A new customer

MEETING CLIENTS

Preview Answer the questions. Then talk about your answers.   1. What are the main job responsibilities of the travel agent?   2. What information about a tour is the travel agent supposed to provide?   3. What questions about a tour do customers usually ask?    

I. LISTENING AND READING

Listen to the text

Read and translate it

A new customer

Travel agent:... what have we got that might interest you... Hmm, let's see... there are a couple of things that I can think of straight away. Of course, a lot depends on what you're interested in doing in Australia. Did you have anything in mind?

Karl: I'd like to see Ayers Rock.

Anita: I want to go to the Great Barrier Reef.

Travel agent: Ah. They are quite a long way apart.

Karl: Yes, we saw that – we were looking at the map. It’s big!

Travel agent: Not to worry. Melbourne is a good base, and if I can just show you this. This company specializes in independent tours and they have two in Australia that you should think about, in my opinion. One’s called All Australia. That's nineteen days. It goes along the coast to Adelaide then by train to Ayers Rock. Then you fly to Darwin in the north, and then to Cairns. That means you both get to see what you want.

Anita: Is everything included?

Travel agent: Everything. The flights, the train, the coaches when you go anywhere by road.

Karl: And the hotels? And all the meals?

Travel agent: The hotels... and you can take the full-board option with all the meals. But if I were you, I’d take half-board. Full-board is too much food for most people, and with half-board you have the fun of choosing where to have lunch each day.

Anita: That’s a good idea!

Karl: Nineteen days did you say?

Travel agent: That’s right.

Karl: Hmm. It’s a bit long, perhaps. It doesn't leave much time in Melbourne.

Anita: No.

Travel agent: Well then, why don't you think about the Australia’s Best tour? That’s only thirteen days. Here we are. It's like the last one but you go direct from Melbourne to Alice Springs.

Anita: That’s where you go to Ayers Rock.

Travel agent: That's right.

Karl: And it goes to the Great Barrier Reef?

Travel agent: And Sydney. And as I said, it’s only thirteen days so you’ll have more time in Melbourne.

Karl: This is harder than I thought.

Anita: Yes, it's complicated.

Travel agent: Look, why don’t you leave your contact details with me and I’ll have a look on the Internet and in our brochures, and see if I can find anything else for you. Then if you can come in some time next week...

Karl: OK.

Travel agent: Could you give me your name so I can set up a file for you?

Anita: Chodkiewicz. Anita Chodkiewicz.

Travel agent: Could I ask you to spell that?

Anita: Yes,it's C-H-0-D-...

NOTES Read the following proper names

Australia [ɔs'treɪlɪə], Ayers Rock ['ɛːz 'rɔk], Great Barrier Reef [greɪt 'bærɪə 'riːf], Melbourne ['melbən], Adelaide ['ædəleɪd], Darwin ['dɑːwɪn], Cairns [kɛəns], Alice Springs ['alis sprɪŋz], Sydney ['sɪdnɪ]

Дата добавления: 2015-10-28