Analyzing Current Trends in Hospitality and Tourism Industry

This report delves into the dynamic landscape of the hospitality and tourism industry, examining the effects of current and recent trends and developments on tour operators, particularly focusing on 'Golden Tours'. It analyzes the impact of globalization, security concerns, diversity, service quality, technology, price-value perceptions, and demographic shifts. The report also assesses the stages and timescales involved in holiday development, using Thomas Cook Group as a case study, and evaluates the suitability of different contracting methods. Furthermore, it provides a historical overview of tourism, tracing its evolution from ancient times to the present day, and explores various types of tour operations. The report emphasizes the importance of adapting to changing consumer behaviors and leveraging technology to enhance service and efficiency within the industry. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the hospitality and tourism sector, covering the trends, holiday development, and contracting methods used by tour operators.

Tour Operations Management
Table of Content

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Introduction
According to AlSayyad (2013), hospitality is defined as giving service to other
people and demonstrating the consistent quality and excellence. Hospitality can further
bedefined as providing profitable value of a price level while explaining about own unique
points related to distinction. Hospitality is required to be a ‘place’ where mass can show
their uniqueness and henceforth can make an extension of their personal style as well as
personality. It can be said that the industry of hospitality belongs to a large company groups
which has their own existence in the industry of ‘tour and travels’, and thereafter makes
provision of everything that will be providing all desirable as well as necessary services and
goods to its customers.
The industry is actually composed of five elements. These are:
o Lodgings with tourism that encompasses motels, hotels, cruise ship or camps
o Services on transportation such as airplanes, ship and trains
o Beverage and food operations
o Retail stores working with souvenir, gifts shops for arts and crafts

Tour Operations Management
Task 1
P1.1 Analyse the effects of current and recent trends and developments on the tour
operators industry.
The philosophy with which ‘Golden Tours’ walks with the tourism and hospitality
industry follows that managers will be counselling all their associates, accordingly providing
them resources and enable them in thinking about themselves also. According to performers
of the ‘Golden Tours’, ‘perform everything that will be attracting them’ is the sole chant
towards success.
While walking to the success path of the ‘Tour Operation Management’ what the
company have discovered is a Tour operators’ position in the chain of distribution that has
been mentioned below:
Figure 1: The position of the Tour Operator in the Distribution Chain
(Source:Ghimire, 2013)
Golden Tours and their observation to the current trends of tourism and hospitality: Globalization: In today’s world people prefer to tour freely all across the world. A
survey report exhibited that in the year 2000, the international tourist arrival was 674

Tour Operations Management
million which dramatically increased to 797 million within a matter of five years and
reached to 940 million in 2010 (Ayeh et al. 2013, p.133). Security and Safety: The primary concern of safety and security for ‘Golden Tours’
has increased a lot because of the sudden terrorist attacks occurring worldwide along
with the robberies, kidnapping and assaults of tourists. Thus the company have taken
every kind of measures in terms safety and security alongwith critical disaster plans
taken to fight back against each of the threats. Infact it has been found that the
international airports are also implementing several security measures with an
upgraded awareness by making investment of billions and millions of dollars. Diversity: The hospitality and the tourism industry are included among the industries
which show a lot of diversities in terms of guest groups and population of
employees. Infact the tour operator will typically be combining components of tour
and travel for creating a packaged holiday (Dickinson et al. 2014, p.88). They will be
advertising as well as producing brochures for the purpose of promoting their
itineraries and holidays as well. Importantly the personnel would be required to
recognize as well as appreciate the diversity of cultures so as to make an
enhancement of the interaction nature with tourist depending on their religion,
culture, colour, ages, genders and sexual orientations. Service: With the alteration and modification of the global market consumption and
competition, the expansion of the service sector has also experienced a severe
change where quality have become the sole reason toponderin terms of retaining and
attracting quality customers. For every customers, service remains at the top of their
priority list alongwith the right kind of dealing and tour management. Technology: Technology comes as one of the primary force of driving alteration that
will be presenting opportunities in order to obtain a better integration and efficiency
in terms of an improved service of guest. Nowadays, technology has become one of
the main aspects for tourism business where development of the strategic resources
gets considered as a mean of tool for making an increase in the competitiveness.
Effectively utilizing information technology can enhance significant improvement
into the operational functionalities. Price-Value:Value and Price remains the two significant factors for the travellers of
today’s world. Customers have changed their perception in terms of tourism industry
with time. Guests have become more resistant towards paying more instead they are

Tour Operations Management
now preferring in paying less with getting more and thus the tourism industry is
needed to be patient and tolerant enough to carry out with this objectives. Demographic Modifications: The population is increasing globally and several
retirees are earning good in terms of traveling as well as utilizing services of
hospitality. Infact it has been surveyed that the volume of population is getting
decreased with the increasing of migration. Also gender, age, household and
educational changes have changed dramatically nowadays. Demographic alterations
can have its maximum affect over the term ‘tourism’. Its impact is high on direct
demand of tourism industry (Standing et al.2014, p.83).

