To be implemented by MATATO
- MATATO will make the following policy
- It will enact a policy making it mandatory to classify local travel agencies
- It will only classify those whom it has membership and it will classify the members as follows
1.2
Category A
- Registered company, Registered Travel Agency
- A Dedicated Office with a signboard, Dedicated Phone Line, Dedicated Fax Line, A Website, Desk with Staff. Dedicated working staff in office time
- No criminal record, no convicted fraud within last 5 years.
Category B
- Registered company, registered travel agency
- Some of the above facility of Category A is missing
Category C
Home based travel agency, travel agent, with or without registered company or travel agency
1.3 MATATO will lobby MATI (Maldives association of tourism industry) Tourist resorts at large to agree as follows
2. Resorts and hotels will make following policy for working with Maldivian Travel agencies.
2.1. Resorts will make 3 graded rates for Maldivian Travel Agencies
A – First Class Rate
B – Second Class Rate – at least 10% margin difference than A
C – Third Class Rate – at least 20% difference
2.2 Resorts will ask MATATO for its classified members and when ever they get an inquiry for rates from local company.
The resort will provide First Class rate to Category A Travel agencies, Second Class rate to Category B Travel agencies and Third Class rate to category C travel agents.
3. Resort will provide information on those travel agencies who have bad record of payments, debts to MATATO
3.1 MATATO will share that intelligence with other resorts whenever the resort management needs it.
4.
4. MATATO will develop software with database of its members with all the market intelligence including resort, client complaints.
4.1 MATATO will provide official complain forms about its members.
5. Resorts will also agree that it will not provide better tariffs to foreign companies who do not have allotment with them. Only allotment holders should have better tariffs than local agents.
Solution
** Resorts will not be afraid to deal with local agents anymore, they will know whom to deal with and whom to trust.
** Resorts will know the serious companies and will have a platform to deal with problems of local travel agencies.
** Local Travel Company will have chance to live with dignity and can do business easily
** Category A companies will not be afraid of low markup by home based agencies anymore, and will end up with good profit.
** Home based companies can work with Category A companies or resorts creating a new trend of many home based travel agents.
** The fraudulent companies will be eliminated and will be out of market and new resorts will not have to deal with fraudulent companies who victimized any other resort in the past.
** There will be many other hidden advantages for implementing this system.
Note:
This proposal should not abused by elite travel agents by creating difficult criteria for Category A agents. For example an agent should be minimum 5 years in the business, an agency with airport counter, an agency with property or a safari. will create an atmosphere where a new serious company cannot enter into business, because such terms will be impossible to achieve.
This proposal should me taken with good heart and intention and the author think it will flourish the tourism industry.
