Tour Operations Management Report: Strategies and Planning

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of tour operations management, focusing on the impact of current industry trends and developments. It examines the processes involved in holiday development, including market research, planning, and negotiation, using examples from companies like Trailfinders. The report explores different methods of contracting for various holiday components and calculates selling prices based on given financial information. Furthermore, it evaluates planning decisions for brochure design, assesses the sustainability of alternatives to traditional brochures, and analyzes the sustainability of distribution techniques. The report also evaluates strategic and tactical decisions made by different types of tour operators, providing a holistic view of the challenges and opportunities within the tour operations management field.

TOUR OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK...............................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Effect of current and recent trend and development on tour operation industry..............2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Assess changes and timescale involved in developing holidays......................................2
2.2 Different methods of contracting for various components of holiday and tour operator. 3
2.3 Calculate selling price of holiday from given information..............................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Evaluate planning decisions taken for design of selected brochure.................................5
3.2 Sustainability of alternatives to traditional brochure for various kind of tour operator...6
3.3 Sustainability of various techniques of distribution used to sell holiday for different kind
of tour operator ......................................................................................................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Evaluation of strategic decisions made by different kind of tour operators.....................8
4.2 Compare tactical decisions that can be taken by selected tour operator in different
situation..................................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Tour operation management can be defined as an important factor of any tourism
industry. Tourism may seems to be a better income source for any nation because it contribute a
huge amount to annual income of the country which facilitates to build a strong economy of it.
The company have different tour operators who are able to render satisfactory products to clients
for making more profits or benefits (Barratt,Choi,and Li2011.) . The special people who have
effective quality for generating a package of tourism and holidays for customers are known as
tour operators. This assignment is explained about tour operation management related to the
organisations such as Trail-finders and Kuoni have a good marker share in tourism industry.
These enterprises are very famous travel and tourism firm proving better services in United
Kingdom by their unique methods or techniques. The organisation have to implement several
developmental and current trends to boost up services of travel and tourism by appointing special
tourist operators in an enterprise.
TASK 1
1.1 Effect of current and recent trend and development on tour operation industry
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TASK 2
2.1 Assess changes and timescale involved in developing holidays
The tour operators have a task to first first identify and create appropriate research or
survey of market to know about desired package according preferences of clients and trends.
This will helps in generating an effective programme of holiday packages by following various
level of that method step by step properly to conduct it effectively. The trail-finders need to
create a luxury coach and education tour of 42students of age group 18 years for 5 night stay to
conduct trip of Brugge, Belgium and London of Brussels. This is summer holidays trip in June
2019 so that the company have to create correct and desired holiday package for them which is
given below: Market research:- This stage is necessary to know about the market trends as well as
client preferences or tastes to design appropriate and effective vacation package for
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them. For this. The firm need to appoint such kind of tour operator can fulfil demands of
customers by providing better quality service to them(Evans, Stonehouse and Campbell,
2012). Planning and scheduling:- Second stage includes to build an efficient plan according to
preferred time period as well as dates because people want their services in proper time
as they are paying for it, delivery of services should be appropriate because it creates
inte4rest plus lo6yalty of clients. Forecasting:- The next step is to observe and analyse needs or demands of custo0mers
as well as trends to make their service in better way. The organisations have to make
sure to complete expectations of customers by correctly identified desires of people.
 Negotiation:- Sometimes, it is noticed that full of facilities package is mostly seems to
be quite expensive. Then tour operators have a task to reduce prices of bulk booking for
making appropriate negotiation in it.
The organisation named Trail-finders have to adopt these steps to make more effective and
efficient vacation packages for customers to make them more comfortable and satisfy. This may
facilitate to attract new clients as well as retain current ones easily.
2.2 Different methods of contracting for various components of holiday and tour operator
There are different kind of people and according their needs or preferences they want
various types of vocational packages which have to understand by the tour operators. They need
to know about client taste or preferences to design correct and appropriate holiday packages so
that tour operators become able to complete the expectations of people(Grant, Wong and
Trautrims, 2017). It is important to do proper contract between client and tour operators to have
order of delivery correct on time.
