MARKETING PLANS

Marketing Plans

Marketing Plans

Introduction

Traveling and Tourism is the world's biggest industry that employs maximum umber of people and it is the second largest industry after the oil industry while considering turnover. Travel and Tourism is a service industry that needs high caliber professionals and specialists skillful in diversified fields. The industry has many functional components like,

Hotels, restaurants and tourist complexes

Travel agencies and tour operators

Conveyance facilities providers for traveler

Recreational, entertainment and sports facilities for tourist

Cultural, adventure and wildlife exploring facilities for tourists.

Humans have been traveling since the beginning of time for different motives. Earlier, the main motivations for humans urged them to travel were Food, water, safety or acquisition of resources. As the time progressed and mankind traveled further into the evolution of civilization, the idea of traveling for the sake of pleasure or exploration soon emerged. The Travel has always depended upon technology to provide the means or mode of travel. While we look back into the human of ancient times, the earliest travelers walked or rode on domesticated animals. However, the invention of the wheel and the sail provided new modes of transportation. For very obvious reasons, with the advent of improved technologies over the ages, the individuals' opportunities to travel increased. As transportation system other than the carriers improved, like roads etc besides stabilization of governments and associated law and order, interest in travel increased for education, sightseeing, and religious purposes.

Tour Operators Activities

The two activities of highest significance in the filed of Tourism are accommodation and traveling i.e. hotel industry and travel trade. Tour operators are essential part of the tour travel trade. Tour Operators are involved in the travel industry by organizing tours. Their job is to plan and sell tour and travel packages to different groups of tourists having diversified interests. These target groups might be a single tourist or a complete group of travelers. The area of operation is much diversified. A Tour operator may be required to devise a general package for group of tourists visiting the country where the operators are working in as well as they may be required to design packages of specific interest for some other group of tourists who may be interested in some particular area of traveling, for example in wildlife. It is very common to find tour operators working in specialized area like mountain hiking and trekking expeditions etc.

The role of Tour operators in providing quality service and securing of tourist's interests is very vital. Such services are provided by tour operators so delicately that sometimes tourists fail to realize their presence. In situations of extraordinary proportion such as airline strikes to the World Trade Center disaster, the summer floods in Central Europe and the snowstorm on the east coast, tour operators have shown commendable dedication and concern for security and comfort of their clients.

Tour suppliers are the other segment of the travel industry. Any service provider that has something to offer for the tourists including boarding, lodging, transportation or any other facility ...