Tourism Impacts and Challenges

This assignment delves into the multifaceted impacts of tourism on developing countries, encompassing economic benefits, environmental consequences, and socio-cultural changes. It requires students to examine research papers on various aspects of tourism, such as natural disaster risks, ethical leadership in the sector, customer satisfaction, and the influence of travel motives. The analysis should highlight both the potential and challenges associated with sustainable tourism development.

TOUR OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION
Travel and tourism sector in the recent world is considered to be the most vibrant industry
and it is basically dependent on leisure travelers. Today, it is the fastest growing industry in the
current market which also contributes huge amount of resources in economic development of the
nation. Travel and tourism sector is regarded as developed industry as there are several service
provisions integrated into it which enhances its values and effectiveness (Weaver, 2015). The
present research study has been made on Thomas Cook which provides several services to the
customers according to their specifications and demands. Thus, in such context, researcher has
highlighted the impact of recent trends and developmental aspects in travel and tourism industry.
Similarly, discussion has also been made on categories of contracting for different components of
holiday packages. This is directly related to travel and tour agents. Various methods of promoting
tour packages have been discussed in the study. In the last section, researcher has stated the need of
tactical, operational and managerial decisions on travel and tour operations.
TASK 1 UNDERSTAND THE TOUR OPERATORS INDUSTRY WITHIN THE
TRAVEL AND TOURISM SECTOR
1.1 Analyzing the effect of current and recent trends and development of on the tour operators
industry
Travel and tourism sector is able to derive attention from the customers as well as from the
ruling bodies as it highly contributes in economic development of the nation. In order to manage
business services in an effective manner, it is essential for Thomas Cook to emphasize on
technology and other aspects (Petia and Peter, 2014). Organization like Thomas Cook should have
to arrange suitable packages for the customers according to their requirements and necessities. This
could help the business to enhance the level of growth and success. Several hotel that are working
on larger scale have established their business in European market which further also augments the
probabilities of growth and success; thus as a result, Thomas Cook also has to consider this aspect
in the current package. This will also assist the company to administer all the business aspects as
per external market place. The impact of recent developments have been stated as follows:
 The trend of e-commerce has been changing and all the business entities are getting in
online business management for making the service provision more convenient and
effective. This is essential from customer satisfaction aspect and at the same time, it can
help in managing service delivery dimensions (Novelli, 2005). At the same time, customer
retention and satisfaction are another benefits that can be acquired through this. Online
services are effective for the customers as they can get services anytime whenever they want
and this also reduces their investment level. At the same time, online services also assists the

customers to get services in effective manner with discounted prices and schemes. Hence, as
a result, this can encourage company's segmentation.
 There should be new provisions for airport amenities so that people can conveniently travel
to different places from airline services (Mehmetoglu, 2004). As a result, it will assist in
enhancing demand for tourism services.
 All the customers are entering into online selling of products because of the convenience
benefit. Therefore, while traveling from one place to another, Thomas Cook should ensure to
provide several benefits to the clients in order to bring reductions in the cost of
transportation. Most of the clients of Thomas Cook are deriving products and services from
online sources and this enhances customer base of the company. People are using internet
sources not only for deriving information, but also reservations can be made through such
source (Mehmetoglu and Normann, 2013). Hence, evaluating the discussion, it has been
found that the dependency of travelers is decreasing in the area of tourism services.
 In UK, recent trends and innovative developments have been on the priority list of tourism
industry. Hence, more focus has been laid on these aspects in order to provide the clients
with a number of choices. Online services has been increased to a higher extent; thus people
prefer to buy the same services to a higher extent. Significantly, tourism services are
encouraged because all the tour operators provide information to the clients through online
sources (Mehmetoglu and Normann, 2013). They also render schemes, discounts and
coupons for the existing services; thus most of the time, it proves to be successful in
increasing the demand for various services of tourism.
 Another with the aspects discussed above, another benefit of market changes in tourism
industry is related to customer satisfaction. In order to retain the existing client, it is must for
the organizations to provide them with superior quality of services. Meanwhile, another
important element that has come into consideration is the ability of companies to obtain
client feedbacks through online services (Manente, 2000). This is significantly helpful in
identifying the weak areas and improving them. Besides this, customer satisfaction ratio can
also be increased to a higher extent.
Hence, from the above discussion, it is evident that travel and tourism sector needs to be
more updated so that accurate and relevant information can be delivered to the clients. In the
present scenario, businesses operating in travel and tourism industry has also started delivering
online services to their clients. Furthermore, with the use of internet and other online medium tour
operators such as Thomas cook advertise promote and sale their tour packages. On the other side of
this, businesses such as Cox&KIngs has developed their official website from where they display
online products and service and deliver the same. Online services are also very effective in

