Tour Operation Management: Planning Holidays & Distribution Methods

This report delves into tour operation management, focusing on holiday creation and distribution strategies. It explores stages involved in creating holidays, including destination research, planning, negotiation with suppliers, costing, financial evaluation, and marketing. The report discusses various tour operator types (inbound, outbound, direct sell, domestic) and contracting methods. A case study involving an educational tour for adult students from London to Brussels is presented, including cost calculations and pricing. Furthermore, the report examines planning decisions for brochure design within a marketing department context, considering issues, format, target audience, and distribution methods, with a mention of Kuoni.

TOUR OPERATION MANAGEMENT
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1..............................................................................................................................................4
1.1................................................................................................................................................4
TASK 2..............................................................................................................................................6
2.1................................................................................................................................................6
2.2................................................................................................................................................8
2.3..............................................................................................................................................10
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................12
3.1..............................................................................................................................................12
3.2..............................................................................................................................................13
3.3..............................................................................................................................................15
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................17
4.1..............................................................................................................................................17
4.2..............................................................................................................................................18
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................20
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INTRODUCTION
Management of the travel and tour organisations faces an imperative task to manage or
process with the detailed information regarding tour and visitors. The attraction of the visitor is
entirely based on the perceptions and financial incomes. The present report is based on the
development of the stages that are involved in creating holidays by the tour operators industry
(Wilson and Moore, 2017). The brochures, methods of distributions and other prospects those
are crucial for approaching the strategic decisions of the tour operators are encountered in the
study. Being the part of the tour operator organisation it is necessary to emerge the visitors on
describing the responses that are prepared by grasping knowledge about different holiday
destinations. The assignment represents the current and future trends that are essential of tour
operators to articulate perceptions of the people.
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TASK 1
1.1
The travel and tourism industry Trailfinders
is the most dynamic and was founded in the
year 1970 by former SAS officer Mike
Gooley with a staff of four people. Today
the travel company has developed 32
centres and is staffed with more than 1000
people (Wilson and Moore, 2017). With a
worldwide reputation, the widest range to
manage the flights, tours, hotels, cruises,
car and another cost lowest price.
As the line manager, it has been pioneered
that travel consultant has been a substitute
for one-on-one bespoke services (Morpeth
and Yan, 2015). The recent trends of
Trailfinders are:
Increase in the disposable income in the
economy
According to the recent trends, the increase
in the income popularizes the living
standards of the population. This helps in
contributing to the GDP of the country.
Developed the transactions of the new
technology
Now a day, the transactions are articulated
on the instance of the online booking
through the use of technologies (Ezeuduji,
2015). For example- depending on the
mobile booking systems that provide the
desired set of destinations holiday package
with booked details.
Increase in the access of country and
generating capital through Foreign Direct
Investments (FDI)
The fact that has helped in generating the
capital has influenced the travel and tour
industry to expand reach with the support
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of FDI as the globalisation has eliminated
the boundaries and increased
opportunities.
Providing variety of the holiday packages
i.e. customising the products
The variety of holiday packages can initiate
the terms with the economy of the country
(Wilson and Moore, 2017). This can be
supported by the significance of the
customising prospects of the products like a
visit to the Singapore, Virgin Atlantic &
Delta and many others.
The Current trends have provided the
effectiveness of the facilities that are
accounted for the level of the customer
satisfaction. Customers have set a
benchmark to increase the demand for the
products and services that are provided by
the travel organisation (Morpeth and Yan,
2015). The visit to different locations can
help in developing their physical
significance. The places for the visitor
attractions like- National Maritime
Museum, Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark and
Tower of London.
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TASK 2
TITLE
PROPOSAL FOR THE EDUCATIONAL TOUR FOR ADULT STUDENTS FROM LONDON, UNITED
KINGDOM
SUMMARY
As a Trailfinders manager, it is necessary to create a luxury coach and educational tour for adult
students from London. A detailed proposal covering the group of 42 students’ size and tour for
5 nights has been planned. The vacation has to be taken place in July 2019 (de Grosbois, 2016).
The stages that are involves as per the proposed details for creating a holiday tour in summer
vacation for 5 days at Grand Cassel Bergh Bruges.
INTRODUCTION
The report provides an understanding of the stages that are involved in creating holidays. It
assesses the stages and timescales and methods that are involved in planning the tour along
with the selling prices that are recorded for the tour packages and price per person. It is
calculated with the cost of the local tour guide exchange for the duration of the tour.
BODY
2.1
The stages are involved in developing the tour packages and planning the stages of the tourist.
They are:
RESEARCH- DESTINATION AND MARKET
The destination is researched with the identification of the political, social and package tours.
The target market can help in identification of the key destinations. The approaches the
suppliers can account helps in making the policies and certainly engrasping the tour ingredients
of the market (Liu, et al. 2017). Based on the two things the new tour operators can undertake
the familiarization of the tour that is based on the two basic approaches. They are approaching
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the vendors without identifying themselves and other is taking the support from the vendor i.e.
tour operators that are independently accompanied by the average tourism created by the
classified vendors.
PLANNING AND SCHEDULING
NEGOTIATIONS WITH TOURISM SUPPLIERS- The negotiations with tourism suppliers is the
prospective stage which the tourist (Kew and Stredwick, 2017). The tour planner mutually set
the better price and better terms and conditions for planning and acknowledging the tour
prices with the better conditions. The travel agencies can direct towards the better terms and
conditions.
COSTING OF PACKAGE TOUR- The cost of the tour can connate with the management practices.
In simple terms, the involvement of the tour expenses is enticed with an incurred change in the
shape of the individual.
FINANCIAL EVALUATION AND PRICING- The cost of the product is evaluated with the estimated
selling of the prices and finalising tour prices. The financial risks such as foreign exchange,
payment of airlines, hotels and other destinations can solely help in determining the rate of
return, price competitiveness and market share(Tribe, 2015).
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF- The staffs are the essential factor that is necessary to meet the
increasing need for the business. The tour operator will plan the recruitment process as the
business is seasonal so sociable personalities are recorded in the same way to make decisions
FORECASTING
MARKETING OF TOUR PACKAGES- After planning the strategic position the vendors can
encompass with the airlines, hotels and transport operators. This can standardize with the
affordable and standardized tour package (Williams, 2017).
DEVELOPING TOUR MARKETING PLAN- The tour marketing plan is centred with the
organisational objectives that provide a clear understanding of the perspective of the consumer
that is reliable in the market conditions.
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CONTRACTING
MARKETING INBOUND AND OUTBOUND TOURS- The international tour marketing provides
intensive tour components that differ on the basis of the services. For example- tour operators
of the UK handle the full tour services that include the packages in a similar way as of India but
components would be different (Williams, 2017).
Figure 1: stages of developing holiday
Source: Lang, 2010
Thus, the stages provide the proper planning and controlling and execution of the phases that
are involved in the operational practices of the stages of the creating the holidays. The
timescale can be provided as per the stages.
2.2
Different components are involved while approaching to the holiday packages of the tour
operators. The list of tour operators that are accounted while planning a holiday are:
INBOUND TOUR OPERATORS
The inbound tour operators provide details about the trips that are related to the local
assistance within the country itself (Stevenson and Sum, 2015). The local arrangements are
bound to visit the trips that are related to local attraction visits.
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MARKET
RESEARCH
PLANNING
AND
SCHEDULING
FORECASTING
CONTRACTING

