TOM Assignment Submission Form

TOM Assignment Submission Form
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Student Name
Student ID
Assessors Names Prashidha Pradhan
Qualification Title HND in Hospitality Management
Unit Number & Unit Title Unit 40 – Tour Operations Management
Submission Deadline
Date of Submission
Learner Declaration
By submitting this form and signing below, I declare that:
 I am the author of this assignment and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully
disclosed and acknowledged in this assignment
 I also certify that this assignment was prepared by me specifically for this course
 I certify that I have taken all reasonable precautions to make sure that my work has not been copied
by other students
 I confirm that I have understood the College’s regulations on plagiarism
 I confirm that research resources are fully acknowledged
St. Patrick’s College 1 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016
‘Plagiarism’ is presenting somebody else’s work as your own. It includes copying
information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint
coursework as an individual effort; copying another student’s coursework; stealing
coursework from another student and submitting it as your own work.

Signature: ……………………………………… Date: ………………………………
To be completed by Student
Learning Outcomes
TOM
Assessment
Criteria
(Please tick as
appropriate) 
Task No
Evidence
(Page
Number)
LO1 – Understanding the tour
operators’ industry within the
travel and tourism sector 1.1 ☐
LO2 – Understand the stages
involved in creating holidays
2.1 ☐
2.2 ☐
2.3 ☐
LO3 – Be able to review brochures
and methods of distribution used
to sell holidays
3.1 ☐
3.2 ☐
3.3 ☐
LO4 – Understand strategic and
tactical decision-making for tour
operators
4.1 ☐
4.2 ☐
St. Patrick’s College 2 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Scenario 1
Consider yourself working as an Assistant Tour Organiser at a large UK based tour operator
“Zenith Travel”. You are assigned with the task of identifying and developing a new tour
package for a new breed of customers going to a tropical destination. For this, you are required
to identify the current trends in Tourism industry. After this, you are required to choose a
suitable tropical destination and prepare an itinerary plan to develop a holiday package with
costing and pricing. You need to decide the dates of travel, number of nights to stay, attractions
to visit, and flights, local transport and accommodation arrangements. Once the plan is ready,
you are required to negotiate on the type of contract you want to enter with hotels and airline
companies. After you have done this, you will evaluate different distribution methods and
promotional methods by which you will promote your tour package to the customers.
Task 1 (AC 1.1)
Analyse the effects of current and recent trends and developments on the Tour
Operators industry. (AC 1.1)
Question1: Briefly explain your chosen trend/development.
Question2: Mention at least two (2) positive and two (2) negative impacts of your
chosen trend/development.
Expected word count: approx. 200-300 words
Answer 1: Some of the recent trends and development that has taken place in the tour operations industry
includes increase in the disposable income of the economy and developed technology. According to Baur,
Klein and Steinhardt (2014), these two trends have the potential for changing the dynamics and the manner
in which tour operators can continue to develop in the market. The increase in the disposable income leads
to an increase in the income level which in turn impacts the growth of the industry (Beard, Swarbrooke and
Leckie 2018). At the same time, developed technology helps the tourism organisations to reach out in a
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global level.
Answer 2: The positive impact of the increase in disposable income is that with a high economy people
from a country can afford to take tours on a frequent level (Capsule, Taute and Keller 2015). Another
positive impact of the increase is that tour operators can increase the opportunity of employment and the
revenue of the country. The negative impact is that with the sudden rise people may be willing to spend
quickly on the tours. Another negative impact can be the sudden fall in the income can have a negative
effect as people may not be aware of the sudden changes. The positive impact of technology growth is that
tour operators can grow in the industry. Another positive factor is that tour operators can reach out to the
customers on a global scale. However, Chand and Katou (2018) is of the opinion that the negtaive impact of
the development of technology is that people recruited my not be aware of the use of the technology.
Another negative impact is that maintaining such technologies can be costly.
Task 2
Step1: Market Research Planner (AC 2.1)
You need to describe your target market. Fill the table with
sufficient information.
Country of origin United Kingdom
Age group (Family
life-cycle)
People above the 19 with a steady income
Customers
availability (season
or month)
Peak season can be considered from June to August due to the English summer
and again during December-January for Christmas and New Year
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For what duration
are they intending
to travel?
The people can travel for long or short duration depending upon the schedule that
they can accommodate for the tour
What are their
favourite activities
on holiday?
The favourite activities during the holidays can be skiing, interacting with
celebrities, horse riding, rock climbing and so on
What would they
like to be included
in their package?
