and mortar travel agencies are closing is not because of the Internet but because all they are really doing is reselling other companies travel products. The Internet contributed to the destruction of the traditional brick and mortar travel agency but the biggest factor in the down fall of travel agencies and travel agents in the travel industry is due to the fact that they are not selling anything unique or different from anyone else.
As airfare averages 43 percent of any company's T&E expenses, savings obtainable through the various uses of technology have become dramatic. For example, the ability of corporations to collect and analyze their own travel trends has led to the creation of net-fare purchasing-negotiating a price between a corporation and an airline to purchase tickets that does not include the added expenses of commissions, overrides, transaction fees, agency transaction fees and other discounts.
Thirdly, you leave open a best practice of using your online booking engine for less complex itineraries, and allowing senior executives, frequent travelers, and complex itineraries to be booked directly with a travel agent that can offer a higher level of service and a better overall travel experience where it is most warranted.
This is important, but in doing so, you need not require travelers to use an online booking system, and you need not require travelers to call the agency directly.
By offering travelers the option of doing either, you are accomplishing several goals. By giving travelers the option, you are giving them a sense of control, thereby increasing morale and standing a better chance of a high adoption rate. Mix of online booking and personal service
This is an addendum to the previous element, which calls for centralizing travel with one travel agency. You will reduce your fulfillment costs, as online booking is cheaper in terms of a service fee.
Schoen, founder and CEO of The Global Group Inc. "The industry of travel is based on information," says Steven R. Technological innovations in the business travel industry are allowing firms to realize the potential of automation to control and reduce indirect [travel] costs," says Roger H. Until such time as a passenger actually sets foot on the plane, they've [only] been purchasing information."
If that's the case, information technology seems a viable place to hammer out those elusive, but highly sought-after, savings.Every industry both online or offline needs a cutting-edge cost-effective powerful marketing tool that appeals to every kind of consumer. regardless of the price.' They are shopping for the best bargains and they all seem to want more than what they paid for. Businesses that have used vacation travel incentives in their marketing and promotions have seen at least 30% increase in their sales on both sides of the buy and sell cycle.
Vacation and travel incentives are one of the most powerful methods of attracting business, retaining profitable clientele, increasing profits, enhancing product awareness, improving employee productivity.
One-time purchases of travel-management software can run from under $100 to more than $125,000. "We have better access to data, faster, in a real-time environment, which is expected to bring us big savings in T&E. Now we have control over our travel information and no longer have to depend exclusively on the agencies and airlines."
The cost for this privilege depends on the volume of business. Some software providers will accommodate smaller users by selling software piecemeal for $5 to $12 per booked trip, still a significant savings from the $50 industry norm per transaction.
You could start with not much investment and build out slowly. This would be a great way to enter the travel business as a part-time business. This is a B2B business (business-to-business). You make money by earning a percentage of all future sales booked or earn a flat fee per contract you sign. You build an Online Tour Operator business but you don't sell your travel products directly to consumers or vacationers online, you sell your owned travel products to wholesalers or other tour operators in foreign countries that then resell them directly to travel agencies and the consumers in their country.
Receptive Tour Operators receive inbound travelers from foreign countries.
By requiring travelers to book centrally, you are not necessarily causing them to lose flexibility. You can centralize travel while still allowing travelers to book on their own, either with a travel agency of your choice, or online through a provider that you have partnered with and have confidence in. Many companies that do not centralize travel have a fear of requiring travelers to do something they may not want to do, along with the idea that centralizing travel will require hiring a Travel Manager.
Both of these may be legitimate concerns but they do not have to be in most cases. Centralized travel internally and externally
Many companies do not centralize their travel program, and they pay a price in terms of a loss of expense reduction opportunities and internal efficiencies.
Use reporting to consistently improve metrics
Well managed travel programs require constant monitoring and financial controls to be properly leveraged. Insist on timely and customized reports that can be designed to bring you the information you need most. By receiving regular reporting on traveler behavior and provider contract performance, you will be in a better position to fulfill contract obligations, achieve cost reduction objectives and see where opportunities for future savings may lie.
Where can I use travel incentives for?
Sales Incentives - To increase sales
In a May 1998 Promo Magazine special report, it was noted that LifeUSA attracted new agents and sent sales soaring by abandoning its annual cash incentive program for a more inclusive campaign that gave out merchandise and travel.
There were 10,000 certificates issued and were more than twice what the company planned for. By the program's conclusion, policy enrollments exceeded LifeUSA's initial goal by 700%.
Look under every stone
While the bulk of most travel programs revolve around the air budget, there are several other areas one can investigate to find savings opportunities. There are a couple of more obvious areas to look, such as negotiated hotel rates at your favorite hotels, or car rental discounts with a favored supplier.
This will make them more efficient and enhance morale. Rental car contracts are easy to enter into and require little in the way of commitment from the corporation [2]. You can also enter in to direct billing agreements at the same time that can make the jobs of your travelers and accounting staff much less stressful. Choose a partner that has airport locations and a reputation for excellent customer service. You can save 5-10% very easily and can also negotiate frequent renter membership for all your employees.