OUTBOUND TOUR OPERATORS
The outbound provides multinational tourism that can relate to the visiting the country or
another place. The tour operator can provide customer services with their own country.
DIRECT SELL TOUR OPERATORS
The tour operators sell tourism packages that are bypassing the customers with the travel
agents. In addition to the direct sell, they can offer a large variety of destinations and packages.
The customer can provide the lower prices with the packages (Wilson and Moore, 2017).
DOMESTIC TOUR OPERATORS
They provide details to the trips that are residents within the boundaries. They are also known
as resident operators that have better knowledge of the domestic seasons, food and culture.
The influence of these operators suggestively increases the demand of the local market and
approach visitors to repeat their trips.
There are different methods that are relative to the components of the contracting part of the
holiday (Charlesworth, 2017). They travel packages within the UK for approaching for an
educational tour. The methods that are recorded to fix different components of the holiday are
Fixed Contract Method and Sale contract method. This method helps in maintaining the
services offered by service providers of the hotels, transports and others etc. which adopts
those methods of contracts.
FIXED CONTRACT
This type of contract is used to fix particular term which will end after the duration ends. The
sales and services that are recorded can help in providing the bulk of services for the tour
operators that purchase the bulk of cost-effectiveness (Lee, et al. 2015).
SALE ONLY CONTRACT
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Sale only contract provides the utility for the services that are offered with the demand that is
made on the basis of the higher prices. The demand and requirements are the only sources of
the utilisation because the payment is done previously.
Thus, it can be concluded that merit and demerit means of services can find the fixed contract
that offers lower cost of the package and focus is entirely based on the customer services (Wu
and Wu, 2015).
2.3
The selling price proposed for the Grand Casselbergh in Bruges involves special rates for the 42
students from London, the UK to Brussels and Brugge, Belgium.
The cost of local tour guide = £ 945
Spot Exchange Rate=€1.12 per £1
Additional Charges mark-up = 33%
Cost of the Rooms (2 adults on sharing) = 96 euro per person
Price of 48-seater luxury coach = £ 11200
TYPE OF COST CALCULATION PRICE (IN £)
Cost for accommodation 5 nights *(£96*42 students) £ 20160
Cost of Transportation £11200 £ 11200
Guide Charges £945 £ 945
Spot Exchange Rate €1.12 per £1
Total Cost £ 32305
Profit margin@ 33% £ 10660.65
Sale Price £42965.65
In the given case, in a trip to the Grand Casselbergh, Brussels from London the trip organised to
provide the accommodation at the hotel with the rate of 96 Euro for a twin room with 2 adults
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sharing. The special rate of the transportation for the 48-seater luxury coach including extra
charges £11200 and the local guide hired charge for £945 with the profit margin of 33% (Lee, et
al. 2015). The calculation of the solution provide the selling price of the holiday is £42965.65
and net per person cost is £1022.99167.
CONCLUSION
The study provides the customising details of the methods used for planning a tour and
allocating different tour operator along with the selling price of the education tour at Grand
Casselbergh from London to Brussel.
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TASK 3
INTRODUCTION
The task covers the work with marketing department team at Kuoni and methods that are
applicable for distribution to sell luxury holiday are planned through planning decision for
designing the selected brochure.
BODY
3.1
The important stages that are involved in the planning decision for the design of selected
brochure covers:
RECOGNITION OF THE ISSUES
The issues regarding the decision of the planning a brochure can regard to the format and
design that are developed with conveying measures of the time and information of developing
brochure and more.
BROCHURE FORMAT
The brochure is designed to keep the targeted details that are developed with the information
of the companies and luxury holiday plans related to constituents of prices charged and offered
with the designated constituents (Liu, et al. 2017). This includes quality, paper and printing of
the brochure in context to the details.
TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THE BROCHURE
The brochure is developed by keeping in mind the targeted audience with the attractive
measures. It contains the details, prices and preparative designs and colours.
BUDGETING
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