They would like to include proper guidance and the privilege to view some sports
activities during the summer season such as Wimbledon and cricket
Other information
on the customers
you are targeting…
The customers need to be energetic and ensure that they are willing to travel from
one place to another without much hesitation and in a prompt manner
Step2: Creation of Holiday Package schedule and costing (AC 2.2)
Based on that target market, create your package holiday.
Destination: United Kingdom
Duration: 31 days (13th June to 13th July)
Brief Itinerary description: Interested people joining the tour will be accommodated in different high class
hotels during the tour. The scheduled tour will be provided by guiding the tourists to various tourism
destinations across the United Kingdom. Historical and famous landmark tours will be provided like that of the
Buckingham Palace or the Lord’s cricket ground or Wimbledon tennis ground. Opportunities for interaction
with celebrities will be provided. The customers will be given their own time to view the country side as long
as they abide by the rules developed by the guide. At the end every tourist will be escorted back to the airport
COMPONENTS (Provide a clear and detailed
breakdown)
COST PER PERSON
Providing guidance to the tourists £ 500
Escorting the tourists from the airport to various hotels £ 1500
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Providing them with a guide book £ 500
Ensuring meals are provided on time £ 2000
Required tickets to be gained for entry £ 2500
Ensuring that the tourists are provided with additional facility £ 2000
Escort the tourists back to the airport £ 1500
TOTAL COST £ 105,000
Step3: Package holiday total cost, mark-up and pricing
Now that you have your Total Cost, calculate your final price.
Total cost (calculated
previously)
105,000 £ 105,000
Your Mark-up (%) 5% £ 5250
FINAL PRICING (without
VAT)
£,110250
Any additional comment to be provided here:
Every tourist will need to take responsibility of the belongings that they possess. It is advisable to leave
valuable items at the hotel rooms for safety purposes
St. Patrick’s College 6 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Task 3 (AC 2.3)
NEGOTIATING AND SIGNING A CONTRACT
For this task, you are required to do a role play, in which you will act as a representative of
Zenith Travel (for which you are working) and the tutor will act as a hotel and airline
representative. Your task is to carry out a contract negotiation.
For each scenario (Virgin Airlines and ACCOR Hotels Group), provide an account of the contract
negotiating by stating the following:
-Type of contract you agreed on.
-Reason why you chose/opted for that contract.
-Advantages and disadvantages of each contract type.
Zenith Travel (Yourself) and Virgin Airlines
The type of contract that has been agreed upon between Virgin Airlines and Zenith Travel is that of distributive.
The reason for selecting this particular type of contract is that previous negotiations between the two companies
had not taken place. According to Evans, Stonehouse and Campbell (2015) the goal in this particular contract
type is to maintain a long term relationship and ensure that financial competence of the organisations are
maintained. The advantage of this type of contract is that the buyer can provide low amount until satisfied with
the services. In the case of Zenith Travels, the organisation can buy the services of the airline at a low cost.
St. Patrick’s College 7 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

However, Falzon (2016) is of the opinion that the disdavantage of this type of contract is that little or no
information is exchanged between the parties and thus, chances of fraud may increase. In a tourism sector this
can be a huge negative impact as it may undermine the development of the tourist facilities in the country.
Zenith Travel (Yourself) and ACCOR Hotels Group
The contract between Zenith and ACCOR Hotels Group is that it will provide rooms at a substantial rate to the
tourists. This type of negotiation is considered as the integrative negotiation in which both parties win
something or the other. The joining of the travel company and the hotel group can provide assurance to the
tourists about the safety that can be attained. The reason for the selection of this particular type of contract is
the fact that value concessions can be maintained between the two parties. According to Gurcaylilar-
Yenidogan, Yenidogan and Windspergerc (2015), the advantage of the contract is that both the parties can
adopt a skilful approach to mitigate any type of problems. However, the disadvantage is that tourists may feel
exploit as the opportunity for gaining profit of the tourists can be less.
Task 4 (AC 3.1)
3.1 Evaluate the planning decisions taken for the design of a selected brochure.
Your task consists of evaluating the stages for creating a brochure. To evaluate, you are
required to mention the following:
- What are the various stages involved?
- What happens in each stage? Explain in detail.
Expected word count – Minimum 250 to 300 words
Follow the instructions given below step by step.
Step 1
Look around the room. There are various stages of creating a brochure stuck on the walls. Pick
all the stages that you think are right and arrange them in the right order.
Hint: remember your Week5 lecture slides – putting the stages in the right order is very
important to complete this task.
St. Patrick’s College 8 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Given time: 15 minutes
Step 2
Once you have decided on the stages and put them in the right order, you are now expected to
describe what happens in each stage in few lines, using the template provided.
