Report On Aspects Of Tour Operations Management

TOUR
OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .....................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Analyzing the impact of recent development on the tour operators industry .......................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
2.1 Determining the stages and time scale involved in designing the holiday packages.............5
2.2 Evaluating the suitability, destinations and attractions involved in developing holiday
packages.......................................................................................................................................6
2.3 Calculating the selling price of the holiday package ............................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Evaluating the planning decisions taken for the design of a selected brochure.....................8
3.2 Assessing the suitability of alternatives to a traditional brochure for various kinds of tour
operators.......................................................................................................................................9
3.3 Evaluating the suitability of various methods of distribution used to sell a holiday
packages to various tour operators along with recommendation ..............................................10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Evaluating the strategic decisions made by various types of tour operators ......................11
4.2 Comparing the tactical decisions that could be taken by chosen tour operator in contrasting
situations ...................................................................................................................................12
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15
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INTRODUCTION
Tour operations management is important function that refers to administration of
tourism practices to develop the extreme level of efficiency possible within a entity. This concept
also help the managers of tourism industry to manage the tour components to develop attractive
holiday package for various travelers. It will also help them in integrating contrasting activities
such as, accommodation, food and beverage, travel, recreation etc in a single package
customized as per the needs of customer.
At present travel and tourism industry is highest growing segment. It further contributes
to 10% to the GDP of UK and employment opportunities for 1 out of 11 individuals. Further, UK
is the world's 8th leading destination which recently welcomed 36.115 million travelers. The
international travelers further incurred expenditure of US$22.072 billion. Therefore, the tourism
generates ample number of fruitful opportunities to the economy. In this report, clear
understanding about the various aspect of tour operations management will be shown. The recent
development in the tourism industry will be highlighted. The different methods of contracting
with suppliers will be discussed. Further evaluation about the strategic and tactical decisions that
can be made by tour operators will be provided.
TASK 1
1.1 Analyzing the impact of recent development on the tour operators industry
Tourism industry is driven by technology at present so as to meet the increasing demand
among customers. It has been identified from the research that tourism sector is having average
growth of 4-5% every year. In order to continue enjoying the lucrative benefits generated by the
industry it is becoming a necessity for tour operators to emphasis on emerging technology and
trends (Sprague, 2007). The new and upgraded technology will also help tourism organization in
staying ahead of its rivals. Further, efficiency of business will be improved with the use of finer
technology and thus customer needs will be met in more better way. The recent trends witnessed
by the industry and their outcomes on the working of tour operators are detailed out as follows:
 Technical advances: The technical improvement are acting as boon for the industry and
improved the efficiency of business to provide reliable, prime quality and exclusive
services to its customers. It further involve the use of internet facility by customers to
book their travel packages (Blanke and Chiesa, 2013). The internet provide attractive
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images of the destination that stimulate the interest of customer to actually visit the site.
The proper use of internet sources can help tourism business in yielding maximum
profits. Further, internet portals, online ordering, blogs, e-marketing, social sites and
information repositories etc are used by tour operators to assist in persuading the
customers to take tour packages or visit particular location (Simpson, Power and
Samson, 2007).
 Mobile Communication: There are various mobile communication device that are used
by travelers while their backpacking tours etc. Such as, cellular phone, tablet computer
etc are some devices that are used. Considering the increased use of mobile technology,
tour operators have started providing tour packages, offer deals, location based
advertising, tourism guidelines through cellular applications (Boniface, Cooper and
Cooper, 2016).
 Reservation system: There is increase in trend of booking engine that permit wide range
of customers to book their holiday package from specific operator and compare prices. It
also help in trimming down the cost for tourism company and provide more control over
the buying process (Chan and Tay, 2016). For instance, entity like, Expedia offers its
services through online interface. The sales can be increased with this aspect.
 General direction to change: It refers to prevalent trends in the travel and tourism
industry. For instance, earlier the maximum travelers preferred taking tour with their
families but now there is trend of backpacking tour where individuals prefer independent
travel. Along with this aspect, travelers prefer touring to new and unidentified places
(Evans, Stonehouse and Campbell, 2012).
 Millennial looking for adventure: The millennial group is predicted to hold the
approximate 20% of the tourism customer. The market research reveals that 50% of the
millennial group are likely to take international tour by 2020 (Trends in travel and
tourism. 2015). The studies show that they are more interested in taking adventure tours
like, volcano boarding, visiting dark destination etc.
 Few restrictions: In order to boast tourism the restrictions related to VISA and
international traveling are relaxing. In the support of this there is evolution of budget
airlines that stimulate the interest of travelers in positive manner. Therefore, advantage
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