Unit 14 Tour operations Management

Aim Unit 14 Tour operations Management

Unit 14 Tour operations Management gives an understanding of the tour operators and the stages that are involved in creating brochures for holidays and also the distribution methods that are used in selling the holiday packages. The different types of tour operators industry of travel and tourism sector will be investigated including the various packages those operators provide. This study will explore various processes in creating a holiday and then develop the necessary skills in order to sell the holiday. The role of the brochures will be examined while introducing new promotion techniques for holidays.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the tour operators industry within the travel and tourism sector
2. Understand stages involved in creating holidays
3. Be able to review brochures and methods of distribution used to sell holidays
4. Understand strategic and tactical decision making for tour operators.

LO 1 Understand the tour operators industry within the travel and tourism sector

The tour operators are agents providing several packages of holiday. The tour operators as defined by the EU Package Travel Directive provide customized holiday packages. There are various types of tour operators such as Mass market tour operators, Specialist tour operators, outbound operators, domestic operators and many more. In order to understand the tour operators industry, it is very important to identify the major tour operators, including their ownership, market, competition and many other sectors. The scale of the business also needs to be identified, for example, the number of passengers carried, market share, turnover and many more.

LO 2 Understand stages involved in creating holidays

The various stages of planning a holiday involve market research, forecasting, planning and scheduling. The steps further also includes allocation, commitment, ad hoc, split charters and many more. The main step is to decide the cost of the holiday, which includes keeping in mind the fixed and the variable cost of the package, the load factors, the direct and indirect cost, the profit margin and many more. It also needs to deal with the offering of special packages to the customers.

LO3 Be able to review brochures and methods of distribution used to sell holidays

Reviewing the brochure requires recognizing the planning issues, including deciding the format, which includes the content, structure, style of the presentation, based on the product, target market and the budget. It also involves the stages of production and examining the distribution channels. The methods of distribution include direct sell, through agencies and many more. The packages can be offered to potential customers also through telephones and emails or printed letters.

Related Article: Advanced Diploma in Hospitality & Tourism Management

LO4 Understand strategic and tactical decision making for tour operators

The decision making of tour operators depend largely on the examination of the strategic decisions, for example, volume, pricing strategies, surcharge policy and many more. The industry is supposed to make tactical decisions during difficult times, for example during a competitive market or a price war.

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria

Learning outcomes   On successful completion of this unit a learner will:	Assessment criteria for pass   The learner can:
LO1 Understand the tour operators industry within the travel and tourism sector	1.1 analyse the effects of current and recent trends and developments on the tour operators industry
LO2 Understand stages involved in creating holidays	assess the stages and timescales involved in developing holidaysevaluate the suitability of different methods of contracting for different components of the holiday and different types of tour operatorcalculate the selling price of a holiday from given information
LO3 Be able to review brochures and methods of distribution used to sell holidays	evaluate the planning decisions taken for the design of a selected brochureassess the suitability of alternatives to a traditional brochure for different types of tour operatorevaluate the suitability of different methods of distribution used to sell a holiday for different types of tour operator
LO4 Understand strategic and tactical decision making for tour operators	evaluate the strategic decisions made by different types of tour operatorcompare the tactical decisions that could be taken by a selected tour operator in different situations

Links

This unit can be offered as a stand-alone unit. However, it could be delivered first or simultaneously if offered with Unit 15: Resort Management.

This unit can also be linked successfully with:

• Unit 1: The Travel and Tourism Sector
• Unit 5: Marketing in Travel and Tourism
• Unit 8: Legislation and Ethics in the Travel and Tourism Sector
• Unit 13: Special Interest Tourism
• Unit 21: Incoming and Domestic Tourism.

This unit maps to the following Management NVQ units:

• B1: Develop and implement operational plans for your area of responsibility
• B2: Map the environment in which your organisation operates
• F4: Develop and review a framework for marketing.