Ugo Aliogo
In a bid to sensitise and appreciate its non-International Air Transport Association (IATA) agents in the airline travel business, Touchdown Travels Limited recently organised its first agency forum with focus at encouraging new and existing businesses in the sector.
Speaking at the event in Lagos with theme; ‘Business Opportunities: The Travel Industry in the 21st Century’, the General Manager, Touchdown Travels Limited, Ibukun Adenuga, said as the premier agent in the travel business sector, the event was aimed at enlightening their agents about their products and encouraging them to continue the partnership.
She also stated that with its 23 years presence in the sector, the company has moved from a 30 percent retail client service management to in 70 percent corporate and travel activities in the last few years, adding that the retail business cannot be ruled out.
Adenuga further stated that in a bid to improve service delivery in the sector, they began the Sub-Agent Programme (SAP) to encouraged top IATA agents and those without resources to register in IATA, stressing that they also encouraged them to come and purchase 80 percent what they (touchdown travels) got from the airlines.
“This has helped people to go and develop other agencies to become IATA. In the last 23 years, we have been able to register 147 agencies through IATA and help them get their licenses. We helped them secure their licenses. Those 147 started with us from the grassroots. When we started the BSP which was then the settlement plan, it was the technical aspect from which the travel business evolved 10 years ago. Normally, the way things were done before was manual. But with the BSP settlement plan it is a way for airlines to get their money as at when due from the agents,†she added.
Adeuga added that the BSP settlement plan has helped to stabilise that the challenges of the manual system and encouraged people to continue with the business, by assuring them safety and value for their money.
“We also started the online ticketing, before Waka came in. Ours was not directly to the retail, it was focused on sub-agents and encouraging on sub-agents to book online and also get their commission, thereby make it a seamless way to do business. in the end, the travel agent can do business anywhere in the world. You need to have an office or get to any airline to buy ticket†she noted.
