How many travel agencies are there in Belarus? Tour operators. General rules for staying in the country
A few months ago, our portal began conducting a survey among travel agencies in Belarus in order to find out the ratings of preferences for cooperation with tour operators. We selected 10 destinations for voting, including countries that have long been popular in our market, as well as some new destinations.
We think that the survey results will be of interest not only to industry professionals, but also to ordinary visitors to the portal. Why? Because the end consumer - the tourist - is offered tour options based on the preferences of cooperation between agencies and operators. Operators, we remind you, are responsible for the quality of the tourism product, agencies - for its sale.
We emphasize that the survey was conducted on the eve of the active season and reflects the actual situation at that time.
So, which tour operators do Belarusian travel agents prefer to work with? We plotted the charts in percentage terms, obtaining the corresponding ratings. We also talked with the agencies and provided some comments to these ratings.
The system for counting votes and, accordingly, generating percentage ratings is simple. A list of leading operators by area was proposed for voting. In addition, agencies could supplement the list of operators with their own options. Each agency that took part in the voting electronically noted the operators with whom it works in one direction or another. The operator received a given number of votes and the corresponding number of percentages from all agencies that took part in the survey. Thus, the rating reflects the total percentage of votes cast for a particular operator.
To begin with, which countries did agents consider the most promising for working in the 2017 season?
Predictably, the top three were Greece, Bulgaria and Türkiye. It is interesting that in our survey Greece and Bulgaria received exactly the same number of votes, thereby putting an end to the long-standing dispute - who owns the palm in a kind of competition for the hearts of Belarusian tourists? It is also curious that not far from visa-free Turkey, a global destination that for many years was No. 1 among foreign destinations in our market, but lost its position due to the difficult events of recent years, small Montenegro, which does not require visas from Belarusians, was also in the top.
Next come Spain and Cyprus, which are clearly growing, one might say, experiencing a renaissance in our market. Also, perhaps, we should note the following curious fact - more than half of the agencies this season are looking favorably towards Albania - a country about which nothing was known before. Anticipating possible questions, let us say right away that we did have a targeted survey, the purpose of which was to find out the “weight” of the largest Belarusian tour operators operating in the same directions, that is, those that are in the “heavy”, usually “air charter” weight category . Perhaps that is why such popular destinations in their segment as Belarus and Georgia received a very small number of votes - a few percent each. A small number of survey participants also indicated the Baltic states, Romania, sea cruises, Egypt and Tunisia.
Greece
The undisputed leader in the ranking of cooperation preferences of Belarusian travel agencies was the tour operator Mouzenidis Travel - a company that in our market has made popular not only itself, but, in fact, the product itself. As you can see, in the table “Mouzenidis Travel” is located with a significant lead over its competitors. According to our survey, only one agency out of ten operating in Greece does not sell tours from this operator. At the same time, of course, no one prohibits the agency from booking tours from various operators, comparing prices for packages and terms of cooperation.
Further, close to each other, located TEZ TOUR, AeroBelService, INTERCITY and Coral Travel. There are also relative newcomers to this ranking. These include the Greek tour operator Canulas Travel, which this year is consolidating a charter to Corfu from Minsk. Also, among the operators who work in the Greek direction, Belarusian travel agencies mentioned the Ithaca company several times. Let us remind you that this oldest Polish tour operator has been present on the Belarusian market for just over two years; in Brest, its interests are represented by the travel agency “Tsvet Travel”; in Minsk, you can also book “Ithaca” tours through “AlatanTour”.
Bulgaria
As you can see in the diagram, almost all operators are present - recognized leaders in this segment. Bulgaria, of course, like Greece, is a strategic direction in our market. Perhaps there is not such a variety of products as in Greece - nevertheless, the latter offers a wide range of island holidays, and the service in Greece is higher and the nature is more interesting, but Bulgaria beats its competitor in price and attractiveness of holidays for families with small children. According to our survey, the majority of agencies, voting for an operator in the Bulgarian direction, prefer INTERCITY. The company, of course, has made a big leap in the last few years, it’s impossible not to notice. The reason, in our opinion, is not only in the expansive growth policy, but also in the technological gap, which is consistently demonstrated in the Belarusian market by two domestic agencies - INTERCITY and Rosting. However, Rosting, TEZ TOUR and AeroBelService are very tightly located in the second, third and fourth positions. At the end of the top ten, the bus operator Podevus, which has more than 20 years of difficult work with children’s camps in Bulgaria, is modestly but reliably located. And - ding! - for the first, but not the last time, the star of the Ukrainian tourism industry appears in the ranking - the tour operator Join Up, to which we will devote a little text below - in the Turkish section.