providing required information to customers.
TASK 2
2.1 Stages of tour package and methods
Being the largest tour operator in UK, Thomas Cook efficiently provides the customers within a
variety of tourism services. It delivers a range of luxury as well as exotic services. This helps in
gaining the trust and loyalty of clients (Khuong and Nhu, 2015). At the same time, it also helps in
providing satisfaction to the customers. A wide range of services have been provided by Thomas
Cook to the clients. As per the given scenario, Thomas cook is involved in creating a tour package
for Chinese students for Sightseeing from London to Paris. It will be a summer holiday package for
5 days. As per the package services, students will be getting knowledge about fascinating views of
Paris (Lusch, Vargo and O’Brien, 2007). Along with that, tour guides will also assist the students to
get knowledge regarding cultural and heritage aspects of the country. In order to make the tour
package, Thomas Cook has to adopt different methods and few are discussed in the below
mentioned section: Market research: Market research is an important component as it assists in identifying the
appropriate places that need to be a part of the tour package. Moreover, it also provides
assistance to the travel agency to include suitable services for the clients. This further helps
in promoting them to the other segments of the customers. With the help of market research,
Thomas cook will also be able to gain information about the competition that is existing in
the industry. This will make the chosen organization capable of determining various factors
with the help of which creation of effective plan can be done as per the needs of the market
(Lewis and McCann, 2004). Furthermore, this will also assist in determining the current
conditions prevailing in the tourism industry. With this, there can be inclusion of better
services of food. Planning and Scheduling: It is essential for Thomas Cook to make plan and schedule each
activity during the development of any new tour package. This is required so that the
organization can include all the necessary services in its tour package. Data should be
collected in an appropriate manner so that customized services can be delivered to the
customers. Duration of the package should also be included by Thomas Cook along with
the names of destinations. This will help the customers in the decision making process.
Provision of adequate information will help them to decide whether they want to avail the
package or not (Lam, 2013). Forecasting: In order to carry out efficient and accurate analysis of demand, it is important

for Thomas Cook that forecasting is done of each element of tour package. Forecasting is
also important for determining the prices associated with tour package. Moreover, with the
help of this, Thomas Cook can plan the requirement of human resources so that effective
services can be delivered to the clients (Haddad and Teixeira, 2015). Forecasting is essential
as it assists in managing all the business practices according to budgetary aspects. With the
help of forecasting, all the uncertainties of business can be minimized.
 Contracting: While developing tour package for Paris, there is a need for Thomas Cook to
use a combination of different contracting methods. This will provide help in management
of all the aspects of business (Kuo, Wu and Deng, 2009). Suppliers and agencies should be
involved in this area for better service management.
Time scale
Activity
/Week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Market
research
Planning and
Scheduling:
Forecasting
Contracting
2.2
A wide range of services are delivered by Thomas Cook to its guests according to their needs. These
include services related to accommodation, entertainment, food etc. If these services are available,
then a large number of customers could be attracted. This would further increase the demand for the
services provided by the organization. However, for accomplishing the above mentioned aspects,
Thomas Cook will be required to search different suppliers and develop contracts with them
(Khuong and Nhu, 2015). This is also useful in terms of meeting demand of tourism services. In the
below mentioned section, various methods of contracting have been mentioned which Thomas
Cook needs to consider for service enhancement.
 All the resources of the travel agency should be utilized in a way that optimally underpins
the delivery procedure of the services. Along with that, efforts should be made to develop a
suitable contract between the operational managers and intermediaries. This is because these

