INTRODUCTION TO TOUR OPERATION

Learning Objectives:

A.) Understand the history and types of Tour

B.) Tour Operator-Importance, meaning, Scope and functions.

C.) Different types of Tour Operator

A. 1) History of Tour:

- Thomas Cook - First travel professional who organized a tour package in -July 1841.
- Henry Wells of USA- In 1841 he formed a firm Well Fargo, in 1850- American Express, Traveller’s Cheque etc

A.2) Types Of Tour :

● Custom Designed tours

● Pre-Packaged tours

« Pre-Packaged Tours »

- Independent Tours

- Hosted Tours

- Escorted Tours

A.3) Types of Package Tours :

- All Inclusive Tours: -
A Package tour which includes all the travel components except shopping and any other personal expenses is termed as “all inclusive tours”.

- Partially Escorted Tour: -
A tour in which some part of a particular package tour also has an escort service.

- Independent or Individual Tours: -
A tour that does not include a guide or a host or a set routine of daily activities.

- Extended or Day Tours: -
Tours that can be added to an existing tour, before or after, to create a longer trip.

- FIT: -
Foreign Independent Tour or Foreign Inclusive Tour or Free Independent Tour. Now generally used to indicate any independent travel, domestic or
international, that does not involve a package tour.

B.1) Tour operator:

A tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. The most common example of a tour operator's product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price.

B.2) The main functions of large scale tour operating company are

- TRAVEL INFORMATION :

The first and foremost function of a Tour Operator is to give their client the travel related information, let it be either for
international or for domestic sector.

- ITINERARY PREPRATION :
A Tour Operator prepares mainly two types of itineraries.

(a) General itinerary- An itinerary that combines all travel components and are designed to appeal the general tourists. 

(b) Special tourist itinerary- An itinerary that 

combines elements designed to appeal to those with some special interests. 

 RESERVATIONS & TICKETING – Making Airline ticketing and railway reservations for the clients for international as well as domestic sectors.

 ACCOMMODATION RESERVATION-Tour Operator books a room in a hotel either directly or by contacting the hotel or by using CRS (Computerized Reservation System).

 PRICING A TOUR PACKAGE- Generally, a Tour Operator use marginal pricing techniques i.e., after studying the market trends at their margin and package tours cost is prepared. Or after calculating the operational fixed cost plus some profit for the company, the prices are decided.

 TRAVEL INSURANCE

Depending upon the tour the traveller can purchase insurance which is known as the policy which covers medical expenses, Baggage losses, trip cancellation. 

For International Tour it is mandatory to take overseas travel insurance. 

C.1TOUR OPERATOR AND ITS TYPES:- 

Tour Operator is categorized into the following 

categories:-

 Domestic Tour Operators- As the name suggests these Tour Operators sells package tours within the native country of the tourist. They combine all the elements of travel and sell it to the Domestic tourists.

 Inbound Tour Operators- Those Tour Operators who receive tourists and handle all the aspects of tour in the host country are called Inbound Tour Operators or incoming Tour Operators.

 Outbound Tour Operators-Those Tour Operators who sells package tours other than home country of the tourist is known as the Outbound Tour Operators.

 Mass Market Operators- This type of operators offers packages of hot destinations of the world.

 Specialist Tour Operators-Those Tour Operators that deal with the specific needs of the traveller and arranges a tour especially for them are known as Specialist Tour Operators