Türkiye
Here the clear leader is the company TEZ TOUR - a company that is associated with the Turkish direction with the Quality Mark. Also, AeroBelService demonstrates a significant lead over other operators in the ranking of travel agency cooperation preferences. In third position we see, also at a relative distance from the leading three, Coral Travel.
It should be noted that the top 3 in Turkey turned out to be quite predictable for us - the fact that TEZ TOUR and AeroBelService, so to speak, “hold the market” is not a surprise! But below it gets interesting! Immediately after INTERCITY and, surprisingly, before Rosting, we find the already mentioned Ukrainian Join Up. The company quietly, as they say, without noise and dust, but quite actively penetrated our market. The company's representative office has been operating in Gomel for several years, and from this year the company is also represented in Minsk. As for the Turkish direction, the company has a block of charter seats to Bodrum from Minsk, and the operator is also active on the Antalya coast.
The Turkish market in Belarus is, of course, very densely populated by tour operators, however, the Ukrainians, apparently, have found a price niche here and are successfully offering flights from Kyiv. By the way, no area in our survey generated as many related comments as Türkiye. Thus, some agents indicated that if the preference rating for cooperation with tour operators involved departures from different cities, it would look different. For example, like this: from Kyiv – JoinUP!, AnexTour, Pegas Touristik, TEZ TOUR, TUI, Coral Travel, from Moscow – AnexTour, Pegas Touristik, Tez Tour, Coral Travel. We present this option solely as an example, since we did not compile separate ratings for departures from the ports of neighboring countries. The last line in our ranking is occupied by the German operator TUI.
Montenegro
Let us emphasize once again that the overwhelming number of agencies surveyed – 87.5% – expressed a desire to work with this small but truly popular country among Belarusians. This is how it happens: the country is small, and there are not as many operators here as in Turkey, for example, nevertheless, the product from the point of view of cooperation between a tour operator and a travel agent is also very interesting.
We remind you that the strategic host partner for our tour operators in Montenegro is R-Tours, which provides Belarusians with hotel facilities, excursions, transfer services and has been a customer of charters for many years. As for domestic operators directly, here we again see INTERCITY as the leader in the direction - 71.6% of respondents choose this partner for work in Montenegro. Next, but with a noticeable lag, is Rosting. The third place is occupied by Time Voyage. Next comes Aerotravel, which was once exclusively an airline broker, and in last years It is also successfully moving forward as a tour operator. Also in the ranking were “TradeVoyage”, “Top-Tour”, “Smolyanka” and “Voyagetour”. Pac Group and the same Join Up gained several percent each.
Note that we did not find a single vote for Biblio Globus in the survey, which, as we remember, once came to the market with a separate charter to Montenegro and at some point made the leading players worry. As the agencies emphasize in the comments to the destination, this year Montenegro may “burn out” in the sense that there are enough tickets, but it can be difficult to find accommodation for the required dates. Our “rescue” option is villas with guarantees provided by the listed operators.
Spain
Let us remind you that, in addition to the popular Catalonia, where Belarusians fly on regular Belavia flights to Barcelona, from Minsk you can get direct charters to Mallorca and Valencia. It is this geography of opportunities that our rating reflects. The first place in it is occupied by TEZ TOUR, already mentioned as a leader in the Turkish direction. 74.7% of surveyed agencies prefer to cooperate with him. In second position is AeroBelService, with just over 60% of agents voting for it. In third place is INTERCITY (with enviable regularity, present in high positions on almost all routes departing from Minsk - it’s impossible not to notice!). Coral Travel is literally breathing down his neck. Closely followed by Voyagetour and Natalie Tours (remember that the company has been transporting Belarusians from Minsk to Spain on the Vueling low-cost airline for many years now). The same number of votes – 26.5% each – was received by “Rosting” and “Vneshintourist” (the latter thanks to the Spanish bus chains!). 14.5 and 13.3% of the votes, respectively, are in the treasury of “Top-Tour” and “Turlux”.
