The travel electricity merchant pushes the visa fee to be transparent

Absrtact: Recently, People's Daily official micro-blog published the latest version of the Visa Consulate price list, causing hot discussion, netizens have lamented visa agency fees far higher than the consulate price. For a time, the consular price brought out the issue of the standard of visa prices to become the focus of attention. With this

Recently, the People's Daily official Weibo published the latest version of the Visa Consulate price list, causing hot discussion, netizens have lamented visa agency charges far higher than the "Consulate price." For a time, the "consular price" brought out the issue of the price of visas to become the focus of attention.

Synchronized with this is the online travel business "Visa war": Following the Ctrip visa "consular price + service charge" Transparent pricing mode, the hundred-way travel network, leisurely travel network, such as entry visa price war, big dozen "free" brand. Industry insiders pointed out that online travel "visa war" will be to some extent squeeze travel agent visa agent market space.

A, travel agency charges too high to be questioned

The visa fee charged by the agency is usually composed of a consular price and a service charge.

Compared to the reporter found that for different countries visa, travel agencies charge a huge disparity: Malaysia and Japan's personal travel visa "consulate price" are 200 yuan, the price of a travel agency in Xiamen is 280 yuan and 1200 yuan respectively. Travel agency staff explained that the Southeast Asian countries in the tourist visa procedures relatively simple, through the rate is also higher, but Japan, Europe and the United States and other countries, the visa processing process is more complex, so the charge is higher.

For travel agencies to charge too much of the query, the industry responded that "travel agency visa required materials will be simpler, and Xiamen citizens if their own visa, usually to go to the Guangzhou Consulate, the investment time, transportation costs are much higher than the ' service charge '." ”

The reporter learned that the travel agency visa charge for the "service charge" is mainly used for translation, generation of information, sent to the consulate and other services.

A travel agency practitioner said that travel agency visa compared to online tourism companies, have their own advantages. "It is not easy to disclose personal information to travel agencies, and travel agencies usually have a ' green channel ' in the consulate, long-term cooperation, a higher visa pass rate." ”

And for the visa agent fee standards whether there are industry norms, the practitioner said, there is a basic consensus in the industry, the price will not be too much, "visa services are only a large number of travel agents, not the main profit points, not to make much money." ”

B, travel website to push the transparency of visa fees

As early as June this year, Ctrip published the "Visa and Consular Price list" and a "tourist visa consumer investigation report". The report shows that "price opacity" and "process chaos" are the current consumer visa-related issues of the most concern. 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.

Based on the survey report, Ctrip launched a "consular price + service charge" visa agent "transparent New Deal." Compared with the traditional travel agency, the traveling electric dealer has the obvious superiority in the price. Reporter inquires the ctrip on Malaysia and Japan's personal travel visa quotes, respectively, 200 yuan and 340 yuan, "service charge" is 0 yuan and 140 yuan, of which the price of Japanese visas for travel agencies only One-fourth.

and leisurely tourism network launched to buy tickets to send visa activities, but also to the most climax of the visa War: not only do not pay service fees, even the cost of the consulate price is also exempted.

However, some people in the industry pointed out that the online travel business visa service or "rejection" to attract more consumers to buy other tourism products: as the exit flow entry, the visa price reduction attracts a large number of new users to book tours, free line and other products.

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Let consumers understand consumption

Whether it is the transparency of the consular price, or online tourism enterprises set off the price war, in the long run, for the entire industry is a positive.

"Visa Consulate Price List" published, so that consumers understand the truth, but also to travel agencies sounded a ' wake-up call ', but the electric business can not completely replace the travel agency, the two should be integrated. "City Tourism Industry Association Travel Branch President Ma Zhiqiang think, in more and more transparent situation, consumers will get better service, and the challenge of the electrical business will encourage travel agencies to comprehensive, upstream services development, promote resource integration, the introduction of more complex-type superimposed products."