Tour Operations Management
Task 2
2.1 Assess the stages and timescales involved in developing holidays
Planning is taking effective tourism that is important part for development of
holidays in Thomas cook group. Every activity of tour is taking effective results and
performance for Cambridge Heritage beach and wildlife holiday packages. It includes
following elements to determines time scale:
Examining new destinations
Thomas cook group play a vital role to assess two destinations for their business
development. Tour operator determines 2 to 3 months time scale for ascertain effective
results.
Research
With the help of effective market research, two destinations can be selected at
workplace. In this aspect, Thomas cook group has examines that they have to plan for
wedding tour packages in Las Vagas. At least 2 months are require to promote the business
results.
Negotiation
In this aspect, services are demonstrate after conducting market research. In this
way, Thomas cook group need to demonstrate several services which assist to grow
outcomes and performances within the business environment. It can be take 4 to 5months.
Tour development
In this last step, for tour packages design must be develops. In this aspect, Thomas
cook group negotiate tour packages with effective services to enhance outcomes and
performances in successful manner.
During the ancient period, people used to travel all across the world for either
trading, making religious pilgrimage or for war. History speaks that during the third century,
Greek inhabitants used to make travelling for visiting all the sites which had God and paid
visit to temples with travelling to Parthenon in Athens. In the Roman Era, Romans used to
travel freely to the countries which they have conquered. All their travelling was with their
currency and at that time they did not have to be worried about border crossing restrictions.

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It has been found that the Romans used to make their own long straight roads where their
armies can have a quick march and can transport their goods well. In the countries where
they have conquered once, they made an establishment of trade and henceforth started
carving their leisure facilities which included spas (Huang et al. 2013,p.495). The
Romans,who were rich enough to afford travelling, started making their way to countries
where their relatives and friends used to live.
During the Middle Age hardly people used to travel here and there other than going
to their pilgrimage. Infact instead of having any holidays, they used to celebrate ‘holy’ days.
Onthese particular days they used to celebrate religiously. If history records are seen then it
can beseen that many of the UK fairs had traces of being celebrated during this period.
Commonly they make a combination of things like accommodation, transport and meals.
What is more important is that most of the transport which was practiced then was mostly on
horseback or by foot whereas some people could even afford a wagon for the same.
During the early period of seventeenth century, young men used to travel all across
Europe where they started spending even more than a year visiting the capital city of Europe
for educational purpose. The other development that arose during this period was traveling
for ‘a cure’ where people started traveling to the spas in order to get healing of a wide range
of ailments. Obviously these spa provider resorts started gaining popularity which led to
further development of the transport systems along with road.
The holiday packages and the diversity that is available today offermultiplicity and
are vast. Such ensures the requirements of all customers. Further they experienced more sub
sections where it got specified in terms of being some particular tour type. The available
tour types are:
 Tours meant for Special Interest:This first type gets designed with an interest
on a particular area which may include: Wine and food Agricultural or cultural Art
 Regional or City Tours: Normally these will be lasting for a single or
maximum for couple of days. It will be following a fixed itinerary with
primary focus on some fixed place which can be of historic, religious or
refreshment valued place.

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 Full Escorted Tours:For the solo travellers this remains as one of the most
fruitful ideas.
 Group Tours: A group tour will also be following a particular place with an
itinerary that is pre-fixed. Such takes place with a fixed number of people in
a group.
The paper makes a review about some of the approaches which has been discussed and
predicted about the future of the scale and nature of tourism.
2.2 Evaluate the suitability of different methods of contracting for different
components of the holiday and different types of tour operator
With the help of two methods, Thomas cook group can arrange their resuts and
performances in effective way. It will assist to develops profitability and performances that
is needed to cover whole market. In this way, they can implementprogram with two methods
such as fixed contract ans sale only contract. Fixed contracts are made in the chosen
business to ensure that ultilization is take place asper the valume based capacity. In addition
to this, sale only contract assist to select centar code which design tou packages as per
interest of travellers. From these two methods, fixed contract is the best element which assist
to reduce risk element within the company. It make contract among different people at
workplace.
For ‘Golden Tours’ what they believes is ‘making all the experiences of traveling special’
and henceforth keeps a focus on provisioning all the unrivalled professionalism, choice and
confidence as well of the customers. Infact the company also takes care that even the
stakeholders can rely on their business strategies even in their near future. They continue a
business where the main concentration is making a group of three sectors which will
comprise of: Mainstream Destination and Accommodation Activity and Specialist
Golden Tours make provision of the following: Accommodation Tours and Excursions Transfers Events and Meetings

Tour Operations Management Services on Cruise Handling to some of the finest travel agents, tour operators,
worldwide customers and corporate clients
The sectors which the company widely covers in terms of giving the best service in tour
and tourism encompasses:
 Adventure: The company conducts some of the most adventurous tour for its
customers giving an assurance regarding finding the best enjoyment in the complete
tour ensuring safety for the same.
 Education: For the universities and schools specially designed educational tours get
engaged which will be making inclusion of educational visits, student ski trips,
activity and adventure trips.
 Marine: It comprises of some of the most classy experience with the world class
marine and yacht creation brands.
 Sport: The company has gained a lot of experience in terms of offering some of the
world popular sports tours conducting for both the corporate clients as well as for the
worldwide spectators.
The different tour operators are mentioned below: Domestic: They primarily focus on the residents of a country who will only
be traveling only within their own country. Inbound: It comprises of the activities hosted by some country operator
where countrymen of other country will be visiting the country of the
operator. Outbound: It is just the vice versa concept of the above mentioned where the
operator of a country will be arranging tour to some different country where
he will be visiting with his tour party.
2.3 Calculate the selling price of a holiday from given information below.

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Particular
s
Cost Per
Head
Poun
ds
Room 54 27 22.95
BB 12 10.2
Bus Fare 5400 108 108
Tour
Guide
900 18 18
159.1
5
Profit
Margin
20% 31.83
Selling Price 1
9
0
.
9
8

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Notes:
1. The tour has been assumed to be of a single day
2. There would be 50 people on the tour
3. Travel guide and bus rental would be divided amongst 50 people
1 Euro is equal to 0.85 British Pound