Hint: You can reference any handout that was given to you on this topic and/or reference
appropriate academic sources to complete this step.
Given time: 30 minutes
Step 3
Now, in a line or two, highlight the importance of each stage for creating a brochure. You
may also mention the advantages and disadvantages of each stage.
By writing the above underlined part, you can achieve D1 criteria, if you have provided a
justification through a good evaluation.
Given time: 30 minutes.
Step 4
Now, combine your answers and provide in the space below:
Provide here the different stages of brochure creation including the information
requested in the steps above.
Stage 1: Sit down and formulate a plan- A plan is made about the manner in which the brochure can be made
by choosing the content, colour, background and so on.
Stage 2: Decide on the size of the page and the quantity- The size required and the quantity of resources such
as colour and paper required are decided and made into a budget
Stage 3: Gather required information- Research and gain required information such as content to be included
and the target market that needs to be addressed
Stage 4: Start designing the layout- The layout is started keeping in mind the already specified instructions
Stage 5: Proof the final brochure- Recheck the brochure for any type of errors
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Stage 6: Make a proper finish- Finish the brochure in a proper manner
Stage 7: Print the brochure- The brochure is printed and put out to the public
The importance of each stage is that it helps in maintaining a steady schedule while creating the brochure. The
advantage is that it can help in the development of a proper brochure without many flaws. The disadvantage is
that it is time consuming
Task 5 (AC 3.2)
3.2 Assess the suitability of alternatives to a traditional brochure for different types
of tour operators
Follow the instructions given below step by step.
Step 1
Choose two different Tour operators: One must be a chain; another must be an independent tour
operator
Step 2
For each of them, suggest a promotional material (OTHER THAN BROCHURES) AND provide
justified recommendations using your knowledge on the advantages and disadvantages.
Expected word count – Minimum 400 words
Suggest here a promotional material for the Chain Tour Operator and provide justified
recommendations.
NAME of your CHAIN Tour Operator here: Thomas Cook
Promotional material:
Advertising via television or via social media. The reason behind this is that in the modern world, every person
is involved in social media platform so that they can remain ahead in the business. Advertising via these media
can help in the development of the company and assist it in continuing with gaining regular customers in the
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organisation.
Advantages:
The advantage of advertising via television or social media is that organisations can get to reach various people
within less time. A company like Thomas Cook can use the method to ensure that it remains ahead of the
competitors so that it can gain advantage in the business. According to Lee, Chang and Chen (2018),
advertising need to be made attractive so that customers can remain interested in availing the service
Disadvantages:
The disadvantage is that people may not be inclined to view advertisement as the time may be provided to
continue in spending time in indulging in other activities in social media. Apart from this, the advertising may
have a bad influence among children in case any type of inappropriate contents which are not intended are
viewed by them. People also tend to ignore viewing television in the modern world.
NOTE THAT YOU NEED TO SUGGEST DIFFERENT PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR EACH TOUR
OPERATOR, NOT THE SAME.
Suggest here a promotional material for the Independent Tour Operator and provide
justified recommendations.
NAME of your INDEPENDENT Tour Operator here: Cox and Kings Travel
Promotional material:
The promotional material that is used by Cox and Kings Travel is direct promotion of the company. This
approach involves approaching the customers directly so that they can be provided with knowledgeable
resources about the company. This method can be considered as direct marketing which involves gaining the
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customers to know more about the company in detail.
Advantages:
The advantage of this type of promotional activity is that it can help in the development of the company and
ensure that a personal effort is provided to gain the attention of the customers. Every customer can be
approached so that they can understand the type of services that is provided by the company. Hence, this can be
considered as an advantage for the company.
Disadvantages:
The disadvantage is that customers may tend to ignore the approaches made by the company. This can have a
bad influence mainly because it degrades the reputation of the company. At the same time, this type of
promotional strategy can be time consuming mainly because the company need to identify the customers from
various areas of the country.
Task 6 (AC 3.3)
AC 3.3
3.3 Evaluate the suitability of different methods of distribution used to sell a holiday
for different types of tour operators
Follow the instructions given below step by step.
Step 1
Choose two different Tour operators: One must be a Chain, another must be an independent tour
operator
Step 2
For each of them, suggest a distribution method AND provide their advantages and
disadvantages.
USE THE TABLES PROVIDED IN THE ANSWER SHEET GIVEN ON THE MOODLE.
Expected word count – Minimum 400 words
St. Patrick’s College 12 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Suggest here a distribution method for the Chain Tour Operator and provide their
advantages and disadvantages.
