1. What is a tour operator?

⮚ An organization, firm or company who buys individual travel components, separately from their suppliers
and combines them into a package tour, which is sold with their own price tag to the public directly or
through middlemen. Primarily responsible for delivering and performing the services specified in a given
package tour. They are called manufacturers of tourism products, tour operators are sometimes called
as wholesalers but this is partially true because a wholesaler buys goods and services in bulk at his own
account to prepare a tour package and then retails it through the travel agencies or directly to clients.

2. What are the types of tour operator?

⮚ Inbound Tour Operators - also known as incoming tour operators. Technically, the operators who receive
guests, clients/tourists and handle arrangements in the host country.
⮚ Outbound Tour Operators - Tour operator who promote tours for foreign destinations, maybe business
tour or leisure tour.
⮚ Domestic Tour Operators - those who assemble, combine tourist components into inclusive tours and sell
it to the domestic travelers. Provide travel services within the tourist’s native country. Domestic tour
operators operate within the boundary of the home country and offer package tour to the travelers viz.
⮚ Ground Operators/Destination Management Companies -commonly known as handling agencies and
their main function is to organize tour arrangements for incoming tourists on the behalf of overseas
operators. The following functions are performed by ground tours operators:
1. Land arrangement
2. Contract and Negotiate with other vendors
3. Handling of Arrival and departure procedure
4. Planning and organizing local package tour
5. Escorting the tourists
6. Providing market information
7. Costing and pricing package tour

3. What is a tour package?

⮚ Refers either to a package tour escorted or not escorted by the tourist guide. Means a
pre-arrangement, prepaid trip that combines two or more travel components like airfare, airport
transfer, accommodation, and other services.
⮚ A package tour/tour package is a total tourism product as it generally includes transport from the origin
place to the destination, accommodation at an en route place or at the destination and other
recreational or travel services.
⮚ “A total tourism product consisting of transportation from the market area to the destination,
accommodation at the destination and recreational activities promoted by the tourists.” (Holloway)
⮚ “A tour package is advertised journey including specific features, arranged and promoted with tour
literature by a tour operator and paid for in full by the tourists before starting the tour.” (Gregorg)

4. What are the types of tour package?

⮚ Independent Tours - prepared/formulated for those tourists who want to travel independently. The
components of such tours are air travel, air transfer, accommodation, travel documents, sightseeing,
boat riding, entertainment, and other travel services. The foreign independent travel (FITs) and domestic
independent travel (DITs) are examples of an independent tour.
⮚ Escorted Tours - includes the services of a well-educated and trained tour manager in its package.
Meant for those travelers who are planning to visit a foreign country first time. The escort’s responsibilities
and duties are to provide comprehensive information and assistance to the group or individual traveler,
at the origin, en route and the destination place. The excursion tours are the example of escorted tours.
⮚ Hosted Tours - means when an agency utilizes the services of another agency at a particular
destination. Provides the tourists maximum level of pre-arranged and personalized services.
⮚ Incentives Travel/Tours - It is a motivational programmed or a fully paid holiday which is given to the
employees by the enterprises as a reward. Mostly in medium and large-scale companies and usually
too distant destinations to spur them in maintaining their track record, to increase output, improve the
image and moreover to earn the long period loyalty of the employees.
⮚ Freedom Tours - These tours are designed as per the choice of tourists. The tourist is free to choose and
plan how they want to travel and enjoy their holidays. Meant for the kind of people who like to decide
how, when, and where to travel. These tours are promoted and developed by the ORBIT.

5. What are the variations of a tour package?

⮚ Special-interest tours are designed around a particular interest area which could include arts, food and
wine, sport, cultural or agricultural. Specialist tours may include an expert or celebrity guide who relates
to the theme of a tour (e.g. a gardening expert accompanying a garden tour, or an art expert
accompanying an art tour).
⮚ Adventure tours are designed to allow the consumer to participate in their area of interest for the length
of the tour and more experience based. They generally are physical and require a certain level of
fitness, however, can sometimes be modified to meet your needs depending on the other travelers.
Some examples of this tour type include diving, rock or mountain climbing, horse riding, skiing or cycling.
⮚ City/regional tours normally last for one full day or less. They follow a fixed itinerary and will visit areas of
interest in a specific place, whether that is historic, religious or cultural, refreshments or meals are often
included.
 ⮚ Group tours also follow a fixed and pre-arranged itinerary. They often only take place depending on the
number of travelers i.e. they require a certain number of travelers in order to go ahead or it becomes a
financial cost rather than profitable. Group tours are generally always escorted or a tour guide service is
provided.

References:

Tour Operators - Definition, Types, Functions & Importance. (2019, January 30). Retrieved from
[Link]

Tour Package - Definitions, History, Types, Designing and Selection Process. (2019, February 1). Retrieved from
[Link]

(0AD). Retrieved September 26, 2019, from