The team of college students need to spend sometime by visiting several places in
Europe. And for that purpose they have to render an appropriate information in contract to the
firm named Trail-finders which includes in kind of tour operator called Inbound. These are
providing services within a nation only and all such places which may easily design by company.
The student group are necessarily render details about desired quality services which are
expected from the company by them(Guo and He, 2012). All kind of information should b3e
there in contract deal between the students and the enterprise named Trail-finders. Because this
will facilitates proper or appropriate knowledge about demanded aspects to be fulfilled in a
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correct way as well as the clients may gain better delivery of services as per their expectations. If
holidays package is perfect then the trip will become more comfortable and enjoyable for
clients. Several types of contracts may re-checked and have to understand by client and service
provider are given below:
 Fixed Contracts:- this can be explained as that, terms and conditions should be applied
are always fixed and never make changes due to assessment of various kind of client
demands. Trail-finders need to render better quality services which they have in contract
with their customers.
 Sale only Contract:- it may refers to make high charges as per cost of volume regarding
their needs or preferences of services they are expecting. Trail-finders dont have aneed to
apply this kind of contract but just to make sure about complete all the expectations of
customers.
2.3 Calculate selling price of holiday from given information
It is well known that every kind of tour operator designs various holiday packages as per
different qualities with contrary pricing strategies for them. They have certain ranges of packages
in respect of price for clients according to their expected preferences of tourism services. It will
facilitates the customer to make correct decision as per its budget of income and tastes of
themselves. Therefore, it seems to be more necessary to identify selling price for different
vacation-al packages provided by Trail-finders. An appropriate calculation for this aspect is
Grand Casselbergh in Brugge of 96 Euros for an individual, for two-seater room (2 adults can
share) including breakfast meal. The price 48-seater luxury coach is £11,200 and that includes
two drivers, a tour manager, fuel and all road as well as ferry taxes. The local tour guide have its
price of £945.
according to the above aspects, managers have to mark up-to 33% adding it with rate of
exchanging of €1.12 per £1. As per this knowledge, they have utilise appropriate measurement of
of selling price need to get determine for better creation of package and deliver it to best rate to
ultimate clients.
cost of rooms per person 85.71
cost of luxury coach per seat 233.33
Allocation of local guide cost per person 472.5
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Total cost of tour before margin 791.54761905
Add: Profit margin 261.1923809524
Selling price per person of tour after margin 1052.74
As per this, it is a selling price of a person for specific tour which rendered by a company
to their client. In such context, company can provide some offers to their users as well. This
enables them to gain best offers and special services to users. Fixed and variable cost:- Fixed cost can be defined as which cannot get changed. This
seems to be rigid in aspect to manufacture or provide goods and services to customers.
On the other hand, variable cost is flexible and it may change as per requirement.
 Profit margin:- Whenever the organisation going to manufacture a bulk of products then
they have make sure that calculation of cost invested adding by profitable cost with it. All
this aspect can be known as measurement of profit margin.
TASK 3
3.1 Evaluate planning decisions taken for design of selected brochure
Every organisation have to promote its products or services for they have established
marketing team or department to conduct several procedures of advertisements. These
promotional techniques have two motives- firstly, to increase sales or profits and secondly, to
provide appropriate information about goods or services to the target audience properly(Hoyos,
Morales and Akhavan-Tabatabaei, 2015). Kuoni is suitable firm which targets to render travel a
service more effectively to client by generating better awareness attractive or luxury vacation
packages for people. To fulfil this aspect, the firm need to identify brochure as an efficient or
effective tactics to render knowledge with such criteria.