are the people who are responsible for management of demand for tourism (Barrows and
Powers, 2008). It is also essential for them to undertake timely management of different
processes associated with work. This will assist in tackling the issues associated with service
delay. For this, Thomas Cook will have to deal strictly with the suppliers. It is required so
that the services obtained from them are of superior quality.
 Services of the company should be promoted through fixed contract. This will help in
clearly stating the provision regarding availability of services. At the same time, it is
important for Thomas Cook to ensure that it has taken into consideration all the rules and
frameworks associated with law. This is required to make sure that services can be delivered
in a better manner (Hjalager, 2001). Therefore, in such context, legal and ethical procedure
should be adhered so that it can protect the interest of client.
 Appropriate services should be delivered to all the clients according to their needs and
preferences. This in turn can enhance efficacy as well as standard of the service entity.
Hence, all such methods of contracting should be followed by Thomas Cook.
 All the suppliers have to make sure that while supplying services, quality aspects are
checked and according to the needs, services should be determined and introduced at the
market place (Hall and Saarinen, 2010).
2.3
Thomas Cook has been involved in delivering exotic and fascinating services to the clients
and currently, tour package of Paris has been introduced for Chinese students so that they can get
experience of tourism of Paris. All the customers are provided quality services to the clients
according to the standards so as to motivate them on higher extent (Chopra and Sodhi, 2004).
According to the needs of customers, customized services should be included in the package so that
customers can be satisfied and retained for longer time period. Moreover, emphasis should be given
on budgetary aspects so that all the activities can be performed under such financial facets. While,
promoting the package, Thomas Cook has to include transportation costs, hotel expenses and other
facilities for food and beverages (Haddad and Teixeira, 2015). Apart from this, the service provided
to the customers should be secure as well as safe. These should also ensure that the interests of the
customers are promoted. With the help of this, Thomas Cook will be able to carry out optimal
allocation and management of funds.
Thus, to manage the tour package, Thomas Cook has integrated with St Michelle Hotel of
France and as a result, services are provided to the travelers on a special rate. The level of prices
have been determined as below:

 60 euros for a twin room (this room will be shared between 2 people)
 Services associated with bed and breakfast will be charged at 10 euros per person per night
 Negotiation is also allowed for transportation company
 Along with this for 20 luxury seater coach £1000 (that mainly include two drivers, fuel and
all ferry taxes)
 Thus, students have to make arrangement of local tour guide who will charge £200 for
guiding in Paris (Fink and Longenecker, 2013).
Hence, drafting all the expenditure related with the travel services tour operator charge
affordable price for the package afterwards it include the profit margin. Adding, profitability margin
would assist Thomas Cook to sell the services in effective manner and through this, all the
operations could be managed in adequate manner. Hence, in the below section, calculation of the
package has been stated.
Services Price per student
Booking of tickets £150
Hotels and accommodation services £300
Bed and breakfast services £100
Transportation services £80
Fees of tour agent £120
Total of the package (Paris) £750
As per the brand image, Thomas Cook has to deliver quality and prominent services to the
clients so that interest of clients can be protected. Premium as well as luxury services should be
delivered to the clients so that they get the services for other countries as well. Prices of the services
should be determined according to the purchasing power of clients; thus this will assist the client to
derive prominent services from Thomas Cook. Trip to Paris will help the students to experience the
beauty of the country; however students only need to negotiate for transportation and guiding
services. Hence, as per the price of the tour package, it is stated that Chinese student will get
effective travel services from the tour operator (Dezdar, 2012). Since, all the basic amenities are
included; therefore Thomas Cook must have to influence the clients according to budgetary aspects.
As per the budget, services are provided on affordable prices; therefore this could assist Thomas
Cook to derive customer satisfaction from the package services.

