Tour Operations Management Assignment

Tour Operations
Management
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
1.1 The effects of current and recent trends and developments of the tour operator's industry. .3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
2.1 The time-scales involved in developing this holiday.............................................................5
2.2 The suitability of different methods of contracting for different components of holidays....6
2.3 Calculate selling price of the tour..........................................................................................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 The planning decisions taken for the design of a selected brochure (350)............................8
3.2 Suitability of alternatives to a traditional printed brochure...................................................9
3.3 Suitability of different methods of distribution used to sell their holidays and recommend
....................................................................................................................................................10
most appropriate for your tour package ...................................................................................10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Strategical decisions made by different types of tour operators .........................................11
4.2 Compare the tactical decisions that could be taken by a selected tour operators in different
situations ...................................................................................................................................12
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
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INTRODUCTION
In order to create different travel and holiday packages for different segment customers
tour operators plays significant role. The forefront of all the travel operators is that they often
look for new destinations so that their customers can travel and enjoy their luxurious time period.
In addition to this, in the current scenario tour operator mainly ensure assessing new travel and
holiday packages to fit the dynamic responsibility of visitant and travellers. Furthermore, the tour
operators incorporate various travel services and activities related within booking of airline,
hotels, food and beverage services, site seeing services etc. the leading company within the travel
and tourism sector is Thomas Cook that basically provide different holiday services as well as
packages to all the segment customers (Thomas cook. 2015). The establishment function its
operations in the hospitality and tourism industry that is view as the growing service business
that contribute the economy of UK.
The present report focuses on understanding different types of tour operator industry
within the travel and tourism sector. It also measures the effect of trends and development on the
tour operators Industry. The report also stresses in understanding the different stages that are
involved in developing holiday packages as well as different methods of contracting different
components of the holiday that is suppliers and vendors. Lastly, the report also analyse the
strategic and tactical decisions that is being made by the tour operator in the different situation to
gain competitive advantage.
TASK 1
1.1 The effects of current and recent trends and developments of the tour operator's industry
Tour agents are the one that set up the itinerary or the travel guidebook for their
customers those who mainly prefer to visits different destination (Luo and Girazova, 2014). The
itinerary consists of all the details and information regarding the travel package that is flight
booking, accommodation information, information related with site seeing etc. there are different
types of operators within the UK that mainly serves the requirement of different visitors and
travellers that is specialist operators, inbound operator, outbound operators etc. Inbound tour
operators that the one that mainly renders services to the visitors and travellers that come from
other region within the UK. On the other hand, outbound tour operators are the one that often
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render travel services to those customers those who want to travel other destination from their
home country (Bainbridge, 2010). Thomas Cook is the primal tour operators in operation in
London, UK that provide assorted holiday packages or travelling plan to their customers.
It has been analysed that there are various trends and improvement within the travel and
tourism aspect that need to be considered by the tour operator so that they can render leisure
services to their customers. The recent trends within the travel and tourism include-
 Emergence of E-commerce: In the technical era, e-commerce plays significant role in
the development of travel and tourism industry as with the help of e-commerce tour
operators can set up their business activities on the online platform (Swarbrooke and
Page, 2012). With the help of this, customers can easily book their travel plan as well as
this will also support the customers in knowing the detail of the travel plan that they have
selected. Despite of this, enabling e-commerce transaction also negatively effect the
travel and tourism industry as it may results in increasing the hacking activity as well as it
also results in some security issues.
 Expansion of cruise market: Another rising trends within the travel and tourism industry
is expansion of cruising activities within the travel packages. Now a days customers and
travellers mainly prefer to travel in the cruise as it results in providing wide range of
services to the travellers and visitants (Witt, Brooke and Buckley, 2013). Therefore, it is
said that increase of cruise market will impact the operations of Thomas Cook as they
will modify their travel package accordant with the needs and requirement of travellers.
 Environmental awareness of tour operators: In the present scenario, tour operators are
focusing on creating the travel package that mainly render concern towards increasing the
environmental perspectives. For this, tour operators within the industry must focuses on
eco-tourism packages so that they can reduce the rate of carbon emission. For example,
the tour operator within the industry must focuses on exploring the natural and
environmental destination that are not explored by the visitors (Baddeley and Font,
2011). Thus, the increasing awareness regarding the environment will impact the Thomas
Cook activities as they will enable green tourism that concentrate on raising the
information and experience regarding the environmental destinations.
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