Tour Operator Management: A Comprehensive Analysis of Trailfinders Ltd.

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Tours operation
management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 4
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................ 5
LO1. UNDERSTAND THE TOUR OPERATORS INDUSTRY WITHIN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM
SECTOR.......................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF CURRENT AND RECENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS ON THE
TOUR OPERATORS INDUSTRY....................................................................................................5
TASK 2- REPORT............................................................................................................................. 8
2.1 ASSESS THE STAGES AND TIMESCALES INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING HOLIDAYS....................8
2.2 EVALUATE THE SUITABILITY OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF CONTRACTING FOR DIFFERENT
COMPONENTS OF THE HOLIDAY AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOUR OPERATOR.......................10
2.3 CALCULATE THE SELLING PRICE OF A HOLIDAY AND THE PRICE PER PERSON.......................12
TASK 3 – MANAGEMENT REPORT SUMMARY..............................................................................13
3.1 EVALUATE THE PLANNING DECISIONS TAKEN FOR THE DESIGN OF A SELECTED BROCHURE
................................................................................................................................................. 13
3.2 ASSESS THE SUITABILITY OF ALTERNATIVES TO A TRADITIONAL BROCHURE FOR
DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOUR OPERATORS AND RECOMMEND THE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR
YOUR TOUR PACKAGE..............................................................................................................16
3.3 EVALUATE THE SUITABILITY OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF DISTRIBUTION USED TO SELL A
HOLIDAY FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOUR OPERATOR AND RECOMMEND THE MOST
APPROPRIATE FOR A LUXURY TOUR PACKAGE........................................................................17
TASK 4 LO4 UNDERSTAND STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL DECISION MAKING FOR TOUR OPERATORS
..................................................................................................................................................... 18
4.1 EVALUATE THE STRATEGIC DECISIONS MADE BY DIFFERENT TYPES OF TOUR OPERATOR 18
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4.2 COMPARE THE TACTICAL DECISIONS THAT COULD BE TAKEN BY A SELECTED TOUR
OPERATOR IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS....................................................................................20
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................... 22
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................23
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INTRODUCTION
Tour operators of travel and tourism industry are the main stakeholders of the industry. The role
and function of the tour operator have increased due to the dominance of some tour operators
and their management. Tour operators can be referred as the business agents who offer the
combination of the various service packages like transportation, accommodation and other
potential services (Couper, et al. 2017).
This assignment would assess and examine the role and function of the tour operator in the tour
and travel industry within the context of the Trailfinders Ltd. It will also throw light on the
various stages and phases involved in the development of the tour packages. Further, the
examination of the brochures and reviewing of the methods of selling holidays will take place.
The last part focuses on the tactical and strategic decisions made by the managers of the tour
operators in the tour and travel industry.
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TASK 1
LO1. UNDERSTAND THE TOUR OPERATORS INDUSTRY WITHIN THE TRAVEL AND
TOURISM SECTOR
1.1 ANALYZE THE EFFECTS OF CURRENT AND RECENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS
ON THE TOUR OPERATORS INDUSTRY.
The tour and travel industry is in the
booming period as there are various
improvements and development in the tour
operator industry that is being adopted by
them for the success of the organizations.
There is a positive effect of the current and
recent trends on the tour operator that is
proved to be beneficial for the organization.
SOME OF THE RECENT AND CURRENT
TRENDS IN THE TOUR OPERATOR
BUSINESS WHICH ARE AS UNDER:
Advancements in the technology: With the
help of the technological advancements it
has become easier for the tourist to gain
the details and information of all the
services offered by the tour operators like
Trailfinders. Technology advancements
proved to very beneficial for the tour and
travel industry. Trailfinders has launched
their application for the tourist so that they
can book their tour packages online (Nieves
and Segarra-Ciprés, 2015). It has also
enabled safety purposes for their tourist
and customers of the Trailfinders as there is
a tracking system in the app which can
ensure the tourist they are safe and secure.
Apart from this Trailfinders has enables the
online payments, Google map, online
booking in their applications.
A shift of customization from the mass
market: With the changing time, the tour
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operators like Trailfinders has adopted the
customization of the service instead of the
Mass market offerings. Trailfinders focuses
on the particular segments and targets
them with the attractive offerings and the
services. The segmentation is done on the
basis of the key accounts segments which
have higher growth opportunities.
Trailfinders also started the customized
holiday packages according to the
requirements of the particular group and
individuals (Benur and Bramwell, 2015).
Minimization in the cost of the airlines:
With the help of the Low-cost airlines the
cost has been minimized and the efficiency
of the services has been increased. There is
a development of the low-cost lines which
has been emerging in the UK in recent
times. The expansion of the Tour operator
industry leads to the Trailfinders to
minimise the airline's costs. This has
increased the profit of the Trailfinders as
the attraction of the customers has been
increased (Sharpley and Telfer, 2015). The
increasing number of the tourist activities
and the selling of the holiday packages has
led to the reduced cost of the holiday
packages.
Safety and security: It is the most
important concern of the tourist and the
visitors while travelling as there are various
unauthorized and criminal activities going
on in the market like terrorist attacks,
kidnappings, robberies etc. Trailfinders have
invested more in the improvement of the
security and safety measures at the hotels,
international airports, destinations, sites,
rail lines etc. Trailfinders have also launched
the security system in the mobile
application of the company so that tracking
can be done and effective measures can be
taken in the case of the emergency or any
suspect Sharpley and Telfer, 2015).
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