Online electricity dealer unveils visa charges

Abstract: At the end of June, Visa as the main business of the Bai-Cheng Travel Network, high-profile commitment to refuse to sign the entire paragraph, and then July, and announced the global free visa services; At the same time, Ctrip announced in the mobile phone app for the full service fee of 0 yuan activities, even focus abroad from

By the end of June, the visa as the main business of the Bai Cheng Travel Network, high-profile commitment to "refuse to sign the entire paragraph", and the subsequent July, and announced the "Global free visa service"; almost at the same time, Ctrip announced in the mobile phone app on the "visa full service fee of 0 yuan" activities, even focus on the free line of the World State Travel Network, Recently also formally announced the cancellation of Visa agent service fee for the choice of its "Super Free line" products users to provide free visa agent services ... Only one months time, visa this tour card, also is fast by the electric business war to uncover.

Visa agency fee needs transparent pricing in industry

According to the China Institute of Tourism Statistics, China's outbound travel in 2013 reached 98 million people, an increase of 17.8%. With the increasing proportion of domestic tourists, individual travel visa needs more and more, agent visa business is also quickly hot up.

Recently, Ctrip issued the first domestic tourism visa consumer Survey Report, "Price is not transparent" and "process chaos" is the current consumer visa when the most concerned about the issue. Among them, 88% of the guests do not know how much the visa agent fees, 99% of consumers support the "consular Price + service charge" Transparent pricing, 90% consumers can accept 0 yuan-150 yuan service charges.

The survey found that, in addition to price factors, in the face of the market visa agent mixed, affecting the choice of agent visa agency of the three core factors of the brand (31%), the service Experience (31%) and the signing rate (28%). Most consumers will choose professional travel websites and famous travel agencies.

As for the current market visa agency services to improve the problem, improve the convenience of the signing process, more transparent processing services, improve the success rate of visa processing has become the most concern of consumers.

Breaking the Bureau: The transparency of visa agency fees caused OTA price war

With the expansion of China's outbound tourism market, the citizens to handle foreign tourist destinations countries are increasingly frequent visas. To a trip to Europe and the United States, visa fees will be thousands of dollars, but in the future, such a situation will change, visa fees can be done in hundred, and "aggravating" is the online travel site.

Just last month, Ctrip announced the full transparency of the price of all the visa products in accordance with the "Consulate Price + service charge", and set the service charge standard at 0 yuan-150 yuan. Subsequently, some agents began to refer to the practice of Ctrip to mark service fees, and some travel sites and visa agents to the price of a substantial adjustment. And the Bai Cheng Travel Network and the World State Travel network is also announced the visa "0 service fee", in order to carry out a positive competition with Ctrip.

Liu Simin, a special researcher at the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that Ctrip in the visa agent market to the traditional travel agencies, is not the visa this piece of small profits, but outbound travel market this big cake. Because the visitor chooses the visa service often also will continue to choose the air ticket, the hotel, the local tour and so on other outbound tour service, will cause the path dependence in the years to come.

Reporter inquires a few popular visa prices, to the United States personal travel visa as an example, Ctrip price total of 1070 yuan, of which the service fee of 62 yuan, Bai Cheng 1008 yuan, for the consulate price; By contrast, the traditional travel agencies in the United States, Australia, Europe and other land visa processing prices are generally 1500 yuan-2000 yuan. In this regard, the industry believes that the domestic visa agency industry will be a complete farewell to profiteering, with the destination country visa relaxation, simplification procedures and market competition intensified, agent Visa or will be free.

Foreign bank scramble for visa fee agent Channel

In the past, most of the citizens had visas through the visa agencies, and this year many banks can also agent visas. In April this year, Bank of China and Societe Generale announced the opening of visa delivery services in more than 10 countries, and Citic Bank upgraded its original U.S. visa program.

Among them, the first batch of industrial banks to accept visa delivery services to the countries and regions, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Singapore and other 24 countries and Taiwan. If the U.S. visa business is expected to charge 1299 yuan per sign, including about 1000 yuan visa fees. The customer only needs to prepare the material, fills in the Chinese information list, the Bank will be responsible for the English content and the follow-up process.

Analysis points out that the reason for the bank to promote the agency visa fee service, mainly because the customer after the visa, will have to apply for credit cards, swap and other financial needs, then the bank can further carry out their business. Customers with outbound needs are mostly high-end customers, even if the free visa, banks are willing to improve the stickiness of this part of the customer.

Trends: Traditional Travel agencies have not followed up the price reduction

Although Ctrip to the visa agent market stir hot. However, at present, there is no traditional travel agency to follow up the price war, and agent fees charged by the agency fee is still a traditional travel agency profit is an important link. At the same time, the reporter survey found that even the same area of individual travel visa price differences are also very obvious, if for the United States personal travel visa fees, China travel Guangdong Company Price 1899 Yuan/person, a broad tour price of 1499 yuan/person, South Lake National travel price of 1700 yuan/person, and Ctrip price is only 1070 yuan/person.

Reporters from a wide range of travel to understand that the current traditional travel agency "visa agent" costs are based on the input of resources, services and related consular fees and other comprehensive pricing. At present, travel agencies and other agencies to travel agents charge a total of two parts of the visa fees, the first part of the national embassies or consulates charged fees, and the other part of the so-called agency service fees. As long as consumers use the total price minus the "Consulate price", they can know how many service charges the agency added. In general, South-East Asia and other countries with relatively convenient visas, visa service fees are lower, and the need to provide documents translation, filling application forms, on-site accompany signing, Visa and other services in Europe and America, Australia and the United States, Macao and other foreign countries in the long-term visa service fees are relatively higher.

However, the reporter learned from several travel agencies, is now the peak summer tour, Southeast Asia, the visa agent for some countries free of charge for the price is to strive to achieve the lowest peer, in order to pull customers.

Trend: Visa agency fees will be lowered

Industry analysts believe that the current outbound travel market is becoming more and more popular, tourists more and more rich experience, the global destination countries for Chinese tourists visa more and more relaxed, visa-free increase, procedures simplified, through the rate of very high, visa processing is increasingly not a threshold, standardization of electronic trends, service costs are leveling, Therefore, the visa service fee will inevitably be reduced to a reasonable level.

The Giants take the lead to price, reduce service charges, profit is the consumer. After the outbreak of the price war, consumers will naturally focus on the price comparison of different platforms. However, there are visa industry to remind tourists, need to pay attention to those who are significantly below the consular price unreasonable low price. In addition to looking at the price of a visa, but also to consider the efficiency and standardization, it is best to find qualified well-known travel agencies or travel sites. It is understood that the visa agent is now the adoption rate is very high, according to the request to provide materials refused to sign a very low percentage, but the right to decide in the consulate.

Reporter learned that in the processing time, now large agent difference is not big. As many destination countries shorten visa processing dates for Chinese tourists this year, the agency's time will be further shortened. Experts suggest that on the Internet should choose a formal online travel site, should be integrated trading volume and credit contrast, see what the price included in the services, whether there are additional costs. When looking for agents online, also pay attention to the choice of regular travel agencies, before payment to see the relevant provisions. For example, agent fees, information, time and so on, so that travel more secure.