If I Am Denied the ESTA Travel Authorization Will it Effect My Ability to Obtain a Visa at the U.S. Embassy in their country to apply for a formal Visa.
When the ESTA Travel Authorization is denied, the foreign traveler must make an appointment at a U.S. Department of State and there are no expedited procedures for those who have been denied ESTA Travel Authorization. Embassy is operated by the U.S. American Immigration Attorneys are in close contact with their foreign clients and will share the denial information with each other starting in January 2009. Because the ESTA program is so new, it is impossible to predict how badly a denial of the ESTA Travel Authorization will impact a traveler's application for a Visa at a U.S. Embassy or impact their future travel to America in general. Currently there are no government policies regulating this area of the law, or opportunities to appeal a denial.Consumers nowadays are being smart. You've got to distinctively separate your business from the competition and lead each of your prospects and customers to think, 'I would have to be a complete idiot to do business with anyone else...
Just being aggressive doesn't cut it any longer. Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, it can be a tough task to make a sale. Sales skills alone aren't enough to compete when so many new products and services become everyday commodities.
Referral Incentives - To develop contacts or promote referrals.
'Refer three new customers to our Tanning Salon and we will give you a free cruise to the Bahamas or Mexico.' is one example of so many ways to use incentives to get those referrals every company needs.
Purchase Incentives - Increase cash flow and obtain money upfront.
'Pre-pay a one year service agreement, you will get a free 7 days and 6 nights resort condo accommodation in the destination of your choice.' is an example how incentives can be used to up sell.
What Else Do Can the Airport Officers Make Me Prove After I Land?
The airport officers will ask the traveler proof of a foreign residence (address on foreign driver's license), whether their intention is to depart at the end of the visit (round trip airline ticket), whether the traveler has a job (letter, paystub, business card) and family in their home country, (marriage certificate, childrens' birth certificates), and whether the traveler has the money to travel around America (bank statement or credit cards with bank letter showing credit limit). The airport officers are also required to ask where the traveler will stay in America (hotel reservations or friends/relatives' homes) and have been known to pick up the phone to verify all of the aforementioned information.
·A 5% increase in customer retention can increase lifetime profits from a customer by 75%, according to the Loyalty Effect by Frederick Reichheld.
·'Reward and retention efforts can produce big dollar returns.' That's what the Incentive Federation found in a 2003 survey asking hundreds of businesses using incentive travel promotions 'Does Incentive Travel Improve Sales Productivity and By How Much?' ·70% of unhappy customers abandon vendors because of poor service, according to the Forum Corp.
My intent is not to knock anyone down but to provide insight into how the online travel business really works and to show you WHO is really making the money and how you can make real money by deciding from the get go to actually build a business. The Home based Travel Agent Dilemma.
I know I am opening up a can of worms here by disclosing this information but it's really the truth.
Kids under 12 stay FREE at our resorts.
7. Frequent Flier mileage accepted on all our flights
8. Tickets are good from any airport in the U.S. Our partial client list includes the FBI, Federal Express, American Express, Auto Nation, MBNA Bank, Time-Life, Citibank, Marriott, and Sprint, to name a few. We are known by the company we keep.
Unlike other travel incentive companies, we are a high-touch company. Absolutely no Timeshares are associated with our incentives.
It's doable don't get me wrong it would just take much longer and be more expensive to startup.
If you second tier niche and focus on contracting your own lodging deals and contracting with activity suppliers you could easily build a smaller more focused OTA. Another option would be for you to utilize the Global Distribution System (GDS) for air, car and for lodging that you could not contract yourself.
I don't recommend this last option as you'll be just reselling product you don't own but as long as you can combine the non-owned GDS products with your own contracted travel products you could create a nice win-win for the bottom line.
For your secondary carriers, or if your volume is less than the minimum required by the airline, you can enter in to soft dollar programs for free tickets and free upgrades, as well as traveler status enhancements or airport club passes. These programs require little in the way of volume, but they are not well publicized so you may need to hunt for them or ask Baker Travel or your current agency to point you in the right direction.
VWP travelers are not required to have specific plans to travel to the United States before they apply for an ESTA Travel Authorization. Embassy in their country.
What if I Don't Have Plans to Travel to the U.S. As soon as VWP travelers begin to plan a trip to visit the U.S., they are encouraged to apply for travel authorization through the ESTA website.
Hopefully by now you'll already see it and be way ahead of me but if not here it is. You probably sell trips, guiding and or tours as an hourly or day product. Take the next step and package in lodging and meals and maybe a third activity. Sell packages to your clients and you will super-charge your revenue in a very big way.
Create packages for your tour guide business that includes lodging, meals and your guide or tour service. Let me share a little strategy with you that will totally change the way you build or grow your existing tour guide business.
In the event you loved this post and you want to receive more information about afrique [3] please visit our website.