NAME of your CHAIN Tour Operator here: Thomas Cook
Distribution Method:
The distribution channel that can be adopted by Thomas Cook is the direct distribution through internet. The
services provided by the company can be available via the net at a relatively less cost. This can help in the
development of the interest of the people as most people in the modern days are indulged in using the internet.
Advantages:
The advantage of this is that with the development of the internet, tourism organisations have an opportunity to
develop in the market and ensure that more customers from around the world can be approached. The market of
the company can increase and help it to gain idea about the customers that can be targeted for the promotion of
the company and the services that are being provided.
Disadvantages:
The disadvantage is that people are sceptical in indulging in internet transactions. This is mainly because of the
threat from the hackers that plays a crucial role in the loss of information. The distributors may feel sceptical as
the promotion of the services may not be reliable as face-to-face transactions are not being done by the
company.
NOTE THAT YOU NEED TO SUGGEST DIFFERENT DISTRIBUTION METHODS FOR EACH TOUR
OPERATOR, NOT THE SAME.
Suggest here a distribution method for the Independent Tour Operator and provide
their advantages and disadvantages.
NAME of your INDEPENDENT Tour Operator here: Cox and Kings Travel
St. Patrick’s College 13 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Distribution Method:
The distribution method that can be adopted by Cox and Kings Travel is the direct distribution from the sales
team. This is because the promotional method adopted by the company is direct marketing by approaching the
customers. Hence, direct sales of the distribution need to be made based on the teams that have been developed
in the organisations.
Advantages:
The advantage is that Cox and Kings Travel can approach the customer directly and ensure that distribution of
the services are provided based on the analysis of the mentality of the customers. At the same time, the sales
team can identify the requirements of the customers and based on the requirement can make provisions to
continue with the development of the marketing strategies for the tourism industry.
Disadvantages:
The disadvantage is that forming a sales team can be difficult as it may require excessive resources for
development. At the same time, the sales team may not get enough opportunities to react with the customers
and this may cause loss for the company. Hence, adoption of the direct sales team as a method of distribution
channel can have a negative impact on the company.
St. Patrick’s College 14 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Scenario 2
Consider that you are now promoted as a Senior Manager with a role of making strategic
decisions. Evaluate various strategies used by tour operators in UK and set an agenda for the
future.
Task 7 (AC 4.1 – 4.2)
AC 4.1 Evaluate the strategic decisions made by different types of tour operator.
AC 4.2 Compare the tactical decisions that could be taken by a selected tour operator
in different situations.
Choose two different Tour operators: One must be a Chain, another must be an independent tour
operator. You can use the same you have used in the previous questions.
1. Evaluate one strategic decision that will be made by each of your selected
tour operators (one independent and one chain). Explain briefly the
implementation process. (4.1)
2. Select a different strategic decision for each tour operator
Approximately 300 words
Name of your chain tour operator:
Thomas Cook
Indicate below which strategic decision you suggest for this Tour Operator:
The strategic decision that can be adopted in this case is the demand forecasting. As stated by Manuj and
Sahin (2014) the demand forecasting is an effective strategic decison that is used by tour operators. It helps in
making forecast of the demands that may occur in the future. The objects of the company are defined that
helps in understanding the strategic decisions that are undertaken by the company.
Now, indicate below how the chain Tour Operator will go about implementing this
strategic decision:
Thomas Cook can implement the strategic decision to identify the supply of services that it can provide with
St. Patrick’s College 15 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

respect to the demand of the people. Forecasting the implementation of change can be done by identifying the
manner in which the gap in the demand and supply can be fulfilled. Thomas Cook can use the tour operator to
identify the areas required for the development of the business and ensure that it can help in the development
of the tourism industry in general.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name of your independent tour operator:
Cox and Kings Travel
Indicate below which strategic decision you suggest for this Tour Operator:
The strategic decision that is adopted by the company is that of marketing analysis. This involves identifying
the requirements of the market, segmenting the market, targeting the marketing as well as positioning in the
market in a proper manner. This type of strategy helps in the development of a strong marketing foundation so
that every customer in the market can be sorted and developed in the market.
Now, indicate below how the independent Tour Operator will go about implementing
this strategic decision:
Cox and King Travel can implement the decision by identifying the customers that exist in the market. The
customers of the company can be sorted so that they can understand the type of assistance required that can
help in the development of the company. Factors such as budget of the customers are taken into account while
trying to segment the market of the company.
1. Here is one tactical decision that will be made by each of your selected Tour
Operators (one independent and one chain). Compare the two processes of
implementation. (4.2)
2. You can use the following comparison criteria: Financial cost? Speed of
negotiation with suppliers/contracting? Advertising or promotion
St. Patrick’s College 16 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

budgeting? Staff needed? Use of various distribution channels? etc?
