Tours and Operations Management

• Integration
• Technological advancement
• Rise and fall of inflation
• The effect of Brexit on Tourism.
• Low cost Carriers
• Increased environmental awareness and Responsible tourism.

Task 2: Group Presentation

It requires the formulation of the group and assigned the task to do practical research in the context to tour operation management in the travel and tourism industry.

It requires you to make secondary research to plan a holiday package and make a PowerPoint presentation for the same.

AC 2.1 Discusses the stages required to develop plans for holidays.

• Market research
• Planning and scheduling (determine destinations, hotels, capacity, dates, etc.
• Contracting (negotiation with suppliers).
• Costing the holiday.
• Financial Evaluation and Pricing.
• Creating the brochure.
• Advertising
• Operation and Execution
• Post Tour Management

AC 2.2 Different methods of contracting in accordance with different elements of holidays and various tour operators.  

• Fixed Contract:
• allocation
• ad-hoc

AC 2.3 Determining the selling price of the holiday for the given information.

(Fixed and variable costs, direct and indirect costs, mark-ups, profit margins, seasonal flexing, competitive pricing, skimming, special offers, discounting strategies, currency exchange)

The presentation should be in this order:

• Introduction
• Regulatory bodies
• Details of the complete tour
• Timescales and stages required to develop a holiday package.
• Different methods of contracting and their suitability
• Full detail of the destination chosen and hotel
• Price details
• Conclusion

Task 3: Report Writing (Individual work)

You are required to work with Marketing Department team of Tour Operator which requires evaluation of brochures and methods of distribution used to sell luxury holidays. You need to make an evaluation of decisions taken to design brochure, suitability of alternatives to traditional printed brochure and analyses of different method used to sell a package in different tour operators. You are required to prepare a management report summary along with relevant sources and examples.   

AC 3.1 Assess different  planning decisions required to design a selected brochure.

Evaluate the different Brochures from different tour operators and rate them based on:

• Cost
• Whether two fold, three or booklet format is used.
• Evaluation of target market and budget of the research project.
• Making specifications for brochure design.
• Stages to make a holiday package.

Different strategies that are required to solve the problems and shortcomings that are coming.

AC 3.2 Make an analysis of different alternatives suitability to a traditional brochure for different types of tour operator.

• E-brochure
• IPad/Android Applications
• Outdoor media (billboards, tube, TfL busses)
• Internet
• Social Media
• Radio/ TV Advertising
• Press (newspapers, magazines)
• Travel fairs (WTM, ITB)

AC 3.3 Discuss the suitability of different methods of distribution used by different tour operators.

• Direct Distribution
• Two level Distribution
• Through social network website
• Government website
• Online travel agencies
• Visitor information centre
• Review sites
• Voucher sites
• Concierge services

AC 4.1  Different Strategic decisions used by different tour operators.

• Pricing Strategies
• Surcharge policy
• Positioning and image
• Choice of product in accordance to customer portfolio
• Distribution decisions

AC 4.2 Make a comparison and differentiation between the tactical decisions (two examples) that could be taken by a selected tour operator in different situations.

• Tactical Responses
• Tactical Pricing
• Tactical Marketing