TASK 3
3.1
Brochure needs to be prepared by Thomas Cook in order to deliver required information
regarding the travel package and services that are included within the tour to the students to whom
they are targeting. Attractive as well as enticing places has been included in the brochure so as to
derive attention of customers. Brochure can be determined as a document where in tour operators
have to include information about all the venues and services that will be covered in the tour
(Chopra and Sodhi, 2004). The package needs to be customized according to preferences of clients.
It is essential for Thomas Cook to develop attractive and enticing tour package for students of UK
so that they can get clear information about the service entity.
The tour package must be prepared within budgetary aspects and according to that, financial
resources should be utilized. Students have been delivered this brochure where in services about all
the hotels and transportation costs has been stated. Further, the designed brochure also include all
the information related with the transportation mode that is provided to the student from traveling
one place to another. The brochure has been made with attractive images for the purpose of
appealing customers to get services for the same package. All these services are included in the
package without including taxes; hence the services are adequately suitable for the students
(Brandon-Jones and et.al, 2016).
According to the brochure, it is clear that three major destinations of France are included in
the tour package; hence students can research nearby places as well. As per the determined places,
tourism services should be delivered accordingly, so that customer's faith and trust can be acquired.
Sightseeing services as well as other services should be according to the determined package;
therefore this will assist the customers to get knowledge about all the important aspects of France
tourism. Information related to cultural and educational aspects should be delivered to the students
so that they can get clear understanding about country tourism. Along with this, format and
appearance of brochure must be effective in terms that it may include all the necessary and required
information related with the holiday package. Elaborated information regarding the holiday
packages should be included so that quality of the services can be maintained. There should be
adequate services delivery to the students so that they can derive value against the resources spent.
Brochure should be attractive and enticing; hence different colors should be used along with quality
materials.
The major part of brochure is information about products and services; therefore Thomas
Cook must include detailed data about Paris, Musee du Louvre and Vieux Port Marseille. It is also
required for Thomas Cook to define cost per student so that success of the package can be

facilitated (Best, 2006). Information about products and services should be adequately included so
that students can identify value of the package. The package has been provided for 6 days; therefore
for each day, Thomas Cook has to make proper schedule and plans. Brochure can only be promoted
afterwards completing legal aspects; therefore Thomas Cook has to make sure that all the legal
framework is adhered. Tour operators are required to conduct all the business practices in effectual
manner so that to maintain legality and authenticity aspects.

A PLAN REGARDING THE MAJOR DESTINATIONS
Fascinating view of Eiffel Tower (Paris) 2 days
Beauty of Musee du Louvre (2 days)
Classic beauty of Vieux Port Marseille (1 days)

3.2
The above designed brochure requires to be marketed among the students in order to deliver
required information about the respective places and through this, they will also be able to identify
the places that will be covered in the tour. With the help of using social media tools as brochure on
the bulletin boards as well as via email student can access the required information related with
tour. Hence, in the existing case, all the above method can be effectively utilized. However, in the
present scenario tour operator often uses the modern e-brochure or other methods for delivering the
adequate information related with tour. Thus, it also consists of all the travel services along with
their prices (Barrows and Powers, 2008). Folding brochures as well as cards can be used to provide
information about the tour packages. However, in contemporary time period, the brochure has been
changed as with the increasing online platform tour operators designed their e-brochure for
attracting large customers and visitors. E-brochure is also one such category that can be adopted by
Thomas Cook and that should be prepared with the use of electronic tools and devices.
E-brochure is also accessible as well as cost effective approach therefore it can be prepared
at the time when supporting or marketing the tour packages. With the assistance of designing E-
brochure, innovative as well as attractive elements can be included and as a result, it can assist
Thomas Cook to appeal wide range of customers. E-brochure can be promoted through social media
because wide range of customers are available on such source. However, brochure should be printed
after deciding the final content; thus no modifications can be made in such area. Brochure needs to
be enticing so that it can grab attention of customers on higher extent (Barker, 2014). Accordant
with the scenario, leading tour operator Thomas Cook has planned holiday package for the Chinese
students that include places such as France, UK to Paris; therefore in the brochure, attractive views
of France should be included. Along with this, brochure may also include the name of tour agency
that are providing travel services to the tour operator. Brochure should be made with relevant
information because the image of the company is dependent on promotional aspects. This also
impedes image of the company; hence relevant as well as quality facets should be included. On the
other side of E brochure can be also used by spcialist tour operators such as Cox&KIngs. The
brand can display product and services offered by it on a brochure and then can forward the same in
marketplace. The use of E brochure will provide several kinds of benefits to Cox&KIngs. One of
the major benefit is that will help in attracting more and more customers by creating awareness
among them. Along with this, as compared to other forms, it is also termed as very cost effective
and thus it will help in enhancing profit margin for Cox&KIngs.
3.3
There are several modes that is used by tour operator for marketing and promoting their tour

