Tour Operations Management

Tour Operations
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART 1............................................................................................................................................3
Roles and functions of a range of tour operators....................................................................3
Scale and structure of tour operating industry........................................................................5
Evaluation of impact of integration........................................................................................5
PART 2............................................................................................................................................6
Different stages and components for creating package holiday.............................................6
Holiday package for educational tour.....................................................................................8
PART 3............................................................................................................................................9
Review of a range of package tour programmes....................................................................9
Comparison and contrast of package tour programmes.......................................................12
Evaluation of a range of package tour programmes.............................................................14
PART 4..........................................................................................................................................14
Exploration of strategic and tactical decision-making in tour operations............................14
Assessment of external factors affecting decisions..............................................................16
Evaluation of strategic and tactical decisions made by TUI................................................17
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................17
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................19

INTRODUCTION
A tour operator combines tour and travel components so as to create a holiday package.
Tour operator management is related to managing the operations related to travel and tourism so
that customers can be given quality services meeting all of their requirements (Dodaro and et. al.,
2015). Tour operators play an important role in strengthening the travel and tourism industry by
attracting customers through their captivating packages. In this report TUI AG which is an
Anglo-German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hannover, Germany
is taken to understand aspects of tour operation management. It is one of the largest company
which deals in travel and tourism and it owns various travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise
ships etc. so that its customers can have a world class experience of travelling. In this report
details about the roles and functions of a range of tour operators, scale and structure of tour-
operator-industry, stages of developing holiday package etc. will be discussed. Further strategic
and tactical decisions taken by tour operators will also be discussed. There will also a be a
review about a package tour programmes so that the decisions that are made while making
decisions regarding deciding price of tour package can be analysed.
PART 1
'Exploring the tour operating sector'
Roles and functions of a range of tour operators
Tour operators are businesses who combines tour and travel components so that a holiday
package can be created. These types of businesses organise tours for people by giving them an
organised itinerary and making arrangements for them related to accommodation, conveyance,
food and beverages etc. so that a complete holiday packager can be formed. TUI is a tour
operating company which plan holidays for its customers and give them quality services so that
high value can be created (Ghaderi, Mat Som and Henderson, 2015). Tour operators also advice
customers different travel destinations, transportation facility available, best season of visiting a
place etc.
Types of tour operators: Mass market operators: These operators design holiday packages for a group of people
at a time which involves a good knowledge about the tourism industry so that tours can
be designed at most affordable prices. For example TUI which is well known for

designing tour packages for mass population at a time, at affordable prices and with
highest quality of services (Goffi, Masiero and Pencarelli, 2018). Independent operators: These are the operators who work in their individual capacity to
organise tour packages for people and making arrangements regarding travelling,
accommodation, food etc. They make customer specific tour packages which are in
accordance with affordability of customers. Domestic operators: These are the tour operators who manage holiday packages within
national boundaries which means that they play an important role in promotion of local
tourism. Incoming operators: These are the operators who make arrangements for travellers who
travel from different locations. The services given by them includes car rentals, tourist
guides, sightseeing etc.
 Outbound operators: These operators make travel packages for customers so that they
can travel from one country to another of their choice. They help in promotion of
international tourism (Ivanova, Klimova and Rozanova, 2018).
Roles of tour operators
The various roles that are performed by tour operators in the context of TUI are: Product development: This function is related to developing the products in accordance
with their needs an wants of travellers so that their services can be customised as per their
budget and their preference. TUI develops the products and services as per the needs of
its customers so that maximum value can be created for its customers. Marketing and sales: It is also the role of tour operators to market the services and
products related to travel and tourism so that their sales can be increased. TUI markets its
packages and travelling services through advertising on social media, print media,
through internet etc. so as to attract customers and increase its sales. Advising customers: Tour operators also advise customers regarding places to visit,
seasons that are suitable to visit a location, budget that will be required etc. so that
detailed information can be given to customers (Manente, Minghetti and Mingotto,
2015).