Approximately 300 words
Tactical decision for both: Increasing Holiday packages stock levels
Using the criteria listed above, to what extent each of the criteria is challenging or
not challenging for …
For the chain Tour operator: For the Independent Tour operator:
The tactics for mitigating excessive financial cost is
that Thomas Cook need to ensure that suitable
budget is made before making any type of
investment on the customers.
The speed of negotiation with the suppliers needs to
be managed by ensuring that trust of the suppliers is
obtained by providing them with services at a lesser
cost.
Budget need to be developed in order to choose the
particular advertisement or promotion type. It is
necessary that the company ensure that
advertisement is made that can reach out to the
customers.
Staff required to be maintained based on the skills
and development so that the company does not run
at a loss. The staff requirement is based on the
For the financial cost it is necessary that Cox and
Kings Travel invest in areas that are required for the
company to develop instead of random investments.
The speed of negotiation need to be slow and steady so
that the suppliers can gain trust of the company and
ensure that more services can be provided to the
customers based on the trust.
The promotion type adopted is direct sales approach.
For this, it is necessary to develop people that are
capable of selling the services to the customers.
Experienced staffs in the sales department are
necessary for the development of the company. The
staffs need to provide excessive support to the
management so that they can continue to develop the
potential of the customers
St. Patrick’s College 17 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

attrition level of the company.
The distribution channel needs to be used by
analysing the power of the suppliers. Every
distribution channel need to be analysed so that the
best channel can be adopted for the development of
the company.
The distribution channel need to be managed and used
based on the revenue that is generated from the. It is
necessary to prioritise the distributors so that a fair
idea can be gained about the methods adopted by
them.
St. Patrick’s College 18 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Bibliography:
Baum, T. ed., 2016. Human resource issues in international tourism. Elsevier.
Baur, A., Klein, R. and Steinhardt, C. 2014, "Model-based decision support for optimal brochure pricing:
applying advanced analytics in the tour operating industry", OR Spectrum, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 557-584.
Beard, C., Swarbrooke, J. and Leckie, S. 2018, Adventure Tourism: The New Frontier, Taylor and Francis,
Jordan Hill.
Bredvold, R. and Skålén, P., 2016. Lifestyle entrepreneurs and their identity construction: A study of the
tourism industry. Tourism Management, 56, pp.96-105.
Capsule, Taute, M. and Keller, M. 2015, Design Matters: An Essential Primer-Brochures, Logos, Packaging,
Portfolios, Rockport Publishers.
Chand, M. and Katou, A.A. 2018, "Strategic determinants for the selection of partner alliances in the Indian
tour operator industry: A cross-national study", Journal of World Business, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 167-177.
Evans, N., Stonehouse, G. and Campbell, D. 2015, Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism, Taylor and
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Falzon, J. 2016, "The price competitive position of Mediterranean countries in tourism: Evidence from the
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Fang, B., Ye, Q. and Law, R., 2016. Effect of sharing economy on tourism industry employment. Annals of
Tourism Research, 57(3), pp.264-267.
St. Patrick’s College 19 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016

Gurcaylilar-Yenidogan, T., Yenidogan, A. and Windspergerc, J. 2015, "Antecedents of contractual
completeness: the case of tour operator-hotel allotment contracts", Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences,
vol. 24, pp. 1036-1048.
Hsu, A.Y.C., King, B., Wang, D. and Buhalis, D., 2016. In-destination tour products and the disrupted tourism
industry: progress and prospects. Information Technology & Tourism, 16(4), pp.413-433.
Lee, Y., Chang, C. and Chen, Y. 2018, "The influence of novelty, flexibility, and synergy of package tours on
tourist satisfaction: an analysis of structural equation modeling (SEM)", Quality & Quantity, vol. 47, no. 4, pp.
1869-1882.
Manuj, I. and Sahin, F. 2014, "A model of supply chain and supply chain decision-making
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549.
Morris, S. and Kazi, S. 2014, "Emerging trends regarding accessible accommodation in Dubai luxury
hotels", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 317-327.
Sigala, M., 2017. Collaborative commerce in tourism: implications for research and industry. Current Issues in
Tourism, 20(4), pp.346-355.
Ying, T., Norman, W.C. and Zhou, Y., 2016. Online networking in the tourism industry: A webometrics and
hyperlink network analysis. Journal of Travel Research, 55(1), pp.16-33.
St. Patrick’s College 20 Standard AB Template V1DNL2016