An organisation have a brochure to make it with appropriate determination of designing
which may includes by an association in correct way. It will based on components given below:
 Planning issue:- For doing or executing anything successfully, it is necessary to build a
blue print of planning in which several steps are mentioned as required to achieve
desirable aspects. But the thing is, they need to identify all kind of issues regarding that
perspective for which planing is required so that it can be avoided or sort out threats of
particular factors which have to be completed. This seems to be important because all the
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aspects which are essential to be mentioned in brochure for preparing it more effectively.
Besides of that, brochure should be making through maintaining its size and style to
generate more interest of people so that it impacts better on thinking of clients in respect
of products or services. It must contain mandatory content as well as details of luxury
information in it to attain better effectiveness of brochures.
 Target market:- the brochure should be displayed more efficiently at targeted area of
clients to gain more profits or benefits. Luxury holiday packages relevant details have to
delivered each and every preferred customer. This facilitates better market grab capacity
to achieve more loyal customers as well.
 Creative brief:- All kind of content bearing by brochures should be appropriate in
respect to provide correct knowledge and it must be more attractive to customers. It is
important to generate interest if people to read the content of it then only it impacts
positive for the organisations.
3.2 Sustainability of alternatives to traditional brochure for various kind of tour operator
Brochure can be considered as an essential way of help to provide a proper knowledge
about particular product to desired customers. Previous time of brochures had specific criteria to
make itself in a simple format of paper only which is not much effective but expensive. It was
also not contain more information about specific aspect of business so that it did not impacts
much positively in attaining profits of firm(Kerzner, 2013). Hence, the tour operators of any
organisation have to maintain its quality to make it more effective and try to provide better or
appropriate information about it. This facilitates better achievement of increasing clients to
maintain equilibrium between manufacturing cost and profit margin. Today's market scenario is
based on digitalisation and this kind of aspects have to conduct through internet support wit
social media. Some of methods are as follows:
 Video:- The modern era of market is very fast as well as it is depend on digitalisation and
brochures are also done in soft copies as attracting videos. This impacts to create interest
in young generation through social media like Facebook, twitter, hike, Skype and so on.
So that if target customers are youngsters then it will become very much effective and
efficient to attain its profit target as well.
 Internet:- This technique is very useful because people are fond of using internet so that
it will help to gather bulk of clients or to attain frequent popularity then use of internet is
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mandatory as it will results to maintain(Moutinho, 2011). It may assist a vast range of
population at one stroke to attract and retain the clients for long time.
Kuoni can utilise the above mentioned theories to make its brochure more attractive according to
trends of current market era. Because this will help in achieving better profitability and
productivity as well to build strong position of an organisation in front of competitors.
3.3 Sustainability of various techniques of distribution used to sell holiday for different kind of
tour operator
Every company have mandatory task to apply suitable methods or techniques to conduct
any kind of aspects as per its fulfilment criteria. So that it is necessary to make brochure and
distribute it with suitable or effective technique to the target clients. If method should be
organised through correct requirement then it will results in desired benefits. The enterprise
named Kuoni can utilise several methods of distribution to make it more efficient are given
below:
 Direct sell:- This term can be referred as that method which is usually adopted by those
firm who are just start their career in business era. Then they can adopt tool of direct
distributing their brochure to the customers for making them aware about such goods or
services which are introduces by them.
 Call centres:- Many organisations established their call centres in which their appointed
employees makes phone calls to generate interest amongst the customers. This can be
done by providing them information about their products or services properly(Khairat
and Mahe, 2017). This tools is also beneficial to ask for feedbacks or suggestions to
improve quality and solve problems.
 Internet:- Today's era is based on internet and fond of using social networking sites and
it can used for organising brochure distribution to target audience more effectively and
properly. This makes them attractive and people show more interest to adopt them.
The above mentioned factors are necessary to attract targeted audience at low cost
investment and it helps in achieving better responses of customers regarding goods or services
which are provided by particular organisation(Martinez, Stapleton and Van Wassenhove, 2011).
