Tour Operations Management



Tour Operations Management

Introduction

The management of tour operations is a very important responsibility which involves the ability to operate all the operations related to a tour including tour costing, tour packaging and itinerary planning. This management also involves the tackling of managerial, strategic and operational issues that arise in the performance of operations in the tour. It is the responsibility of tour operations managers to combine and provide the travel services like transportation, meals, accommodation, sightseeing services and entertainment at a global price to the final customers (Robinson, 2009). The core purpose of this paper is to identify discuss the most important aspects involved in the tour operations management.

Discussion

The following discussion represents the most significant aspects and factors that relate to the management of the tour operations.

Effects of Current and recent Trends and Developments on the Tour Operators Industry

There are various trends that impact the industry of tour operations and these trends are presented as follows.

Globalization - The most significant trend that affects the tour operations industry is globalization because the people all over the world travel to different places in the world freely after the emergence of the concept of globalization.

Safety and Security - Safety and security is also an obvious trend that defines the business of this industry. The industry is required to ensure that sound safety and security is provided to the travelers keeping in mind the terrorist attacks and other terrorist activities that could be carried out through the tourism industry (Weidner, 2010).

Diversity - The tourism industry is analyzed to be the most diverse industry in terms of the populations of employees and the group of guests associated with the industry, so this trend also has a significant impact on the tourism industry.

Service - The changes in the expectations of the customers and the trend of globalization require changes in the services of the industry to meet the customer expectations.

Technology - Technology is the driving trend that affects the performance of the tour operations industry. Technological developments have become an integral part of the strategic planning and decision making of the tour operations management. Technology plays a vital role in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of tour operations.

Demographic Changes - The demographic changes also contribute towards the business of the tour operations industry. It is significant that the population all over the world is increasing gradually that allows a number of retirees to consume their time and money to avail the tourism and hospitality services (Talwar, 2006).

Price Value - The response of value for the price that the customers pay is very important to be considered by the tour operations management. The perception of the customers about the price has changed along with the expectations of the value that they require in return of their payment. The industry should consider the changing expectations of the customers while packaging their tour to provide complete satisfaction to the customers.

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