Cyprus
In our opinion, the picture of agent preferences in Cyprus is quite interesting. The leader – 70% of voters – is TEZ TOUR. Next - with 56% - is Mouzenidis Travel, which, let us remind you, has been working in this direction for the second year. The third position is held by AeroBelService. INTERCITY and Biblio Globus are located very close to each other - 52.4 and 50%, respectively. Rosting received 32.9% of the votes. Well, at the end of the table are “AlatanTour” and “CenterResort”. Here, of course, one must keep in mind that, nevertheless, we're talking about not about charter, but about regular transportation. A significant number of Belarusians traditionally prefer to buy tickets and book inexpensive villas in Cyprus on their own.
Italy
Direct charter flights to Italy from Minsk they fly to Sicily, Trieste, Rimini, and in the fall, as expected, there will be a flight to Tuscany. Apparently, we need to mention the regular flight to Nice, which allows tour operators to offer tourists Italian Liguria with direct, convenient delivery. To date, we have not found a tour operator - a clear leader with an overwhelming number of votes - in our survey. Five tour operators enjoy a fairly stable reputation among agents - AeroBelService, INTERCITY, TEZ TOUR, Danko Travel and Coral Travel, but all of them have less than 50% of the votes. Rosting, Pac Group, Solemare and Bel-Orientira also have good positions (the last two agencies, we recall, specialize in Italy). In addition, the rating includes Voyagetour, Aerotravel and Interlux. Let us add that the Italian direction has always been quite difficult on the Belarusian market. This also applies to hotel bases on various coasts of Italy, and pricing policy, and, as a rule, the lack of Russian-speaking service.
Albania
Albania has made a good start this year. It is very interesting to see how agent sympathies are located at the “entry point” in relation to operators who this season risked offering this complex product, in other words, taking guaranteed charter blocks. IN this moment, perhaps, it is also difficult to identify a clear leader in the direction. Although the presence of INTERCITY in the first line, taking into account all the previous achievements of the tour operator, speaks for itself. Thus, INTERCITY has the first position and 53.2% of agent sympathy. In second place, with a very slight lag, is Aerotravel, thanks to which (as well as its Montenegrin partner R-Tours) we now have such an interesting new product of the season. Aerotravel has 48.4% of the votes. There was also no doubt about the rest that they would want to “be in the game” in this direction - these are those specializing in Montenegrin holidays “adjacent” to Albania - “Time Voyage”, “Rosting”, “TradeVoyage” and “Smolyanka”.
Ukraine
Previously, the number one direction (in the near abroad), which collected in best years up to half a million Belarusian tourists - Ukraine, which once owned Crimea, has now shrunk to Odessa and the resorts of the Odessa region. However, it is certainly a popular product at its price point. Suffice it to say that if last summer there were 14 bus lines from Minsk to Odessa, then this year there are 41! Here, with operators, judging by the comments of the agencies attached to the survey, everything is quite complicated. Nevertheless, we have compiled a rating. It looks like this.
“Podevus” received 40% of the votes, he is more likely than anyone else to be booked by agents for a tour Black Sea coast Ukraine. The tour operator “Fairytale Tour” can also be considered a leader in this segment – 28.2% of the votes. Ukrainian Join Up and Belarusian Ditrib, apparently, are equally popular among domestic travel agents - 13% each. Further in the list we find a number of operators with similar positions.
Northern Cyprus
Well, our survey ends with another new product of the season, which was actively presented by operators in the spring - Northern Cyprus. Apparently, this season premiere was less successful compared to Albania. Although Northern Cyprus also gets its client - thirsty for discovery and a kind of geopolitical exoticism. The leader in our survey is the tour operator AeroBelService; it is preferred by 84% of voting agencies. In second position is Aerotravel, with 52% of the votes. Tour operators were also mentioned in the survey Anex Tour and "Top Tour". Let us remind you that AeroBelService offers Belarusian tourists to get to Northern Cyprus through Istanbul, Aerotravel - through Larnaca.