package. Thus, Thomas Cook need to consider effectual source through which large pool of
customers can be persuaded. In the below mentioned section, several tools are discussed that can be
adopted by Thomas Cook.
 Use of online modes: In the contemporary scenario, all the organizations are emphasizing
on online modes and tools; therefore to promote the packages, Thomas Cook can also make
use of social media and other websites where large number of customers are available (Abu
and et.al, 2012). Information about the packages can also be delivered through online
sources; similarly Thomas Cook can also deliver the entire package through online modes.
 Direct selling and sales promotion methods: Direct selling is another method that can be
adopted by Thomas Cook for the purpose of delivering tour packages to the respective
buyers. Sales promotion methods can also be used where in services can be delivered
through sales agent of the company. In order to enhance sales of the company, Thomas Cook
should promote the services through discounting offers and through sales promotion aspects.
 Packages for seasonal variations: Specialized tour operators such as Cox&KIngs can
promote the services through introducing seasonal variation packages (Dezdar, 2012). This
can also help the company to enhance customer base as well as customer satisfaction
aspects.
TASK 4
4.1
Thomas Cook and Cox&KIngs need to focus on the strategic decision that must be related
with tour packages provided by them. Thus, there are certain aspects that requires to be taken into
the consideration that are as follows-
 Decisions related to marketing of the packages and services: For both the tour operator that
is Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings it is required to take effective decision regarding the
segmentation, targeting ad positioning so that they can easily serve their required customers
or targeted customers. For targeting the required market, Thomas Cook must develop
customized packages with attractive places (Hjalager, 2001). The integral decisions
associated with the marketing must be taken on the prior basis so that it may easily satisfy
their customers.
 Cox&KIngs as well as Thomas Cook has to find out all the effective plan of action which
can help the business organization in raising the standard of their services that support in
retaining their loyal customers. Along with this both the companies need to design different
tour packages according to the requirement of customers with focusing on the pricing

aspects. These aspects are necessary so that market share can be accomplished and similarly,
growth prospects can be encouraged (Lusch, Vargo and O’Brien, 2007). Afterwards, TUI
Group and Thomas Cook must have to accentuate on discounting aspects so that large pool
of customers can take the packages from both the entities.
4.2
In order to succeed in the competitive environment it is essential for both the companies that
is Thomas Cook and Cox& Kings to take tactical decisions. It is important for the business entities
to take tactical decisions for maintaining its position within the targeted market.
 Monetary value of their services: While determining worth of the services, Thomas Cook
mainly focuses on the various pricing strategies so that affordable price may be set for
attracting the range of customers. Thus, before setting the price of service company need to
measure the competitive pricing strategy of their competitors (Weaver, 2015). In order to
enhance performance of the business, Thomas Cook has to adopt all such practices that can
acquire attention from the clients.
 Further, there should be adequate amount of focus on market scenario so that new business
activities can be adopted accordingly. Thomas Cook has to give proper attention to internal
business activities so that employees and customers can be retained for longer time span.
For employee management, Thomas Cook has to focus on diverse strategies and techniques
and that can also underpin the practices of management (Mehmetoglu and Normann, 2013).
Under tactical decisions, Thomas Cook has to consider distribution strategies as well so that
products can be prominently delivered to the clients.
CONCLUSION
Summing up the report, it has been evaluated that travel and tourism services needs to be
customized according to the needs and demand of clients so that people can buy those packages.
Moreover, it is also essential for the company to consider legal and ethical aspects so that customers
can get only those services that exist in the service provision of Thomas Cook. The research work
has also demonstrated that after determining the overall efficiency of the tour package tour operator
should select an effective promotional strategy. Therefore all the decisions that are taken within the
organization are taken through discussing with their employees and staff. Thus, concluding it can be
said that performance of the business can be improved through proper business management.

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