How to check the reliability of tour operator

In the summer of 2014, many travel agencies have closed, it does not meet its obligations to its customers. The prospect of getting stuck abroad with no help from your tour operator, to put it mildly frightening.

But if the money on a holiday abroad were found, then no fear will not keep you instead opt for seaside holiday cottage in a nearby village, is not it? So, we must choose the right tour operator, with different options to consider.

What is included in the tour operator reliability

In fact, there are many parameters that need to evaluate a company before purchasing her voucher. Here are some of them.

Number of tourist destinations, which operates tour operator

For any tourist destination can happen crisis - political instability, armed conflict, natural disasters. The more areas of the tour operator can offer in return are not available, the less risk.

Where can I learn? This information can be found at the tour site or inquire of his advisers on the phone.

The presence of their host company in different directions

The receiving party - a tourist company in the country where you go on the tour. This company booked and paid for hotel provides shuttle service from the airport to the place of settlement and arranges excursions.

If the tour operator has its own host company in the destination country, the chances of getting high-quality services on site greatly increased. Moreover, such a company is less than the risks to splurge because it can earn and tourists from other countries.

Where can I learn? The official website of the tour operator or contact him by phone.

An agreement with airlines

Often, much of the cost of the tour is airfare. If the tour operator is working with several airlines, has blocks of seats in different directions or a charter flight, he will be able to offer more options for flight.

Where can I learn? Typically, tour operators spread information on cooperation with the airlines on their website. Check out the sections of the site associated with the company's partners.

Reliability rating of insurance companies

If the tour operator is working with a reliable insurance company in case of bankruptcy it does not withdraws license and you will receive compensation.

Where can I learn? You can find the company on the website "RIA Rating».

These are not all the parameters by which we can estimate the tour, but you will hardly be able to find them all yourself. In addition, you will agree, this is a long and dreary affair. You can make it easier - use the existing rating Tour operator reliability.

For example, a similar rating gives supermarket tours Travelata.ru. Anyone can use it, regardless of the desire to buy a tour or login to the site.

Let's look at what this is based Tour Operators grade ratingWe can hope for some criteria are evaluated tour operators and some degree of objectivity.

What is included in the rating Travelata.ru

So every tour operator, offers which are posted on the site, estimated at 10 indicators. The list of indicators includes the already mentioned destinations, their host companies, airlines-partners and reliable insurance companies. Here is a list of additional indicators (and screenshots of the current rating of tour operators):

Hotel warranty

Travel agency may enter into a contract with the hotel in advance by buying numbers. In this case, the tour operator booking is confirmed instantly online, and prices are slightly reduced at the hotel.

Reseller or not

If there is one more link in the circuit between service provider and client services are becoming more expensive, and reliability, on the contrary, it decreases.

The size of financial guarantees

This item concerns the protection of bankruptcy the higher the financial guarantees of the tour operator, the better the situation in the company's affairs.

The number of travel agencies under the brand tour

The greater the travel agencies, the larger and more reliable tour operator.

Belonging to a large international holdings

If the tour operator is part of a large holding, it is less likely to remain without customers, and tourist destinations it is usually more.

dissatisfied customers

This is one of the most basic points on which we can estimate the tour operator. If the bad reviews just is, that's OK: after all, it is impossible to please everyone. But if they become more, the tour operator is gradually lost trust.

For each category a score from 0 to 10 and a ranking of the largest tour operators. But where does the information on the number of host companies repurchased areas in hotels and reliability of the insurance company?

Sources of information for a rating

Firstly, in the rankings help loyal customers Travelata, which has accumulated more than 150 thousand, second - more than 120 partners, tour operators.

But it would be not very well just use this information, so the data for the ranking are taken from other sources.

The information from the airline's website, where you can learn about the cooperation with tour operators, The uniform federal register of tour operatorsWhere any user can find the company and find out the size of its financial support.

In addition, the data of the agency "RIA Rating"That allow you to assess the reliability of the insurance companies, and information from professional travel portal Tourdom.ru.

The result is a very diverse set of sources which can rightly evaluate the tour operator.

The choice is the customer

If the reliability rating of the tour operator really is sharply reduced - cleaned many areas, reduces the number of partners among airlines, increasing the number of negative reviews - it becomes clear that the work is approaching tour by the end. In such cases, the company is a loser disappears from supermarket tours.

But if things do not go so far so bad, the company remains at the site, and then each user decides for itself: to trust is not very to reliable travel agent and buy a ticket at a lower cost, or spend a little more, but to secure a reliability above 90 points.

For example, in 2014, the highest score was awarded to Coral Travel: Tour Operator scored 98 points out of a possible 100. Slightly lower rates TUI Russia - 96 points and third place went to TezTour with 94 points.

Further already there are companies with a score lower than 90 points: Pegas Touristik, which, unlike the first three, does not belong to a large international holdings, Biblio Globus and others.

Can you remember the reliable tour operators to look at their official website and add them to your browser bookmarks for the future. But if you do not go on a tour in the near future, it is better just to remember where it is possible to see the ratings.

See ranking of tour operators on Travelata.ru