In the comments to the survey, speaking in general about cooperation with tour operators, agents pay attention to several important factors interactions with the tour operator, as well as the reasons for the final choice in favor of one operator or another.
First of all, of course, the price and size of the commission are important, secondly - personal contact, and thirdly - some bonuses. Without personal contact, it is impossible to quickly resolve problematic situations, which, no secret, often happen in tourism (such is this business!). And here operators could listen to a lot of interesting criticism addressed to them.
It is no secret that some agencies even prefer to book operator tours through “intermediaries” (which are privileged travel agents), losing 1-2% of the commission, but gaining confidence that scarce tickets will be available if necessary, and -major there will be a quick adequate reaction.
As travel agents say, today there is no longer a clear “reputational” affiliation of operators: this one is “expensive”, and that one is a “discounter”. All have a live, “dynamic” price, which changes depending on many factors, including clicks and views of a particular offer at the moment. Everything is visible in booking systems, which are often a separate headache for a travel agent.
As far as we understand, travel agents do not always welcome new tour operator booking systems - according to reviews, it was easier to work with the old ones. But time, as we know, does not stand still. Technologies are changing, tourist demand is changing, and, as we see, the leaders of the Belarusian tourism market are also a moving phenomenon. In the fall we will definitely sum up the results of the season! Stay with us!
Lilia Kobzik
infographics - Boris Kvitkevich
When going on a trip, it is very important to choose a reliable and professional tour operator who conscientiously, efficiently and honestly fulfills all the terms of the agreement or contract.
Choosing a tour operator is an important and responsible step, because your relaxation and comfort depend on the reliability and quality work of the tour operator.
Therefore, especially for you, we have prepared a brief overview of popular, fairly well-known tour operators widely represented on the tourism services market.
Interlux
Tour operators in Minsk
Of the many tour operators in Minsk, several reliable and responsible tour operators can be identified. These are such as Biblio Globus tour operator, Anex tour operator and others that meet the standards of quality and reliability of work, and have also received well-deserved popularity and wide recognition among domestic tourists.
Tour operator Biblio Globus. Popular and widely known tour operator. His high-quality and impeccable work in the tourism services market exceeds the mark of twenty years, or rather 21 years. This is an experienced and strong player in the tourism market, responsibly and efficiently approaching its responsibilities and vigilantly guarding its impeccable reputation. This tour operator specializes in such destinations as Cyprus, Tunisia, Thailand, Maldives, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Vietnam.
Tour operator Anex. Quite famous and popular tour an operator that has proven itself through long, productive and continuous work in the tourism services market. This company has been around for about twenty years and offers its customers a wide geographical range of possible travel experiences. Among the Anex destinations you can find Turkish, Egyptian, Thai, Spanish, Greek, Moroccan, Indian, Vietnamese, Mexican, Czech, Bulgarian.
Travel agency BelTurist, working with tour operators in Belarus, provides its clients and visitors to our website with a unique opportunity - a search for all tour operators, which allows every interested person to easily and quickly find out the necessary and timely information about open tourist packages, as well as last minute tours, information about the tour operator providing various tourist services and their prices.
All tour operators presented on the site travel agency Belturist have passed the necessary state certification and have a full set of documents permitting the activities of these companies and the provision of tourism services.
This section contains all the leading ones, very large and not very large, the best and reliable, medium, small and very small tour operators of our country who organize their tours with departures from different cities of Russia and the neighboring countries. Convenient grouping allows you to find out which tour operators fly from your or the nearest city and which of them deals with a specific country. By going to the official website, you can always read more detailed information, search for tours, check prices and perhaps even book a suitable option. We do not publish ratings of tour operators here, but in order to somehow determine their size and trust your vacation, just look at the traffic counters on the sites. It is not always useful to strive for the lowest price and buy the most cheap tour, sometimes it is necessary to pay attention to the name of the one who creates the tourism product.
We suggest using our search, compare prices from different tour operators, choose Best offer and buy a tour online, with payment by credit card on the website.