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TASK 4
4.1 Evaluation of strategic decisions made by different kind of tour operators
Several strategies and policies have to build in an organisation make the processes and
activities more effective as well as efficient. And also they need to be change or modified
according to flexible trends of market to maintain strong position of enterprise in front of
competitors. There are various kind of tour operators who requires to make certain strategies and
tactics to make holiday packages more effective to attain satisfaction of customers. Different
kind of tour operators with their strategies are as follows:
 Inbound tour operators:- This kind of operators have a task to facilitate foreign visitors
in the country by making effective strategies to provide better services. They have to
make strategies and policies to facilitates better image of its country with its services. So
that it will results to attract more foreign tourist because the income contribute in annual
income of nation.
 Outbound tour operators:- In this, they have a target to provide facilities for their own
people to visit more comfortably in foreign places so that it is mandatory to provide
information about legal aspects of that specific nation(Lenahan, 2011). This can be done
through building innovative and effective strategies as per current trends.
 Domestic tour operators:- They have to deal within their own country and people and
requires to make sure about providing better services at tourist of the nation as well. They
have to make several methods to attain satisfaction of people regarding facilities of
visiting places of the same nation.
Different kind of tour operators have their various strategies as per level of visitors and
tourist places. They different level of strategies for improvement of tourism aspects.
4.2 Compare tactical decisions that can be taken by selected tour operator in different situation
Sometimes, it is observed that different circumstances or situation demands for such
decisions which are more appropriate in that particular condition to attain desired targets. It is
required because everything should be done according to its level because various departmental
activities are bearing its own aspects to fulfil(Luis, Dolinskaya and Smilowitz, 2012). Then only,
the desired target of manufacturing or operational factors will be completed as per planning or
decisions of objectives.
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When business have the vast range of spreading side branches of it then it is necessary to
adopt several tactics to make more effective and innovative strategies to make desirable profits.
Various level of tour operators have different strategies then they have to evaluate them as per
need of their own task. A kind of tour operators and its evaluation is given below:
Domestic tour operators
This kind of operators have a task to provide better service to its target clients as
domestic operators have to deal with domestic visitors in same nation. Then it will necessary to
fulfil all expectations of people in respect of innovative aspects to attract new clients through
introducing new creative services. Before implementing new strategy, it is important to check its
all positive and negative aspects to solve them.
CONCLUSION
This report has been concluded that different kind of tour operators have to make make
various kind of strategies as per their level of targets to fulfil needs and desires of clients. Tour
operators have to design innovative strategies to complete expectations of people in respect to
current trends. Evaluation of these aspects are important to execute them more effectively.
REFERENCES
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Dietz, D. C., 2011. Practical scheduling for call center operations. Omega. 39(5). pp.550-557.
Evans, N., Stonehouse, G. and Campbell, D., 2012. Strategic management for travel and
tourism. Taylor & Francis.
Grant, D. B., Wong, C. Y. and Trautrims, A., 2017. Sustainable logistics and supply chain
management: principles and practices for sustainable operations and management.
Kogan Page Publishers.
Guo, X. and He, L., 2012. Tourism supply-chain coordination: The cooperation between tourism
hotel and tour operator. Tourism Economics. 18(6). pp.1361-1376.
Hoyos, M. C., Morales, R. S. and Akhavan-Tabatabaei, R., 2015. OR models with stochastic
components in disaster operations management: A literature survey. Computers &
Industrial Engineering. 82. pp.183-197.
Kerzner, H., 2013. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
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Khairat, G. and Maher, A., 2017. Integrating sustainability into tour operator business: An
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Lenahan, T., 2011. Turnaround, shutdown and outage management: Effective planning and step-
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Luis, E., Dolinskaya, I. S. and Smilowitz, K. R., 2012. Disaster relief routing: Integrating
research and practice. Socio-economic planning sciences. 46(1). pp.88-97.
Martinez, A. J. P., Stapleton, O. and Van Wassenhove, L. N., 2011. Field vehicle fleet
management in humanitarian operations: a case-based approach. Journal of Operations
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Moutinho, L. ed., 2011. Strategic management in tourism. Cabi.
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